The Last Witch: Volume Three

As I walk into the kitchen, the smell of the curry cooking on the stove makes my stomach rumble. I didn’t realise how hungry I was. I head over and taste it, moaning with delight as it reaches my tongue.

‘Taste alright?’

I look around for Connor, but can’t see anyone else in here with me.

‘Down here.’

I walk around the table to see Connor on the floor, picking up several shards of a broken dinner plate.

‘Glad to see not everything has changed,’ I jest, heading over to give him a hand. As I crouch down and scoop up one of the shards of china, Connor shakes his head.

‘It wasn’t me. It was Tobias,’ he says in a quiet hush. ‘He keeps getting these weird migraines that knock him on his arse. They seem like agony, but every time I ask if he’s okay, he says he’s fine. If I push it, he tears my head off.’

‘Migraines?’

‘Yeah. They happen quick, too. He grabs his head and yells, then he storms off for some fresh air.’

‘Where is he now?’ I ask, looking around the empty kitchen.

‘In the lounge.’ He tilts his head in Tobias’s direction.

I hand him the slivers of the plate I’ve gathered so far and go to find him.

Tobias is sat in the dark, perched on the edge of the ratty old sofa with his head in his hands. The curtains are open, letting in the moonlight and the glow from the Christmas tree lights. They light up the disturbed earth beneath the tree. I ignore the grief, and the image of my father down in the dirt, and join Tobias on the sofa.

‘You okay?’ I ask softly.

He gives a single nod, keeping his head low and buried in his palms.

‘Migraines, huh?’

Again, another nod.

‘You sure that’s all they are?’ I shift a little closer towards him. ‘A sudden, agonising headache, followed by a desperate need to sit in the dark? Sounds familiar.’

‘I don’t want to talk about it,’ he grumbles.

‘About what you see?’ I ask. ‘Or about why you can see them at all?’

‘Both.’

‘More of the Descendants are dying. Our powers are growing. And because of that, because of so many deaths, your visions have returned, haven’t they?’

I wait, knowing that this is what has happened. The sudden pain and need for darkness. I felt it with every vision.

‘You had the gift of sight but it had faded. Now the visions have returned.’

He gives a single nod.

‘What did you see?’

‘Nothing,’ he whispers back, head still down and buried beneath his hands.

‘Well, that’s a lie. Tell me. What did you see?’

‘Nothing,’ he replies firmly.

I reach out and rest my hand on his shoulder. ‘Tobias, please-’

He shoves me away and gets to his feet. Only now do I see the deep pools of tears in his eyes. Not just that, but he’s exceptionally agitated, shuffling from foot to foot and hugging his middle.

‘Whatever you’ve seen was meant for you, Tobias. If you’ve seen something bad then perhaps we can stop it. Perhaps-’

‘It’s just images,’ he interrupts, wiping his eyes with the cuff of his black hoody. ‘Flashes of light and faces I don’t recognise. I think they’re just starting up again or something. I dunno.’

‘Well, you can always share them with me, you know? I’ll take a look for you. Maybe I could see them more clearly.’ I extend my hand to him. He looks at it as if I were holding a loaded gun and he shakes his head.

‘I told you,’ he whispers. ‘It’s nonsensical.’

‘Okay.’ I get up and put on a smile. ‘If you change your mind, I’m here. We all are.’ I nod behind me, to the rest of the house. ‘We might be a bit worse for wear, but we still have each other, and in less than twenty-four hours, we’ll be safe. We’ll be in the Arcane Realm and we’ll all be okay.’

‘What’s left of us,’ he adds bitterly. ‘I mean, who are we really saving, Lilly? You just said yourself. So many of our kind have died, an old power has returned to me.’ He shrugs and wipes away yet more tears. ‘I mean, who the fuck else is there to save?’

‘There are some left. And there’s us, Tobias. We’re all worth saving.’

‘By charging into the next spell, massively outnumbered and down a Gabriel and-’

‘Yes. What else can we do?’

He’s silent for a moment, lost deep in his thoughts.

‘We could run,’ he says quietly. ‘You and me. The others too. We could disappear, somewhere Theo would never find us.’

