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Avery woke up at three in the morning in a tangle of sheets in Alex’s bed. He was sleeping on the sofa, and she wasn’t sure if she was pleased at his gentlemanly behaviour or incredibly disappointed.
She had woken from a deep sleep with a racing mind and lots of questions. And then she thought of Gil, and tears started to well again. Gil was dead. She still couldn’t believe it. She rolled over and stretched out, going through the events of the previous day.
It had been a horrible few hours. The police had arrived, and finally Gil’s body had been removed from the cave. Reuben and Elspeth had emerged white and shaken, and all of them had been interviewed on site by the police. DI Newton had interrogated them all with barely concealed hostility, and said they were to remain at home and that he would see them all the next day. However, their story had been believed—at least by most people.
Despite trying to call Alicia several times, they couldn’t reach her, and had instead passed it on to the police. Avery had felt immensely relieved, but also worried. “Where is she?”
“Gil said she’d gone away on business. She could be busy,” Alex reasoned.
Avery just looked at him with raised eyebrows.
Reuben returned to the house with El, and they promised to talk the next day. El said she’d phone Briar with the news. The glasshouse had been sealed off with tape, as had the door to the underground passage, and finally only she and Alex were left.
For a while they sat next to the glasshouse, looking out across the bay to Gull Island. It was late, the sun had set, and a pale moon illuminated their surroundings. Avery wanted to cry again.
“You should stay at my place tonight,” Alex said.
“No, I’ll be fine,” Avery argued, not wanting to put Alex out, even though she really didn’t want to be alone.
“All right, I’ll put it another way.” He reached out to take her hand. He looked tired and sad, and the shadows under his eyes had nothing to do with the darkness. “I want you to stay at my place. I don’t want to be alone, and I’ll worry about you if you are.”
His hand was so warm, and she remembered the comfortable way she had fitted into his hold earlier. She smiled. “In that case, yes please.”
So here she was, sleeping in Alex’s bed. She replayed everything again and again, and after half an hour of tossing and turning, she fumbled her way to the kitchen in the darkness and poured a glass of water, trying not to disturb Alex.
She heard him stir and he mumbled, “Are you okay?”
“Sorry. I can’t sleep.”
“Me neither.”
“Do you want some water?” She could just see him as her eyes adjusted to the light that trickled in from the street lamps outside.
He sat up, half covered in blankets, his hair loose. “Yes, please.”
She finished her water and then carried his glass over, sitting on the edge of the sofa as Alex edged over to make room.
“I’m sorry me and Reuben were gone so long. We could have stopped this,” she said. She doubted she would ever forgive herself for yesterday.
Alex finished his drink, put the glass on the coffee table, and then lifted his blanket and threw it over her, pulling her close. His chest was bare and she leaned against him, savouring the warmth and his strong, muscled body. He smelt so good. She immediately felt guilty. How could she even think this when Gil was dead?
“Avery, what happened today is not your fault or mine. If you’d been there, you couldn’t have surprised Faversham. We might all have been killed.”
“Yes, but—”
“No buts.”
He leaned in and kissed her, and she thought she might melt right into him. He was intoxicating. She wriggled under him and pulled him closer until they were wrapped around each other, their kisses long and deep. His hands slid up her back under her t-shirt, and she arched against him. And then he started to peel her clothes off, and she decided that staying at Alex’s was the best idea ever.
***
The next time she woke, it was light and they were cocooned in a tangle of blankets. Alex’s legs were heavy across her own, his arm wound tightly around her waist. For a few seconds she didn’t move, luxuriating in the feeling of him lying next to her.
Her body still tingled from the memory of a few hours ago, and part of her didn’t want it to end. She realised that this might have been some grief reaction from him, and if so, she would enjoy it while it lasted. She tried to remember what day it was. Friday. Avery groaned. She should phone Sally. She tried to roll gently away from Alex, but his grip tightened and he nuzzled her ear. “Where are you going?”
