‘What do you mean, she knew my gran? What does Gran have to do with anything?’
‘Your gran was a magician. Well, that’s what my mum said anyway.’
‘I know she was a magician . . .’
How did she know? Charley wondered. How did she know my gran?
‘What does this have to do with anything?’ Dru griped, getting bored of going round in circles.
Marcus snorted. ‘My mother hates magicians.’
Dru let out an amused laugh. ‘Oh, I’m well aware.’
‘She thought Bud was just a normal baby when she took her, she had no idea she was magic.’
Aiden sat down on the edge of the couch. ‘So, what happened?’
‘She did something she never thought possible, not in a thousand years. She only went and fell in love with the kid. Head over heels, like she was her own. Magician or not, my mother loved Bud, and she wasn’t about to let anything happen to her. So we ran.’
Aiden frowned. ‘I thought you said Jensen would find you?’
Marcus looked at the floor grimly. ‘We knew he would, and eventually he did. But we had no other choice. She wasn’t going to let anything separate her from Bud.
‘We moved every few months, flew all over the world. Bud grew tired of it though. She just wanted a normal life. She wanted friends she wouldn’t always have to say goodbye to. She wanted a home. So my mother gave in. My parents bought a house in Oakshore and that’s where we stayed. The first year or so was quiet, and I think Mum actually began to feel safe again. But she was never safe, Bud was never safe. He found us a year later. Bud was playing in the garden, my mother watching her from the window. Jensen showed up. It was just before lunch . . .’
Marcus felt a twinge in his chest, a dull ache as he recalled the fateful day. Just before lunch, 11:47 . . .
‘Before she could get to Bud . . .’ Marcus couldn’t breathe for a second. ‘It was too late.’
Charley felt sick. ‘Let me get this straight. The baby my mother gave birth to, my biological sister . . . is dead?’ She couldn’t take it all in. ‘I don’t understand. If Jess really is your sister, why did you conjure a nost up for her?’
‘Because, Charley, despite Jess being part of my blood, she’s never been a sister to me. I’d never met her, I didn’t really care what happened to her. Bud, on the other hand . . .’
‘So you’d kill her for no reason? Just out of what – malice? Revenge? What, Marcus? Tell me!’
‘No, of course not. I’m not that immoral.’ He raised one eyebrow. ‘All right, maybe I am, but I wasn’t without reason. Jess is the key to bringing Bud back.’
Charley gaped at him in horror. ‘What are you talking about?’
‘The only way to bring back Bud is to sacrifice my biological sister – a life for a life. Jess has to die at the hands of one of her relatives: her mother, her father . . . or me.’
Marcus twisted his arms until he felt the cuffs begin to loosen, the spell which was binding them not strong enough to hold him for long.
Who said I wouldn’t get out of them? he thought smugly to himself.
‘So why you?’ Charley spat, the temptation to throttle Marcus almost too much to bear. ‘Why were you the one to do it? You could have let your mum summon the nost, your dad . . .’
‘My dad wouldn’t have done it. He’s far too noble for that.’
‘He was willing to let an innocent baby die. You call that noble?’
‘He had no idea my mother was planning to let Martinez kill the baby. He thought because the baby wasn’t a demon, Jensen would spare her. She never told him what she was planning to do, just that once Jensen was gone, they’d swap the babies back, make out like it had never happened.’
‘Yes, because no one would have noticed then,’ Charley scoffed. ‘I think even my dad would have cottoned on after that amount of time.’
‘She didn’t care. It was just a ruse to get my dad on board, he would never have gone for it otherwise. My dad’s a good guy; I told you – not all demons are barbaric.’
‘Just the majority,’ Aiden scowled.
‘So why you? Why did you do it and not your mum?’
‘It was more of a test than anything. She wanted to see if I’d go through with it. When she told me about her plan to get Bud back, I was in from the start. I couldn’t believe it was actually possible. But she wasn’t sure if I’d get cold feet. She knew she couldn’t tell my father – he would’ve gone mad. But me? She knew how much I missed Bud, and she was well aware I would have tried anything to get her back.’
