It was a terrible insult to call a fae a witch, but I hadn’t grown up in this society, so I let the comment roll off my shoulders. I let him call me a heretic. He wasn’t going to goad me into attacking him. Not here.
“I claim sanctuary,” I said. “You can’t touch me in the chapel. It’s against the law of the gods to fight on sacred ground.”
The Phantom sneered. “No. But you have to come out at some point. Because if you don’t, you won’t be able to stop me from following Gabby.”
The silence between us was so loud I thought it might break my ears. I wasn’t about to sit here and have a staring contest with Ethan until midnight. But neither could I stop him from going after Gabby. Though I’d thought the decision had been in my hands all along, I was wrong. I had no power over this. Only destiny in it.
I fled. I ran in the other direction, searching for a way out. There was a small door in the corner, meant for priestesses. I took it, and ran.
The Phantom was on my tail. I hurtled down the hallway as fast as I could bear to run. Thank the gods I’d worn flats and not heels. I heard the Phantom’s heavy footsteps as he pursued behind me, and panic grew in my chest. The sound of the string quartet returned, and it grew louder and louder in my pounding ears as the Phantom gave chase.
I had to get away from him. I turned down several hallways, trying to misdirect him, but he didn’t slow. It was useless trying to outrun a prince in his own palace. He knew every twisting hallway in this place, and I could barely get around. Our running shadows flew along the walls against the casting of candlelight, the Phantom and I, a beast running to take down his prey.
I heard the swishing of a blade and ducked to the side. A knife sliced into my shoulder before it embedded itself in the wall, drawing blood and taking off a lock of my hair.
I gasped, holding my shoulder and looking at the throwing knife in the tapestry beside me, shocked. Had he really done that? He’d been aiming for my head.
I got my answer seconds earlier when Ethan threw another knife at me. I had to twist to the side to avoid it. I watched as it flew past my eyes.
Okay, he was really trying to kill me. This wasn’t a game. “Ethan, stop!”
He wasn’t giving me any time to explain. The Phantom lunged forward. He grabbed my arm and twisted it behind my back sharply, causing it to sprain. I cried out in pain, and the Phantom gave a satisfied hiss. Tears sprang to my eyes. If he wrenched any harder, he’d break it.
And he was going to. I knew he would. I’d seen him do worse to cultists without hesitation. To get away, I stuck my leg out and swept his own out from under him, so he fell backwards. He let me go, and I was able to scramble out of the hold, my arm still throbbing.
I kept going. I had a head start as he clambered to his feet. I was quickly running out of breath. I couldn’t run much longer. I had to find a place to hide.
Except this palace was more like a maze. There were no hiding places to be found. I tried several doors, but all of them were locked. Not a soul wandered these hallowed chambers, all of them preoccupied with the masquerade.
I heard the Phantom again. He was catching up. There was a stairwell that wound to another floor. There was no place to go but skyward. I took the stairs, lifting my skirt to flee as I heard the Phantom slam the door against the wall a floor below.
Up and up we wound. My breath was labored now— the Phantom was catching up. At any moment, he’d get his hands on me. I could almost feel him breathing down my neck.
The roof. If I could get to the roof, I could fly away. Ethan didn’t have wings. He couldn’t pursue me. I pushed myself onward, past the knives stabbing my lungs, ignoring the blood from my shoulder that was staining my dress, running down my twisted arm.
I got to the final floor, which had a doorway to one of the tower’s rooftops. I busted it open— I flung