‘Why did you do it?’ Alice asked.

‘What?’

‘Drop everything to come and find me. I was about to leave of my own volition; you didn’t know I’d been taken, or where I’d be, or who I’d be with. It was a suicide mission.’

‘You’re my best friend. My Shadow Sister. I wasn’t going to stop looking for you. I was never going to give up on you. You were in trouble and that’s all there was to it.’ Lily squeezed Alice’s hand affectionately. ‘Enough about that. It’s over now; we’re together again, and for good this time. We have more important things to discuss.’

Alice frowned. ‘More important than the life-or-death situation we found ourselves in these last few weeks? More important than the fact that you dropped everything and travelled halfway across the Shadow Lands on your own to find me?’

‘Yes. Far more important.’ Lily turned to her and grinned, ‘I want to know everything about you and Grace. Every detail. How did it happen? Who kissed wh—’

‘Lily!’ Alice exclaimed, her face reddening.

‘What? This is the most exciting thing that’s happened to you in years – minus the whole abduction thing. I want to know everything!’

‘Ugh,’ Alice rolled her eyes, ‘you are incorrigible. I’ll tell you everything once I’ve had a long soak in the bath and an even longer sleep, I promise. As long as you promise to tell me everything about … y’know…’ She flicked her eyes towards Jem and raised her eyebrows.

Lily was suddenly wracked by a very loud coughing fit. ‘I have no idea what you mean,’ she said, avoiding Alice’s knowing look. ‘Nothing to tell, nothing at all.’

At that moment, Jem caught up with them, flanking Lily’s other side. ‘Everything all right?’

‘Yeah, everything’s fine.’ Lily accentuated the final word so strongly that it became immediately evident to Jem that he’d interrupted something.

Lily, eager to change the subject, linked one arm through Jem’s and the other through Alice’s. ‘I’ve just realised that you guys haven’t been formally introduced. Jem, this is Alice, who is, as you know, the reason I ended up at the lighthouse in the first place. Ali, this is Jem, without whom I’d probably have died about three times by now.’ They reached across Lily and shook hands, sharing a knowing glance between them.

‘Only three times?’ Jem smirked. ‘I expect I’ll be seeing a lot more of you around, Alice, what with Lily staying with us and Grace living there too.’

‘Lily is staying with you?’

‘Well,’ Lily panicked, ‘it was something that was mentioned in passing… Um…’

‘And you guys would be okay with me being there? Is there enough room?’

‘There’s always room for friends. Grace and I would be lucky to have both of you around. Mainly because trying to clean a bloody big lighthouse with the kids running riot is a nightmare: two extra pairs of hands would definitely be a blessing,’ he teased and Lily lightly nudged his shoulder. She felt like she’d known Jem at least as long as she’d known Alice. He was a true kindred spirit, but there was something else there. Something that made her veins flow with golden honey when they met each other’s eyes.