“So you killed them?” Anais could not believe what she was hearing.
“I did and now I’m going to have to kill you three. I still need Aldrich to make that Elixir so I can win Judith back.”
“Are you insane?”
“Quite possibly!” answered Andrew twisting his features into a grotesque grin. He pulled out a huge knife that he had concealed behind him.
Anais took a step back.
She knew that her body could stand a lot of blood loss, but could her baby’s? She didn’t want to find out. She picked up a nearby chair and threw it at him. He batted it away as if it was no more than a fly.
She was at a loss for what to do. She wasn’t about to die up here, but she knew that Andrew wouldn’t let her go. She looked behind her to see if Sabine or Jennifer could help her. Between the three of them, they might have a chance of overpowering Andrew before he did too much damage. Sabine had managed to wedge herself behind a particularly large wardrobe and Jennifer was unsuccessfully trying to cajole her into getting out. As both were high up on a pile of furniture, they were no help to her. She turned back to find that Andrew had moved towards her. She took another step back, but it was no use. Within seconds, he was upon her holding the knife up to her protruding stomach. If he was a normal man, she would have punched him or kicked him, anything to escape and save her unborn child. However, Andrew was not a normal man. He was full of The Light and therefore much stronger than her. Any attempt to save herself would be futile.
“It’s only a shame you will not be around to see me get the Elixir. If only you had found that last pendant. I guess you’ll never share in my glory.” He pulled the knife back ready to stab her. Anais could feel the weight of the pendant between her breasts. It gave her an idea.
“I know where the last pendant is. It’s still in Egypt.”
He faltered. “It can’t be. You’d have brought it home.”
“Well, I didn’t. Jasmine had it. She told me where it was before she died.”
“Liar.” The knife once again came towards her.
“Stop. I’m not lying. I promise.” She hoped that the outline of the necklace was not visible under her blouse. She thought fast. “I didn’t tell anyone because I didn’t want Jago…er…you to get hold of it.”
“So tell me where it is.”
“Let me go and I’ll tell you.”
“Not a chance. I don’t even believe you.”
“What choice do you have?”
“Hmmm,” he seemed to be mulling this over. “Ok, tell me where it is. I’ll get Arcadia to fly to Egypt to see if you are telling the truth. If you are, I’ll let you go. If not, well I know where you are.”
“It’s in a safe…in her office. The code is 7378.”
“Good girl.” Anais looked straight into his black eyes. She could feel his breath on her. She crossed her fingers in the hope he would leave her alone.
Thankfully, he did.
“See you in a few days.”
With that, he turned and ran down the attic stairs. He closed the door and locked it before she had even reached the top. She ran down the stairs and banged on the door. It was pointless. It was locked. She tried the key she still had, but it wouldn’t open. He’d left his spare key in the other side. She tried to push it out with her key, but it was no use. A few seconds later she heard banging coming from the other side of the door. It sounded like a hammer. He was nailing the door shut from the other side.
Anais sat on the bottom step and fought to get her breath. Her head was swirling, making her feel sick. She took a few deep breaths to quell the nausea and begin to think logically. Andrew had locked them in the attic for as long it took Arcadia to get to Egypt and find out that Jasmine didn’t have a safe.
That gave her a bit of time to come up with a plan. She ascended the stairs and shouted to Sabine and Jennifer that he had gone. Sabine emerged trembling from behind the cupboard and with Jennifer’s help descended the pile of broken furniture. Once she had got down, she sat on the floor and broke out into great racking sobs. Jennifer put her arms around her and tried to offer her some comfort.
Anais had no idea how much of the conversation between her and Andrew they had heard, but they both knew that Andrew was Jago and that they were all in danger.
She quickly explained that Andrew wouldn’t be back for a few days, but this information did nothing to calm Sabine. She continued to sob into an antique lace handkerchief that Jennifer had found.
Anais made her way to one of the huge arched windows and looked down over the grounds. She could see August walking up the main driveway with his spaniel, Baker. She knocked loudly on the window and shouted, but he didn’t hear her. She continued to bang on the windows until he was out of sight. It only served to hurt her hand. She sat down by the window. Someone was going to wonder where she was, where Sabine and Jennifer were. She wondered what Andrew would tell them all to cover their absence. Aethelu wouldn’t buy it, whatever he told her. Neither would Alex. They would know something was wrong. Andrew wasn’t stupid. He’d managed to conceal his identity for a very long time, right under their noses. They were in danger, just as they all were. As Anais looked out, she could see the leaves on the trees. They had begun to turn brown. When had the summer ended? A gust of wind blew and some of the leaves detached from the trees and floated away on the wind. The baby kicked inside of her. All at once she knew she must survive. If not for herself, then for the baby. She kicked again as a leaf floated past the window on the breeze. It was autumn. She patted her stomach. That was when she knew what she would call her daughter. Autumn. It was perfect.
The End
GUARDIANS OF THE LIGHT
Endless Winter
Infinite Spring
Eternal Summer
Autumn Ever After
Guardians of The Light Boxset
REVERSE FAIRYTALES
Charm
Lucky Charm
WAR AND SUITS
Two of Clubs
Three of Clubs
Four of Clubs
Five of Clubs
Six of Clubs
Seven of Clubs
The Joker
Orion
War and Suits boxset books 1-3
LABYRINTHIANS
The Labyrinthans
Labyrinthian Diamond
Labyrinthian Escape
Labyrinthian Omnibus
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Infinite Spring Page 28