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We make it through the house and out the door without being disturbed. In the background, the sounds of the party—indie music and drunken chatter—continue unabated, but no one crosses our path. Perhaps they’re all absorbed in their own fun. But more likely, Gabriel is radiating telepathic influences to make everyone stay away.
“You’re sure you don’t want a lift home? You look a little dazed.” He gestures to a row of parked cars, one of which is an exact replica of the one my father smashed to pieces six years ago.
“My car’s here. I’m a good driver.” I walk towards the vehicle in question, doing my best not to look back.
“Sadie. Stop, just for a moment.” His voice sounds raw and exposed, like it did in bed, stripped of his usual certainty and ironic amusement. “Acknowledge what happened in there.”
I allow myself the lightest of core meditations before I dare to reply. “What happened is that I paid back a debt. And yes, it was a much pleasanter experience than I was necessarily expecting. But it’s over and done with now.”
“You screamed out my name.”
I turn back to him. “Kiss me goodbye, if you must,” I say. “But then I’m going back to my family.”
His eyes are on fire. “One kiss goodbye then. And afterwards, if you want to forget this ever happened, be my guest.”
I nod and close the gap between us. His hands are in my hair and his lips are rough against mine. We’re tipping rapidly into version two of the fantasy, but that doesn’t make it any less joyous. I revel in the sensation for a few seconds, then break away while I still have enough composure to do so.
“Goodbye, Gabriel,” I whisper, then snap on my sunglasses, turn my back, and throw myself into the Porsche. I screech off the gravel driveway and onto the country roads before I can change my mind.
The whole way back I keep the roof down and drive as fast as I can, with music blasting out. It doesn’t help in the slightest.
FOURTEEN
My parents are probably expecting me to stay at the family home now my identity is known, but there’s no way I can look them in the eye tonight, so I drive back to The Windmill. The news that Brendan’s lawyer is actually the youngest Sadler daughter has spread quickly round town, as all interesting gossip tends to in Mannith. Everyone wants to make conversation. It would be nice to catch up with people I used to know, but tonight is emphatically not the night. I smile while keeping my gaze on the floor, plead tiredness, and make it to my room.
I have a long, overly hot bath, attempting to drive away the scent of sex, of Gabriel, and of that distinctive massage oil. It’s easy to get myself physically clean, but in my head, I can sense his presence on my body. The worst thing is that it’s not entirely unpleasant.
I remain soaking until the water’s cold and my fingers are a mass of wrinkles. Once I’m dry, I climb into bed, despite the fact it’s obviously going to be impossible to sleep. The events of the last few hours run through my head on an endless loop. Every few minutes, I glance at my finger. Even in the near darkness of the room, I can see all too clearly that the lien mark is gone.
The next day, I’m back in court, yet again, ready for more prosecution witnesses.
I do my best to avoid bumping into my family, but Dad catches me in the lobby.
“Police, today,” he says. “Most of the coppers in Mannith are loyal. But Thornber made sure he got the city force involved. I know you don’t want us to use magic on civilians and locals. But surely it couldn’t hurt to mesmerise these guys, just a little? They’re probably pretty dodgy, if that helps at all.”
I put my hands on my hips. “Dad, seriously. What did we discuss? No magic, no intimidation. That definitely includes no attempts to influence the police.”
Dad sighs. “If you were anyone but my daughter, I’d either ignore you or take you off the case. I hope for Bren’s sake you know what you’re doing.”
I nod, then dash inside the courtroom before he can debate things further.
I do my best to avoid looking at or thinking about either my family or Gabriel. Instead, I focus all my attention on the first witness of the day, the policewoman who was first on the scene at Thornber Manor.
I do a decent job of casting a hint of doubt on her solid testimony, but it’s a challenge to keep my mind on the case.
From time to time, I glance at my finger. I’ve put my ring back on, to hide the fact the mark’s gone, but to my eyes, it still looks and feels different.
As soon as court’s over for the day, I drive straight back to The Windmill, lest anyone in the family attempts to start a conversation.
I head for my room on autopilot, but this is no time to be alone with my thoughts. Hiding away made sense when I was trying to disguise my identity and stay in role, but there’s no point to that now. Instead, I sit down at the curved oak bar and bestow my brightest and most forced smile on the regulars. “Anyone for a drink?”
It’s unclear whether it’s the promise of free booze or curiosity about the long-lost Sadler sibling, but I’m soon surrounded, including by several old acquaintances and even vague friends I’d let myself forget about.
Becca’s amongst them, but I keep a polite distance despite her attempts to chat. I can’t understand why she claimed to have seen Bren, in contravention of his alibi, when I have absolute, psychic proof that he wasn’t around. It’s not my place to accuse her of anything, still less send her away, but I intend to tread carefully.
The others must long to ask about Bren, about the trial, about my life over the last six years. But instead, we talk about nothing—sports, the weather, celebrity gossip—and every meaningless word takes a bit of my panic away.
Back in my room later, though, the memories of the night before intrude again. I sit at my desk and open my case notes, but they can’t hold my attention. I put on the highest intensity interval training video I can find and give it my all, but though it leaves my body exhausted, it’s not enough to still my mind. The bath to wash away the sweat and soothe my trembling legs does nothing to calm me down either. What the hell have I done? And what can I do about it now?
