Severed by Sarah Alderson Page B

sides of the sofa. ‘People … people were killed trying to leave. He told me.’ She was talking about her parents but Cyrus didn’t need to know that.
    Cyrus shrugged again. ‘Well, Vero got away. She was one of the lucky ones. My mum too. He never managed to find her either – not for want of trying.’
    Evie’s voice was a hoarse whisper. ‘Your mum? She was a Hunter too?’
    ‘Yes.’
    ‘Who is she?’ Lucas asked.
    Cyrus looked up at him, an annoyed expression on his face as if he’d only just remembered that Lucas was in the room. ‘Her name’s Margaret,’ he answered.
    ‘Margaret?’ Evie said, her head flying up.
    Cyrus nodded.
    Evie turned to Lucas with a stricken look on her face and he dropped to her side, kneeling in front of the sofa.
    ‘I know her. I know the name,’ she said, reaching for him. ‘She was in the book. The book Victor gave me with the family tree in it. She was scratched out. He told me she was dead. He made out that he’d killed her.’
    ‘Well, she’s alive,’ Cyrus shrugged. ‘Last time I checked anyway.’
    Lucas turned instantly to Cyrus, ‘Who’s your father?’
    ‘What’s it to you?’ Cyrus shot back, jumping abruptly to his feet so he was looming over Lucas.
    Lucas stood slowly so he was standing taller than Cyrus. ‘Nothing,’ he said.
    Cyrus turned away and started heading towards the door that Vero and Ash had disappeared through.
    ‘Are we going to see your mum?’ Evie called after him.
    ‘In the morning. First I think your boyfriend needs some beauty sleep. There’s a guest room you can use.’ He turned to Evie smirking, ‘Or you can bunk with me.’
    Lucas lowered his head and fought the overwhelming urge to fade and reappear right in front of Cyrus brandishing the sword that Vero had dropped by the door on her way in. It was tempting. Seriously tempting. But Evie had a tight hold of his hand as though she’d guessed what he was thinking, and she was looking up at him wide-eyed and pleading – or maybe she was warning him not to react, so he ignored Cyrus and, leaning down, kissed Evie on the lips.

Chapter 18
    Evie stared at the bunk beds. The phrase who’s on top? was on the tip of her tongue but she couldn’t bring herself to utter it. She stood there in silence instead. The whole night had been so surreal and now it was ending with them standing here in a room with kids’ bunk beds shoved against one wall and a Space Invaders arcade game pushed against the other, while Vero’s cries seeped through the thinly partitioned walls.
    ‘Do you ever have times when you just don’t want to deal with what’s in front of you?’ Evie whispered as they stood there, hand in hand, in the centre of the room.
    ‘Yes,’ Lucas answered, laughing softly.
    She looked up at him, shaking her head slowly. ‘You’re so lucky. You can just disappear.’ She moved to face him. ‘I’m always scared that you’re never going to come back.’
    He smiled sadly at her, tracing the back of his hand along her cheekbone. ‘I’m always going to come back,’ he said, before he kissed her, sending a shiver all the way through her body that almost lifted her off the ground.
    She broke away after a minute and looked up at him again. ‘What’s it like when you fade?’
    He thought about it for a few seconds before he answered. ‘It’s like sheltering from a storm.’
    ‘Do you prefer it – being invisible?’
    He studied her, his eyes narrowing slightly. ‘I used to.’
    ‘What happens when you die?’ The question tumbled out of her before she could stop it. She instantly regretted it and her gaze fell to the floor.
    ‘Hey, hey.’ His hand was under her chin, forcing it back up. His eyes were the exact same colour as an early winter sky. ‘I’m not going to die. At least,’ he smiled at her, ‘not for a while.’
    ‘But when you – I mean unhumans – when you die, what happens?’
    ‘Our bodies cross back to the Shadowlands or whichever realm we