Angelica smiled. ‘Cullen Keats? Oh, I’m sure he’s not as bad as he looks. Although I do feel the urge to get my glamour wand out every time I see that scar of his.’

  ‘And that flying motorcycle!’ cried Cindy. ‘Urgh! Who does he think he is? Ronnie Wayfair? Ha ha ha.’

  ‘Well, not to worry,’ said Bartholomew, rubbing Angelica’s back once again. ‘That sort of fellow won’t want to live anywhere in this enclave once we’re finished with the place. Soon every single street will look like Strange Lane.’

  When I first moved to the enclave, the thought of everywhere looking as pretty and perfect as Strange Lane would have warmed my cockles. But now … now my cockles were feeling quite the chill. Even though these were shiny, smiling people talking about flowers and fountains and other lovely things, my hunter senses were tingling. There was something very, very odd about Angelica’s friends.

  As they continued to discuss their flower-bombing campaign, I excused myself to go to the bathroom. I’d already taken some surreptitious looks at the main living areas during pre-dinner drinks and found nothing. I knew that the bathroom was through Angelica’s bedroom, and they were the only two rooms left to check.

  Her private space was as clean and perfect as the rest of the flat. I hated searching through her drawers, but at least there was nothing scary in there – apart from the fact that her clothing was organised by colour. Who had the time for that? Just like everywhere else in the flat, my Aurameter found no evidence of anything hidden.

  There were more places I could search, if I came here again, but my instincts told me it would be pointless. The Decree of the Deceased wasn’t here. I doubted Angelica had it at all.

  When I emerged the rest of the party had moved outside. I found Angelica on the balcony, while everyone else had followed the steps to the garden below.

  ‘Ah, Katy,’ Angelica beamed at me. ‘I was waiting for you. I hoped I could have a word with you in private.’

  She led me to a bench at the side of the balcony. ‘The thing is … you must be wondering why I’m so adamant on becoming friends with you.’

  ‘No.’ I kept my smile even. ‘I mean, you’ve been pretty clear that you’d like to re-establish a relationship with Ned. And that you worry about her being involved with necromancy. We do too – Hamish and I. We might live above a necromancy supply store, but we’re hardly fans of the practice.’

  She pressed a hand to her chest. ‘Oh, that is a relief to hear! I mean, it’s just what I thought. You’re so pretty with your curls and your shoes and whatnot, and Hamish is so dapper in all his lovely hats. There was no way either of you were anything like the other residents of this enclave. But hearing you say it out loud … well, it does take a weight off my mind. I feel like I can finally tell you what it is I want from you.’

  ‘Fire away,’ I said, struggling to keep the wary note from my voice.

  ‘What I want,’ she said, ‘is for you to find my mother’s Decree of the Deceased. And when you do, I want you to give it to me so I can destroy it.’ Before I could react, she grasped both my forearms, looking pleadingly into my eyes. ‘It’s a sneaky and dishonest way to go about things, I know that. I also know that Ned wants the decree as much as I do – but for totally different reasons. But Katy, I’m one hundred percent sure that you would never agree with her reasons. So I’m begging of you – help me find it. I’ll pay you, of course.’

  She relaxed her hold on my arms, and I pulled away. ‘No payment necessary. I’d do anything to protect Ned.’

  She smiled understandingly. ‘Of course you would. And in this case, we’re protecting her from herself. Now come on. Let’s go and find that handsome vampire of yours.’

  My handsome vampire was seated at a table in the garden, being talked at by the others. When he saw me approach, relief lit up his face. Poor Jay. This must have been the worst first date of his life.

  ‘I think it’s obvious by now that this is the upper tier of my friends,’ said Angelica as we took as seat. ‘So they all know about poor Hamish’s predicament. Such a pity he couldn’t be with us tonight. Bartholomew was dying to speak to him tonight, weren’t you Barty?’

  He smiled broadly. ‘I really was. It’s a fascinating case. Absolutely fascinating. Having studied Pillars of Permanence myself, I think there might be a way around it.’

  ‘Really? And what is it? Some sort of counter spell? Do you know something that will trump a Pillar of Permanence?’

