I shake my head when he walks through the door, patting the shifter at the door on the arm in thanks.
It’s Vann.
Vann, who we thought was dead. I open my mouth to say something and then close it. Zeta pretended to be dead herself, so it’s no enormous shock to see that Vann is alive, and that she didn’t really kill him, and I had my suspicions about him being on the other side, so I’m not that surprised.
I refuse to give him the satisfaction of a reaction and yawn instead.
He chuckles, but I don’t look too closely at him. I don’t want to be struck by his fairy magic like I was the first time we met.
Somebody else joins him and this time I am surprised, and a prickle of unease, that same spine tingling prickle that I’ve had before is back. Gregory.
I flash back to the portal, to when we recalled the demons to the portal, only hours ago, although it feels like another lifetime, to Fletcher asking his aunt if she had killed Gregory and her reply.
I shake my head, dread filling my body from top to bottom. Fletcher asked her if she killed Gregory. I had forgotten all about him and don’t remember seeing him after he showed his true colours, but Ember said that she had killed him. On the pier, was her reply. And yet here he stands.
And that must mean-
She walks in all smug and lipsticked – and definitely not kidnapped – and I jump out of the chair. I will swing for her. “No way!” I scream the words and dive towards her. I land a punch to her head before somebody pulls me off her. Vann.
I glare at her. “You bitch! Your sister is worried sick about you. We all were. You’re a traitor. Aren’t you?” I scream the last question, trying to get away from Vann so I can reach her and hit her and gouge her stupid eyes out.
There’s no way I’ve got this wrong – she’s here with Vann who betrayed us, and Gregory who she reckoned she killed. She’s a double agent, a two faced lying snake in the grass.
Sparks shoot out of my fingertips and suddenly she’s laughing hysterically at me, and I wish I could murder her, right here, right now. I lift a hand, not sure what damage I can do, but she’s quicker. She binds me so I can’t move, and my stomach sinks to my feet. Now what?
13
Fletcher and Elodie land outside their house and scan the sky for Ellis. “Give her a second,” Elodie says, noticing the panic on his face.
They watch the empty air; they wait for her to come barrelling out of nowhere, but there’s no sign of her. Elodie sighs. “Let’s go back.”
Fletcher doesn’t need telling twice. With three enormous lions roaring and snarling at them, there’s no good reason Ellis wouldn’t have flown away with them. She might have gone off course, she might have landed just down the road, but as sure as he is of his own name, he knows something’s happened. And it isn’t something good.
They land exactly where they took off from and the pavement is clear. The road is empty. There are no lions, and there is no Ellis. Fletcher groans, head in his hands. “They took her. I bet she’s in there with Ember.” He points at the terraced house. “There’s no way Ember would have ignored you, unless there was something wrong. We both know it. I’m going in.”
Elodie grabs at his arm. “Just give me one second. Tuck out of the way so nobody can see us, just let me think.”
“Mum, we don’t have time for you to get your head straight. We really don’t. Ember’s in there and I know Ellis is too. It’s the rebels or the council and neither are pleasant news.”
Elodie nods. “I know you’re right, I just... I don’t know how much more of this I can take. I feel like just giving up, shouting to whoever’s in there to come and get me, come and take me, and let’s be done with it. I’m out of fight, Fletcher.” Her eyes are full of tears, and she’s tired.
“Mum, we’re nearly done. We can’t give up. Think about dad, think about Griff. Think about yourself. We have to do this, and then we’ll be done. You don’t want to give in, you know you don’t.” He hugs her, transferring some of his magic to her, some of his energy, some of his fight. Whatever it takes to get her through this.
“So now what? Do we just knock on the front door, or...?”
“We’ll go around the back, stay out of sight, see if we can figure out how many are in there.”
“I’ll put a call out for backup,” Elodie says and Fletcher nods, leading the way around the back of the row of houses.
“Hang on, mum, I’ve got a text from Thea.”
EMBER SHAKES HER HEAD. “I take it you’re surprised then?” And laughs again before kissing Vann and facing Ellis once again. She cackles at the look on the young girl’s face and shrugs. “I had to bind you, you left me no choice.”
Ellis shakes her head. “I don’t understand. I-”
“You don’t need to understand. You just need to be here.”
Ember turns to Gregory. “We need to get everything ready. It won’t take long for my sister and Fletcher to come looking for her.” She turns to Ellis. “You made it easier, with your pathetic attempt to fly, but we had a Plan B. It was a little messier so I’m happy.”
Again, Ellis is lost for words.
Again, Ember cackles. “You really are annoying. I do not understand what Fletcher sees in you. I don’t understand why he picked you over Sally.”
“Me neither,” Sally says, strutting into the room like she owns it. Ellis shrinks back in
