Shite. I needed to see the expression on Byron’s face to be able tell whether he was pleased at this news or not.

After what seemed like an eternity, he finally spoke. ‘You’re sure?’

‘Yes. She must have got out another way. She’s not in her room – we’ve already checked. I mean,’ Jamie backtracked, ‘Brody checked. Not me. I didn’t go inside. I…’

‘It’s fine, Jamie. But if she’s not in her room then where the fuck is she? Whoever did this might have hold of her. I should have taken that story about the worm more seriously.’ He thumped something again as overwhelming, unmitigated relief flooded through me. It hadn’t been him after all. ‘Fuck! I told her!’

‘Uh, told her what?’

He groaned. ‘That my second gift is pyrokinesis. No wonder she’s run.’

‘I’m sure she wouldn’t think that you had done all that though.’

Oh, you’d be surprised, Jamie.

Byron sighed. ‘Why would she trust me? I blackmailed her into coming here. I escorted her to the grove where someone threw fire at her. What if she’s hurt? If she’s hiding somewhere we might not find her in time.’ His voice was growing in both sound and desperation. That was nice. I could feel myself relaxing.

‘The Foinse isn’t dead yet,’ Jamie answered, obviously doing his best to be reassuring. ‘It could be months before all the magic leaks out. We’ll find her in time.’

I rolled my eyes. Of course. It wasn’t my life that was important; it was making sure the Foinse survived another thousand years that was the issue. I didn’t know why that stung. I didn’t want the magic to fail or gazillions of people to die. Even if someone else apparently did.

‘We’d better,’ came the growly rejoinder. I shivered. I was glad that Byron wasn’t the evil mastermind I’d suspected but I was still disturbed that he had such an effect on me. A husky rasp like that made me think of our encounter in his hotel room, with him underneath my legs, pinned so that I could… I mentally slapped myself. Enough of that.

Jamie coughed. ‘There is something else.’

Silence stretched out. I didn’t think it was possible for the nervous tension to ratchet up any further but I was wrong; I could virtually feel the air crackle. I was half tempted to leap out and grab Jamie by his lapels, shove my nails into his cute little dimples and demand that he get on with it.

‘Go on,’ Byron said grimly.

Yes, Jamie, get on with it.

‘The police were forced to let her two partners in crime go.’

Byron hissed. ‘We knew that was going to happen sooner or later.’

‘Not this soon, though. I still have evidence of that last job they pulled. I could make an anonymous tip.’