The Last Witch: Volume One

‘Come inside,’ Amara pleads quietly. ‘Take a second to calm down. I’m sure there’s an explanation-’

‘An explanation?’ I almost hiss the words at her. ‘Are you that naive or are you just pretending to be?’ I snatch my hand out of hers, wipe my tears and start heading towards Gabriel’s room. She runs after me and stands in my way.

‘You can’t go in there and start yelling. Grayson will hear you. He can’t know about you two, Lilly, please.’

‘Move,’ I tell her. ‘Move, or I’ll move you.’

‘I’m not a Nomad you can boss around.’ She stands firm, blocking my path. ‘I’m your best friend. You don’t have your binding spell on. You might lose control. And if Grayson hears you and figures out what happened between you, Gabriel will be banished. He may be a dick but you don’t want that for him, do you?’

I barge past her and head to Gabriel’s door.

‘You have no idea what I want for him.’

I barge in without knocking and slam the door closed behind me.

He’s sitting on the edge of his large four poster bed with the sheets wrinkled and the duvet on the floor. This scene hurts like hell.

His elbows are resting on his knees with his hands clasped together. He looks up at me and says nothing. Not a word. I don’t look away from him. I can’t.

‘You slept with her?’

He just keeps looking at me.

‘Of course you have.’ The evidence is everywhere. ‘Why? Why would you do that?’

He gets to his feet still half naked and looking tired.

‘It was just sex. Calm down.’

I’m ready to attack. To scratch and claw at his pretty face. But when I see her bra lying at the foot of his bed, pain pierces my anger. I think I’m going to be sick. Every breath I take gets more constricted and every time I blink, more tears fall.

‘Are you crying?’ he asks, scowling at me like he’s making sure he’s seeing tears. ‘Oh, shit, Lilly. If I knew you were going to get so clingy, I would never have slept with you.’

‘Fuck you.’ My voice is strained. Struggling to break through the sobs that are clawing up my throat.

‘We never said we were exclusive. We had a good time, didn’t we? I thought that’s what you wanted?’ He picks up his t-shirt from the floor and covers himself before walking away to another room. I follow him into his bathroom. He washes his hands and splashes water over his face as I watch him in the mirror. He doesn’t even turn to look at me.

‘This doesn’t make sense. Everything you said to me? You thought of us having a future…what was all that? A trick? Lies?’

He holds the ridge of his nose before running his hand through his hair with a groan.

‘Look, I like you. I do. We spent a fantastic night together, but that doesn’t make us a couple. We’re not an item, and I don’t do exclusive. I never have. You knew that. It’s not a secret, my lifestyle. I like sex. I liked it very much with you but if I’m honest…’ he pauses.

‘Spit it out. Be honest with me, Gabriel. For once at least,’ I snap, wiping my tears.

‘Well, you have a lot of baggage. The nightmares, the trust issues, the scars.’

‘You said you didn’t care about the scars.’ I can’t hide how much that comment hurts.

‘I don’t really, but it’s what comes with them. All your drama, and then there’s Toby. You’re clearly not over him. I’m really sorry I’ve upset you. That wasn’t my intention. But hey, if you want to hook up again? Maybe when the veil’s down, then I’m up for that.’ His words and disinterest are killing me. ‘But if it’s monogamy, love and a relationship you’re after…that’s just not my thing.’ He gestures to the door. ‘I think you should go before you make even more of a scene.’

I’m trying to read him, to see any hint of a lie, but I don’t think I can.

‘Did Grayson threaten you?’ I ask in one last-ditch attempt to make sense of what’s happening. ‘Is that what this is? Did he find out about us and threaten you with something? Because if he did just tell me. I can pretend to hate you if that’s what this is about-’

‘No,’ he laughs, making his way back towards me and resting his hand on the door handle.   ‘If Grayson knew me and you had slept together I would be getting the beating of a lifetime and banished from my family home. Which is just another reason why a relationship with you is a terrible idea.’

He’s so calm. He looks like he could be talking about the weather, not crushing what’s left of my heart.

‘Put it behind you, focus on the spell. That’s why you’re here, right? To do the spell.’ He gestures to his bedroom door. ‘You really should go.’

‘How could you do this to me? I thought you wanted to be with me.’

‘Even if I did want a relationship with you, which I don’t, I wouldn’t pursue it. My life would be too complicated and to be honest, well, you’re just not worth it. I’m sorry.’

