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Almost immediately she saw what was bothering Luke. There were no teeth marks or claw marks on the squirrel’s body, nothing that indicated an attack by another animal. Its throat had been neatly slit.
    ‘Looks like some kid found it and messed around with it after it died,’ Seth suggested. He’d clearly come to the same conclusion about the wound as Eve had: that it certainly hadn’t been made by an animal. ‘I got a Swiss Army knife when I was eleven, and I tried it out on everything.’ Jess shot him a horrified glance, and he quickly added, ‘I never did anything like this, though. It was more like I’d try to cut through a soda can, that kind of thing.’
    Jess whipped her head towards Eve. ‘What if it was killed by what killed Kyle!’ she exclaimed. ‘Could that animal be back?’ Her voice got higher with the question. She knew exactly what that animal had been.
    ‘Of course it can’t. There haven’t been any attacks for months. Those science experts said it had moved on,’ Seth said.
    ‘I think they’re right. Even if it was one of those animals – remember some people thought it was a pack – it would have to be feeding, and that would leave evidence,’ Luke added.
    Eve nodded. ‘They have to be far away,’ she told Jess, saying the words slowly and deliberately, so that Jess would get the message – the wargs were still trapped on the other side of the portal, and the portal was closed. There was no way they could be back in Deepdene. She was glad she hadn’t told Jess about the missing animals her mother mentioned the other night. Jess would be even more scared right now – and she looked pretty scared already.
    ‘Like I said, if the animal was back, there’d be evidence of it feeding,’ Luke assured her. ‘One dead squirrel, that’s definitely not evidence. They wouldn’t go after something so small. And anyway, there’s no sign of anyone having tried to eat this thing.’
    Eve could see that her friend was convinced now. She was convinced too. But, still, the woods seemed a little darker, even though she knew the light hadn’t actually changed. ‘So,’ she said. ‘Tell us what you have planned for Seth on prom night. We know it won’t be a pastel tuxedo.’
    She knew exactly what kind of tux Jess had in mind, of course. But talking about the prom would make Jess happy and take her mind off the squirrel. It would also make the woods feel more normal.
    ‘It all depends on the dress, obviously,’ Jess answered, the smile returning to her face. ‘But definitely single-breasted, probably three or four buttons.’ Luke and Seth exchanged a who-knows-what-she’s-talking-about-but-whatever look. Jess didn’t notice, just kept talking. ‘Those look great on tall guys, and—’
    ‘Watch your step,’ Luke called. ‘Up ahead, another squirrel.’
    Eve took a long look. There was a slit along the squirrel’s throat. A warg wouldn’t have left anything but a few specks of blood and flesh behind if it had bothered to attack something so small. This wound obviously hadn’t been made by some ordinary animal. That meant the squirrels had been killed by a human – or a demon. She knew by now that there were many different types of demon. Maybe one had used a knife to kill. Or had a single sharp claw, or something.
    ‘Come on. Let’s walk faster. I’m ready to get out of the woods and into the stores.’ Jess picked up the pace. Luke grabbed Eve’s hand as they followed her.
    ‘I should have brought a sweater,’ Eve commented. ‘I was fine when we were out in the sun, but it’s a lot colder in the woods.’
    ‘You think so?’ Jess asked. ‘I didn’t notice.’
    ‘I didn’t notice at first either. It just hit me,’ Eve said. Luke let go of her hand and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.
    ‘You are cold! You’ve got goose bumps,’ he exclaimed. He rubbed his hand up and down her bare arm.
    Eve nodded. She did. Not just on her arms, either. Her whole body was