Lottie didn’t seem convinced, and she watched him, eyes, clear as a blue sky, searching his face like there was a secret there even he didn’t know. It was just a flicker, but he saw it, her eyes drifting to his chest where his wolf pendant was still absent, and he tensed at the thought of fastening the clasp round his neck again.

Feeling uncomfortable, he turned instead to his real princess. Ellie was the exact opposite of Lottie. Her pale skin was purple in the blue light outside, violet bags under her dark, crescent eyes. She’d become subdued since the news about Claude – that he was the man behind Leviathan – and she’d been more comfortable staying in the shadows. She’d become even more of a closed book than usual, like everything was on her shoulders and she was refusing to share the burden.

Ellie didn’t bother to respond to his loyal declaration. They all knew how she felt about him being a Partizan.

And, right on cue, Lottie sensed the drop in mood and put on a smile that cracked through the gloom. ‘Well, it will be nice to be back at school at least, back home.’ She turned, dreamy-eyed, to the car window, pushing her forehead up against it, and Jamie waited for that look of untainted wonder she always got when she saw the school approaching, only it didn’t come. Before he had a chance to catch it, two figures walked out in front of the vehicle, causing Jamie to make an abrupt stop.

Falling back into their seats with a thud, Jamie looked out at the two men in black jackets who’d gestured for them to slow down. On instinct his brain searched the car, making a note of every escape and the easiest way to neutralize attackers.

‘What’s going on?’ Ellie asked, her eyes going wide.

‘They have Rosewood emblems on their jackets,’ Lottie announced, trying to calm herself, yet she still moved into the middle seat away from the approaching men.

They were close to the school, near the drop-off zone. In the distance, like a beacon, the golden gates of Rosewood shone amber in the late afternoon, calling them to safety, but now that he had stopped Jamie saw something else: dark shapes moving around like bugs. Squinting, he saw that they were more men in black, pacing the entrance to Rosewood like an armed guard.

One of the men tapped on the window, signalling for him to roll it down, which he did, but only by an inch.

The man on the other side looked more tired than threatening, his thin moustache retaining a stream of sweat.

‘Are you students?’ he asked, a formal note to his voice putting Jamie at ease.

‘Yes, sir – is something wrong?’

‘Can we have your names, please?’

Ellie reached into the glove compartment to pull out their documents and passed them to Jamie.