‘That’s never going to happen.’

‘So you want to fight? No matter what, you want to finish this spell?’ He looks deep into my eyes. ‘Are you sure?’

‘I am positive. Finishing this spell is all that matters, Tobias. And I need all of you to help me finish what we started. Can you do that? Or not-’

Before I can say or do anything else, Tobias has engulfed me in his arms and his lips crash onto mine with desperation and roughness.

I pull away but he keeps me close, his lips still seeking out mine.

‘I’m with Gabriel!’ I snap, thumping his chest. ‘I’m married to your brother! What are you thinking!’

‘I can’t help it,’ he whispers, looking at my lips and still holding me to his body. ‘I can’t help that I lo-’

‘You can’t say that to me. You can’t, okay? I’m in love with Gabriel,’ I cut in. ‘And I know it’s a mess. I know we may never get back what we had, but everything I am is his. Everything I have is his. Even if we never get back to where we were, there is simply nothing in me to give anyone else. He has it all.’

‘You felt that way for me once.’

‘I’m sorry, Tobias. But that’s not what we had. Not even close and you know that.’

Collins clears his throat from the doorway and thankfully, Tobias lets me go and steps back.

‘You alright in here?’ he asks, looking between us, his eyes settling on me. ‘Lilly? You good?’

‘We’re fine,’ I reply, wiping the remnants of the kiss from my lips. ‘Tobias is just a little upset and confused, is all.’

‘I’m sorry.’ Tobias turns his back to us as he wipes dry the tears on his face. ‘Shit. I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.’

As Collins folds his arms across his chest and plants himself in the room, it’s clear he’s not going to leave. Tobias heads to the door, stopping when he passes me.

‘I am so so sorry. I beg you to forgive me. That will never happen again.’

‘Forget it.’

He rests his hand on my shoulder, causing Collins to take a few steps closer, but I see nothing frightening in Tobias’s actions.

‘I don’t deserve it, but I still beg for it. I hope that one day, you will forgive me, Lilly. For everything. And I swear, I’m with you all the way. You want to finish the spell? Then I will do everything I can to help you. No matter what.’

Without another word, Tobias leaves the room almost at a sprint and charges up the stairs, slamming shut his bedroom door.

A little shellshocked, I look to Collins.

‘That was…’

‘Want me to talk to him? He can’t go around kissing you like that.’

‘He’s just confused and afraid. He was so young when he Broke, and living with what his Broken-self has done, it’s got to be messing him up. He’ll be okay.’

Collins looks upwards.

‘He won’t be if Gabriel catches him trying to kiss you again. Especially at the moment, he’ll more than likely take his head off. Maybe I should just have a quick word.’

‘Forget it. Come on. Leave him be and let’s get some food. He’ll be down when he’s ready.’

As we both head into the kitchen, Connor raises his brow as he empties the plate chunks into the bin.

‘Told ya. That man don’t wanna talk about what’s bugging him.’

‘No,’ I say, lost in thought. ‘He really doesn’t, does he?’

Collins heads over to the pot of curry and has a taste as I sit myself down at the table.

‘How long has he had these headaches? Do you know when they started?’

‘Erm…’ Connor gives his head a scratch and looks away in thought. ‘About three months ago. The first one, he locked himself away for almost a week. Refused to talk to anyone. The next was about six weeks after. Then one a couple of days ago.’

‘Hmm. They’re visions, you know? Not migraines.’

‘Really?’ both boys respond, looking shocked.

‘But why didn’t he say anything?’ Connor asks.

‘I guess, whatever he’s been seeing, he really doesn’t want to talk about it.’

Because, just as Gabriel said to me only moments ago.

There’s a lie in his eyes. A painful lie.

Tobias is hiding something.

∞∞∞

Sat around the kitchen table, we all tuck into our bowl of chicken curry and discuss our next steps. Despite the losses, despite the peril and unbelievably high stakes, a sense of excitement hangs in the air. And Collins? Well, he just can not stop smiling and his happiness is contagious.

