THEY BOTH STILL NEEDED HIM.
Jamie looked at Lottie in the center of the circle. Her hair was a tangled mess, hanging down her back from the heated room, and her left hand clasped her chest.
“She ran away,” Lottie whispered.
From the moment he’d seen his princess and her Portman kiss in the chocolate factory, he’d felt loneliness lingering within him. Whatever they shared he felt locked out of it, isolated from the strange bright magic Lottie held. They had each other; they didn’t need him.
“I need to go after her,” Lottie said, her eyes focused on Sayuri, not Haru.
“Yes, of course.” Sayuri gestured to the door.
It was cooler outside the dojo, and the heat of the day hadn’t had time to grow yet, the morning giving the grounds a dusty topaz coloring. Footprints in the dirt path and a knocked-over stack of boxes suggested Ellie had run up the steps toward the forest.
Lottie’s eyes were glued on the horizon. “This is very bad, Jamie.”
“I don’t think she’s gone far.”
“How can you know?”
“We can find her. It’s simple tracking, but it would be best if I came with you. It’s likely she went up the path into the forest and—”
Lottie shook her head, her cheeks flushed. “I’m not going; you need to go after her.”
Jamie faltered. “I very much doubt I’ll be of any help. You’re the one who’s good at—”
A strange sound pierced the air, shocking him enough to stop him talking, and it took him a minute to realize it had come from Lottie. It was halfway between a growl and an exasperated groan, and it caught him completely off guard.
“This is between you two! How are we ever supposed to take on Leviathan when you two can’t even look at each other?” Her hands curled into fists. “You barely speak anymore. Don’t you see? She blames herself for everything. You both do, and you’re both so . . . so . . . STUPID!” She was hardly able to look him in the eye, and he could have laughed if not for how much she was shaking. “You’ve snapped the rope in two, and it’s your responsibility to put it back together. We can’t let the vampire cat get her!” Jamie had absolutely no clue what she was talking about. “I can’t be the only one holding us up!”
Tears brimmed in her eyes, and he felt his hands awkward at his side, no idea what to do.
“You’re our Partizan,” she said, finally gaining control. “We need you.”
Her tears spilled over, and Jamie felt the breath build up in his chest.
Our Partizan, us, we.
The breath within him came out in one great sigh, dizzyingly relieved.
“Fine.”
“Really?” Lottie’s whole face lit up, an expression so shining and full of hope that it was like staring at the sun. He had to look away.
“Yes, but I can’t promise I’ll be of any help.” He wasn’t entirely sure why he agreed to it, maybe because it meant being useful, or because it made him feel responsible. Or maybe, possibly, it was because he knew Lottie was right.
It wasn’t hard to find Ellie.
The only problem was that Jamie had no idea what he was supposed to do when he caught up with her. Lingering on the edge of the treeline, where the morning light couldn’t penetrate, he conjured up images of when he’d followed Lottie into the Rose Wood. It had been the middle of winter and freezing, and he’d found her curled up under a giant oak tree. It had been so easy then, scarily so. He knew exactly what she required, and she’d understood so completely that he hadn’t needed to say anything at all.
The idea of him ever doing that now seemed unfathomable, so distant from where they were today, and yet hadn’t Lottie come to him? Out in the storm?
It’s just you. You’re the one causing all the problems. You and your princess are going to suck all the good out of the little pumpkin.
Pushing the voice away, Jamie stepped through the shadows of the forest.
The moment his feet touched the mossy ground a floating silence like a deep sleep surrounded him. All the sounds and smells of the school beyond filtered away, leaving him alone in the earthy grove of moss and bamboo. Strange foreign birds whistled in the trees, accompanied by a constant buzz of insects.
A sharp howl broke him from his thoughts. Ellie!
Every Partizan instinct came over him, and he took off at lightning speed farther into the woods. Feet floating above the roots and moss, he effortlessly avoided every obstacle, darting through the trees. “Ellie! Hold on!”
He could see movement in the dappled light of a clearing. And in the midst of it was Ellie, barefoot and dirty and . . . laughing.
Had his fever returned?
In front of him was a giant bamboo tree, so thick it seemed like the arm of a god reaching up out of the ground. But that was not the strangest thing. Propped up against the trunk was his princess . . . and she was surrounded by . . . cats.
“Jamie!” She looked up, and all the cats turned to him, shocked to see him there. They were all different shapes and sizes: a huge fat ginger cat with a grumpy face, a tiny pure white kitten, a set of mottled gray skinny things and a mishmash of tabbies. All of them were rubbing their heads against Ellie, pawing and scratching at her playfully. Off to the side, away from the others and licking its paw, was the biggest black cat Jamie had ever seen, fur so dark it looked like it was made of the night sky, with eyes the piercing yellow of stars.
“Silvervine,” Jamie said, unable to stop a surprised laugh as he gazed around. “This whole area is covered in silvervine. Cats love it.”
The huge black cat sauntered over to him, winding between his legs and pushing him toward Ellie and the tree, which he reluctantly allowed. His princess continued to stare up at him, anger and regret burning