  ‘Well.’ He twirled his moustache. ‘It’s … oh, you know what? A dinner party is hardly the time to discuss something so serious is it? Tell you what, yourself and Hamish ought to come along to our next official meeting. We’ll talk about it then.’ He looked around at the others. ‘In the meantime, who fancies another singsong?’

  31. Shield

  When we finally left the party, my eyes went straight to Strange Lane’s fountain. It was just as befuddling as ever. I shivered, staring at it, trying to make out exactly what the figure in the centre of all the worshippers was supposed to be. It definitely had two horns, of that much I was certain. Well … almost certain.

  I was just about to ask Jay what he thought about it, when he said, ‘Let’s walk around the long way, shall we?’

  I took another glance at the fountain, and nodded. For all its perfection, Strange Lane was making me feel incredibly antsy. It occurred to me that I’d been jittery for a few days now, and it usually began when I made my way out to Strange Lane for my morning tea. Was the area changing, or were my senses growing stronger?

  Jay offered his arm, and I linked mine through his. I wasn’t sure how I’d expected close contact with a vampire to feel. Certainly not like this. He felt warm, and firm, and very much alive.

  We walked along in comfortable silence, enjoying the evening air. Even the vapour coming off the canal didn’t smell quite as foul as usual. When we got to the door of Ned’s shop, Jay finally spoke.

  ‘If my flatmate’s familiar were here, he’d tell you I walked the long way so I could spend more time with you, and he’d be half right. But there’s another reason. I wanted to get away from Strange Lane before we talked, Katy. What did you think of that bearded man at Angelica’s party?’

  ‘The guy from the Shannon coven? You didn’t like him either? Did you like any of them?’ I asked. ‘Only … well, I thought they were absolutely unbearable. And I say that as a gal who normally gets on with everyone. Well … almost everyone. I’m so sorry, Jay. It was hardly an enjoyable party, was it?’

  He let out a relieved chuckle. ‘It really wasn’t. And there was me thinking I’d need to find a nice way to tell you your new friends are dodgy. Bartholomew Shannon most of all. But it seems you’ve got some instincts of your own.’ All signs of mirth left his face, and he looked intently into my eyes. ‘That’ll be because you’re a witch hunter, I suppose.’

  Just as my jaw was careening towards the ground, he said, ‘Don’t worry, Katy. Your secret is safe with me. You’ll have heard that some vampires are particularly powerful, right?’

  I nodded mutely, still unable to formulate a decent response to this latest revelation. First Hamish, now Jay. How many more people knew what I was?

  ‘Well, I’m one of those especially powerful vampires,’ Jay continued. ‘That’s how I know you’re a hunter. That’s how I know you’re worried about Ned and this Decree of the Deceased you were searching for at Angelica’s. I can read your mind, Katy – the connection is stronger to you than it is to almost anyone. And I don’t want to encroach on your private thoughts, so I’m going to give you something.’

  He reached into his pocket and pulled out an antique ring. The metal was tarnished, and the red stone was dull. Despite this, it was absolutely lovely. It was also absolutely powerful, judging by the tingle in my fingers as Jay pressed it into my palm. Müd had been right – all of the channelling practice we’d done together was working. I really could feel the magic in the ring.

  ‘What is this, Jay? It’s powerful, I know that much.’

  ‘It’s a shielding ring. As long as you wear this, no one can read your mind – or mess with your mind, either. Although officially, such a ring doesn’t exist. I want you to have it, Katy. I want you to wear it from now on.’

  ‘A shielding ring?’ I stared down at it. ‘But why would you give me this? Why would you give me anything? We barely know each other.’

  He smiled tentatively. ‘Katy … tonight wasn’t a horrible night. Those people were, definitely. But getting to spend time with you has been far from awful. The thing is, though … I am, as I just mentioned, a powerful vampire. And seeing as even the strongest of witches can struggle to shield, there’s no way you’ll be able to hide your thoughts from me unless you wear the ring.’

  I swallowed, slipping the ring on – as it turned out, the only finger it would fit was my ring finger. As soon as it was on, Jay relaxed. ‘Oh, thank the stars,’ he said. ‘It’s been very hard for me to block out the things you’ve been thinking. It made me feel like a bit of a creep.’

