The door creaked open and she rushed inside, her face pale. ‘Something’s out there in the woods. Something big.’

Brochan tensed. ‘Friend or foe?’

‘As far as the Cruaich is concerned,’ I grunted, ‘everyone is a foe.’

Taylor glanced at me. ‘You’re the expert here, Tegs. What do we do?’

Some expert. I felt the weight and pressure of their expectation. Drawing a deep breath, I kept my voice low. ‘We need to know what we’re facing. If it’s a Sidhe and they’re close by – and I see them using their Gift – then maybe we’ll get lucky and I can steal it from them. If that’s not the case, we need to know what we’re dealing with so we can defend ourselves properly. Lexie, wander back out. Don’t look around, just head out the back as if you’re … um…’

‘Going for a pee?’

I snapped my fingers. ‘Perfect. I’ll take the front. The rest of you wait for my signal.’

I propelled Lexie forward without waiting for their agreement. She swallowed, masking her fear with a blank expression as she strolled out. I counted to five in my head and followed.

When I realised Brochan was at my heels, I scowled. ‘You’re supposed to stay inside!’ I hissed.

‘Yeah, yeah. If you think I’m going to let that blue-haired cretin face the action out here while I cower inside, you’ve got another thing coming, Integrity Adair.’

‘I bet the other Clan Chieftains don’t have this problem,’ I grumbled, my eyes scanning the landscape for any sight of the monster that might be about to rush us.

‘What problem?’ Brochan asked innocently.

I was saved from answering by a flicker of bright green, such an unusual colour for this time of year that it stood out against the dark trees and layer of white frost. Brochan stiffened. I nodded and directed him to the right while I went left. We hugged the walls of the cabin. Whatever it was, it would make a move soon. Lexie had definitely been right about one thing – it was huge.

I might have bowed out of group heists but it wasn’t that long since Brochan and I worked together. We both possessed a sort of sixth sense about what the other was going to do, the kind that only develops after years of working closely together. Like symbiotic twins, we glanced at each other and began moving stealthily towards the trees on the other side of the path. I ducked behind a fir, struggling to peer round its bushy foliage; Brochan sensibly concealed himself behind a pine tree so it was easier for him to get a bead on what was ahead. While I shifted and craned my neck to get the best vantage point, out of my peripheral vision I spotted him do a double take. I turned towards him as he held up his hands and sketched a shapely female figure in the air. That didn’t make any sense. Then I heard the voice.