He pushed passed me, knocking me back a step. But I whipped around and grabbed his arm, digging my nails in and using every ounce of strength I had to pull him back.

‘Then why didn’t you?’

He didn’t meet my eyes, using the sleeve of his free arm to wipe his mouth. ‘We have to go before someone realizes she’s missing. C’mon.’

I tugged harder and repeated my question. ‘Why didn’t you?’

Instead of answering he prized my hand away and walked off, disappearing into the darkness. With one last glance back at the girl lying lifeless and blood-drained on the ground, I hurried after him, disgusted, but more sickened by the fact I couldn’t bring myself to be truly horrified.

‘I won’t tell if you don’t.’

‘But you can’t, that’s seriously cruel!’

‘Come on, it’s not as though you two get on any more, why should you care?’

‘But it won’t damage his car, will it?’

‘No,’ Kaspar chuckled. ‘Just delay him.’

He pulled the cables out and slammed the bonnet down. He moved around Fabian’s R8 and I cringed, thinking it a crime as he moved on to Charlie’s car.

‘You’re not going to do it to all of them, are you?’

He smirked wickedly, continuing to chuckle. ‘Of course. I would actually like to have the run of Varnley for once. And with father away and this lot stranded it’ll be peace and quiet at last. Besides, they’ll just run back eventually … tomorrow morning, I should think.’

I scowled. ‘Let me rephrase that. You mean I’m going to be stranded with you.’

‘Yes.’ He wrenched another set of cables out and slammed the bonnet down. ‘Lucky you!’

‘Lucky you,’ I imitated under my breath. ‘Won’t they just be able to fix them?’

He slammed the bonnet of his sister’s car down with so much force I thought the metal would buckle. Leaning across, his trademark half-smile, half-smirk appeared.

‘Rich kids can’t fix cars.’

I arched an eyebrow. ‘Are you admitting you’re a stuck-up arrogant jerk then?’

‘I never denied it.’

I hummed sceptically, walking around the car and snatching the keys he had just pulled from his pocket.

‘I’m driving.’

He made to lunge towards me, hand outstretched to grab the keys, but I jumped out of his reach. Wrapping my fingers tightly around the metal I hid them behind my back, side-stepping towards his car.

‘Do you even have a license?’ he grunted, darting around me.

‘Yes.’

It was his turn to be sceptic as he continued to follow me around to the driver’s side, playing along with my game – he could easily catch me if he wanted to. After protesting that I was perfectly capable of driving (he was worried I would hurt his ‘baby’), he begrudgingly gave up and walked around to the passenger’s side.

‘I still don’t forgive you,’ I said.

He paused, his face faintly amused. ‘I wouldn’t expect you to, you’re far too stubborn.’ He opened the door and slid in. I wasn’t far behind.

‘And what’s that supposed to mean?’ I demanded.

‘You really want to know?’

‘Yes,’ I replied, adamant.

‘You don’t give a damn that I killed that girl. You wouldn’t give a damn if I killed a hundred girls. You only care because you just can’t take the fact that it destroys your perfect little perception that we – I – am not a predator by nature.’ He watched me, gauging my expression.

‘I know you’re a killer, I’m not stupid,’ I sighed, jamming the keys into the ignition. ‘You have fangs, for Pete’s sake!’

I know he’s a predator. I can never forget it, despite what he thinks. Scars and marks dotted my body; endless reminders of what he and others were capable of, and what a vampire would do to get his or her way. But he’s right about one thing. It doesn’t really bother me that he killed that girl. Of course I felt bad; she had died instead of me and I knew I would live with the guilt of knowing others were sacrificed on my part. But I had seen them slaughter and devour so many humans and vampires alike that I was almost numb to it.

‘But do you?’ he questioned, wincing as I thrust the car into gear.

‘Yes! I have the bloody marks to prove it!’ I pointed at my neck, pulling my collar aside.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him glance at my neck. ‘I’m not convinced. You still think you can alter what we are and you can’t. You just can’t …’ He trailed off, looking out of his window.

‘I’m not trying to change you. I just don’t agree with killing for food. I’m veggie, after all.’

‘Whatever. Left here,’ he mumbled as I turned out onto the main road. I sensed that the conversation was over and we fell into silence. Keeping my eyes on the road, I felt the quiet purr of the engine beneath my hands. It had been a while since I had driven; and then it was only my mother’s car in the congested centre of Chelsea. I had never driven anything this powerful or expensive, and never on sweeping coast roads either. A jolt of anxiety shot like an electric bolt up my arm as I thought of what Kaspar would do if I got so much as a scratch on his precious ‘baby’; of what he could do. I might have been bitten multiple times but it still terrified me and my breathing hitched as I remembered the pain and the drawing sensation.