‘You should see her, man,’ he says to Connor, beaming from ear to ear. ‘Amara is a natural with that baby. And he is so adorable! He’s got these amazing eyes and this cute little tuft of hair. Oh-oh! And Amara? She has Telekinesis! Did I tell you that?’

‘A couple of times,’ Connor chuckles. ‘Yeah.’

‘I mean, she was just floating stuff all over the place. She’s a natural. Oh… and Callie!’ Collins looks at me, and so does Connor. Both wear grins and it warms my heart to see it. ‘She is magnificent. Perfect, right, Lilly? The spitting image of you and Gabriel.’

‘She’s perfect,’ I agree, thinking of her little fingers gripping onto mine. ‘They both are.’

‘You wait,’ Collins nudges Connor so hard, he misses his mouth and a spoonful of curry lands on the floor. ‘The Arcane Realm is amazing. Just think, we can go anywhere! The whole world is just… it’s for us. Egypt. Peru. The Amazonian Rainforests.’

‘Ireland,’ Connor moans longingly. ‘The cliffs of Moher. The stunning ring of Kerry. Ohhh the mountains of Wicklow.’ His eyes close as he recalls it all. ‘Guinness…’

‘Not sure there’s any Guinness over there,’ Collins retorts as Connor smacks his lips in longing.

‘Oh. I’ll be making me some Guinness. One way or the other,’ he assures him, nudging Collins and knocking off the curry on his spoon once more. ‘What about you, Girly?’

‘Me? I ask. ‘Oh that’s easy. Gabriel and I are going to see the Cherry Blossoms in Japan. Then to the North, to watch the Northern Lights.’

‘It’ll be easy for you with your magic. A few words and poof. You can materialise wherever you want.’

‘I think we’ll want to make the journey, you know?’ I sit back and think of it. ‘We’re going to travel the world. See it all. Help everyone settle into their new home. Make it a wonderful place to live.’

‘Set up schools. Teach magic and spells,’ Connor adds.

‘Using our magic out in the open with pride,’ Collins beams.

‘No more hiding. No more fear,’ I say, to which they both nod.

Tobias walks in and sits with us at the table. He looks down at the plate of curry left out for him and slowly picks up his fork.

‘We’re talking about what we plan to do after the final spell,’ I tell Tobias, hoping to ease the tension he’s brought with him. ‘What will you do?’

He shrugs.

‘Where will you go? Will you travel?’ Connor asks him.

Again, he shrugs.

‘I remember you mentioning Greece once,’ I attempt, hoping to get him to soften up. ‘I’ve always wanted to visit the Parthenon.’

‘Sure,’ he murmurs, pushing his bowl away and giving up all pretence of eating it. ‘I’m going to the toilet.’

He leaves us all and heads upstairs, the chill of his demeanour lingering in the air.

‘He’s not been right since he’s been having the headaches. I mean, visions,’ Connor says. ‘He was skittish before, but after that first one? He just ain’t been the same.’

‘Well,’ I sigh, sliding my empty bowl away and resting my elbows on the table. ‘Growing stronger because people are dead isn’t exactly ideal. And visions are terrifying as well as painful.’

‘You think he’s seen something bad?’

‘Dunno. He wouldn’t say.’

‘I think we need to know,’ Collins adds quietly. ‘I think we really need to see whatever it is that’s shook him up.’

‘It was his vision. He’ll tell us if we need to know.’

‘But what if-’

‘I just really don’t think that he would withhold anything from us that would mean putting us in danger,’ I insist.

‘Do you trust him?’ Collins asks, leaning in. ‘Can you look me in the eye and say that you trust that man?’

I lean forwards. ‘Yes. I trust him. If I needed to know, he would tell me. He’s not Toby Smith. He’s Tobias Kendryk, and him, I trust. This hasn’t been easy on anyone. He’s been through a lot and what I put him through when I was Broken? The torment? The physical and mental torture I inflicted on that man…’ I feel sick at the glimpses I remember seeing. ‘I think he’s just scared.’

‘And with good reason,’ Collins concedes, accepting my decision and instead looks at the table and the various maps atop it. ‘Let’s focus on the task at hand, shall we? Because what we need to do isn’t going to be easy.’

