Winter's Light (17 page)

Chapter 27

Lucy watched from the doorway as Winter moved about her room, throwing clothes haphazardly into the open suitcase lying on her bed. Though it wasn’t yet noon, Winter was acutely aware of the sun’s progression across the sky, could almost see the shadows on the floor shift with the passing of time. Night was coming. And so was Benedict.

‘So, where are you staying again?’ Lucy asked, doing her best to keep her tone conversational.

‘Monica’s beach house,’ Winter replied, shooing away Nefertem, who seemed determined to get in her way.

‘And Monica is . . . ?’

Winter sighed at her sister’s feigned obtuseness. They’d already been through this. ‘Jasmine’s cousin.’

She’d spent the morning crafting an elaborate lie to cover the fact she was leaving with Yuri today. Lucy was far too suspicious to accept just any old flimsy excuse, so Winter had been careful to add embellishments to the lie. Little details that would sell the false reality. She and Jasmine were driving down to Jerusalem Bay to spend a week at Monica’s beach house with a group of friends. Monica was Jasmine’s older cousin. She’d made a lot of money importing beads from South America which she used to construct colourful necklaces. Monica then sold these necklaces on the internet and with the profits had bought the beach house. The friends that were sharing the house with them were Sally Cruthers, Debbie Law and Jennifer Worshkowski. No boys were invited. She’d made sure to emphasise this part of the story.

Going over the details in her head, Winter was confident that, short of the longitude and latitude of Monica’s imaginary beach house, she was prepared for any question Lucy might shoot at her.

Which is why she was so surprised when Lucy hadn’t really asked any. Not difficult questions in any case.

‘Is this Monica a good girl? She’s got her head screwed on straight?’

Winter was almost comforted by the question; it threw their relationship back into a dynamic she was familiar with – Lucy as the overprotective mother hen, Winter as the wayward chick. Her sister treating her like an equal – like an adult no less – made her feel a little uneasy.

‘I’m not entirely sure but I think she may be a nun,’ Winter said with a straight face.

Lucy pursed her lips in disapproval. ‘Very funny. I don’t know how I’m going to get by without your sparkling wit.’

‘It’ll be tough. Do you want the address of the beach house?’ She had it already in mind – number ten Saltwater Drive. Winter didn’t know if the short coastal street she’d looked up in Google Maps went to ten but was gambling on the fact that Lucy wouldn’t use the address for anything other than peace of mind.

Lucy shook her head. ‘No, maybe just give me a call when you get down there?’

‘Will do,’ Winter said, throwing the last of her clothes into the suitcase. Before closing it, she slipped in Blake’s diary and Sam’s notebook. Yuri had told her to pack light, but there was no way she was leaving the books behind.

‘You all done then?’ Lucy asked, and Winter sensed it was taking a lot of effort for her sister not to question her further. This wasn’t easy for Lucy.

‘Yeah, Jas should be coming by soon to pick me up. I should go wait for her.’ Nefertem was rubbing against Winter’s legs, desperate for her attention. She crouched down and scratched him lightly behind his head, silently communicating her goodbye while she stared into the tabby’s sleepy brown eyes.

‘Make sure you remember to feed Nef. There should be plenty of cans in the cupboard.’

‘I won’t forget. I fed you for the past nine months didn’t I?’

Winter straightened, keeping the sarcastic comment about Lucy’s cooking trapped safely behind her smile. Looking at her sister’s tense expression, she realised this was the first time since their parents’ funeral that they were going to be separated from each other for an extended period of time. She’d told Lucy a week but the truth was she didn’t know how long she’d be with the Bane. The length of her stay was one of the only things she and Yuri hadn’t discussed last night when they’d hashed out the details of the arrangement.

‘What are you going to do with yourself?’ she asked, unable to keep the genuine note of concern out of her voice.

Lucy shrugged and forced a smile. ‘Don’t worry about me – I’ve got lots of stuff planned.’ Noting Winter’s raised eyebrows, she added in mock outrage, ‘I do! Besides, I’ll have Dominic. I’m actually looking forward to getting rid of you for a couple of days.’

Unable to help herself, Winter put her bag down and gave Lucy a warm hug.

‘I love you, Luce.’ The phrase escaped her lips before she’d even had time to think about it.

Lucy laughed a little in surprise. ‘I love you too, you big dummy!’ They disengaged, and something about Winter’s expression must have keyed Lucy in to what she was feeling.

‘What is it?’

‘Do you really like Dominic?’ she asked, hoping for a different answer than the one she feared was about to come out of her sister’s mouth.

‘I do. It’s early days, but I feel good about where things are going. It’s been so long, you know, since I’ve had someone. A boyfriend. It still feels weird to say. Don’t you like him?’

Worried her voice might betray her, Winter merely shook her head.

Lucy’s frown deepened. ‘Really? I thought you two were getting along.’

Winter shrugged, bottling up her emotions as best she could. ‘I just think you can do better.’

Lucy relaxed, the wrinkles of concern smoothing around her eyes and brow.

‘Protective little sis, huh?’

