Page 61 of Secrets of the Eternal Flame

‘I hope not, because I miss you too.’

Onceagain there was the awkward pause that came with both of us wanting to finish the phone call differently and neither of us being brave enough. Why wasn’t there a way to say goodbye that was more than the standard cheerio but didn’t involve the L word? Before I worked myself into a tizz trying to work out what that might be, I said the first words that came into my head.

‘Well, bye then, buddy,’ I blurted and hung up the phone.

Buddy. I had called the man I was dating, magically bonded to and very probably falling for, ‘buddy’. What the hell was I thinking? Buddy was what weird sports coaches called the boys on their teams. Or how that annoying male manager who believed his staff actually liked him referred to people in meetings. As far as I was aware, ‘buddy’ had zero positive connotations in a romantic manner. I groaned aloud while Eva laughed at me, her tongue lolling out.

I stared at my phone, tempted to ring him back and say that my mind had suddenly been taken control of by some dark entity but, given my powers and what I was capable of, that didn’t seem appropriate.

Before I had a chance to think of another option, my phone buzzed again with a message from him. My stomach clenched as I opened it up.

Have a good night, mate, X

or should that have been chum? X

Buster? X

The knot in my stomach eased. I was about to write him a rude reply but I had already arrived home, and something felt off. With a frown, I put the key in the lock and opened my front door. The second I stepped in, I stilled. Somethingdefinitelyfelt different. ‘Hello?’ I called. ‘Maddie?’

I was still in the hallway when I realised what was different. A faint sound echoed around me, the faintest crackle, like someone scrunching a piece of paper ... or a fresh log was burning on a fire.

With Eva on my heels, I rushed into the living room, only for the disappointment to blow from my lungs in a sigh. Like always, the fireplace was empty. Yet…

Despite the darkness, something made me reach out and pressed my hand against the tiles. ‘It’s warm,’ I whispered. I whirled around to look at Eva. ‘It’s warm!’

‘Maddie?’ I yelled again. ‘Are you home?’ No answer. I picked up my phone and called Maddie. ‘Are you at the house?’ I asked the second she answered.

‘No, I’m at the station. With what happened to Gwen... I thought it was best if—’

‘So, you’re not at the house?’ Ididn’t give her a chance to finish. I knew about Gwen. What I needed were answers about the Flame. ‘Have you been at the house today?’

‘No, no, not since we left this morning. Why? What is it? What’s wrong?’

‘I think the Flame came back,’ I said in a rush. ‘I came in and I heard something and now the fireplace is still warm. I think the Flame came back when neither of us was here.’

‘What does that mean?’ she asked.

I sighed. ‘Damned if I know,’ I admitted. ‘But it has to mean something and we need to figure out what.’

‘Do you want me to come back?’ she asked. ‘Nana reckons it’s going to be a pretty busy here today, but if you need me...’

‘No, no, it’s fine,’ I promised. ‘I’ll be fine.’

‘But you’ll keep me in the loop?’

‘Yes, yes,’ I said, still staring at the empty hearth. ‘Of course I will.’

As I hung up, I finally found the words that I was looking for and spoke them directly into the fireplace.

‘Please,’ I begged. ‘Please. I need you.’

Chapter Thirty-Seven

I touched the warm stones andbeggedbut still the Flame hid itself. I sighed. ‘I feel like you’re trying to give me clues, but I’m not getting them. Can’t you give me something a little more direct to help me understand what you need?’

Not a flicker.

I let my hand fall and sat cross-legged in front of the fireplace. ‘Okay, well, I’m going to sit here and wait.’

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