Then again, it also appeared I’d been replaced.

They had new objects of fascination. These being knowing that Dax Lahn and his Dahksahna were attending. People I had met in passing at the Drakkar gale and people I’d never met before in my life stopped me to ask if I’d seen either of them.

It was obvious royalty from the Southlands didn’t regularly hobnob with the aristocracy of the Northlands so this was an event. But everyone was well aware of who Lahn and Circe were and the way many of them asked after them, I didn’t like all that much.

They weren’t celebrities.

They were clearly oddities.

I wasn’t a big fan of this so I quickly learned not to make eye contact as I quickly decided to find Circe and fill her in so she wouldn’t be blindsided by it, hoping that she hadn’t already been.

Finding her was an easy task since the first servant I encountered knew exactly where she was and had actually been sent to find me to “Attend our Winter Princess, Cora, the Gracious, and the Golden Queen in the library.”

I gave her a smile, a thanks, and scooted to the library.

I found the doors guarded by Frey’s men, Gunner and Stephan.

Since the palace was supposed to be safe, I wasn’t sure that was good.

“Is everything okay?” I asked when I stopped at the doors.

“Finnie doesn’t want to be disturbed. It’s the Bitter Gales and since she’s off with Frey half the time, they now have their chance so everyone wants her ear,” Gunner answered. “We’re here to make that stop.”

“I see it’s good having Raiders at your back,” I noted.

“Always,” Gunner agreed as Stephan moved to open the door for me.

“Thanks,” I said as I moved in.

Stephan lifted his chin to me.

I walked in seeing six women standing at the window, Circe, Finnie, Cora and the three women who fell on Finnie when she arrived the day before.

“What’s up?” I called, and all eyes came to me but it was Finnie who spoke.

Waving her hand my way, she called, “Come here.”

I moved through the vast space lined with books. It was warm, even though there was only one fireplace. Then again, that fireplace was shockingly huge so it was definitely up for the task of heating that space.

I joined them at the windows just as Circe announced, “I think things are coming to a head.”

I was thinking she was right because I was staring out the window at Loretta and Hans.

He was standing straight and removed, barely having tipped his chin down to catch her eyes.

She was leaned into him slightly, a beseeching posture, that was solidified by the look on her face which was definitely imploring.

At first glance, things did not appear to be going well for Loretta.

Stupid, stupid Hans.

“How long have they been at it?” I asked, pushing closer into the group so I could get closer to the window.

“I saw them and called for everyone,” Circe replied. “At least twenty minutes.”

Twenty minutes?

Oh crap.

Hans was making her work for it and I did not like that.

Not at all.

Suddenly, he moved as if to turn away and Loretta jumped to catch his hand.

He twisted it before she could latch on and it took everything I had not to rap on the window and shout at him to stop being such a man and listen.

But I didn’t need to.

Loretta instantly took a step back, disappointment washing through her features before she blanked them and jerked up her chin.

Her mouth moved and unfortunately, try as I might (and it had been some weeks that I’d been trying), I could not read her lips.

Hans’s back was to us so I couldn’t see his expression. I could only see that when Loretta was done speaking, she was just plain done. I knew this when she instantly turned and started moving through the snow.

Hans allowed her to take four steps before he went after her.

Okay. That was good.

He grabbed her hand.

Okay. That was better.

She twisted it free before he could catch it.

Okay. That was bad.

But in doing this, she had to turn his way.

He took advantage, catching her with an arm around her waist.

Now that was excellent.

“Go get her, tiger,” Finnie whispered.

We watched Loretta lean away as Hans bent deep. He was obviously talking. She just as obviously wasn’t hip on listening.

And then he quit talking and started kissing.

“All right,” Circe said softly.

Loretta didn’t make him work for that. She didn’t even protest a little.

She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and melted into his body.

He leaned in deeper, bending her over his arm.

“Nice,” Cora remarked.

It sure looked it.

I just hoped it was.

Christophe was going to be pleased.

I was withholding judgment until…

Hans suddenly broke the kiss and straightened Loretta in his arms before he cupped her jaw in a tender manner that made Loretta’s face get soft in a way that I liked very much.

Okay, it took approximately three seconds, but I’d stopped withholding judgment.

I smiled.

“Awesome,” Cora said, “I wish I’d seen his whole thing from the beginning.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll fill you in,” Finnie assured her.

I was just about to suggest we give them some privacy by asking to be introduced to Finnie’s friends when one of them asked, “What’s that?”

My eyes went to her to see hers still at the window so I looked that way, beyond Hans and Loretta.

Then my blood turned to ice because a sea of wolves was heading out of the forest behind the palace and into the clearing.

Not one.

Or five.

Or seven.

A sea.

That could not mean good things.

“Oh shit,” I whispered.

“By the Gods!” another of Finnie’s friends cried. “The skies!”

Pressing in with all the girls, I looked up to see the sky filled with meteors.

Yes.

Meteors!

Red, black and blue little missiles, hundreds of them, maybe thousands were raining down from the sky.

They exploded against what had been an invisible dome but now it was not. Now, with each missile strike, a burst of red, black and blue sparks shot out and where they struck, a colored cloud of leafy or emerald green spread.

But there were so many missiles, the green cloudbursts were blocking out the sun.

That was not good either.

“Shit,” I snapped as I watched all this, taking in the wolves filling the space and Hans dragging Loretta toward the palace.