‘He didn’t.’
‘Not for want of trying.’ He tugged gently on my arm. ‘We need to leave.’
‘There are people inside here! Sleeping! You can’t—’ I was interrupted by a loud fire alarm screeching from all corners of the castle.
‘My first Gift is Pyrokinesis and I was a precocious child,’ Byron said. ‘The fire systems here are up to date. It’s about the only thing that is. Now we really need to go.’
We pelted to another room where Byron yanked open the window and all but shoved me out. He dived after me and we began running down towards the driveway, away from the growing inferno that was the Moncrieffe stronghold. Everyone would be too occupied with dealing with the fire to look for anyone scurrying off but I still felt rather sick. Just as with my foolish actions in altering the traffic lights back in Perth, there was still the possibility that someone would get hurt.
Byron, seeming to sense my reluctance, slowed down. ‘Trust me, they’ll all be fine.’
‘You can’t be sure of that. And won’t someone have called Aifric and told him what’s going on? He’ll be on his way here.’
‘Which,’ he said with infinite patience, ‘is why we need to hurry.’
We reached his car and jumped in. Byron gunned the engine and careened down the road. ‘How did you get here?’
‘Car,’ I said. ‘Bob is waiting with it.’ I checked my watch. There were still ten minutes before my deadline to meet him.
Byron nodded, driving past the border and then coming to a halt. He sprang out and began using telekinesis to return both the flagpole and the slightly singed fabric to their original places. From out of nowhere, Bob’s tiny shape flew at him. ‘What are you doing?’ he shrieked.
Nonplussed, Byron batted him away. ‘I’m busy,’ he said. ‘Just hang on.’
Bob’s eyes were wild. I walked up behind him and softly murmured his name. He swung round. ‘Uh Integrity! You’re…’ he glanced at Byron. ‘You’re alive! It’s a miracle!’
Byron grunted as the pole dropped back into place. I smiled at the genie. ‘It’s alright, Bob. He knows.’
His face screwed up. ‘Well so much for that master plan,’ he grumbled. ‘Isn’t he pissed off?’
I opened my mouth to answer but the expression on Bob’s face stymied me. ‘What?’ I asked.
‘You ? you ? you had sex! You shagged him, you dolt!’ He put his hands on his hips as if it were a personal affront.
‘How do you…?’ Oops. I mentally slapped myself.
‘How do I know? How do I know?’ His voice was getting higher and higher. ‘I’m a magnificent being with powers you can only dream of!’
‘Bob,’ I said tiredly.
‘Your T-shirt’s on back to front,’ he informed me. I glanced down. Ah. ‘You’d better pray you used protection,’ he continued. ‘Who knows what nasty disease you might have caught? And what about Tipsania?’
I reached out, grabbed him and cupped him in both hands to muffle his protests. He banged around, nipping with his teeth at the soft, fleshy part of my palm. I grimaced in pain. Byron, satisfied he’d returned the border to its original state, strolled over and bent down. ‘Hi Bob,’ he said cheerfully. ‘Great to see you too.’
‘Won’t anyone notice that the Moncrieffe flag is a bit burnt?’ I asked anxiously.
Byron shrugged. ‘If they do, they’ll think it’s some old damage from years gone by. I don’t think it’s been changed since I was in nappies. I only found out that I could gain access this way a couple of weeks ago ? although it helps that half the Moncrieffe Sidhe are in Perth for the stag party. Those trolls were good at keeping their mouths shut.’ He gave me a sidelong glance. ‘They still are.’
Bob yelled something. We both ignored him. ‘What now?’ I asked.
‘I tie you up, shove you into the boot of my car and prevent you from leaving me ever again.’ His expression was so deadpan that for a moment I believed him. ‘Or you could find Tipsania and tell her what’s going on so I don’t have to make a show of threatening Candy to draw her out.’
‘You still want to go ahead with planning the wedding? I thought you didn’t have the evidence against Aifric to pull off your plan.’
‘Even with this Fomori letter, I don’t think I have. But the stag night was scheduled for tonight so there would be enough time for Plan B if I needed it. There’s a fortnight to go before the ceremony. You might not be dead but my father’s still a monster who needs to be stopped. You won’t be safe until he’s dealt with.’ He brushed a lock of hair away from my face. ‘You wouldn’t trust me before but you can trust me on this.’
Worry gnawed at me. Aifric had been prepared to abandon his only son to the Fomori demons beyond the Veil. I dreaded to imagine what he might do if he discovered just how far Byron would go to betray him. But he wasn’t my father and I had to let Byron do this. ‘Okay,’ I whispered. ‘Okay. I’ll get Tipsania. I’ll tell her the plan and take her to her father’s to get ready.’
He relaxed and pulled me towards him, one arm wrapped round me while the other cupped the back of my head. ‘Despite everything, this might have been the best night of my life,’ he said.
