by Megan Tayte
I should have stepped back. I should have turned and run. But the closer he got, the more I thought I knew this man too from somewhere.
He stopped several feet away from me. ‘Scarlett Blake. Fancy meeting you here.’
That got me moving – I took a big step back, landing my weight badly on the treacherous heel of my shoe, and fell with an audible ‘Ooof’ onto my butt.
He was moving again now, towards me, and I tried to scuttle back, but pain shot up my leg – my ankle; I’d twisted it.
‘Stop there!’ I cried.
To my surprise, he did. He stood, relaxed, in the middle of the alley, smiling widely enough to pucker the deep scar sliced across his cheek.
‘I know you,’ I said. ‘I remember your face. The picture of the surf crowd at Twycombe. You, beside Sienna. You’re Daniel.’
‘I’m Daniel,’ he agreed.
I began working furiously on the buckles of my shoes.
‘It’s good to meet you at last, Scarlett,’ he said, watching me with unblinking eyes. ‘I’ve heard so much about you.’
‘Ditto.’
He snorted. ‘From the righteous Jude, no doubt.’
Damn these shoes! I yanked on a strap and the stitching snapped violently, sending a jolt of fire through my ankle that made me yelp.
‘You’re hurt,’ said Daniel. ‘Want me to –’
‘No!’ I shouted. ‘You stay back!’
He put his hands in the air to indicate surrender. There was blood on his palms.
‘You have to stay away from me,’ I warned him, pulling hard on the remaining strap.
‘Says who?’
‘Sienna. Gabriel promised her. I know it – she left a record for me. Her diary. Gabriel swore he wouldn’t send you for me.’
That wiped the smile off his face. I missed it at once – if he was creepy smiling, he was downright sinister frowning.
The last strap gave and I quickly pulled off my shoes. Then, keeping my eyes locked on Daniel, I pushed up onto my knees and walked my hands up the wall to stand. The ground under my feet was cold and gritty and my ankle complained at taking any weight, but the pain was bearable. It would have to be.
He gestured to the shoes gripped in my hands, heels out. ‘What are you gonna do, Scarlett – stab me with a shoe?’
‘If it comes to it, yes.’
The smile was back. ‘That’s the spirit. Your sister’s spirit too.’
‘Where is she? Where’s Sienna?’
‘Someplace… safe.’
‘Here?’
‘No.’
‘Where?’
Silence.
‘I will find her.’
‘No, Scarlett, you won’t. But I’ll pass on your regards.’
He would see her. He would see my sister. The truth slammed into me, and the shoes in my hand started to shake.
‘Sienna,’ I said. ‘Is she… please, will you tell me: is she okay?’
A muscle in Daniel’s jaw clenched. Until now, he’d been cool and sardonic. Now, he looked… angry.
‘You know what?’ he said. ‘That is total crap.’ The last words were vehement and loud, and his eyes were roaming around like a madman’s.
I started backing away as he took to cursing the air with passion.
‘Hey!’ he roared, catching my movement.
He lunged forward, reaching for me with a bloody hand.
I didn’t think – I just flung the shoes, both of them. They arced through the air, and one of them caught him in the face. I didn’t wait to see whether he’d go down; I turned and set off down the alley.
Behind me, I heard a stream of swear words and then my name. He was calling me back.
I ignored him, focusing on the lights at the end of the alley. If I could just get out onto the street, where there were people, I’d be safe. My ankle was killing me, but I hobbled on regardless, expecting any moment to feel a hand grab my arm, my throat.
I burst onto the main street. It was empty, except for some blokes outside a takeaway wearing ‘Kev’s Stag Do’ t-shirts and toasting each other with beer cans. I crossed the street and walked up a little way, then collapsed onto a bench just along from the club. I dialled Jude. He answered on the first ring.
‘You okay?’
‘No.’
‘Where are you?’
‘Newquay. Outside a club. Infinity.’
He hung up.
I took some deep breaths, all the while keeping my eyes fixed on the mouth of the alley. A rustle beside me made me shriek, but then Jude was sitting down beside me.