Connor shoves the remainder of his food into his mouth before turning his focus to them too.

‘The third and final Bloodstone is here,’ I gesture to the point on the map. ‘Land’s End. Cornwall.’

‘Not ideal.’ Collins runs his finger along the map. ‘There’s only one way to reach the site of the Bloodstone. Theo will have it protected.’

‘Theo knows where it is?’ Connors asks. ‘Are you sure?’

I think back to the woods after I found Gabriel.

‘Theo said he would see me at the Bloodstone. He knows where it is, but he doesn’t know when I need to perform the spell. He won’t know we’re coming until we get there. At a quarter past eleven tonight.’ I look at the clock, which tells me it is now two am. ‘In twenty-one hours, I need to be at that Stone.’

‘That’s very specific. What happens at eleven-fifteen tonight?’ Connor queries.

‘Flos Dirigentes.’

He furrows his brow. ‘Flos Dirigentes. That’s what they call the erm… the meteor? The err…’ He looks into the distance, shifting through his knowledge until he finds the information he’s looking for. He looks at me, clearly seeing it. ‘The shooting-flower, right? The star that passes us every five years.’

I nod. ‘But it’s not just any meteor or shooting star, Connor. It’s linked to Rebecca Hooper’s final spell. It’s a Bloodstone.’

‘Say again?’

‘That meteor has been circling Earth for countless years. Countless centuries. Again and again and again, passing over witches using their magic all over the globe. In The Arcane Realm, the same meteor circles the planet and together they have created a cloak of energy around the planets in each realm. It passes the third and final Bloodstone, which is located at Land’s End, at precisely eleven-fifteen tonight. When I awaken the stone, that field of energy will ignite both here and in the Arcane Realm. It will connect to every single Descendant on the planet. I’ll then perform the spell, channelling each one of the seven realms of power through the stone, along the corridors I created at the second stone, and bam. Everyone with those realms of power will journey through my corridors and appear in the Arcane Realm. Once they’re over, the door seals. The corridors collapse. Job done.’

‘Whoah…’

‘Yeah. Whoah.’

‘And do you need anything?’ Connor asks.

‘What do you mean?’

‘Well, the first stone, you needed Rebecca Hooper’s wedding ring. The second, you used your mother’s necklace. The third, “The heart of all power”, right? That’s what was written in the journal. The instruction for the final Bloodstone. So, do you need something? An artefact or-’

‘I don’t need anything,’ I reply. ‘Just me at the stone at eleven fifteen.’ I shake my head, tutting in complete frustration. ‘So close. If we hadn’t had got caught, my dad would have been able to come with us. Another day.’ My lip wobbles. ‘I should never have pushed him to take me through that town to find the lead.’

The silence echoes in my ears. No one says anything because what the hell could they say?

‘When I lost my parents,’ Connor says, staring intently at the map. ‘It was the worst day of my life.’

I remember being told the story of the death of the Quinn family. His parents ran a school for the Nomads who wanted a career in the human world. They educated teachers. Politicians. Doctors. They gave those who wanted more than a life in camps, breeding or fighting, a safe place to better themselves. Connor included. But Hunters found them and burned their sanctuary to the ground, along with the children sleeping inside.

‘The kids at the boarding school they ran, they called them “Mama and Papa Quinn”. And they were, you know? Their parents. They fed them. Clothed them. Educated them about so much more than what was written in the books. They listened, and they talked, and they cared about every single child in that place. One had a nightmare, Mama or Papa Quinn would be there to make it better. Fell over? Mama or Papa Quinn would fix you up. The night of the attack, when they set fire to the school with all of us sleeping inside, my mum and dad refused to stop getting the kids out of the building,’ he continues. ‘The flames just kept growing and they refused to stop going back in. We could hear them. “Mama Quinn! Papa Quinn! I can’t breathe. It’s too hot”.’ Connor swallows painfully and shakes his head. I do not doubt that those children’s voices still echo in his ears to this day. ‘I followed my mum and dad inside and helped lead the kids by the hand to safety. On the last run in…’ His voice breaks and he swallows painfully. ‘We could hear some of the children crying in one of the bathrooms upstairs. We went up there. My mum, my dad and I. We found three sisters in a bathtub, huddled together. We each grabbed one. I went first with this little girl, no older than six. I ran down the stairs. Mum and dad were right behind me. The heat was so intense, and I knew as we descended those stairs that there was no coming back in after this time. That those still inside were done for. I got to the bottom… and looked back to my parents…’ The blood drains from his face and a look of horror washes over him. Behind his eyes, he’s reliving that memory of his. I know it. ‘I looked, just in time to see the stairs give way to the flames. They both looked at me just before they fell. There’s something about seeing your parents scared… seeing them terrified… it does something to you. I’d never seen them scared before. They were always so brave, but at that moment, just before they all fell into the basement below, they were petrified. They didn’t want to die, and that’s what I saw. That’s what I will always see. And you know what’s really bloody annoying?’

