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‘You shouldn’t be here now.’ I cast a wide look over my shoulder at the school buildings, then up to the car park and back to the bus bay, but still can’t see any sign of Amber. She would not have gone home without me. Something must have happened.

The bus finally arrives, pulling up right behind Skinner’s car, its doors flinging open. But I’m not getting in without Amber.

‘Amber’s fine now,’ Skinner says, revelling in the surprise on my face. He seems in no hurry to leave; nor does he look concerned someone will see him just outside the school grounds.

‘What do you mean?’

‘She lost her grip when climbing rope in gym class, landed hard on her right hand, tore a ligament in her wrist and had to get bandaged by the nurse. She’ll be here in time to catch the bus.’

‘How do you know? Were you there? Were you watching?’

He swings his head around so that he’s looking directly at me. For a mere fraction of a second his irises flash with light. ‘No, I wasn’t there, I’m forbidden to enter school grounds, but I was the one who made her fall.’

From inside the car, sniggering noises float out the windows, and for reasons unknown, I believe Skinner when he says he made Amber fall. His eyebrows lift. ‘Smart girl. But then, I knew you had to be, or why else?’

Skinner is freaking me out. I want to ask, ‘Why else what?’ but I’m not sure I’d like the answer. It feels as if he’s reading my mind, but that’s impossible. ‘What’s going on here?’ I ask him, but he doesn’t answer. I decide to direct my question to Josh, but Amber’s footsteps run up behind me and I forget everything except getting on that bus before it takes off without us.

‘There you are,’ she calls out breathlessly, running out the gate and over to where I’m standing between the bus and the silver car. Her right wrist is wrapped in a white bandage. ‘Thank God – I thought you might have gone home with Jordan and his cousin.’

She arrives in a flurry and immediately begins dragging me towards the open bus doors, then notices the boy next to me. ‘Oh, sorry, I didn’t know you were talking to
Adam Skinner
!’ Her eyes widen at me and she whispers, ‘What are you doing, hon?’

‘Hello, Amber, nice to see you too. How’s that wrist doing? Nasty fall you had. You’re lucky you didn’t hurt more than just your hand.’

‘OK, thanks,’ she says with eyes still wider than normal. Pinching me, she adds, ‘Our bus isn’t going to wait much longer.’

‘I’m just glad you made it,’ I whisper. ‘Let’s go home.’

As I start to turn to leave, Skinner wraps his long fingers around my arm. They feel cold through my sleeve, almost
unnaturally so. ‘I know this is none of my business, but, um, I heard you’re spending a lot of time with Jordan Blake.’

I’m on the defensive instantly. ‘Why is that any concern of yours? He stopped being your business when you tried to murder him.’

‘Jordan and I go back a long way. He’s a good guy at heart, a really good bloke, but he’s keeping bad company these days.’

‘Is this your idea of a warning?’

‘When I was locked up, I heard some things about this so-called cousin of his.’

I want to ignore him. Every bone in my body urges me to shut my ears and keep walking. But I stop, promising myself it’s just for a moment. ‘What things?’

‘He’s not what he appears. He’s dangerous. Be careful around him.’

‘Why should I believe you?’ I ask, peeling his fingers from my arm. ‘You tried to kill Jordan. It stands to reason you would hate his cousin too.’

His voice turns hard and his fingers close around my arm again, and no matter how much I try, I can’t force them off. ‘That’s your prerogative,’ he says. ‘Just don’t let the cousin get too close to you. He’s bad news.’

He finally releases my arm and Amber and I climb on board the bus just as it starts to inch forward. Relieved, we plonk ourselves down beside each other. My encounter with Adam Skinner has left a bitter taste in my mouth.

And I can’t stop rubbing my arm where his fingers closed around it. Though they were cold, my arm feels hot where he touched it. I lift my shirtsleeve and stifle a gasp
at the five-finger burn mark that’s already starting to heal itself.

All the way home I try not to think about my encounter with Skinner or his dire warning to stay away from Nathaneal. He admitted to making Amber fall and causing her torn ligament. But no one could do that. I glance at my burn once more. No one should be able to do that either.

Thane doesn’t take the news well. When I get home, I go straight up to my room to give him time to chill and work out his next move. He calls me down when dinner is ready and hands me a plate of dry seeds and salad veggies doused in a vinegary-smelling dressing.