‘So she got you to create the nost?’
‘Yep. She said it would all fall into place after that. She doesn’t like you though,’ he winked at Charley. ‘Thinks you’re leading me astray.’
‘How did she even know who I was?’
‘You’re Jess’s sister, Charley. How was she not going to know who you were?’
‘So she was the one who left the locket for me . . . why?’
Marcus shrugged. ‘Probably just to distract you. I’m pretty sure she knows I have a thing for you, more than likely she wanted to keep you busy, keep you out the way.’
‘By leaving me a locket with a picture of my own sister in it? My real sister . . .’
Marcus nodded and laughed. ‘Yeah, she’s twisted like that.’
‘Abbie . . .’ Charley said suddenly. ‘It was her . . . the woman in my vision . . . it was your mum who pushed Abbie from the roof, wasn’t it?’
‘What? No . . .’
‘Tell me the truth!’ Charley shouted, diving towards Marcus and grabbing him by the collar.
‘I don’t know. I swear . . . I’m not lying. If she did, I had no idea . . .’
‘Chambers, calm down.’ Aiden put his arms around Charley’s waist and pulled her off Marcus. ‘It won’t help.’
‘Listen, I’m sorry,’ Marcus said softly, his eyes not on Charley but on Aiden.
‘Sorry? You’re sorry?’ Charley paused. ‘How can you simply say sorry for something like this?’
‘Oh, that’s not what I’m apologising for. This is.’ Marcus got up from the chair, the shackles and ropes falling to the floor as he lifted his arm up towards Aiden. A reddish glow seemed to come from Marcus’s hand, and Aiden went hurtling into the wall.
‘Aiden!’ Charley yelled.
Fergus gasped. ‘How did you . . . ?’
‘You didn’t really think your stupid spell was going to hold me, did you? Listen, I don’t want to hurt anyone. Well, that’s not exactly true,’ – he gestured towards Aiden – ‘that was quite fun, but if you’ll just listen I–’
‘No more listening,’ Charley spat, and Marcus also went flying back, smacking into the opposite wall. ‘Time’s up.’ She stormed towards him, her fingers clamping around his throat and pulling him to his feet. ‘Either you call off the nost or I’ll kill you myself.’
‘Chambers . . .’
‘No, Aiden. We don’t have time.’ She looked into Marcus’s eyes. ‘What would Bud think of you? She’d be horrified. I have defended you time and time again. I tried to give you the benefit of the doubt. When everyone else was attacking you, I was trying to see the good. And you know the funny thing? At one point I did. I saw it, Marcus, that hint of humanity. As much as you might like to make out, you aren’t all bad. You do care. You care about me . . . you care about Jess. I know you do. You never actually planned on meeting her but when you did, you felt affection for her, you wanted to protect her. You couldn’t bear seeing Jess in pain, pain that you’d caused. That’s why you healed her, isn’t it? Was the guilt of what you’d done too much?’
Marcus choked, struggling against her grasp.
‘God, you’re strong,’ he spluttered.
‘Make it stop, Marcus, please. I can’t lose Jess. You know what it’s like to los
e a sister, how can you possibly put someone else through that? I know you loved her, I know you miss her, but Bud wouldn’t want this.
‘It’s your choice to make, I can’t force you to do anything. But I’ll tell you this: you’ve already lost Bud. If you do this, Marcus, you’ll lose Jess, too. And you’ll lose me.’
Marcus opened his eyes wide, no longer struggling. ‘I never had you, Charley.’
‘No, but you’ll lose any chance of ever having me. I will never forgive you if you do this.’
Aiden felt his chest tighten at her words. He knew it was all pretence, that Charley wouldn’t look Marcus’s way in a million years. He knew that. He knew . . . So why was his stomach doing somersaults?
‘That was a touching speech,’ Marcus groaned, ‘but you needn’t have wasted your breath.’
Charley’s heart sank, all the hope she’d had seeping away. She’d wanted so much to believe that Marcus could be saved, that he wasn’t the evil monster everyone said he was. The monster she’d once said he was.