‘What?’ I whisper, feeling my throat tighten as I hear his painful past.

‘That when we went up there to get those girls, my shoelace had come undone and I actually stopped to tie it, worried that I may fall and delay things. If I had just left my lace, perhaps the fire wouldn’t have damaged the stairs so much. Perhaps it would have held their weight. If they had gone in front of me, maybe it would have held my weight, or maybe only I would have fallen.’

‘You can’t think like that.’

‘And neither can you. That’s my point. Shit happens.’ He throws up his hands. ‘We look back and there’s always something we feel should have unfolded differently. Some actions that we should have taken. Or not taken. Laces that shouldn’t have been tied or towns travelled to or avoided. All roads lead us to where we’re destined to be. No one said the roads were easy or enjoyable. Simply necessary. I’m sure that all this pain, all this misery and all this bloodshed is meant for something. Something bigger than us. Something meaningful and important. The path to freedom has always been slick with blood because those who withhold the freedom of others never return it willingly. It must be taken back. Sadly, fighting and freedom tend to go hand in hand. As does life and death. Happiness and misery. Suffering and bliss. One cannot live without the other.’

‘How did you get so smart?’ Collins admires the young Irish man.

‘I read when I start thinking about stuff too much. I tend to dwell. So I read a lot.’

‘Well.’ I give a firm nod. ‘I know that Mama and Papa Quinn would be nothing but proud of their son. And I know that the last thing they would have wanted was for you to die in that building. I sure as hell know that I am. Both of those things. I’d still be stuck in The Orchard trying to translate that damned journal if it weren’t for you.’

‘They would have loved you,’ Connor says. Before I can scoff, knowing that his parents would be far from impressed by a Broken Arcane who tried to trade their son’s life for the sake of her own arse, Connor cuts me off. ‘Back to business.’ He takes a shaky breath and rids himself of his painful confession. ‘Bloodstone. Hunters. Psychotic witches. Go.’

‘Yeah.’ I clear my throat as Collins wipes his eyes. ‘Okay. So if we’re quiet and smart, perhaps we can sneak around Theo and the Hunters. Look.’ I tap the map. ‘The stone is buried beneath a series of sea stacks. When the tide is out, you can access it from the beach. When the tide is in, you need to swim to it. Now, the stone is protected. You can’t reach the chamber it’s in without the blood of an Arcane. So although Theo can guard it, he can’t actually reach it. We have some choices.’

We sit and discuss the possibilities. Do we try to reach it by land? Do we go at it by sea? Air, perhaps? Between us, we have Physical magic and Elemental magic. So sadly, I can’t syphon the power I need to make us materialise at the chamber concealing the stone. For that, I need Energy and Telekinesis. Perhaps if I get hold of Theo somehow?

Doubtful.

But I can do a lot with Elemental magic. After all, the sea is water. I can toss the ocean at any Hunter that may get in my way. Create a tidal wave or a tsunami. I can set fire to them.

Maybe we can somehow swim to it from beneath the sea.

Connor mentions scuba diving, which makes me chuckle.

We talk. We plan. We discuss as many possibilities as we can. But when it comes down to it, we don’t know what we’re about to walk in to. We don’t know how many will stand between us and our freedom. Collins wants to summon the Nomads. Bring an army with us.