I do it before I think. My fist slams into his face and knocks him clear on to the floor.

‘Jesus!’ he snaps, wiping the blood from his nose. ‘Calm the fuck down!’

I just start hitting him. Punching and slapping him as he cowers on the floor, covering his face with his hands.

‘YOU PIECE OF SHIT! YOU UTTER BASTARD!’ I scream. With every word, I hit him harder. I cry and yell as he tries hard to protect his body from my attack. ‘Do you have any idea what it took for me to open up to you? To get the courage to trust someone again? I let you into my heart and my bed, and you fuck another woman less than twenty-four hours later!? You’re a sick, perverted excuse of a man.’ I finally stop hitting and stand up straight panting, trying to catch my breath. ‘Everyone warned me. They all told me you would do this. Everyone knows what kind of man you are. You’re a goddamn whore. A manipulative, vile whore. You’re worse than Toby.’ I look down at him as he lowers his arms to look up at me. He’s furious.

‘Compare me to Toby again. I dare you.’

‘No problem,’ I snarl. ‘You’re both egotistical whores who seem to enjoy making women suffer.’

‘Lilly. I’m warning you.’ He slowly pushes himself to his feet. His eyes not straying from mine one bit.

‘You’re nothing but a sad little boy with no self-worth which is why you feel the need to manipulate and fuck as many women as you can. To validate yourself, because without your looks, your charm and your lies…your nothing. Just like Toby. Two peas in a twisted pod. You know what? You’re worse than him because he never lied about who he was. I never thought of him as a good man, but you…you had me thinking you were a misunderstood saint.’

‘I’m nothing like him. Shut your mouth.’

‘Oh yes you are,’ I laugh spitefully before sneering the next words in his face. ‘You two deserve each other as brothers.’

I scream as he lunges at me and slams me against the wall, pinning my wrists up by my head.

‘Keep talking. See what happens.’ His tone chills me to the core. He gives me a shove, pressing me harder into the wall and tightening the grip he has on my wrists.

‘Let me go.’ I’ve never, not once, been so afraid of him.

‘You think you can talk to me like this? You think you have the right to barge in here-’

‘Get off me Gabriel,’ I try to hide the fear in my voice and make myself sound threatening.

‘You’ve told me what you think of me. Now it’s my turn. You’re nothing more than one of life’s permanent victims. You’re so desperate to be loved. So desperate to be wanted, that you’ll take the attention of any man who looks your way. Even sick little psychopaths like Toby. The only person to blame for everything that’s happened to you is you, Lilly. Your uncle, your boyfriend, everyone in your life has taken what they wanted from you and left you in the gutter because you let them. Because you’re weak. Why would I ever choose a girl like you to spend my life with? Why would I want a Broken, scarred, unstable little witch like you?’

‘Get off me, Gabriel.’ There’s no anger in my voice. It’s barely a whisper. What he’s just said to me, I never for a second would have thought he felt this way. My whole body has started to shake, and still, he holds me. ‘Please. Please get off me. You’re hurting me.’

‘I’m barely touching you!’

‘It hurts, please…’

‘I said I’m barely touching you!’

‘STOP TOUCHING ME! PLEASE, GABRIEL! IT’S BURNING MY SKIN! YOU’RE HANDS FEEL LIKE FIRE!’

His grip loosens, and his venomous expression starts to fade. Replaced instead with a look of horror.

‘It hurts. Please, please you’re hurting me.’ I look at his hands that are now gently holding my wrists, but they may as well be covered in razor blades.

There it is. The pain. The hurt that I knew would come. His touch has become the same as everyone else’s. The trust has gone.

‘Get off me,’ I sob. ‘Please, stop touching me.’

He doesn’t know what to do. He lets me go and stares at his own hands as if they’re foreign objects. I flinch violently at every one of his movements. He has me cowering away from him. I’ve never felt so betrayed. So hurt. So afraid. Not even with Toby.

‘I’m sorry. I’m-’ He touches me, and I freak out completely.

‘GET AWAY FROM ME!’ I scream. With the words come a huge surge of power. My stomach feels like it’s been punched with a fist as I double over. Gabriel lets me go and staggers back with wide eyes. He looks down at his feet and hands in bemusement.

‘You took control of my body,’ he breathes. ‘You’ve manifested your Mental magic.’

I hold my belly, trying to regain control of the magic inside me.