‘I was already going to call off the nost.’
Charley blinked, her grip loosening slightly. ‘Wh . . . you were?’
‘That’s what I was trying to tell you. You’re right – I never planned on meeting Jess. I knew who she was but I never had any intention of getting to know her. She was just part of something bigger, a way to be with Bud again. But when I did meet her, it was horrendous. Seeing how much pain she was in, how much I was hurting her . . . like you said, I couldn’t bear it. That’s why I kept healing her.’
‘And you could do that, not because you’re a demon but because it was your nost,’ Quinn said. Now everyone finally understood how Marcus had helped Jess without grave repercussions.
Aiden shook his head. ‘Who says he’s even telling the truth? It wouldn’t be the first time he’s lied.’
Charley looked at Marcus, her eyes finding his. She looked into them for a long time, a look he returned, his gaze never wavering.
‘He’s telling the truth,’ she said eventually, letting go of Marcus completely.
Dru sneered. ‘And you can tell that because . . . ?’
‘I can just tell.’
‘You sure it’s not a little bit more than that?’ Dru raised an eyebrow sceptically.
Charley turned on her. ‘No, it’s nothing more than that. I just know, all right?’
‘Listen,’ Marcus said rubbing his neck, relieved to finally be able to breathe again. ‘I don’t like you lot any more than you like me . . .’
‘Apart from Charley,’ Quinn grunted, but Marcus ignored her.
‘I don’t want to hurt Jess. As much as I want Bud back, I’m not willing to put Jess through any more suffering. I’m not prepared to let her die.’
‘How honourable of you,’ Dru scoffed. ‘Prove it then. Call off the nost.’
Marcus pulled a face at her. ‘I was just getting to that.’ Slowly, he stretched his hand out in front of him and began reciting something that sounded like Latin.
‘What’s he saying?’ Quinn whispered, but Dru only shrugged her shoulders.
‘It’s a renouncing spell. I recognise it from one of Mum’s handbooks. He was . . .’ Aiden struggled to get the next part out. ‘He was telling the truth.’
Something happened though. Marcus suddenly doubled over, his face contorting as he writhed in pain.
‘What’s happening to him?’ Charley shouted, crouching down by his side.
‘Quick, get him on the couch,’ Fergus said, trying to lift Marcus from the floor.
Before he could get him up, Marcus went still. He opened his eyes, looking surprisingly good for what he’d just endured; a little shaken maybe, but overall he seemed fine.
‘What happened?’ Charley asked frantically. ‘Did it work?’
Marcus looked at her. ‘Eh, I think we have a problem.’
Judith Gillespie pottered around her house, arranging everything so it was perfect. She’d been shopping that morning, buying all of Bud’s favourite foods, the lime soda she always used to drink and a huge bunch of purple dahlias; Bud had always adored dahlias.
‘It won’t be long now, Boudicca,’ she smiled, grabbing her makeup and strutting to the mirror to fix her lipstick.
The phone rang and Judith, pouting vainly in the mirror, went to answer it. ‘Hello,’ she said cheerfully, gripping the phone between her shoulder and chin as she zipped up the makeup bag.
‘Hello, darling,’ Garth greeted her. ‘You sound happy.’
‘Oh, I am, dear.’
‘I’m glad to hear it.’ He sounded quite jolly himself. ‘Listen, I finished up early today, thought we could maybe go out and grab an early dinner if you fancy? I’m sure Marcus can entertain himself for an evening.’
Judith frowned. ‘What time were you thinking?’
‘Whenever you’re ready. I’m on my way back just now . . . say, an hour or so?’
‘You’re on your way home?’ she asked shrilly.
‘Yes, shouldn’t be too long. Say, six o’clock? I can phone and book the restaurant . . .’
‘Yes, dear, you do that. I really need to go for now, I’ve, eh . . . got something in the oven. See you soon.’
‘Okay, honey, see you–’
Judith hung up the phone, her head now reeling and her stomach doing cartwheels.
‘No time like the present,’ she muttered, smiling down at the bundle in front of her.