  I recalled just how many of tonight’s thoughts had centred on Jay and how good he looked. With a flushed face, I squeezed my eyes shut and groaned. ‘I’m so embarrassed. How could I be so ignorant? There’s so much I don’t know about this world. At least not every vampire can read my mind, I suppose. That’s something.’

  ‘For what it’s worth,’ he told me, ‘I didn’t purposely read your mind, and I’ve been trying very hard not to all night long. Like I said, though, the connection with you is far stronger than with most. But from now on, I have no idea what you’re thinking, and neither does any other vampire. Okay?’

  I looked down at the ring. ‘So … could you read anyone else’s mind at the party tonight?’

  ‘Unfortunately, the answer is no. Every single person at that party was shielding their thoughts from the moment they met me – Hal was the weakest, but even he was working hard. And out of them all, Bartholomew Shannon’s defences were the strongest. No matter how shiny and perfect that lot look, there’s something dark about them all.’

  ‘I agree,’ I admitted. ‘Something’s going on with them, Jay. That whole Not-So-Strange Society is very strange.’

  He laughed wryly. ‘Some nice, straightforward irony. Just what I like. Y’know, this society is relatively new on the scene. On the surface of it, it looks like they’re doing no more than trying to clean up Samhain Street but … you could look at it another way. You could say that they’re doing their best to annoy the oldest residents of the place. To annoy them enough to get them out. They’ve bought dozens of properties in this enclave, and it seems they want even more. There has to be a reason – I mean, a reason other than the rock bottom property prices. I don’t like them, Katy. In fact, in all my centuries on this planet, I’ve met very few people that I liked less.’

  I looked up at him. ‘Centuries? How old are you?’

  He winced. ‘Is it a problem if I say very, and leave it at that?’

  I thought it over, studying him. He didn’t look a day over thirty – he seemed young, handsome, and he was proving to be incredibly interesting. But behind his eyes, I could see his age. I could feel the weight of all the years he’d lived. I could see something more, too. I could see that Jay Jones liked me. A lot.

  ‘Why are you doing all this, Jay? The ring? The advice about Angelica and her friends? Why are you even giving me the time of day when you know what I am? We don’t just go after witches, you know. Vampires, werewolves … if it ain’t human, we chase it down.’

  He shrugged. ‘You know, I’ve been around long enough to know that there’s more than one kind of hunter. I think you’re the good kind. I think you’re good, full stop. There’s a whole world filled with pretty girls, Katy. But not many of them are pretty, interesting and good. But I understand that you’re not a mind-reader, so it might take you a while to come to the same conclusion about me.’

  I studied his face some more. I might not be able to read minds, but I did have instincts. Jay Jones was a decent guy, I was sure of it. He was also very, very hot. ‘I think I’m already there,’ I admitted.

  His face lit up with a wonderful smile. ‘So … do you think we could go out again? On a proper date? Perhaps one which doesn’t involve danger and intrigue.’

  I hesitated, glancing towards the door of the Bank. Cullen was closing up for the night, saying goodbye to the last few stragglers as they left the premises. He gave me a small wave, looked Jay up and down, and went back into the Bank, locking the door behind him.

  ‘Cullen Keats, right?’ asked Jay. ‘One of the many people Angelica and her cronies ripped apart tonight. Is he a friend of yours?’

  ‘He’s … yeah, he’s a mate,’ I said. ‘A pal. A buddy. An irritating son of a witch. All of the above.’ I closed my mouth, shutting the verbal diarrhoea firmly inside. I was incredibly grateful for the shielding ring, because if poor Jay could read my mind right now, what would he think of me?

  My opinion of Cullen had changed so much recently, and my feelings about him … they were more confused than ever. But as for this man standing before me? My feelings about him were certain. I liked him, I trusted him, and I fancied him rotten. What more could a girl possibly want?

  I turned my attention his way. ‘Anyway, enough about Cullen,’ I said. ‘Let’s get back to the subject at hand. You were asking me if I’d like to go out with you again. And the answer is yes, Jay. One hundred percent yes.’

