Chapter 23
I followed Neeve out the door in the castle wall, breathing deeply of the spicy scent of evergreens. The grass between the stone wall and the Darkwood was starred with white daisies. I plucked a handful as we went and tied them into a lopsided crown.
The moment my stepsister and I walked beneath the shadow of the trees, I spotted Thorne waiting for us. I tried not to look at him too eagerly.
He gave a brief laugh, the white of his teeth flashing in the soft light under the cedar boughs. Whatever had happened the night before, he seemed unaware of it. Unaware, or unwilling to show any sign he had visited my dreams.
“Rose, you are like a puppy,” he said. “Come here, then, and get your gift.”
I was torn between annoyance that he thought of me as a pup and gladness that he did