‘What happened?’ he asked urgently.
‘Daniel.’
‘Where?’ He scoured the vicinity.
‘In an alley behind the club. There.’ I pointed.
‘When?’
‘Just now.’
‘What happened?’
‘I interrupted him killing some bloke.’
If I hadn’t have been clinging to his shirt sleeve like a limpet to a rock, Jude would have been down the alley by the time I finished uttering the word ‘killing’.
‘Let go!’ He stood over me, trying to shake off my grip. ‘If I can heal –’
‘The man is fine,’ I said quickly. ‘He ran off.’
Jude stopped struggling.
‘Don’t leave me alone,’ I pleaded.
He switched his attention from the alley to me. Whatever he saw in my eyes made him sink down beside me and say in a low and gentle voice:
‘It’s okay. I’m here now. You’re safe with me.’
I was. I knew that.
I relinquished his shirt sleeve. The cotton stood in a small mountain, puckered and stretched, and I automatically tried to smooth it out. Then realised I was effectively stroking Jude’s arm, and stopped.
‘What happened, Scarlett?’
I told him everything – from the hallucination in the club right through to calling him.
‘You challenged him? Scarlett! That’s insane.’
‘He was crushing the man’s throat! He was going to kill him! And afterwards… he has Sienna, Jude. He knows her.’
‘Okay, okay.’
Fists drummed on my legs. He stilled my hands with his own. The warmth helped, a little.
‘Is he gone, do you think?’
‘Yes, he’s gone. He won’t come near you while I’m here.’
My phone started ringing, but I ignored it.
‘Why was Daniel here, in Newquay?’
‘I don’t know.’
‘Is it me? Is it because I’m here?’
‘It could be a coincidence. But it’s a bit close for comfort.’
‘Would he – would he have hurt me?’
Jude was adamant: ‘No. Why would he? The Fallen promised to leave you alone in return for Claiming Sienna, and they’ve stuck to that. Besides, even if Daniel broke his word, the most he’d do is try to convince you to go with him.’
‘But I saw what he is – cold, violent. Couldn’t he just… take me?’
‘Kill you, you mean? Claim you that way?’
I nodded.
‘No, Scarlett. Remember what I told you: you have to choose to be Cerulean. When you die, you have to choose the blue light. You can’t be coerced into Becoming. Free will. So there’d be no point in Daniel killing you – you’d just choose the white light instead and be lost to the Fallen.’
‘Are you sure?’
‘I’m sure.’
I slumped forward and buried my head in my hands. My phone started up again. I waited for it to ring out. It would be Luke, I knew, wondering where I was. I wasn’t ready to put on a mask of normality yet.
‘Your ankle…’ said Jude.
Already it was swollen, and it throbbed horribly. We looked around – the stag party had staggered off and there was no one in sight other than the bouncer outside the club, who was caught up in conversation with someone inside. Jude dropped off the bench to kneel in front of me. Then, gently, he took my ankle in his hand
s. Warmth flooded up my leg, and I stared at the light he was creating. The blue of it chased away so much of the darkness.
In a few moments, he was done.
‘Thank you,’ I said, rotating my foot. The ankle was as good as new. I didn’t bother mentioning that my tailbone had also taken a painful knock. I didn’t fancy his healing hand there.
Jude raised himself a little on his knees, so that our eyes were level, and he studied me. Then sighed. ‘If only all pain was so easily healed,’ he said. ‘Your head – what you saw in there…’
‘Maybe it was Sienna,’ I said, in a voice that was too hollow.
‘No, Scarlett. It wasn’t her. Wherever she is, she’s…’ He seemed to struggle for the word. ‘… away. Not here. Not out living it up in a Newquay nightclub. There’s no way the Fallen would give her that freedom. She’s female. She’s precious.’
What an odd thing to say. But before I could question him on it, he was asking, ‘Have you seen other things that weren’t there, Scarlett?’
I feigned interest in the pavement.
He touched a finger to my temple lightly, and then sighed and let his arm drop. ‘The symptoms will only worsen, you know.’
‘Thanks for that ray of sunshine.’