I tell him no. Enough have died. This is our job.

My job.

Besides, I don’t know how many are even left.

I will do whatever it takes to get my hands on that Bloodstone. That is my only certainty. That is my only truth.

‘And what about Gabriel?’ Connor asks. ‘Do we bring him with us?’

Collins and I share a look.

‘We can’t risk him getting close to Theo,’ Collins says gravely. ‘If he gets control over us, we’re done for. All of us. We can’t risk it.’

I nod. It pains me to do so, but there is no choice here. Gabriel can compel anyone. Myself included. And Theo’s hold on him runs horrifically deep.

‘We can’t just leave him here,’ Connor adds. ‘He’s cuffed to the bed. What if we all die and he gets stuck here. We all know he won’t starve to death but christ… that’s not the kind of fate anyone wants. Left to rot, not knowing where everyone went.’

Connor looks between Collins and me, waiting for another suggestion.

‘I could compel him to sleep? Or perhaps, I wake him up and we give him some sedatives? Un-cuff him so when he wakes up, he can leave?’ Now I look between them. ‘Is there a sedative that will knock him out for that long?’

‘Well, we’re leaving here at dawn, right?’ Connor starts rifling through his brain, performing math and recalling various medications, no doubt. ‘I think I can make it work. There’s some valium. Some propanolol. Vodka.’ He nods. ‘Yeah. I can make it work.’

We carry on. Planning. Plotting. As I make the third round of coffees, Tobias re-joins us. He stands by my side at the sink and raps his fingers on the countertop, watching the steam rise form the kettle.

‘Are you okay?’ I ask quietly, so I don’t interrupt Connor and Collins who are deep in discussion about “If it all goes to shit” scenarios. ‘You’ve been upstairs for a while.’

‘I just needed to regroup. Got a little overwhelmed, I think. And again,’ he adds, tipping some instant coffee into the mugs. ‘I’m sorry about what happened in the lounge. I was way out of line. My feelings for you are irrelevant. I know that. And I’m here for you. In whatever way you need.’ He holds out the jar of coffee with a sweet smile. I take it and watch as he starts pouring the water in the mugs.

‘I better go and check on Gabriel.’

‘No need,’ he insists. ‘He’s fine. Still out cold and still secured to the bed. He’s okay. I checked before I came down.’

‘Are you sure you’re okay?’ I ask once more. He feels… off.

‘I’m okay. I’m just sorry about earlier. And embarrassed.’ He flashes me a smile. ‘Have you guys made a plan?’

‘As much as we can,’ I reply, watching him closely. I give him a brief rundown. He nods along, approving of what we intend on doing. He looks calm. He seems okay and settled. Is it crazy that I think that he looks too okay? My eyes flick upwards to the room over our heads where Gabriel lies asleep.

‘We head out in a couple of hours,’ Collins calls over, sliding back his chair and getting to his feet with a stretch. ‘We’re a few hours drive from the stone and we need to make sure we leave enough time to reach it, taking into account that we will probably have to fight. I suggest you dress for skulking in the dark and in something that can keep you dry.’

Tobias holds his mug of coffee and rests his back against the counter, observing the two boys as they gather up the maps and take their fresh drinks.

I just, I can’t shake this feeling. Something is off.

I reach out and summon my Sensativa. When I touch his bare arm, I channel his recently returned power. His Sight.

‘HEY!’ he snaps, jumping away from me and pinning his arm to his chest. ‘The fuck, Lilly? You can’t just help yourself to other people’s magic!’

It was only a glimpse, but what I saw has me staggering back. I watch him with wary eyes, shaking with rage and disbelief and dare I say it, betrayal!

‘What’s going on?’ Collins demands. ‘Lilly? What’s-’

‘H-he knew!’ I manage, pointing an accusatory finger at Tobias. One that shakes violently. ‘He fucking knew!’

‘Whatever you saw, whatever you think you saw-’

‘Think I saw?’ I hiss at him. ‘Do you take me for a fucking idiot?!’ As Tobias steps closer, I grab hold of the knife left on the side from dinner and point it at him. ‘Take another step and I will fucking kill you.’