I look up at him through my hair, my vision blurred through the heavy brim of tears and my entire body’s shaking. That’s all he can think about? That’s all that matters right now? My magic? At this moment in time, I couldn’t give a shit about any of that. I’ve just lost the man I love. I’ve been shattered into a hundred pieces after I only just started putting myself back together. All those things he’s just said, the pain I felt as he touched me…I’ve lost him for good. This hurts more than anything Toby ever did to me. More than what anyone’s ever done to me.

‘You think I deserved it?’ I say painfully. ‘You think I didn’t deserved to be beaten? To be starved? You think I deserved to be raped, Gabriel?’

‘R-raped?’ he whispers. ‘You were-’

‘I didn’t. I didn’t deserve that, and I didn’t deserve this.’ I open the door. ‘I’ll never forgive you for what you’ve said or what you’ve done to me. Never.’ I leave the room, slamming the door behind me as I go.

∞∞∞

‘She fell asleep about an hour ago.’ Amara’s voice wakes me. I’m where I was when I fell asleep. Lying on my bed with my head on Amara’s lap. Her fingers are still stroking my hair. ‘She caught Ava and Gabriel together.’

‘Yeah. He told me.’

‘She was on her way to tell him she was in love with him,’ she says. ‘How could he do this to her? He has feelings for her. I know it!’

‘You know what he’s like, Amara’ Collin replies. ‘Gabriel’s not exactly reliable when it comes to women. But I have to admit, this is cruel. Even for him. Especially after everything he told me. I thought this time was going to be different. I thought he really liked her.’

I don’t want to hear any more. I get up and walk into the bathroom.

‘Lilly,’ Amara calls after me. ‘Honey, please talk to-’

I slam the door cutting her off. ‘You can go now,’ I call out as silent tears fall down my cheeks.

‘I don’t think you should be alone.’

‘I really want you to leave. Both of you, please just leave.’ I sound so emotionless. I feel numb and distant. Like I’m feeling too much, and my body can’t cope, so it’s just cutting it all off.

‘I love you, Honey. Remember that,’ Amara says, before leaving. I hear the door close and look at my reflection in the mirror. My red eyes are puffy from crying, and the dark circles are worse than ever. But most of all I just hate how pathetic I look. That I’ve let someone do this to me. I thought there was a ray of light at the end of this shitty tunnel called life. I thought that finally, I’d reached a point where I didn’t have to worry about getting hurt all over again. What else do I have to go through until I can be happy?

Or is it me? Am I just unlovable?

And now I’ve manifested a new realm of power. Grayson will be thrilled, but I also know that I’m going to have to practice and hone this power with Gabriel. In Grayson’s office, he said that Gabriel would help me manifest my Mental magic. How right he was. Screaming at Gabriel to get off me could easily have been another sentence. Get lost, drop dead, go fuck yourself. This is a dangerous power. I look at my wrists. The last place he touched me and I can still feel the white-hot sting from his betrayal on every inch he touched. It hurts. It will always hurt.

‘Lilly?’ Grayson calls gently through the bathroom door. ‘Can you open up please?’

I wipe my eyes and clear my throat. ‘Just a sec, Grayson.’

‘I have to insist. Please open the door.’

I can’t do anything to rid myself of these red eyes, and I can’t say anything to convince him to leave, so I open the door. Grayson’s sitting on my bed and taps the empty space beside him. I sit.

‘So, I just had a chat with Gabriel. He said you two had a fight a couple of hours ago. That you got quite upset and that you hit him. Is that true?’ He doesn’t say any of this with anger or annoyance. He’s completely calm and even comes across as reassuring.

‘Yeah,’ I reply. I’m just like one of the girls he described to me in his office not even twenty-four hours ago. God, he was so right.

‘Are you alright?’ he asks.

‘Fine.’

‘He also said that he had to restrain you and that when you told him to get off, your eyes turned black. He seems to think you manifested your Mental magic. Is that right?’

I nod, keeping my eyes down hoping he doesn’t see how distraught I am. Gabriel may have broken my heart and let me down, but Grayson can never know why. He won’t send me away. That’s been made clear. Gabriel could lose his home, his family or get another beating from Grayson. Even after everything, I don’t want that for him.

‘You must have been really angry at him.’

‘I’m sorry I lashed out. It won’t happen again.’

He rests his hand on my back gently as he shakes his head. ‘I’m not angry at you. I’m not even going to ask what the argument was about, but I’m sure I can guess. You thought you were special and then you saw him with Ava this morning and realised you weren’t.’