Jude sat down beside me. And jerked up again.
‘Luke…’
‘Knows nothing,’ I said miserably. ‘I’m keeping it well hidden from him and Cara.’
‘No – Luke!’ Jude hissed.
He nudged me sharply so that I looked up. To see my boyfriend – huge, gorgeous and very, very glowery – marching across the street towards us.
27: IF ONLY
‘What the hell?’ Luke stopped in front of the bench, blocking the light from the streetlamp opposite and casting Jude and me in shadow. ‘I’ve been looking all over for you. Calling you. What are you doing? With him?’
I stared up at him, trying furiously to come up with an explanation that would blast the hurt from his eyes.
‘Scarlett?’
Jude stepped in smoothly. ‘Hey, Luke,’ he said. ‘I brought Scarlett out here.’
Luke glared at him. ‘Where the hell did you spring from?’
‘Fashionably late as usual, mate.’
‘I didn’t realise you were invited.’
‘Aren’t I always? I have some work stuff on this weekend, though, so I figured I’d just show my face for the clubbing. You know me – love a session with banging music.’
‘You do?’ Luke looked mystified.
‘Who doesn’t?’
‘But why are you out here?’
Again, Jude answered for me: ‘Scarlett felt rough. Overheated. I brought her out for some air.’
That did it – Luke switched his attention to me. ‘Are you okay?’
‘I am now,’ I said with a smile. God, I hated lying to him.
He sat beside me and touched a hand to my cheek, my forehead. ‘You’re cold. You’re pale.’
‘Really, I’m fine.’
‘I’m sorry, I wouldn’t have left you if I’d realised.’
‘Honestly, Luke, don’t worry about it.’
Jude cleared his throat. ‘Well, now you’ve got Luke to keep an eye on you, Scarlett, I guess I’ll leave you to it. Okay?’
There was a slight emphasis on the last word and his eyes bored into mine.
‘Yes,’ I told him. ‘I’ll be okay.’
He nodded and smiled. Then caught Luke’s glower.
‘Right. Later, then.’
‘Bye, Jude,’ I called as he walked away down the street. ‘Thank you.’
‘Any time,’ he replied without looking back.
‘Hey!’ shouted Luke.
Jude halted mid-step. Took a breath. Turned.
‘What, mate?’
‘Banging music you so love? It’s that way.’ Luke pointed across the road to the club. Which was in the opposite direction to which Jude had been walking.
‘Oh!’ said Jude. ‘Yes. That’s it. Hordes of people. Loud music. Brilliant.’
With a final look at me, he strode off. Luke and I sat in silence for a moment, watching the doorman and Jude converse. I couldn’t hear them, but their body language made the conversation pretty clear:
Jude: THAT much to get in?
Doorman: Yes.
Jude: That’s a lot of money!
Doorman: Yes.
Jude: Can I just duck in and –
Doorman: No.
Jude: Can I just –
Doorman: No.
Jude rooted about in his back pocket and counted out coins. A lot of coins. Then he stepped into the club and out of sight. I wondered how long he’d last before finding a dark corner from which to disappear.
‘Scarlett…’ said Luke beside me.
He sounded concerned. Dammit. I’d watched Jude for too long. Luke knew there was something going on. He knew I’d been lying. He knew –
‘… where on earth are your shoes?’
‘Oh!’ I said, and relief made me loud. ‘My SHOES!’
Luke, who had been leaning forward and inspecting my feet, peered up at me. ‘Blake,’ he said. ‘Are you drunk?’
‘No.’
‘Then why are you shouty? And barefoot?’
‘Er…’
My boyfriend scrutinised my face. ‘Sing,’ he said.
‘What?’
‘Sing.’
‘Sing what?’
‘Whatever you like.’
‘I don’t want to sing! I don’t sing!’
‘You don’t sing sober. You do sing drunk.’
‘No way.’
‘Yes way. You sang “New York, New York” to me on tequila.’
‘I did?’
‘Yep.’
‘That’s… that’s… highly embarrassing.’
He waited.
‘And not happening tonight, Luke! I’m not drunk!’
