Chapter 1

MAEVE

A whole dayspent working on my magic with Lex pushes me to the edge of exhaustion. I"m drained by his repetitive pressure to recognise and manipulate the Blackwood magic, to stir in the Winterfall energy and take control. Jamie grows increasingly upset with him, accusing Lex of hitting me too hard with the magic triggered by yesterday"s events.

At least Lex becomes increasingly calmer as the hours pass, satisfied that I"m getting a handle on the magical dichotomy inside myself.

But the vision. What was that?

"I want to try to see the future again, Lex," I tell him as I eat more soup he cooked from his extensive collection of tins in the cupboard. "If something needs changing, I?—"

"You can"t, Maeve."

I clench my jaw as I stir the tomato soup, staring at the bowl. "Then allow me to look further so I can be prepared."

Jamie doesn"t speak, quietly eating, but places a hand on mine beneath the table; a reassurance he"s here for me. Lex shakes his head and continues eating. But this is eating at me. After weeks with no visions, that glimpse gave me hope that my original magic hasn"t left.

"I should practise the Winterfall magic, Lex. Each time I do, I subdue the Blackwood more. Future sight belongs to the Winterfalls."

"The visions are as bad as the shadows," Lex says eventually. "They also fuck up lives. Practice mind control. Barriers. Light consuming the dark. That"s what"ll help us win and create a future we control. Visions won"t."

"You do understand that controlling one magic loosens my control over the other?" I tell him. "I struggle to cope with random visions that I"m unprepared for. What if that starts happening again?"

If I can"t work on the visions while we"re here, I"ll find another time. I need more information. What if I can see more snippets?

Lex ignores me and nods at Jamie. "Your bond will help."

"Is that true?" he asks and pauses as if considering what to say, then looks at Lex. "Did your bond control Astrid"s magic, or her bond control yours?"

At the mention of her name, Lex"s eyes and expression cloud. "If we allowed it." He looks at me. "If I needed Astrid"s help to control mine."

I chew my lip at his vague answer, respecting his wishes in the hope he"ll accept mine. I"ll never stop asking to see Astrid, even once from a distance would be enough. Without that, I won"t have the closure the other men need too.

"Are you staying another night?" asks Lex, and I shift, annoyed with him cutting the conversation dead.

"Aren"t you sick of people in your space?" I ask, half-serious.

"Not you, Maeve," he says softly. "But never him."

"Me?" asks Jamie indignantly. "What have I done?"

"He means Tobias," I put in.

"I will always welcome you, Jamie. Maeve"s brighter with you and you obviously love her." His eyes soften. "Remember, you"re stronger than you realise. You connect to Maeve without losing yourself against powerful magic that"d overwhelm most witches, especially the shadows."

Jamie"s fingers tighten around my knee. Most witches. Another reason to contain the Blackwood magic—the effect on him. "Do you want to stay, Maeve? If not, I can drive back to Winterfall tonight before it"s late."

Although Lex looks affronted, Jamie isn"t snubbing my father—Jamie knows how worried I am that Andrei might weaken in his desperation and make the wrong decision. What happens once Andrei discovers we could run out of time in our quest to trap the First?

Andrei. Wait. I straighten. I can"t picture Andrei.

Because I"m exhausted from the magic lessons? No. Remembering somebody"s face isn"t related to magic, and I place the spoon down and focus, summoning the others" appearances. Tobias, yes. Ash, yes. The men who were with me yesterday who I"ve barely met? Yes.

Andrei, no.

"What"s wrong, Maeve? Why are you gripping the table?" asks Jamie.

I blink, unaware that my fingers dig into the wood. "Something"s wrong."

His eyes go wide. "Vision?"

"I can"t see Andrei. He"s gone."

Lex frowns. "He"s a vampire. You don"t have that type of bond, however much you care about Andrei. You"re worried about him, that"s all."

My mouth goes dry. "Since he took the blood from Gabriella we do. Only a slight one, but we"ve noticed a connection."

"Lex is probably right. You"re tired. I texted Tobias before we ate, and everything was fine at the house." Jamie smiles. "We can send another message now?"

"Please." I don"t care what Lex and Jamie think, I know something"s wrong. Andrei isn"t a witch but something inside us matches, otherwise why such an intense link between two once opposite people?

"I"ll grab my phone. Left it in the lounge." Jamie stands and the soup churns in my stomach as he walks away.

"Maybe I will go back to the Winterfall house tonight," I say to Lex and stir my meal, the smell now nauseating. "We can meet up again soon?"

"Soon". After what? We all kill Gabriella?

Again, Andrei"s face won"t appear.

Jamie returns and sits. I once connected to him emotionally despite the miles between us, at the time Ione attacked him. Now closer to me, Jamie can"t hide his change in energy, however hard he tries. I may be weaker this evening, but don"t need our bond to sense his unease.

"Jamie?"

"Text from Ash." He places the phone down. "Everything"s fine, but I think I"d rather stay tonight. I prefer driving in daylight."

"I"ll drive," I say stiffly. Jamie"s phone sounds again and I straighten.

"You"re tired, Maeve. Not a good idea." I look at Lex, who"s staring at Jamie. Has he picked up on something too?

The energy deadens as Jamie closes his mind. "Why are you blocking me, Jamie?"

"I"m not. You"re tired."

My fingers dig into the table edge again. "Show me the text."

Jamie sighs and turns the phone over; I study the message exchange.

everything okay there?

Jamie, then Ash"s reply.

all okay see you tomorrow

I swallow hard as I notice the timestamp, then check my own phone. "Ash sent his message after you walked back into the room, Jamie."

"And?"

"You walked in and told me you already had a message saying everything"s okay. I heard that last message arrive." I snatch the phone and stare as if the truth might appear. Slowly, I turn my eyes to his. "These aren"t the messages you exchanged in the hallway. Ash asked you to stay here. Told you something bad. You deleted the conversation you had."

Jamie"s pulse rate spikes. Who needs a lie detector between bonded witches? I"ve an inbuilt one. "What did the deleted message say?" I ask coldly. "Why do you want to stay? Tell me."

He rubs his cheek and looks at the table. "Ash just suggested we stay away tonight." Jamie looks back up. "He told me to delete that message in case you worried, and that he'd send another saying everything"s okay. But he didn"t tell me why we should stay, Maeve," he mumbles.

The truth?

"You make a bad liar, Jamie. If you had any sense, you would"ve waited for the second text before walking in here." I swallow. "This is about Andrei."

Ash. What"s happening? Tell me the truth

I send the message from my phone and don"t take my eyes off the screen. Nothing. I know damn well that Ash is near his phone because he texted Jamie a minute ago.

Ash. Call me.

Nothing again.

I take my bowl, stand, and place it on the counter. "We"re leaving. Now. I"ll get my things."

"I think you should stay, Maeve," says Lex gently.

"And leave in the morning when I"ve rested?" I laugh at him. "As if I"d sleep when I"m worried about what"s happened. Jamie. Give me the car keys."

Jamie chews on a nail, something I haven"t seen for a long time—if he's worried too, I definitely am. Something touches the edge of my thoughts and I sling a furious look at Lex.

"Don"t you dare mess with my mind, Alexei Blackwood."

The touch falls away instantly. Alexei. Not Lex. Not Dad—I"ve never called him that—but the distance that Alexei Blackwood brings. The man who will not interfere in my life after years staying away. I"m not hiding; I"m facing this.

"I"m trying to help, Maeve," he says.

I close my eyes and take a calming breath. "You have your own problem to deal with. Focus on that. Jamie. Are you driving or am I?"