‘Just give me the damn food,’ Alice snapped. ‘I told you my name.’

True. Never let it be said that Ivy Wilde went back on her word. I undid her bonds and she lunged for the burger, cramming into her mouth with gusto. I watched, fascinated. She didn’t even seem to chew.

Alice was still on her final mouthful when she made a move. She shifted to the right slightly, dropping her hand behind her knee where it was just out of sight. Before she could finish the rune, however, I grabbed her hand and held it up. She squirmed.

‘That’s just rude,’ I told her, tying her up again. ‘But at least you’re more interesting than your partner.’ I sat down cross-legged in front of her. ‘Did you break in to foretell Eve’s future?’

She stared at me as if I were nuts.

‘No,’ I murmured, ‘I didn’t think so. Twelve minutes of her future self wouldn’t get you very far.’ I wiped away some ketchup from the corner of my mouth. ‘Perhaps you wanted to see what she’s been up to in the past.’ I doubted it would be very interesting. Eve was a workhorse. If anyone wanted to spy on her, they’d see someone studying, keeping fit, practising magic and maybe, just maybe, sleeping occasionally. I smirked at the idea of someone trying it on me. The report would involve me wandering to the fridge, turning on the kettle and shifting around on the sofa.

Alice Fairclough’s expression remained studiously bland. ‘So,’ I said, ‘you must have wanted to track her.’ It would have been fairly easy to manage. Neither Alice nor Bell End had expected Eve to be home, so they must have been planning to sprinkle the herbs in the right places so they’d brush off on Eve’s skin. As a First Level witch, Eve wouldn’t have had guards in place to combat such a spell. I leant my head to the side curiously. ‘The question is why.’

Alice pressed her mouth shut. She obviously wasn’t going to say anything more. Her choice. I felt like I was inching closer to the truth. It was just as well because between these two and Winter, I had my hands full. Another day or two and I reckoned I’d get what I needed. I replaced her gag and smiled. If I was feeling kind I might let them have a pee break soon. I was all heart.

‘Not to worry. You two stay here. I’m off for a shower and I’d hate to think you were peeking at me.’

Alice glared at me. I nodded slowly. ‘Oh yeah. You can’t move, can you?’ I grinned. It was a hard-knock life.

***

The next morning, every single alarm I possessed went off at the same time. It was the only way I could be sure that I wouldn’t fall asleep again. My early start had nothing to do with the upcoming thrill of watching Winter question the Ipsissimus and everything to do with lulling my sapphire-eyed partner into a false sense of security. If I could make him believe that I wasn’t quite as lazy as he thought, I reckoned I’d be able to get away with more – by which I actually meant less – in future.