‘Something like that. Let me just say…you were right. I should have listened.’

‘Well, I won’t pry. I just wanted to make sure that you are okay. Mental magic can be scary and confusing.’ He gives me a comforting smile which falters ever so slightly when he sees how upset I am. ‘I am so sorry you got caught up with Gabriel like this. I tried to keep you apart. I could see you falling for him from the start, and I dreaded this happening. He’s my brother. I love him dearly. But I’ve seen this too many times. Girl after girl falling for those blue eyes and charming smiles only to be trampled on. He can’t be loyal to one woman. Never has been able to. I’m just glad you saw him for what he is before it went beyond flirting.’

‘You’re not angry at me?’

‘No. of course not. You see him for what he is now, and that’s what matters. I just hope you’re not angry at me.’

‘Why would I be angry at you?’

‘Because I’ve behaved like a jealous, possessive idiot when I had no right to. I only acted that way because I’m very keen on you and I know you deserve better than him. I think you are the most beautiful, strong and brave woman I’ve ever met.’

‘You do?’

‘I do. When we kissed, I admit I could see us having a future together, and when I saw your feelings grow towards my brother instead, jealousy got the better of me. I’m sorry. Would you like me to ask Gabriel to leave? I don’t want you to be uncomfortable.’

‘No,’ I reply sadly. ‘This was his home long before it was mine. It’s fine. It was just a misunderstanding. That’s all. Believe me, I’m crystal clear about him now.’

He gets to his feet. ‘Don’t stay up here all day. This is your home as well as his. Don’t let

Gabriel take that from you.’

‘Grayson?’ I call after him. He stops and turns. ‘Is there any possibility that I could stay somewhere else? Maybe with the Nomads or at a hotel? Just until we get the veil down.’

‘I’ll be honest with you. That can’t happen. I want to tell you that I can keep you safe here with me, but I think we can both agree that’s not a hundred per cent true. This house is patrolled by dozens of men. There are three witches and a vampire here, and even with all that, Toby has managed to get to you. What chance do you think you would have out there alone? Theo, Toby, Hunters…I can’t risk losing you. Not this close to bringing the veil down. Never mind the fact that I am still, very keen on you.’ He smiles coyly before walking back to me. ‘I’ll make you a deal. Stay here. I’ll talk to Gabriel and make sure he doesn’t have any more of his girlfriends over. We can ask if Amara wants to move in, keep you company. And together we’ll get the journal and break down the veil. When that’s done, I’ll buy you a house. Anywhere you like. I’ll make sure you have enough money to live out your days in comfort, and with the veil down I’ll be able to keep you hidden. How does that sound?’

‘That’s a very generous offer, Grayson. I couldn’t accept so much.’

‘I insist. All I want is for you to be safe. To be happy. Please, let me keep you safe. Let me try and make you happy.’

I nod and accept his offer. It all feels like a million years away anyhow.

‘We’ll start practising your new power and get to work on looking into your memories. Okay?’

‘Does it have to be with him?’ I ask.

‘I’m afraid so. Gabriel’s the only one that can teach it to you. We’ll wait a few days for you both to calm down before we start. Deal?’

‘Okay,’ I agree. ‘How come I could control him? He can’t control you or Toby so why did he do what I told him to do?’

‘He’s not had to practice fighting compulsion, has he? Not like Toby and me.’

‘How do you expect to get the book from Toby?’ I ask.

‘We’ll get it. It may take time, but we’ll get it.’ He pats my arm and bids me farewell before heading out the door.

I slump down on my bed and stare at the ceiling. If my heart weren’t in pieces, I would be excited by his offer. But the idea of staying here as they try to figure out a way to prise that book from Toby’s hands is more than I can bear. Weeks, months, maybe years of watching girl after girl falls for Gabriel as I linger in the background…the one night stand that never left.

I’m a fool. There’s me falling in love with Gabriel while all he wants is a warm body to distract him for a while.

I’m an absolute idiot.

∞∞∞

My stomach growls loudly as the hunger pains continue to build. I’ve spent all day hiding away upstairs. I can’t face Gabriel. I can’t face anyone. I keep bursting into tears and then exploding with rage. My emotions are wreaking havoc on me. An ever-changing storm of pain, anger, sadness and grief. Stolen sleep, a missing appetite and a heavy dragging in my chest where I’m sure my heart used to be has left me only capable of laying on my bed staring up at the ceiling. My brain is no friend to me. My thoughts don’t offer me comfort or solace. Instead, it replays Gabriel’s words over and over. I’m one of life’s permanent victims. So desperate to be loved and wanted that I’ll take the attention of any man who looks my way. The only person to blame for everything that’s happened to me is me. Because I’m weak.

