get his name out my mouth is so dry.
And then the demon lifts his face to the security camera, smiles, and snaps the old man’s arm.
HOOK, LINE, SINKER
My stomach drops and Mya appears onscreen a split second later.
‘Nobody else leaves!’ Daniel orders.
Ez looks to Jude and me, urgent, and we reach for her at the same time. I’m in the vortex for a heartbeat—and then I’m on solid ground again, buffeted by cold wind. The air is thick with the smell of pine trees and bus fumes.
Zarael is dragging the monk towards the forest, the tip of his sword pressed under his chin. Brother Stephen moans in our direction. Terrified. Blood trickles down his throat.
‘I love that you are so predictable,’ Zarael says. The Outcasts are all here now. He grins at us, eyes still hidden behind his sunglasses, and disappears. Brother Stephen slumps to the gravel. I check the trees. Bel and Leon are gone.
Mya races for the monk but Daisy and Micah materialise before she gets there. Micah kneels and gently lifts Brother Stephen onto his lap, cradling his arm and putting pressure on his bleeding neck. I stand guard with Jude and the Outcasts, watch the forest for movement. Blood thuds at my temples.
‘I can help,’ Mya says, panting.
‘You’ve done enough,’ Daisy snaps. ‘We’ve got this.’ Micah and Brother Stephen disappear.
‘Shifting will heal him?’ Jude asks me.
‘No. It doesn’t work on humans. He’ll need stitches and that arm set.’
Jude runs a hand through his hair. ‘I thought that prick was going to take the monk with him.’
‘Me too.’
‘Why didn’t they stay and fight?’
‘Because that’s not what he came here to do,’ Daisy says. She faces down the Outcasts, not caring she’s outnumbered. ‘He came to bait you lot, pure and simple.’
‘Shut up Daisy.’ Mya ties her hair up with a violent twist of her wrist.
‘Think about it: Zarael knows your crew is here. He knows your first instinct is offence, and ours is to wait. He knew he could stir up strife just by being here.’ Daisy spins the sword in her hand. ‘Daniel wants everyone back in the library. Now. And don’t you dare shift anywhere else, you chickenshit.’ She points her katana at Mya.
‘Hey.’ Ez blocks Daisy from getting any closer. ‘That’s enough.’
Daisy eyeballs Ez for a second and then disappears.
‘She can go screw herself,’ Mya says. ‘I’m going to check on Brother Stephen.’
Ez sighs. ‘Do you really think that’s smart?’
‘I don’t care, I’m going.’ And she’s gone. Dry pine needles stir on the ground where she was standing.
Zak looks to Jude and me. ‘We going back in there?’
‘Nothing’s changed,’ Jude says. ‘We still need them. Gaby?’
My thoughts slide back to Rafa. How long has it been now? I check my watch. Three hours and four minutes. Three hours and four minutes . It’s always there, the sickening feeling that twists everything inside me when I think about him. What’s happening right now? Is he conscious? Is he fighting? Is he even alive?
The knot tightens.
‘Yeah,’ I say. ‘We go back in.’
Everyone else has left the library except Daniel and Daisy. Ez, Zak and Jones stay close to Jude and me. The rest of the Outcasts fan out behind us. Daniel’s chest rises and falls. His eyes find mine. Furious.
‘If you intend to stay here, you need to follow orders.’ He measures his words. ‘If any of you pull a stunt like that—’
‘You call saving an old monk from a demon a stunt?’ Jude challenges.
‘You lost the right to worry about anyone here when you walked away a decade ago. You and your crew —’ Daniel stops, takes a slow breath. Takes a moment to gather himself. God forbid he should lose control.
Jude turns to Daisy. ‘You say Zarael came to stir us up, so why didn’t he do more damage while the tourists were still in the car park? Why not bring out the hellions?’
‘Gatekeepers don’t make a habit of showing themselves and
And then the demon lifts his face to the security camera, smiles, and snaps the old man’s arm.
HOOK, LINE, SINKER
My stomach drops and Mya appears onscreen a split second later.
‘Nobody else leaves!’ Daniel orders.
Ez looks to Jude and me, urgent, and we reach for her at the same time. I’m in the vortex for a heartbeat—and then I’m on solid ground again, buffeted by cold wind. The air is thick with the smell of pine trees and bus fumes.
Zarael is dragging the monk towards the forest, the tip of his sword pressed under his chin. Brother Stephen moans in our direction. Terrified. Blood trickles down his throat.
‘I love that you are so predictable,’ Zarael says. The Outcasts are all here now. He grins at us, eyes still hidden behind his sunglasses, and disappears. Brother Stephen slumps to the gravel. I check the trees. Bel and Leon are gone.
Mya races for the monk but Daisy and Micah materialise before she gets there. Micah kneels and gently lifts Brother Stephen onto his lap, cradling his arm and putting pressure on his bleeding neck. I stand guard with Jude and the Outcasts, watch the forest for movement. Blood thuds at my temples.
‘I can help,’ Mya says, panting.
‘You’ve done enough,’ Daisy snaps. ‘We’ve got this.’ Micah and Brother Stephen disappear.
‘Shifting will heal him?’ Jude asks me.
‘No. It doesn’t work on humans. He’ll need stitches and that arm set.’
Jude runs a hand through his hair. ‘I thought that prick was going to take the monk with him.’
‘Me too.’
‘Why didn’t they stay and fight?’
‘Because that’s not what he came here to do,’ Daisy says. She faces down the Outcasts, not caring she’s outnumbered. ‘He came to bait you lot, pure and simple.’
‘Shut up Daisy.’ Mya ties her hair up with a violent twist of her wrist.
‘Think about it: Zarael knows your crew is here. He knows your first instinct is offence, and ours is to wait. He knew he could stir up strife just by being here.’ Daisy spins the sword in her hand. ‘Daniel wants everyone back in the library. Now. And don’t you dare shift anywhere else, you chickenshit.’ She points her katana at Mya.
‘Hey.’ Ez blocks Daisy from getting any closer. ‘That’s enough.’
Daisy eyeballs Ez for a second and then disappears.
‘She can go screw herself,’ Mya says. ‘I’m going to check on Brother Stephen.’
Ez sighs. ‘Do you really think that’s smart?’
‘I don’t care, I’m going.’ And she’s gone. Dry pine needles stir on the ground where she was standing.
Zak looks to Jude and me. ‘We going back in there?’
‘Nothing’s changed,’ Jude says. ‘We still need them. Gaby?’
My thoughts slide back to Rafa. How long has it been now? I check my watch. Three hours and four minutes. Three hours and four minutes . It’s always there, the sickening feeling that twists everything inside me when I think about him. What’s happening right now? Is he conscious? Is he fighting? Is he even alive?
The knot tightens.
‘Yeah,’ I say. ‘We go back in.’
Everyone else has left the library except Daniel and Daisy. Ez, Zak and Jones stay close to Jude and me. The rest of the Outcasts fan out behind us. Daniel’s chest rises and falls. His eyes find mine. Furious.
‘If you intend to stay here, you need to follow orders.’ He measures his words. ‘If any of you pull a stunt like that—’
‘You call saving an old monk from a demon a stunt?’ Jude challenges.
‘You lost the right to worry about anyone here when you walked away a decade ago. You and your crew —’ Daniel stops, takes a slow breath. Takes a moment to gather himself. God forbid he should lose control.
Jude turns to Daisy. ‘You say Zarael came to stir us up, so why didn’t he do more damage while the tourists were still in the car park? Why not bring out the hellions?’
‘Gatekeepers don’t make a habit of showing themselves and
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