It's only when we reach his room that he finally sets me down, all but throwing me onto the bed with a force that steals the breath from my lungs. I scramble to sit up, my heart in my throat as I watch him pace the length of the room, his hands clenched into white-knuckled fists at his sides.

"I'm sorry," I blurt out, unable to bear the tense silence any longer. "I know it was reckless of me to leave the castle, but I had to see Lily. It was important."

Nickolas rounds on me, his eyes ...