Chapter 43

CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

CAT

A fine silver mist hung in the air, floodlights from the park to our right casting our path in ghostly shades as we hurried towards the library building. Goosebumps covered my arms beneath my leather jacket, the comforting presence of my death gods doing nothing to ward off the chill that had settled into my bones.

She was here. Nightmare. I could feel her.

"We need to leave," Miz hissed, unable to hide his fear even as he straightened, his jaw clenched and he looked ready to unleash all hell. Tor had given him a you're a fucking death god, nothing can hurt you pep talk as we crossed the park, and I was glad to see it had worked.

"We'll leave once we've found Honey," I said, my voice abrasive in the silence that hung over Ford. Even the hum of voices from inside the park was hushed, like the whole campus was a prey animal staying as still and quiet as possible, lest it draw the attention of an apex predator. But it was too late, and she was already here. It was just a matter of where.

I felt her eyes on us as we hurried along the curving path past Lawrence House, Fashion Magazine and my old neighbour huddled in the doorway, caught in a disagreement about alleles. I avoided their gazes but felt eyes linger on my men, their presence imposing and impossible to ignore even when you didn't know they were gods.

When their conversation quieted, I knew they were talking about me, but I had more important things to worry about. I ignored the stinging heat on the back of my neck, speeding up when the blocky library building came into view. Its two floors of windows were dark, glass catching slivers of moonlight but not lighting the rooms within.

Phil paced a little mound of grass outside the library, walking in and out of a beam of gauzy light, her hair not as sleek as it had been earlier and a streak of mud on her arm.

"There you are," she burst out when she spotted me, her relief obvious. "I was about to call—a search party," she finished, becoming wary when she registered the three men with me, each one intimidating in their own right but Death's height and broad shoulders drawing the most attention. I could have told her he was the sweetest and she'd be better off being wary of Tor's hot temper and Miz's icy rage, but I didn't have the time.

"Where's Honey?"

"I saw her go inside," Phil told me with wide eyes, her throat bobbing as she looked at the uninviting building. "I was too nervous to go into a dark building by myself, so I waited for you."

"What is Honey doing inside the library by herself at this time?" I muttered, but the answer came far too easily. Cool foreboding slid down my spine. I exchanged a glance with Miz, our paranoia perfectly aligned.

"Nightmare got to her," he whispered, catching my hand to bring my knuckles to his lips, his kiss barely registering as numb rage spread through me. The numbness was back, hollowing out my chest, making static roar inside my head. Nightmare had got to Honey.

"Miz, come with me," Death said calmly, squeezing his shoulder as he dropped a kiss on the top of my head. "We'll get her. Tor, stay with Cat and Phil."

I expected Tor to complain about babysitting duty but he just nodded seriously, edging closer to me. Phil wrapped her arms around herself, true fear in her eyes for the first time. I knew why—the darkness, the slow creeping mist, the eerily silent library behind us… it was the stuff of horror films.

A mournful howl cut through the silence and we all jumped, Tor pulling me tighter into his side, bristling with protectiveness.

Phil's breath caught. "What's that? There isn't a building out that way, is there?"

I frowned, following her line of sight, the cold creeping under my jacket and brushing along my skin until I shuddered. I saw what she meant—through the darkness where the moors road fed into Ford, an amber light glowed against the pitch blackness of the night. There were no buildings out there, not even a shed that I'd noticed. But the light was undeniable.

My eyes shot to Tor. "What if there is something out there?" I whispered, gripping his biceps in trembling hands. "What if that's where she's keeping Virgil? I know he has to be close. That building can't be far; it might even be within Ford grounds."

Tor hauled me close, squeezing me to him like he could stop me running off. But the urge to follow the light itched under my skin, making my blood boil, the darkness flowing through me with unrestrained glee. Virgil was there; I knew it. The rightness of that was like a pulsing light in me, blinking faster with every second.

"We have to go—" I began.

"No," he cut off in a growl. "I'm not risking a single fucking hair on your head."

Now he just sounded like my darkness. If he started telling me to peel off people's skin and rip out their fingernails just for putting me in danger, I'd be a little uneasy.

Phil was restless, switching her weight from foot to foot, her face pale. "Something weird is happening. First Honey goes into the library when it's pitch black and now there's a light coming from a place where I swear there isn't a building."

I jolted. "What if there used to be one there?" To Tor, I whispered, "We need to ask Miz; it could be an old building she's hidden with magic."

"I'm not leaving your side," he rumbled.

Phil smiled sadly. "Must be nice to have someone so growly and protective."

"It is," I confirmed, the restlessness making my blood race. "And annoying. Tor, we need to go check out that light. Now."

"No."

"If you don't come with me, I'll find a way to go alone." My brother was in danger, and a sense of foreboding wound tighter around me with every minute since the power went out.

Tor dragged a hand down his face, shaking his head. "You do everything I tell you to, Cactus. Everything."

My heart leapt even as my stomach quivered at the sound of my full name on his lips. Nerves rippled through the numbness. I nodded quickly. "I won't argue with you. Thank you."

Tor grunted, clearly unhappy, but he turned towards the light. "You're the one who has to explain to Miz and Death why we're not here when they come back out."

I swallowed, a pang in my chest at the thought of the stress I'd cause them both, but the amber light drew my eye again, and urgency settled over me. I needed to get to Virgil before Nightmare sprung whatever trap she'd set this time. I refused to lose anyone else. Not Honey or Virgil or anyone.

"Stay close," I warned Phil as we set off walking, tension wrapping over all three of us. "It's not safe out here."

"I'm getting that vibe," she agreed, chewing her bottom lip. "Maybe this isn't the best idea. Who's Virgil, anyway?"

Panic clawed at me, enraging my darkness. It didn't speak, didn't offer any gruesome suggestions, just surged through my soul, ready to unleash itself on my enemies. I didn't know why I lied. "Just a friend," I answered after a moment, "but I haven't seen him in days."

Phil bit her lip so hard she drew blood. "Like the others that went missing last month," she murmured, her eyes downcast. I wondered who she'd been made to kill. It was there in the slump of her shoulders, the clench of her jaw—guilt.

The path ended after a few more steps, the light's glow leading us into grassy hills darkened by tall trees. The dark hid any distinguishing features the area might have. Were we close to the gates? I couldn't tell, couldn't recognise anything.

Another howl sounded, far closer than before. I shuddered as cold rushed into my side, edging closer to Tor—

I stumbled on a protruding tree root, careless as I turned to look behind myself, searching the shadows for Tor. Where was he? He'd been right beside me, clingy in his determination to keep me safe. He would never have just left me.

My heart quickened. Panic shredded my numbness like the fine threads of cobwebs and I shook harder, turning on the spot, searching for any sign of him in the dark.

I reached into my pocket to get my phone, meaning to use the torch to find where Tor had gone, but something slammed into the back of my head, hard enough that fireworks exploded across my vision. A cry of pain ripped from my lips, my torch forgotten.

I was falling before I knew what was happening, the dark disorienting around me. There wasn't enough light to tell, but I thought my vision wavered as I splayed there on the cold ground, the mist soaking into my clothes. Pain was like a river of fire, scalding across my skull and neck, a sharp contrast to the cold.

Get up, my darkness urged, wrenching on my soul. Get your knife and kill her before she can kill you.

Kill who…?

My killer instincts were clearly working faster than my mangled brain, because they'd already worked out who hit me over the head. I didn't realise who'd hit me until Phil knelt beside me, breathing fast.

"I'm so sorry, Cat," she said with genuine regret, and then she hit me again.

True darkness reigned after that.