When the words aren’t proving torturous enough, my brain shows me him with Ava in full HD intercut with our time together. Memories that are now just a perverted joke. I’m stuck in this house. Pinned in at all sides with no hope of escape until the veil is down and my enemies defeated. But my enemies are numerous and not all have a face. Toby, Theo and even Hunters I can see. But my immaturity of who to trust, my faith in mankind and fear of trusting another person are foes I have no idea how to face. Let alone defeat.

My thoughts are deafening. This room is far too quiet. I force myself to my feet and order myself out of this room. I walk the hallways. I explore the library and revisit the blackened room that I destroyed in my first few days here.

Amara and Collins fall silent in an instant as I walk into the kitchen and put on these big, pity-filled smiles. I open cupboard after cupboard until I find what it is I’m looking for.

I pour myself a large glass of whiskey, down it in one and pour another before sitting at the table with them.

‘How’s it going?’ I ask less than enthusiastically.

‘Fine,’ Amara replies. ‘Are you alright?’

‘Fine.’ I drink the whiskey and pour another.

‘You should have something to eat,’ Collins says. ‘That’s a lot of whiskey on an…’ I drink it down. ‘…empty stomach.’

They share a worried look.

‘Don’t start.’

Amara shrugs. ‘Wasn’t going to. I’ll have a drink with you.’ She holds her hand out for the bottle, but the sudden appearance of Gabriel has me clinging to it. We all stare at him. Amara looks filled with hatred as she glares daggers at him. He stops dead when he sees me. Then his eyes drift down to the bottle in my hand.

‘Have you eaten today?’ he asks. I pick up the bottle and pour another drink for myself. As I drink it, he scoffs. ‘Very mature.’

I pour another before he storms over to me, snatches the bottle from my hand and tosses it in the sink.

‘We might not be friends anymore, but I won’t let you drink yourself into a coma,’ he warns quietly in my ear. I look up at him as he towers over me. ‘What I said to you, that wasn’t okay. I was angry and I didn’t mean it. I’m sorry.’

I lean up, so my face is close to his. ‘Bite me, Gabriel. Shove your apology and your concern up your arse.’

‘Has she eaten anything today?’ he asks the others while not looking away from me. They don’t answer. He turns his angry glare instead to them. ‘I asked you a question. Has the Arcane Witch eaten today or not?’

‘No,’ Collins replies, glancing apologetically to me.

Gabriel returns his stare to me.

‘Eat.’

I can’t help but laugh as I get to my feet. I walk to the cupboard and instead of pulling out the box of cereal, I take the bottle of wine from the top shelf. It’s been opened, but there’s at least half the bottle left. I pull out the stopper and start chugging it. He watches and twitches with anger until he can’t take anymore. His eyes go black.

‘Put the bottle down, Lilly.’

I have no choice but to obey. I slam it down on the worktop and open my mouth ready to start hurling abuse at him, but I fall silent in a second when behind him, through the door walks Ava.

‘Sorry to disturb, but we really should be going, baby.’ Her enormous grin and smug eyes land on me.

His eyes return to blue, and they look anywhere but me.

I can feel it. The desperate sobbing is coming. I have to get out of here. I won’t let them see me cry. I leave, barging into his shoulder and walk out the back door as fast as I can.

‘Lovely to see you again, Lilly,’ Ava calls happily after me.

I hear a commotion and turn to see Amara slamming her fist straight into Ava’s face before being dragged off by Collins. She shrugs him off and turns to Gabriel.

‘You’re a fool. A bloody fool.’ She points at Ava. ‘You two deserve each other and believe me, Gabriel…’ She squares up to him even though he stands a clear foot over her, but hell, she looks fierce. ‘You go near my best friend again, you so much as look at her, I’ll cut your dick off myself. I don’t give a damn who you are.’

I can’t help but gasp as she only goes and slaps him.

‘AMARA!’ Collins yells, grabbing her arm. She turns and slaps him too. ‘What the hell did I do?’

‘You defended him. You have shit taste in friends, Collins.’ She storms past them all and comes outside to me. She wraps her arm around my waist and leads me out into the garden and far away from them all.