‘What the hell is going on?’ Collins barks at us. ‘Everyone calm the fuck down.’

‘He knew!’ I repeat, the blade tremoring in my unsteady grip and hate-filled sobs clawing up my throat.

‘Knew what?’ Collins encourages.

‘He had a vision. He saw it! Days before it happened, he saw it!’

‘You don’t understand,’ Tobias pleads. ‘You didn’t see-’

‘What, Lilly? What did Tobias see?’ Collins steps forwards, his hands outstretched between us.

‘Tobias saw my Dad’s execution. Two days before it happened. He fucking saw it and he did nothing to stop it.’

‘That can’t be true-’

‘He knew I was there,’ I throw out. ‘He knew I was in the Hunters’ cells. I just saw it all. What happened to me! My dad’s slow and brutal death! He knew, two days before, and he said nothing.’

‘Tobias… is that true?’ Connor asks, almost pleadingly. ‘You saw the news report Theo put out, though. You were there when he said we had until midday to get in touch or Jensen would be killed. You raced to get to them. If you knew before, why the hell didn’t you say something?’

‘You don’t understand,’ Tobias whispers, looking me dead in the eye. ‘Lilly, please. You don’t-’

‘Christ!’ Collins says furiously. ‘You knew they were in the Hunters’ cells and said nothing?’

‘Did you know about Gabriel too?’ I challenge. But he shakes his head. ‘I don’t believe you. I don’t fucking trust you any more.’ I step closer, the knife held fast in my hand. ‘My dad is dead because of you.’

‘Everything happens for a reason. Trust me, Lilly. Trust Rebecca.’

‘Rebecca?’ I spit. ‘What the-’

‘Your greatest enemy will become your greatest ally, right? That’s what she said to you. Please. I’m sorry. But Jensen… he had to die.’

‘Had-to-die?’

‘It served a purpose. He had to die. I am sorry. What I’ve had to do, to get you here, it had to happen.’

There’s a long and drawn-out creak.

Turning, we all see Gabriel standing in the kitchen doorway. He’s still unbelievably pale and dangerously thin. He blinks at us all sluggishly as he lingers there, swaying a little.

‘Gabriel? Baby, are you alright? You shouldn’t be up.’ I take a step towards him. To help him. Hell, to hug him! But Collins holds up his hand, stopping me from getting any closer. Only now do I notice that Gabriel has a phone pressed to his ear and a set of handcuffs dangling from his wrist. They’ve not been broken but undone. ‘Gabriel, what are you-’

‘Yes, Master,’ Gabriel says in a hauntingly deadpan tone. ‘I understand, Master.’

‘Shit!’ Collins steps back, his hand reaching out for me as he places himself between us. ‘Theo’s on the goddamn phone. WHO GAVE GABRIEL A FUCKING PHONE?!’

Gabriel lifts his other hand. In it, he holds a gun.

‘Gabriel,’ Collins soothes. ‘Mate. Brother. You don’t want to do this. You don’t want to hurt us. Put the gun down.’

‘Yes, Master.’ When he blinks, tears spill down his gaunt cheeks.

‘It serves a purpose,’ Tobias whispers. ‘He had to die.’ He looks over to me and I see the agony of his breaking heart on his face. ‘To get you where you need to be, this has to happen.’

‘Tobias. What have you done?’

‘What I needed to do.’

‘You set Gabriel free? You gave him the phone?’

‘It had to happen…’

‘Yes, Master.’

‘Lilly. We need to go.’ Collins turns to grab me.

But while he’s looking at me, he fails to see what Gabriel is doing behind him. He cocks the gun, and without any hesitation whatsoever, Gabriel pulls the trigger.

Something warm splatters over my face and seeps into my eyes. I blink, desperately trying to clear them, only to see Collins, looking at me with a slack jaw and glassy eyes. It takes a second for me to process what’s happened.

Collins falls, as if in slow motion, and lands on the ground in a still and silent heap.

His life, his future… it’s all gone.

Collins is dead.

‘I’m sorry,’ Tobias tells me.

Those are the last words I hear before he strikes me hard across the face, knocking me out cold.