I sounded upset. I was upset. Sienna. Daniel. Luke catching me with Jude. My first sniffle broke the spell.
‘Hey! Don’t cry!’ Luke wrapped his arms around me and pulled me against him. ‘I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to give you a hard time.’
‘S’okay,’ I mumbled into his shirt. It smelt like his aftershave.
He kissed the top of my head, and then leaned back so he could look at me. ‘You want to tell me what happened?’
‘Yes,’ I said. That much, at least, was the truth.
‘Well?’
‘After you went to the bar I felt weird. Jude turned up and took me outside. I felt better. You came out.’
‘How did you end up barefoot?’ His eyes never left mine for a moment.
‘My shoes were hurting me, so I ditched them.’
‘Where?’
I pointed and he turned to look.
‘The club?’
‘The alley behind it. We came out of the fire exit.’
‘Right.’ He crouched down on the pavement with his back to me. ‘Hop on,’ he ordered. ‘Let’s go find them.’
I thought of the sandals. Of ripping them off. Brandishing them in front of me. Throwing them at a killer.
‘Really, I’m not bothered,’ I said.
‘Well, I am. I love those shoes. Remember that first party?’
I did. The night Luke and I had first crossed the line from friends to almost something else. I’d been wrestling with the straps, and he’d knelt before me and taken over, slowly, tenderly, doing them up. The feel of his fingers brushing my sensitive skin… the memory made me tingle. Suddenly, I loved those pinching, too-tall, not-at-all-my-style shoes as well.
To retrieve them meant returning to the alley. Not a pleasant thought. But with his prey lost, Daniel would surely be gone by now. And if not… well, I’d be with Luke. Easily a match for Daniel in size and strength, and very, very protective of me.
I climbed onto Luke’s back.
‘Thank goodness for that,’ he said, standing easily despite the added weight and striding off across the road. ‘I was st
arting to think I’d have to be gallant and offer you my shoes. This way? Man, it’s dark down here. Ah-ha – hello, little red heels! We missed you.’
He stopped right by the fire exit and, for want of anywhere else to put me but the ground, eased me onto an industrial bin. ‘Sit right there, Ms Blake.’
As he reached down I briefly registered my shoes placed neatly on the step of the door, toes out, heels together, as if arranged for display in a store, and then I went back to scouring the shadows. There were plenty. Luke was right – it was really gloomy here. No light at the other end of the alley now. We were alone. And yet my heart was banging in my chest as if Daniel was standing over me. Right there, he’d been. Glaring. Swearing.
‘Scarlett,’ said Luke. He tapped my leg. ‘Hey.’
‘What?’
My footwear dangled forlornly from his hand. ‘Destined for shoe heaven, I’m afraid. Ripped strap. Bent heel. And… yeuck! Some kind of gunk on them.’ He dropped them and wiped his hand down his jeans.
Blood. That’s what he was wiping off. Blood from Daniel’s hands. Blood from the man he’d been ready to kill. I felt sick. I felt hot all over. I felt cold.
‘Ah well. Cara will be ecstatic at the prospect of shopping for a replacement.’
‘Can we go now?’ I whispered.
‘Sure. Piggy-back to the taxi rank it is then. Hey – what is it? You’re shaking!’
‘I don’t like it here. It’s too… dark.’
He looked at me for one heartbeat, two, three, four – I felt my pulse in my temples, too fast, stirring up pain. Then he slid one arm under my knees and another around my back and scooped me up.
‘It’s okay,’ he said as he carried me towards the light. ‘You have me, Scarlett. You never have to be scared.’
If only that were true, I thought.
*
The apartment was empty when we got back. Luke had texted the others to let them know we were done with clubbing, and Cara’s reply – Lightweights! It doesn’t close for two hours! – indicated we wouldn’t have company for a while yet. He set me down on a bench by the door and flicked all the switches so that the hallway had the stark brightness of an operating theatre.
‘Better?’ he asked, sitting beside me and wrapping his arms around me as he had in the taxi – tight enough to stop the shivers.
‘Yes. Thanks.’
