Page 46 of Secrets of the Eternal Flame

We checked on Eva, making sure she had fresh water and her bunny to snuggle, and left her lolling on the kitchen floor.

Fraser tugged me upstairs where he proceeded to demonstrate how long he could hold his breath, so he never had to pause for something as paltry as breathing.

Suffice to say, I gave him all the noises.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

The next morning, the walk of shame didn’t feel shameful in the slightest; in fact, I couldn’t stop smiling. What was developing between Fraser and me felt right.

My eyebrows shot up when I spotted Nour’s car parked outside my house. I let myself in and hollered hello, and Eva joined in with a loud bark.

‘We’re in the kitchen!’ Maddie called.

I joined them. ‘How was your date with Lestat?’ I asked.

She grinned. ‘It was lovely – but evidently not a patch on your date with Fraser!’ She shot me a wink and my face warmed.

‘It was good,’ I admitted.

‘We can tell,’ Nour said. ‘You’re beaming. That’s the look of a well-satisfied woman. You want an omelette?’

‘Fraser made me some toast,’ I admitted. ‘But I do love a good omelette, so I won’t say no.’

‘Cheese, ham?’

‘Yes please!’

She bustled around the kitchen making us each an omelette. I loved that she felt so comfortable in our home.

Maddie looked tired again. Was it her late night with Lestat, or was the boost from the Flame at Hallowburn Harbour already wearing off? If it was, it hadn’t lasted for long. ‘Late night?’ I asked her.

‘Not as late as yours!’

‘You came around early,’ I said to Nour.

She shook her head. ‘I popped around late. Maddie texted after her date and I came over so we could drink wine and gossip about the fact that you still weren’t home. I stayed after too many glasses of wine.’

My tension eased; maybe Maddie looked tired because shewastired. It was hard to know.

Maddie waved a wooden spoon at me. ‘I got up early and baked blueberry muffins. I figured it would probably take a little while for you to fill us in on the details, so I made some for us and some to take to the station later. I’ve finally persuaded Nana to divert the calls to my mobile so I can spend some extra time with you. Or live vicariously through you – that’s probably a better way of putting it. Now spill. How was it?’

‘If things with Lestat heat up, you won’t need any vicarious living!’ I pointed out.

Maddie smiled. ‘Here’s hoping.’ Then she pinned me with a stare. ‘Stop avoiding the questions and spill!’

‘Well... Well...’ I struggled to know where to begin. I started filling the kettle for my second cup of tea of the day. ‘It was... It was perfect,’ I confessed. Then I started at the beginning with the amazing dinner he’d cooked, though I stopped the recital when Fraser and I had got to the bottom of the stairs. They didn’t need to know the rest.

I’d almost finished when Nour’s phone lit up with another message. ‘This is getting ridiculous,’ she said, frowning at the screen. ‘Iknowmy big sister’s somehow got all these big, mystical, magical powers.’

I had just taken a bite of omelette; even though it was still warm, an icy trail trickled down my throat. ‘Nour, how long ago did you say your sister got these powers?’

Nour pressed her lips together as she considered my question. ‘I don’t know. She started sending me messages before we got back from Scotland – about a week or so ago, I suppose.’ She flicked through her phone. ‘Yeah, it’s eight days since she sent me the first one.’

‘Eight days?’ That was around the time the items were stolen from Gwen’s shop. ‘Sorry,’ I said, standing up andtrying to look casual. ‘I need to make a phone call.’ I headed to the door, then turned to look at Nour again. ‘Don’t go anywhere yet, will you?’ I said. ‘I think I might need to talk to you about something.’

I went up to my room for some privacy and called my grandfather.

‘Beatrix,’ he answered warmly. ‘How are you? Have you made any progress on finding the Codex Tenebrae?’

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