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…’
    â€˜Just that what?’
    â€˜Skinner sounded so sure we wouldn’t see her again.’
    â€˜Adam’s full of crap. There’s no way Nathaneal will lose Ebony. No. Way.’
    I shove my hair back from my face with both hands, and my jacket sleeves ride up. She sees my burnt wrists andshrieks. ‘Oh my God, what happened to your wrists?’
    She reaches for them but I lower them to my lap, tugging the sleeves down, then tell her how Prince Luca had me chained to a rock wall inside the cave where they had Ebony stashed. ‘They drugged her, put her inside something called a lamorak, to protect her in the Crossing because she can’t fly, and took off, leaving me for dead.’
    â€˜How did you get out?’
    I can’t tell her Adam Skinner seared the cuffs off my wrists with his bare hands. Besides making me promise not to tell anyone, the fact that he rescued me might elevate Skinner to hero status in Amber’s eyes. The less she knows of him, the more likely she’ll stay away from him. The dude works for Prince Luca. I don’t want him anywhere near Amber.
    She pats my hand. ‘It’s OK. You don’t have to tell me.’ Her hand lingers like she’s giving me a moment to figure out if I wanna hold it. Her eyes tell me she wants me to take it, to keep it warm. When I don’t, she pulls it away in awkward little movements.
    So we wait and the forest floor grows moist, releasing the smells of fungi and mould into the air as the afternoon wears on.
    Hours pass. It grows dark. We get hungry and I share a protein bar Skinner shoved in my pocket before he dropped me off. Amber breaks out a chocolate bar, giving me half. Food never tasted so good. Night arrives and brings the cold with it. Just how cold takes us both by surprise. Eventually Amber falls asleep on my shoulder. The stupid girl didn’t even bring a jacket. I slip mine offand she grumbles under her breath as I move her around to wrap us both inside it. She settles then, snuggling into my shoulder. I get a whiff of her perfume. Man, how can she still smell so good after being in a damp forest all day and half the night?
    Eventually I must have nodded off, because when I open my eyes the stars are fading. Soon the sun is painting the sky a crisp, clear shade of blue and birds take to the air.
    Amber stirs, causing the coat to slip off her shoulders. She shivers and I make her put it on properly, despite her obstinate protests.
    She pulls the sides together over her – um – ample chest and settles back against the rough bark. Drowsy, with eyes half open, she looks up at me. I can’t stop staring at her face. It’s like a kids’ picture book, open, honest, and so interesting you wanna keep reading because you know you’re gonna find something new. Her honey-brown eyes have a navy-blue ring round the outside edge that I never noticed before. Staring up at me through dark lashes, her face framed by messy blonde hair, her pink mouth parting with each breath she draws in and blows out in her dreamy state, she’s like sweet and sexy at the same time.
    â€˜Jordan?’
    â€˜Yeah?’
    â€˜Can I ask you something?’
    â€˜Sure. Anything.’
    Sudden noises from inside the portal interrupt what­ever’s on her mind. But it’s not until a gust of icy wind blasts over us that I drag my focus from her eyes.
    Three soldier angels, glowing and moving in such perfectsync they appear as one, burst from the entrance. They don’t see us. They don’t stop. They weave through the trees like a speeding train. By the time I’ve got to my feet they’re already gone.
    Amber stretches up on her toes for a better look as the group heads in a south-easterly direction. ‘Was that them?’
    â€˜I couldn’t tell. They were too fast.’
    â€˜Did you recognise any of them?’
    â€˜They looked like soldiers from Gabe’s