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There is promise in those words, a sliver of threat. As our horse gallops to the front, I don’t turn, but I feel the Prince of the Iron Mountains watching me… just as he did the first time we met.

“What do we do with him?” I ask Jin.

“He will remain in Thorn Valley. We cannot bring him to Mist Island. Not only would the Elders object, but it’s too dangerous. Should he betray us, the consequences will be disastrous.”

“If he betrays us, I’ll kill him.” I mean it too.

A dark forest looms. Just a breath and a step separate Thorn Valley from the Iron Mountains, though they are realms apart. As we cross the border into the Land Beyond, the air fills with new sounds and scents like the world after a storm. The green leaves are veined with copper, forming a thick canopy, light falling in delicate shafts. Flowers trail from the ground, up the trees, coiling around their branches. Luminous mushrooms bloom across the earth like small lanterns, as fireflies dart in the air. It’s like night and day fused beneath the silken shade of the trees.

Yet to an outsider—braced for horror—there is much to fear. In the forest, vines loop around the branches of trees, coiling across the ground. Thorns coat their stalks, some needle-sharp and fine, others curved like vicious talons. They glisten ominously, a barrier to any trespasser—but when Jin approaches with his warriors, the knotted vines part like slithering snakes.

Strange sounds and rustles fade as we approach, though occasionally there’s a glimpse of an iridescent butterfly, a silver-clawed foot of some small animal, a tail of luminous green feathers. Are they shy or frightened of us?

I look around, seeing no sign of the shore. “Where is Mist Island?”

“The way there is hidden. Dian will show you how to get there.”

At last, a clearing appears, marking the end of the forest. Dian and Ruilin are ahead as Jin has been riding at a slower pace since we crossed into the Land Beyond, letting the others overtake him. Most of his warriors veer away from us now, moving deeper into the trees. As Shiji rides onward, Prince Zixin turns once to stare at me, his gaze unnervingly bright.

Jin pulls the reins, halting our horse. After he dismounts, he helps me down. “We’ll walk the rest of the way.”

“If I didn’t know you better, I’d think you were delaying our parting,” I tell him cuttingly.

“Oh, I am,” he says shamelessly. “I thought you also needed a moment to express your appreciation to me.”

I regard him coolly, burying my gratitude. “It appears, Lord Jin-Yong, thanks are not necessary when I am paying for your service.”

“You know I came for you—you know it isn’t like that.” His face darkens as he pulls me to him, his hands pressed along the curve of my waist. “I don’t like you calling me that; you sound like Dian.”

“She was right about a lot of things,” I say stiffly, yet not wrenching free… even now, still wanting his touch.

“She was also wrong, just as many times. About you. About me.” He continues in a softer tone. “Don’t inherit her prejudice—if you must dislike or hate me, do it on your own account.”

The intensity of his gaze pins me. I can’t look away, resenting how easily he twists my emotions. “Will Prince Zixin be treated well?” I ask partly to rile him, partly from a sense of obligation.

“As well as he deserves. We will keep close watch over him but won’t lock him up. At least, not yet.” Jin’s expression shutters. “You are concerned for him. He seems familiar with you, more than before.”

An expectant pause settles like he’s waiting for more. “I kissed him,” I admit.

“Why?”

I look up into his taut, unsmiling face. Is he jealous? A rush of unexpected pleasure fills me at the thought. “Only to cure him. Prince Zixin and the dragon were poisoned with winterfire berries, bonding them. I had to break the curse.”

“He kept the dragon captive, he stole his powers,” Jin reminds me harshly. “He’s been betrayed, yet that doesn’t mean he is good—just that he’s been outplayed.”

“I know.”

“Did you like kissing him?” He shoves a hand through his hair, curling at the base of his neck. “I shouldn’t ask such questions.”

I stifle the urge to ask about Shiji. His jealousy doesn’t push me away, it draws me closer. “Prince Zixin is the one who helped me escape the palace when I was a child. He was punished severely for it.” I fall silent, remembering his scars. “I can’t think of him as just a villain.”

“Don’t mistake the boy he was for the man he’s become. Prince Zixin is ruthless, merciless, and heartless.” His jaw clenches as he takes my hand. “But I don’t want to talk about the Prince of the Iron Mountains anymore.”

My heart quickens as his thumb traces my palm. “What do you want to talk about?”

As Dian and Ruilin appear in the clearing, calling out for me, Jin pulls me out of sight, behind a cluster of trees. “I can’t accompany you to Mist Island; I won’t be welcome,” he tells me. “But I want to see you again… and not just because you have to.”

His gaze drops to my mouth, light kindling in his eyes. My senses are afire with the desire to touch him again, to taste him as when we kissed. But I shutter it, push it down, grasping at the remnants of anger.