‘Something like that.’ She wanted to tell Lucy that Yuri was no good for her, to spare her in some way from the disappointment that was coming, but how could she without revealing the whole sordid situation? She didn’t want Lucy feeling like a fool.

Luckily, a cheerful beep from outside signalled the arrival of Jasmine and Winter’s excuse to leave.

‘You better get going,’ Lucy said as Winter picked up her case once more. ‘Give me a call at some point. Or text me. Just so I know you’re safe.’

Safe.
She’d been so concerned with Blake’s predicament that she hadn’t really spared too much thought for her own safety, and just how treacherous the territory she was about to enter might be. Winter’s hand stole quickly to the lodestone beneath her top. She smiled at Lucy, hoping her expression appeared more confident than she felt.

‘You bet.’

Nefertem ran ahead of her, blocking the doorway. Winter suspected that the cat knew where she was going. And the company she’d be keeping. The same people who had murdered his brothers and sisters in the Velasco Place.

The horn beeped again and Winter stepped over Nefertem, not able to meet the cat’s reproachful gaze.

Chapter 28

Lucy’s juddering reflection, her arm waving a little too vigorously, diminished as they left the house behind. Watching her sister disappear, Winter was struck with a disturbing intuition – she was never going to see Lucy again. She forced this possibility from her mind, told herself it was caused by anxiety and nothing else.

‘So she bought the story?’ Jasmine said, glancing across at her. ‘Cousin Monica? The beach house? All that crap.’

‘Yeah. Surprisingly.’ Winter ignored Jasmine’s sarcastic tone, just grateful she was speaking to her again. Jas hadn’t taken the news of Winter’s bargain with Yuri well, reacting first with shouts of outrage, and when that failed to change Winter’s mind, she’d lapsed into a brooding silence that was, in some ways, worse than the yelling.

‘Are you going to cover for me?’ she ventured hesitantly as they turned onto the main drag.

Jasmine exhaled noisily. ‘What choice do I have?’

‘You don’t have to do any—’

‘Yes, I do.’

Winter tried to catch Jasmine’s eye. ‘Thanks.’

‘Whatever.’

She didn’t dare say anything else. Hopefully, the ‘Jasmine storm’ would pass by the time they reached Yuri’s. When her friend was angry, she was
angry
, but her furies were quick to burn themselves out.

They drove in tense silence for a while before Jasmine broke it, asking, ‘Did you tell Lucy about Yuri? How he’s been lying to her. How he’s married.’

Winter bit her lip. The situation was a sore spot for her. ‘Of course not. What good would that do?’

‘When’s he going to do it? Break it off with her.’

‘Tomorrow,’ she said, trying not to think of Lucy’s expression when Yuri told her he was leaving.

‘You must feel pretty rotten,’ Jasmine said. ‘Leaving your sister at such a low point.’

Winter frowned at Jasmine. ‘Geez, Jas, could you try and make me feel any worse?’

Jasmine shrugged, keeping her attention on the road. The car suddenly felt very hot. They were coming up to a set of traffic lights, which had just turned red. The Mini Cooper slowed behind a pick-up truck laden with paint cans. Winter started idly counting the cans while she waited, trying not to let Jasmine’s words upset her.

‘I’m just saying, if it was
my
sister —’

‘Look, I know what you’re trying to do,’ Winter was beginning to lose her patience with Jasmine’s affected righteousness. ‘You don’t want me to go – I get that. But you’re not going to change my mind. We’re talking about Blake here, Jas! Yuri might be my only chance of saving him. I know the risks —’

‘Do you?’ Jasmine stared at Winter, and for the first time she realised her friend wasn’t angry because she thought she was an idiot. Jasmine’s anger came from fear. Fear for her. ‘These people, Win. They’re gonna use you.’

‘I know, but —’

‘Listen to me,’ Jasmine interrupted, needing to say her piece. ‘I know you’re not dumb. But this whole Blake situation has messed with your head. You’re getting on a plane with this Yuri guy, the dirtbag who’s been lying to your sister, flying to Paris to open some kind of portal to another dimension – ’cause that sounds safe – and all because he promised to help you bring Blake back from the dead? It’s crazy, Win. And even if it’s not crazy and he somehow does have the ability to find Blake – who’s to say he will? Who’s to say after you give him what he wants Yuri will follow through on the agreement? What’s in it for him and the Bane? These guys are all about killing things like Blake. And now they’re gonna rescue him? Let him go free? C’mon, Win, you’ve gotta see how nuts this is.’

The lights changed but Jasmine didn’t touch the wheel. She just watched Winter with that same frightened expression. Everything she’d said was true. Winter couldn’t think of a decent counter argument and even if she could she doubted she’d convince Jasmine. People started honking their horns behind them, growing irritated at the hold-up.

‘Let’s go, Jas.’

Jasmine sighed wearily and gripped the wheel. ‘This whole situation just makes me feel sick.’

Winter stared ahead, not seeing the road or the cars or the town. Only Blake’s ravaged features, his haunted eyes. ‘If there was another way, I’d take it. Believe me I would.’

As they passed through the intersection, Jasmine said quietly, ‘I wish we really were going to a beach house somewhere.’

Winter smiled sadly. ‘Me too.’