‘You’ve outdone yourself tonight, dude,’ I murmur to myself, not caring how easily he hears everything. ‘But,
man
, I can’t believe I’m supposed to eat this! Ahaaa! I get it.’ I point the plate at him. ‘This is punishment, right?’

He ignores my question in favour of one of his own, ‘Jordan, did you try –’

But I cut him off, ‘Dude, I tried everything! She’s just not ready to move in with you!’ I shrug. ‘I’m disappointed too. The quality of my future life depends on helping you get your angel home, so why wouldn’t I try my hardest?’

‘I’m not questioning your loyalty, Jordan.’

‘I’ll work on her every day at school. I promise. You can reassure your fiancée it won’t be long before she has you home for good.’

He looks uncomfortable. ‘About that …’

I throw up my hand. ‘I know, I know, you don’t like to talk about your private life. Relax.’

But then Thane, with his fork midway between his plate and his mouth, tilts his head to the side, frowning. I know this look: he’s picking up a distant sound, trying to figure it out. He gets up and walks straight out the front door. I follow and find him looking up at the northern sky.

‘What is it? Can you hear something?’

He says, ‘Birds.’

‘Birds? Like more Aracals?’

‘No, real birds.’ He points towards the horizon. ‘You should be able to see them soon.’

‘The birds?’

‘Yes, Jordan. Many thousands of them.’

‘You’re kidding!’

‘I assure you, I’m not kidding.’

The sky is darkening and the first stars will be showing soon.

He goes still, like unbelievably, supernaturally still. A stricken look spreads across his face like a passing shadow, his eyes are wider, his mouth slightly agape.

‘Dude, you’re scaring me. What is it?’

He doesn’t answer, and that’s when I see them – thousands and thousands of birds. I get a shiver as I watch the sky disappear behind a vast blanket of beating wings.

‘Why are they heading towards Antarctica with autumn only just started?’

He doesn’t respond. Then one blink and he’s gone. I catch a glimpse of him passing through the front door. I run
after him but he’s already at the top of the stairs. ‘Hey! What’s going on? You’re scaring me again.’

‘We have to bring Ebony here.’

‘Thane, she won’t come.’

‘No, I mean to the monastery.’

I groan. She’s going to want to go there about as much as she wants to come here.

‘There’s a chapel, safe within the barrier walls, where I’ll be able to perform a ritual that will protect her mind from the Dark Prince. He mustn’t be allowed to have free rein over her thoughts as he did with yours last night when he came into your dream.’

‘What makes you think he’s going to try that on Ebony tonight?’

‘Jordan, the Dark Prince is here on Earth. His physical presence is the reason the birds are fleeing.’

The Crossing in Alaska!

He nods and tosses me his mobile phone. ‘Call Ebony and tell her we’ll pick her up in twenty minutes.’

‘What if she doesn’t want to come?’

‘Tell her to look outside – but
not
to go outside, and to lock all windows and doors.’

Mr Lang answers the phone, and when I ask to speak with Ebony there’s a distinct hesitation. ‘It’s important, Mr Lang.
Really
important.’

He asks me to wait. Meanwhile, Thane is back, wearing his long black coat and carrying an overnight bag. He has my jacket in his free hand. He passes it to me and I slide it on as I follow him through the house to the garage.

I cover the mouthpiece as something occurs to me. ‘Are
you sure we’ll be safe on the road with the Dark Prince heading over here?’

‘No, Jordan, we will not be safe. He knows I’m here. No doubt he has known from the moment Ebony’s body came into contact with mine. He’s coming for her and he won’t be alone.’

‘How long before he reaches the valley?’

‘I don’t know precisely, but soon, I think.’

‘This is shit! How are we going to stop him? What if he gets to Ebony’s place before we do?’

‘Stay calm, Jordan. From here in we need help.’ His eyes darken. ‘But leave that to me; I’ll organise it.’

Shivers barrel down my spine.

I wave the phone in the air to let him know she hasn’t picked up yet. ‘This prince doesn’t follow the rules, he told me that himself, so what’s to stop him taking Ebony tonight?’

At the garage door he stops and turns. ‘That would be us, Jordan – you and me. We’ll stop him.’

From somewhere distant I hear a female voice calling me. I quickly lift the phone to my ear. ‘Hello?’

‘You called
me
,’ Ebony says. ‘What’s going on?’