“I thought I should phone work.”
“Bollocks to work.”
“I wish. Sally might have heard about Gil by now. I should let her know I’m okay.”
“In a minute,” he said, kissing the back of her neck and moving on to her shoulder. Immediately, her stomach flipped and she closed her eyes. Sally could wait. After all, she might not even survive the day.
***
Avery had only been at work for an hour when DI Newton strode purposefully across her shop, the door banging in his wake. She was still upset about Gil, and Sally had burst into tears at the news, which had upset her even more.
Newton’s grey eyes bored into hers and he looked grimmer than usual. “Miss Hamilton. We need to talk.”
Avery sighed. “Sorry, Sally. I won’t be long.”
Sally looked between the two of them. “Take as long as you need.”
Avery led Newton through the back of the shop and up to her flat. She headed straight to the kitchen and put the kettle on.
“Did you find Alicia?” she asked, her stomach in knots.
“Yes. She’d had her phone turned off.”
“Was she upset?”
“What sort of a bloody question is that?” he asked, glaring at her. “Yes. She was upset. She’s coming back today. Now, I suggest you tell me what really happened in that cave, because I’m not about to believe the crap you spouted yesterday.”
Avery turned her back to him as she prepared the tea and desperately wondered what to say. She had to lie.
“It wasn’t crap. Gil had a horrible accident on those old boxes. It’s awful, but true.”
His voice was scathing. “You’re lying. Something terrible is happening in White Haven, and I intend to find out what. I’m on your side, Avery.”
“Are you?” she asked, whirling around. “Because it didn’t sound like it the other night when we sealed that bloody doorway.”
He crossed his arms in front of him and leaned back against the counter, watching her. “All my life I’ve been hearing about witches, magic, and White Haven, and my place in it. I resisted it then, and I’m resisting it now. Magic should belong in the past.”
Avery forgot about the tea. “What are you talking about? What do you know?”
“Not bloody much. What happened, Avery?”
“No! What are you talking about, your place in it?”
“Magic runs deep in White Haven. Our history is soaked in it. Something has woken it up. I think that’s you.”
Avery felt out of her depth. Things were happening that were out of her control, and now it seemed Newton knew more than he was letting on, too. And she still didn’t know what to make of Alicia. Her fear made her angry.
“Nothing has woken up! I have always had magic, as have the others. You just never cared before, and now you do!”
“Oh, I’ve always cared,” he said, stepping closer. “But nothing bad happened before, and now there have been three deaths in one week! And all a result of magic and demons. Something has changed, I know it has, and you are being obstructive.”
Newton’s anger was palpable, and she retreated, pressing against the sink. “I’m at a disadvantage here, Newton. You know what I am and what I can do. We sealed that doorway the best we could, and I’ll be checking it today. My friend, Gil, is dead. And at this moment, I don’t really trust you, despite the fact that you’re a detective. You tell me about half-whispered myths, but you don’t really share them. So, I’m sticking to what I told you yesterday. We were exploring the tunnels and Gil had a terrible accident, one that I will forever mourn. You don’t need to fear me, or Alex, Reuben, Elspeth or Briar, in fact.”
“Three deaths, Avery. You should be careful.” He gave her one last hard stare and then headed to the door. “I’ll be in touch.”
Avery watched him leave and felt a wave of despair wash through her. What was happening? They had five grimoires to find, and had only discovered two. Why did Faversham want them? If his magic was so powerful, what could the books offer him and his family? Why had they been hidden at all?
There must be something else about the grimoires that was important, something that happened around the time of the Witchfinder. What had Helena and the others done that had earned the enmity of the Favershams? And what had this got to do with Gil’s great-uncle Addison?
Avery’s thoughts reeled. One thing was certain. Faversham wouldn’t stop, and neither would she.
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End of Book 1 of the White Haven Witches
Book 2, Magic Unbound, is out now.
You can buy it here. Read on for an excerpt.
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