Page 15

Chapter 15

We’d stepped into the portal in darkness but it spat us out into light. As Oscar had predicted, his IR magic had been stripped from us and suddenly I could see Bastion holding my hand. It made my tummy give a happy lurch to see my pale skin next to his tanned flesh. His skin was rougher than mine, like he’d seen hard work. My hands had too, but I moisturise compulsively. It is my one vanity.

I was ogling Bastion whilst he was looking around and checking for danger. Seeing none he relaxed slightly, but only a fool would have thought he wasn’t ready to eviscerate them at any time. Our little jaunt into invisibility was a reminder that not all our enemies would be so obliging as to be visible and announce their arrival with trumpets.

Bastion had tucked his body around me defensively. I’d like to have pretended it was because he wanted to hug me, but I knew it was so that he could be my griffin-shield. I looked up at the exact moment that he looked down at me. His eyes were dark and focused on me with an intensity I rarely saw. They flicked to my lips and I was suddenly sure that this was going to be the moment of our first kiss. My body swayed a little closer of its own volition.

Tension hummed between us, but Bastion didn’t make his move. I looked at him, lust fading to confusion. Did he want me to make a move instead? Worse – what if he didn’t want me at all? Uncertainty and anxiety lanced through me.

He reached down and lifted my chin up so our eyes met. ‘I want you, Bambi, more than you know,’ he admitted ruefully. ‘But not yet. Not until you know.’

‘Know what?’ I asked desperately.

‘The truth.’ He stepped away from me and the distance between us suddenly felt like a chasm. Secrets again. I hate secrets.

I took a moment to steady myself. We weren’t here for Bastion and me to kiss. We had travelled through time for an important reason and everything else would have to wait. If I wasn’t going to be kissed then I’d better damn well save someone’s life instead.

I started up the stairs to Melva’s office with Bastion hot on my heels. Melva’s assistant Nell glared at me as I walked in. ‘She can’t just fit you in!’ she started before I could open my mouth.

‘That’s not true, Nell, is it? Melva already told me she has a three o’clock slot free for me. Buzz her. Now.’ I gave her my best death glare.

Nell hesitated; she clearly didn’t want to do what I’d demanded but she knew I was right about the time slot and she didn’t want to disobey Melva’s wishes. ‘She’s had a busy day – she spent all morning consulting for the vampyrs. She’s tired. Keep it short,’ she ordered.

‘Are you her secretary or her nurse?’ I bit back.

‘Her friend – an alien concept to you, I’m sure.’

Ouch, that was a direct hit. But she was wrong; I was, at the ripe age of over forty, finally getting to grips with this friendship thing. I could count the number of friends I had on one hand – though only just: Jinx, Lucy, Bastion, Benji and Kass. That was a huge achievement for me and I wasn’t going to let Nell or anyone else make me feel bad about it.

Nell buzzed Melva. When she got the all clear, she sent us into her boss’s office with a glare.

Melva smiled brightly at us as we walked in. ‘Amber!’ She stood to greet us. ‘Bastion! What a pleasure. Nell seemed to think you’d already made an appointment and I didn’t disabuse her of the notion.’ She gave a little bow and looked at us curiously. ‘How did you know I was free?’

‘You told us,’ I said bluntly, too tired to skirt around the subject. It had been the middle of the night when we’d stepped through the portal. Even though the sun was still shining here, my body wasn’t fooled. It was tired as heck.

‘Did I?’ She raised an eyebrow and nodded, like she’d decided something. ‘My time is nigh, then.’

Her words made my scalp prickle. She knew of her impending death. I shook my head. ‘Not if I can help it,’ I ground out.

‘Ah, Amber.’ She looked at me with real sympathy. ‘You cannot stop fate any more than I can. We are but bystanders in its intricate dance.’

‘I don’t believe that,’ I snarled. ‘All of us have choices. At every fork of the road we can go left or right. A thousand destinies stretch before us. Nothing is immutable. I can still save you.’

At that moment her phone rang. She looked down at it and then at me. ‘It’s you,’ she said. ‘How curious.’ She swiped to answer. ‘Hello, Amber,’ she said, looking directly at me. ‘I’ve been expecting your call.’

I couldn’t hear my response but I didn’t need to. I’d told her to knock it off and I winced a little at how rude and brash that seemed now. I’d made a quip about caller ID.

Melva grinned as she replied. ‘That too. You’re coming to see me.’ Her eyes were laughing as she looked at me. ‘Perfect timing, my 2pm appointment has just left. I’ve nothing on until 4pm.’ She was giving me the time slot so I’d know when I needed to appear back in time.

We chatted on about my prophecy. As the phone conversation wound up, her eyes found mine again. ‘You weren’t ready to hear it and it wasn’t ready to be said,’ she said even as she studied me. ‘I am glad that today is the day, though. I’ll see you later – and perhaps earlier than you think. And Amber? I regret nothing.’

She hung up, eyes still locked on mine. She might regret nothing, but I was suddenly full of sorrow. I didn’t want this woman to die. We might not be friends, but we were something . Between Bastion and I there was nothing we couldn’t do, and I was determined that Melva would be breathing at the end of the day.