  ≈

  When I arrived upstairs, Ned and Cleo were curled up on the couch. Ned patted the seat next to her and poured me a glass of wine.

  ‘Come and join us,’ she said. ‘We’re watching the Vamp Factor.’ She pointed at a dark-haired girl on the TV. ‘She’s the worst singer of the season, but she’s the most powerful when it comes to compulsion. Therefore, she’s probably going to win the judges’ votes.’

  As soon as I took a seat, Cleo yawned, looked up at me, then moved from Ned’s lap to mine. For a moment I just stared at the cat in shock, but as she began to purr, I grew relaxed, stroking her soft fur. This was nice. Very nice.

  ‘So?’ said Ned. ‘Did you find it?’

  I reached for my glass of wine, taking a large glug before replying. ‘No. And I don’t think she has it, either. As a matter of fact she asked me to look for it.’

  Ned gasped. ‘No! She must be playing you. She must be playing us all. I mean … I suppose she gave you some spiel about how I couldn’t be trusted with the Decree of the Deceased. About how crazy and unhinged I am.’

  ‘It wouldn’t matter what she said to me. I don’t trust your sister. And it’s true, I don’t like necromancy – but I like Angelica a whole lot less. She is playing me, Ned. Her and that whole society of hers are up to something scary. We need to figure out what that might be, before it affects us all.’

  Ned gave me a teary-eyed smile. ‘I realise that what you just said is rather serious, and we can get back to talking about it in a minute. But Katy … you don’t know how relieved I am to hear you say that you don’t like Angelica. All my life, she’s managed to charm my friends away from me. She does it as a game, I think. Just one more way to make my life a misery, same as she’s been doing ever since we were kids.’

  ‘What did she do?’ I asked curiously. ‘When you were kids? Because you keep saying she’s bad, and I don’t think you’re basing that solely on the fact that she stole some of your friends.’

  Ned sniffed, taking a drink of her wine before replying. ‘I’m basing it on a lot more than that. But it’s all a bit too much to go into, to be honest.’

  Cleo looked up at me with one eye open. ‘She killed her familiar. A cat who just happened to be my brother. Is that messed up enough for you?’

  I sat in silence for a moment, struggling to process what Cleo had just said. It was only when she returned to snoozing, purring away on my lap in the most calming manner ever, that I once again found my voice. Even then, all I managed to say was, ‘No way.’

  ‘Yes way,’ said Ned. ‘I try to warn any friends I make, to tell them how nasty she is, but everything she did was so horrible that it’s too hard for me to say it out loud. And so I wind up coming off as a weirdo. I push them towards her all the quicker. I only managed to hold onto Hamish and Diane because I met them in college, and Angelica was away at the time. I was so afraid she’d steal you from me, too.’

  ‘But you trusted me enough to send me in there tonight, anyway?’

  She wiped away a tear. ‘I’ve trusted you from day one, Katy. I don’t know why. I don’t trust people easily. But I just know you’re a good person. I know you’re on my side.’

  My guilt rose about a hundredfold. Just as I was wondering if this was it – the moment when I should finally reveal all – the door swung open, and Hamish walked in.

  ‘I have just had the most amazing evening of my life,’ he told us with a contented sigh. ‘Diane looked more beautiful than ever.’

  I put whatever I’d been about to say aside. ‘Tell us all about it,’ I said, patting the seat next to me.

  He grinned, then jumped up on the couch, splaying himself out. ‘Okay,’ he began. ‘So … Diane was wearing a pale blue dress with little daisies on it. And we sat at a table on the deck, looking out over the lake …’

  He kept right on talking about his evening with Diane, and I drank in every single word.

  Here I was, with a sarcastic cat on my lap, a necromancer on one side, and a wizard-turned-dog on the other. We were the most oddball group of friends there ever was. And yet I felt more included, and more at ease, than I’d ever felt before.

  These were my people. This was my home. And there was nowhere in the world I would rather be. Sure, I had some mighty frightening obstacles to surmount in the coming days and weeks. But in the meantime, I was going to sit back and enjoy this moment. Because who knew when it could all come to an end?