He flops back down again and huffs. "I'll need to wait a few hours."
"I imagine we'll leave soon after sunset."
"I hope so." He tugs my arm, pulling me over until my lips meet his again. I draw away and moisten my lips and his eyes sparkle. "See you soon."
I'm sorely tempted to stay, but I've a bigger urge to talk to Amelia. "I'm glad you're safe, Andrei."
"Same," he says. "I never thought I'd say this, but I can't wait to get back to the academy."
I mock gasp and kiss him briefly on the lips. "I'll see you soon."
My legs are weak as I walk up the stairs and from the basement; a reminder of my exhausting night. The door to the cellar closes behind me and voices carry from the kitchen, including one I recognise.
Amelia.
Rushing in, I scan the room and Amelia is on her feet the moment she sees me. Without speaking, she barrels into me and I squeeze her tight. Drawing away, I pull on a serious face as I look down at her. Her short-bobbed hair has grown in the time she’d been away, but she’s still the same Amelia. “Where the hell did you go?" I blurt. “Where have you been?”
She draws back and chews on her lip. "For Matt."
"You put yourself in danger, Amelia. Why didn't you tell us where you were?" I scold.
"I needed to go alone. I'm fine. Nothing has happened to me, but you..." She gestures at me. "Are you alright? Tobias said you're not hurt but something bad must've happened. The Blackwoods had you.”
I swallow. "I'm okay. Jamie is the one who's hurt. Andrei too, but nowhere near as bad.”
"Someone told me you were downstairs with him." She arches a brow. "Sounds like I've missed a few developments. Spill."
The tension breaks as we sit on chairs around the table, old friends discussing our lives. "Andrei was burned. I wanted to make sure he was okay."
"By kissing him better?" Her lips purse as the amusement continues.
"That's exactly what he said. You're so predictable." I lightly slap her hand and we link fingers.
"I knew you liked him." She lowers her voice. "But what about Ash?"
"Uh." I look at our hands. "Where is he?"
“Sleeping. Stop changing the subject." Amelia's eyes shine. "Does Ash know about you and Andrei?”
"Everybody knows about me and Andrei, Amelia," I say with a sigh. "And yes, I know what I’m doing is wrong."
"What? Having two guys?" Her mouth tips into a smile.
"Amelia! I don't have two guys."
She chuckles. “Oh? Do you have three?" As I look the other way, she gasps. "Maeve! Who? Jamie?"
"It's not what you think," I say quietly. "I just..." How do I explain that this isn't a sordid situation; that something about each guy offers me something I need? "Why are you shocked? Witches have more than one consort sometimes. Jamie told me."
"Oh, I'm more shocked that you'd do this and with such different guys." She squeezes my hand. "I'm teasing, not judging."
I pull a face. "You're deflecting from yourself. What happened to you? I'm mad you didn't contact me."
Amelia rubs her forehead with her free hand. "I couldn't. I just couldn't. Contacting you would've been more dangerous for me—us."
I sit back in the seat and cross my arms. "I'm still mad."
"Ha! You're the one who kept a secret for almost a whole term. You can't criticise me."
"Fair enough,” I mutter. “Well, you’re here now. I expect we'll head back to the academy tonight. Will you be okay leaving Matt?"
She blinks rapidly. "Maeve. I'm not coming back."
“What? You need to."
"No." She's firm as she places her hands on the table. "Matt's still in hiding and I'm staying with him and these guys."
"Amelia..." My heart speeds, but I can't blame her. I'd react in the same way if the situation was reversed. "Who are these people?"
"They don't exist."
"They obviously do."
"Nobody knows about us. Yet. We want to keep things that way. Alaric doesn't work for either side. We deal with both Confederacy and Dominion threats.”
We? "Is that where Matt is?"
She nods. "He'll be back tomorrow. Matt's with one of the hunters, chasing up a lead."
"Hunters? But witches don’t work with hunters. That makes no sense."
"Nothing ever does, does it?" She gives a weak smile and places her hand over mine again. "I promise I'll be in touch soon."
My stomach sinks into my shoes. When I heard Amelia was part of the group, I'd presumed they'd helped her too and she'd return with us. But how would that be possible?
There's something different about Amelia, too. She's more forceful, sure of her decisions, which I like, but her eyes have lost some of the trust she always had in the world. What happened?
"Oh! I have Jamie's backpack in my room. I'll grab that for you now." She springs to her feet.
"Have you heard any more from the hospital?” I ask, almost too scared to hear the answer.
She beams. "Yes. He’s improving. No serious damage. I heard you helped save his life. Have you learned to control your magic?"
"Partly."
"Must've felt weird being in a vampire's head. What was that like?" she asks curiously.
"Different." And something I never want to repeat again.
Satisfied with my short responses, Amelia walks from the room with the usual bounce in her step. I smile—at least she's our Amelia under all this.
Where's everybody else? I'm too uncomfortable to find something to eat, but I'm sure they wouldn't mind if I had a glass of water.
I find a tumbler glass on the drainer and pour water from the tap. The sink is filled with empty mugs and teaspoons, with a few plates covered in crumbs. I once visited a friend's shared house close to the university where she studied, and this place reminds me of her home. Sipping the water, I replace encroaching thoughts about my last two days with homelife memories. I picture my room, my old school, the coffee shop I'd visit with Tessa. But I don't want to be there—they feel like the distant past.
"Did you rest, Maeve?" I turn to Tobias's voice suddenly behind me.
He's still dressed in the dinner suit he wore to the gathering, hair uncombed and face peppered by stubble. "You look like you've spent all day and night partying."
He half-smiles at me. "If only. I'd like to leave as soon as Andrei wakes."
"He's keen to leave too, and I expect Ash is." His presence unnerves me. Since Tobias walked in the room, I've a stark reminder of everything that happened.
I take a deep breath and turn away, drinking from my glass with an unsteady hand. We were trapped in a nightmare, and at times I doubted I'd leave.
Tobias doesn't speak. He doesn’t need to; we've had the conversation. He wants to stay away but I'm unsure how my heart will deal with that.