‘Exactly what I said.’ I grinned. ‘Toodle pip.’

I started to jog after Kirsty, following her tracks. There was the crunch of footsteps behind me, then Byron was by my shoulder. ‘What are you doing?’

He shrugged. ‘Coming with you. Kirsty’s more likely to listen to me than to you.’

That was true. ‘But I’m in the lead,’ I pointed out, while striding forward once more. ‘Sort of anyway. You need the extra time to get ahead of me. Don’t you want to win?’

‘There’ll be time enough to beat you.’

No chance. Rather than rise to the bait, I reminded him we weren’t alone. ‘Can you beat Tipsania?’

‘I can catch up to Tipsy later. I am working with her, after all.’ He sent me a sly glance.

‘Why?’ I asked.

‘Why am I working with her? Let’s just say our desires currently converge.’

What did that mean? I decided I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of asking.

‘You know,’ he commented, ‘your cheeks are almost as pink as the colour of your tartan. It’s rather adorable.’ Adorable? What was I? A puppy? He continued in the same tone of voice. ‘Did you have anything to do with Kirsty losing her Gift?’

The easiest way to reply to a question you don’t want to answer is to ask another question. ‘How could I have done that?’ I asked flatly. ‘I don’t even have a Gift of my own.’

He scanned my face. ‘I’m starting to think that’s not true. The Bull seems to think you have one.’

My mouth pursed. The Bull was meant to be keeping quiet about that. He’d probably found some irritating way to work around the command I’d placed on him. He and I would have words later. ‘I wouldn’t tell the Bull what toothpaste I use,’ I replied, ‘let alone my supposedly secret Gift.’

‘You can trust me, Integrity.’

There was another buzz in my veins and instinctively I knew he was telling the truth. Thank you, Kirsty. ‘Okay then. You’re right, I do have a Gift.’

Byron smirked. ‘I knew it.’

I leaned in towards him and licked my lips. ‘I’m very, very gifted,’ I breathed.

Something flared in his eyes. ‘Go on.’

‘I have lots of presence.’

He stared at me. ‘Very funny.’

Lie. I pulled back and shrugged. ‘I thought so,’ I said aloud. Perhaps it was time to give Byron a test while Kirsty’s Truth Seeking still swirled in my veins. I switched tactics to throw him off balance. ‘Why is your father trying to kill me?’

‘What?’ he blinked, obviously taken aback. ‘He’s not. He likes you. Why on earth would you think that?’

Truth again. I was surprised by how happy that knowledge made me and I beamed at him. ‘For that reaction,’ I said airily, ‘I’m not even going to tell you the punchline.’

He frowned. ‘That was another joke? Do you ever take anything seriously?’

Only people trying to kill me. I pointed at Kirsty’s tracks. ‘I take Sidhe girls running off into the woods in the middle of winter seriously. Come on. We need to find her.’