“I’m sorry,” I said, guilt rushing through me. I glanced at James, who lingered in the background, his hands shoved in his pockets and his mop of blond hair falling in his eyes.

But I wanted answers, not more diatribes about how I had a choice. “What’s going on Why could I see Henry” My mother wrapped her arms around my shoulders, and I relaxed against her. “Why don’t we go inside where it’s comfortable, and then we’ll tell you everything” Somehow I doubted that I would ever really learn everything that was going on when it came to my new family, but my jeans were damp from the ground, and the sooner we got to the palace, the sooner I would see Henry. And then—

And then what

James’s offer trickled back into my mind, circling my thoughts until I couldn’t ignore it any longer. He was wrong. He had to be. I’d survived; I’d passed, and Henry loved me. As soon as we saw each other, everything would fall into place, and things would be