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"I’lanced at Jaround, his hands shoved in his pockets and hisin his eyes

But I wanted answers, noton? Why could I see Henry?" My ainst her "Why don’t we go inside where it’s co?" So that was going on when it caround, and the sooner we got to the palace, the sooner I would see Henry And then--

And then what?

Jahts until I couldn’t ignore it any longer He rong He had to be I’d survived; I’d passed, and Henry lovedwould fall into place, and things would be nor Henry

The path was shorter than I’d thought, sloping doard toward a courtyard in front of the palace Instead of f lower beds and trees, the ground was littered with littered in the light

Much in the saardens were art, this was a masterpiece, and I couldn’t take ned it," said Ava as we approached the inti doors I bit the inside of my cheek to stopin the Underworld would reether, there was no way I could coered in his life But I hadn’t been prepared to face it this soon

I took a deep breath Everything would be f ine I was jet-lagged, that’s all, and as soon as I got soo back to nor to help

The entranceas nothing like I’d expected Unlike the darkness of the world outside the palace, it was cheerful inside, with red walls andin Eden Manor This rooold accents around the hout the corridor, everything are, but inside, it didn’t seem the least bit impressed with itself

I liked it

"This is where I’ll be living during the winter?" I said, andof the palace, uests?"

Ava skipped besidemy arm out of its socket "Like us, silly The entire council’s here right now to see your coronation"

"They are?" Myto be uys"

"Of course the entire council is here Henry will be crowning a new Queen of the Underworld tonight," saidher hand on my back to lead me down another hallway "That doesn’t happen very often" She see, and trepidation bubbled inside of me She hter--my sister--and her familiarity with the palace was one more reminder of how deeply entrenched Persephone had been in Henry’s life How deeply entrenched hertoward an elabo-rately decorated door at the end of the hallway I wanted to ask her how she’d known that, but as we drew closer and I recognized the intricate wooden carvings, I nearly choked

It was the exact same door as the one in Eden that led into Persephone’s bedroom On the top half was a beautiful ht in the wood Below it stood the Underworld with its pillars of stone and gardens of jewels, and it was all I could do to speak "Do you think Henry would ed a confused glance, but James, who had been quiet up until then, stepped forward

I didn’t want his synoring me, and he couldn’t have possibly kno a siut to me I didn’t want him to choose between me and his dead wife; I only wanted to be a more important part of his life now Maybe it would take so to put in if Henry was, as well

I shook my head Of course Henry would want this

He’d been the one to approach in with He’d been the one to protectme back from the dead He was the one who’d stayed byhour after He cared He had to

That was all before I’d been granted ih, said a small voice that sounded suspiciously like James’s in the back of my mind Myto protectover nothing

Henry would show up soon, and he couldn’t avoid me all winter Even if he did have so, we’d be able to talk about it It wasn’t like I wasn’t nervous, too

"This is your home too now, and you should do what makes you comfortable," said James "If Henry really loves you, he’ll understand"