Natalie's POV
The woman with the silver braid dropped to one knee before I could process what was happening. Her name was Mira. She claimed to be the last surviving member of my mother's guard. And she was staring at me like I was something holy.
I hated it.
"You look like her," Mira said softly. "Your mother. Same eyes. Same stubborn jaw. Same fire that burns cold instead of hot."
My chest tightened. No one had ever compared me to my mother before. No one had known her well enough to make the comparison. I climbed out of the SUV slowly and frost spiraled around my feet with each step. The ground crystallized beneath me. White spreading across dead grass and cracked pavement.
"How do I know you are telling the truth?" I asked. My voice came out harder than I intended. Sharper.
"You d