Suddenly, she felt a pulling sensation in her limbs and her chest began to quake, her body trembling for a moment before relaxing again. Judith shook her head, a feeling of disappointment in her gut.
‘I knew you’d let me down, Marcus,’ she said darkly, turning back to the unconscious figure lying on her couch.
‘Well, daughter dearest, I guess it’s time.’
Jess didn’t move – she wasn’t aware of a thing.
‘What do you mean, you can’t call off the nost?’ Charley shrieked as Marcus stumbled to his feet. ‘Marcus, you said you would–’
‘For God’s sake, Charley, will you let me speak? It’s not that I don’t want to call it off . . . I just can’t do it.’
‘What does that mean? You haven’t changed your mind again, have you?’
‘Told you we couldn’t trust him,’ Aiden said, folding his arms. ‘Once a–’
‘Don’t even say it, golden boy,’ Marcus snapped, ‘or I’ll put you through the window next time.’
‘Oh, for heaven’s sake, don’t do that,’ Dru moaned, ‘Aunt Tabby will have a fit!’
Tabitha didn’t say anything, her mouth turned down at the corners. Dru wasn’t sure if she’d even heard.
Marcus looked back at Charley. ‘Of course I haven’t changed my mind. I can’t remove the nost because it isn’t there anymore.’
‘You mean it’s over?’ Charley gasped. ‘Jess is going to be okay?’
‘Take it easy, gorgeous, this is far from over. When I say it isn’t there, I mean I can’t control it anymore. Something else has taken it over, someone.’
‘Who?’
‘There’s only one woman powerful enough . . .’
‘Your mother.’
Fergus began emptying the cabinet, piling a bunch of old books on to the table. ‘We’re going to need to move fast,’ he said. He turned to Tabitha, who hadn’t said a word since the kids had started their interrogation. ‘Are you all right?’
She nodded. ‘Yes, I’m fine.’
‘Can you handle this?’
‘Of course I can, Fergus. I’ll be fine.’
‘What’s going on?’ Aiden asked, a look of worry etched on his face. ‘Mum?’
‘Nothing, Aiden, it’s all right.’
‘For the love of God, will you stop with all the lies? I can’t remember the last time you two actually trusted m
e enough to confide in me. Don’t you think this is a pretty poor time to be keeping secrets?’
Tabitha looked at Fergus, who shrugged and said, ‘He has a point.’
Tabby nodded. ‘All right. Aiden, your father and I fought a demon once, long before you were born.’
‘What happened?’
‘Your mother nearly died,’ Fergus said bluntly.
‘Fergus, don’t exaggerate.’
‘I’m not exaggerating. That thing was nearly the end of you.’
‘But it wasn’t,’ Tabby said with a small smile. ‘Really, it’s nothing.’
Aiden didn’t say anything, but he couldn’t draw his eyes away from his mother. She’d never looked less intimidating before in her life. For once, Tabitha Cunningham actually looked frightened.
‘So what’s the plan?’ Dru interrupted, her timing impeccable as always.
‘I . . . I don’t know.’ Charley looked towards Marcus. ‘Do you have a plan?’
‘If my mother’s ready to do this, the old man’s right,’ – he motioned to Fergus, who scowled in annoyance at being referred to as old – ‘we’ll need to move quickly. She’ll know I tried to do the renouncing spell.’
‘How?’
‘Because she’s linked to the nost now, she’s taken over its power. She’ll know I betrayed her . . .’ He was silent for a few seconds, before saying, ‘We need to find Jess before my mum does. Charley, where is she?’
Charley couldn’t think straight. ‘She’s . . . she’s in the house. She didn’t go to school today.’
‘Right, let’s go.’
Marcus darted out the door, Charley close behind him, followed by Quinn and then a disgruntled-looking Dru. Aiden hung back for a second.
‘Are you coming?’ he asked, looking to his parents.
‘Yes,’ Fergus said, ‘we’ll meet you there. I just want to talk to your mother for a second.’
Aiden looked at Tabby, seeing her in a new light. ‘You gonna be okay?’ he asked, and she nodded.
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