‘Hey, Ebony, um, you’re going to have to come with us tonight.’

‘I beg your pardon?’

‘To the Holy Cross Monastery.’

‘
Whaaaat?
’

I cover the mouthpiece. ‘She thinks you’re insane.’

About to get into the Lambo, he looks up at me with eyes that can’t believe she’s not complying without question.

‘She’s not cooperating. What do I do now?’

He holds his hand out for the phone just as the doorbell rings. Pointing to the phone, he says, ‘Tell her the Lang family will be safe tonight
only
if she is with us. ‘Then he runs to the front door in a swish of movement.

I tell her while racing after him. ‘We’ll pick you up in twenty minutes. OK?’

‘Has this got anything to do with the birds?’

‘You’ve seen them, huh?’

‘It’s a little hard not to. Half the sky is black with them, and it’s all over the news. Dawn is trying to call her church but can’t get through. She thinks it’s the end of the world.’

Thane is already at the front door when he hears Ebony talking about Amber’s mother’s concerns. He glances at me and shakes his head.

‘Ebony, Thane says it’s not the end of the world.’

‘Does he know something?’

‘Tell her I will explain everything once she’s inside the walls of the monastery and I have made her safe.’

‘Come on, Thane. She’s going to have to give the Langs something.’

With an exasperated glare at me he opens the door. On the front porch are five angels. I know they’re angels, not because I recognise Isaac among the three males, his long bright copper hair slicked back into a ponytail, and not because they’re all as tall and lean and ripped as Thane, including the two females. Not even because the five of them are glowing like blowtorches. But because when he sees them, Thane’s grave expression softens – with relief.

‘What took you so long?’ he says, stepping back to allow them in.

The first one resembles Thane so strongly he’s gotta be his brother. They embrace like brothers too. ‘You told us not to come under any circumstances unless you called. And you didn’t call until, well, we just heard you, but we were already on the way. The Brothers alerted us as soon as the birds hit the radars in the monastery watchtower.’ He motions to the two sports cars outside, a red Ferrari and silver Porsche. ‘Call it instinct, brother, but we anticipated you might need to move fast.’

‘You anticipated correctly.’

‘It’s good to see you, Thane. It’s been too long.’

Thane takes the phone from my hand while he leads the angels into the lounge room. Isaac comes straight over to me and shakes my hand. He winks and makes a clucking sound in his mouth. ‘Good to see you too, Jordan. You’re looking well.’ He points to the towering brunette beside him, her hair pulled up into a high ponytail which hangs so far down her back she could probably sit on it. ‘This is my wife, Shaephira.’

Ebony’s sister
.

‘Call me Shae,’ she says, pinning me with eyes of deep, vivid sapphire.

Thane has his phone to his ear as he strides across the room. Meanwhile, Isaac introduces me to the other three. The light-haired one, Thane’s brother, is Gabriel. I wonder fleetingly if he cut his hair short to blend in too. He nods, ‘It’s in the job criteria.’ Shaking my hand, he says, ‘My little brother says you’re the one that found her.’

‘Ah, yeah, sort of. She kind of walked into me one night, sent me flying into a wall.’

‘That’s my sister,’ Shae says.

Isaac introduces Michael next. There’s something about this one that sets him apart. It might be the way he stands back from the rest, observing the scene rather than being in it, or his ancient-Greek look, with jutting brow, square chin and dimple. But I think it’s more his golden appearance. His skin is a warm honey colour, his blazing eyes caramel, and his shoulder-length ginger hair a mass of corkscrew curls.

‘Hello, Jordan,’ he says, with warmth I’m not expecting from someone who resembles a gold statue. ‘I’ve been hearing good things about you.’

I glance at Thane, still trying to convince Ebony. What has he been telling his friends about me?

‘He says you will become an angel one day?’

Posed as a question, they wait for my answer. ‘
What?
Thane said
that?
’

‘As if
he
could qualify,’ says the fifth angel, the female I haven’t met yet. She steps around Michael and …
Whoa
, what a crowd-stopper, with waves of shimmering black hair rolling down her long back, spectacular turquoise eyes and a sensational body. ‘He’s scrawny and short.’

The other angels glare at her as if they’re shocked but not really surprised. Shae looks disgusted. ‘He’s young, Jez, and human. They take longer to grow.’ Shae flicks her finger through the hair at the back of my head. ‘I see potential.’