‘You just hit two witches and punched Ava in the face!’ I say in awe.

‘No one messes with my best friend,’ she says. I wrap my arm around her and hug her as we walk.

‘I bloody love you, Amara.’

‘I love you too, Honey.’

∞∞∞

The television’s on, but I’m not watching it. My eyes aren’t even focused on it. I’m huddled up in the corner of the sofa in the lounge trying hard to get my brain to stop thinking. Amara hands me a sandwich, but I can’t stomach it.

‘You haven’t eaten all day. Please try.’

I shake my head and carry on starring at the screen.

It’s late. Grayson comes in and wishes us a good night as he goes to bed. Collins follows shortly after. He tries to kiss his girl, but she brushes him off. She’s still pissed off with him.

The house gets quieter as it gets later. In the early hours of the morning, I sit in the dark with the television on mute as she sleeps soundly next to me. Soon, the sun begins to rise. I haven’t moved all night. The sandwich she made me remains untouched. The lettuce browning and curling as the bread dries out. The grandfather clock chimes. It’s eight am.

Gabriel didn’t come home.

All I can see is him and Ava together. I imagine him with her right now. Kissing her how he kissed me. Whispering all the beautiful things he said to me in her ear. Making her fall for him. It’s enough to make me want to scream.

Add the fact that Toby’s breathing down my neck and that I have another realm of power to learn to control, it’s all a bit much. Perhaps I should talk to Grayson about Toby’s demand. Me for the book. Maybe I should just give Toby what he wants. He can have me. Do what he wants with me. I’ll bring down the veil and just go back to how we were.

Collins walks in holding two plates in his hands. He puts one on the floor by Amara and kneels in front of me with the second.

‘I made you some breakfast,’ he says. I look at the full English and my already knotted up stomach clenches even tighter. I shake my head. He puts it beside Amara’s and looks back to me. ‘You love him, don’t you?’ he asks sadly.

‘Yes,’ I reply. My throat constricting and my eyes beginning to brim with tears. ‘So much. I wish I didn’t.’

He holds out his hand. I take it. This small act of kindness unravels me completely. I can’t hold them back. I cry. I fall apart. He holds me. He tells me to let it out. To cry. That it’s okay. I cling to him and just sob.

∞∞∞

Two days have passed since I broke down in Collins’ arms. Two days of avoiding people, not sleeping, of only managing a liquid lunch. And two days of not seeing any sign of Gabriel. Grayson tells me he’s probably at the Nomad camp with Ava since he told them she’s no longer welcome here.

I can’t keep wallowing. I can’t keep playing it all over and over in my head. We’re done. That’s it.

Get over it, Lilly.

I had to borrow Amara’s jumper this morning. Weirdly, a load of my stuff has disappeared from my wardrobe. Not sure where it’s gone. I don’t really care to be honest. Her clothes fit just fine. So it doesn’t matter.

‘Miss Hooper?’ A young man in his mid-twenties calls, jogging after me as I stroll across the snow covered lawn. ‘Miss Hooper. Can I have a word?’

I recognise him as one of the Nomads that was in the hallway when Toby came to the house.

‘What do you want?’ I ask as I carry on leisurely walking across the lawn. He catches up to me and takes hold of my arm. ‘What the hell are you doing?’ I demand, snatching my arm away and giving him a shove. ‘Don’t you dare fucking touch me!’

‘I need to talk to you about Gabriel,’ he says, ignoring my words. ‘It’s urgent. Here. It’s for you.’ He holds out a mobile phone. ‘I’m so sorry,’ he mouths.

I take the phone and hold it to my ear thinking maybe it’s Gabriel.

‘What?’

‘Hello, Lilly. How are you?’

Fear courses through me like icy water, but yet I start to sweat. Just the sound of his voice, the way he says my name, the fact that I’m standing in what’s supposed to be the safest place on earth for me and he’s still able to talk to me, is terrifying.

‘Theo…’ I whisper. The Nomad who handed me the phone continues to watch me. He looks around us, making sure we’re alone. There are plenty of Nomads in sight but none in earshot.

I don’t know what to say. I stutter over the hundred questions in my head so the only words that come out are. ‘What do you want?’

‘I’m going to need you to do something for me,’ Theo says. ‘I need you to come and see me.’

‘Why would I do that?’ My voice trembles despite how hard I try to settle it.

‘Because, if you don’t, Gabriel will die.’