CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Winter

Alec and I run until we're out of breath and can't go on. We collapse onto the ground, panting heavily. My mind is still stuck on Jack, on how he sacrificed himself for us. I can't process it, can't comprehend why he would do that. But I know that he did it because he cared about us. He didn't want us to suffer the same fate.

And maybe he saw his sacrifice as his last good act. A final way to make up for the horrible things he did as a Silver Hunter.

"I can't believe he did that for us," I whisper.

Alec nods but says nothing. He still seems confused, like he's not sure what just happened.

We sit next to each other, looking around. Everything looks the same next to the river, just like in the rest of the underworld. Just dark water and fog, with dead trees lining the riverbank.

I'm dead hungry, so thirsty my mouth feels like a desert. Reaching into the bag Lavinia gave me, I pull out the water bottle and some biscuits. When I offer them to Alec, he shakes his head.

"I