I was transported back from my own thoughts as we entered a town, empty and still for the night. I followed the road around until we were trailing the sea again, passing a pier stretching out into the mud flat and eventually the murky waters of the Thames estuary.

‘Where do I—’

‘Head for the Isle of Grain but turn off at the sign for All Hallows. Then head for Low Marshes.’

‘Right,’ I muttered, surprised at his bluntness and sudden change of tone. I risked a glance his way to see that his eyes were fixed out of the window, his brow creased and his lips pursed into a thin line. I frowned.

His head snapped around. ‘What?’

I abruptly turned back to the road, blushing.

The night seemed to be getting darker, the sky losing the glowing halo of orange light the city adored so much. Here, it was clearer and the stars were dotted across the sky, like a child had sprinkled glitter across a dark sheet, only losing its sparkle when the occasional cloud wafted over. The roads were empty and we had already long left the main drag when the road started to narrow. I spotted the sign for Low Marshes and followed the arrow, gradually climbing away from the sea towards the rolling hills of Varnley.

It was strange to think it, but I yearned to be back within the thick walls of the mansion, tucked between cold sheets and inhaling stagnant air. It felt oddly safe – though it was far from – and I began to wonder if I was equating imprisonment with security. At Varnley, I made no decisions. At Varnley, I was just along for the ride.

But when I returned, much as I wanted the day to end, I knew there was a very real possibility that a decision on my humanity could have been made for me by this ‘inter-dimensional council’. That was one choice that should be my own.

And then there was the thought that I had almost kissed Kaspar.

A glare in the mirrors caught my attention. Chasing our tail was a car, headlights on full beam. Unnerved by how close it was getting, I sped up.

The car behind us had dropped back, obviously taking the hint that I liked my space. Kaspar let his head fall against the window again, his fingers rubbing circles around his temples.

Suddenly he sat bolt upright. ‘Slayers,’ he hissed. Then he exploded. ‘Pull over! Get out!’ he roared, but it barely penetrated. ‘Out! Violet, move!’ I did as he ordered. Slayers. ‘I’m driving, get in now!’ Slayers. ‘Violet!’

‘Slayers,’ I breathed. ‘Here …’ The Slayers from my dream. It had to be.

He threw his hands in the air from the opposite side of the car, thumping them down on the roof with a thud. ‘Yes, slayers, here for you, now get around here!’

I thought I was looking at him but all I saw was the dark sky, grey, rolling and dangerous. I thought I was hearing him but all I heard was the howling of the wind as it picked up, rustling the leaves. I thought he was speaking but all I heard was my own voice, quiet and timid compared to the awe of the thunder that had just crashed.

‘Here for me. I could go home …’

A quiet snarl escaped his lips. ‘No.’

‘I could go home and see my friends. I could go to university …’

‘No.’

‘See my family …’

‘No …’

‘See Lily …’

Cool breath tickled my cheeks and mist gathered in my hands as his forehead met mine. His fingers weaved their way between my own and I could feel the damp air swirling between them.

‘I can’t deny you that.’ His eyes swept up to meet mine, grey, colourless, the dull shade of the sky an identical match. He closed them slowly, taking a long, low, raspy breath as he did. ‘I’ll regret this. Violet; Girly. Go home.’

I wrenched away from him. ‘W-what?’

‘Go home. Escape this life that you don’t want.’ His words barely came out a whisper, strained and uncertain.

‘But—’

‘Be human.’

He clutched desperately at my hand as he shakily brought it to his lips, planting a soft kiss on my knuckles. Giving it one last squeeze he placed it back at my side and let go, backing away.

‘Take good care of Lily. Look after her. Don’t let her go.’

His eyes looked glazed, like light shining upon a pond, and for the smallest of moments I wondered if they could be tears – but this was Kaspar. Kaspar would not waste his tears.

‘Just go before I change my mind! Go!’ He yelled, his eyes burning, ash then fire. His taut, gaunt face lit up as the first flash of lightning cut through the mist hanging low above the sea, thunder rumbling not a second behind. Like carefully aimed bullets the second blade set a tree about a mile off ablaze, drums crashing and beating to the rhythm of the storm.

Back-pedalling and stumbling over my own feet, I retreated, not taking my eyes away from his as he scrambled for the handle of the car.

I knew that neither of us had long and fear clutched at my heart, terrified of what the slayers could do to him. But knowing they were after me I weighed up my options: I could go with the slayers or I could make my own way home from wherever we were.

The words of the slayer about cocking his leg over me filled my mind and I knew which I would prefer; I would take a forest full of vampires over them.

Frenetic, my voice was whispering in my mind, calling hurry, hurry, with an urgency I couldn’t ignore. Staring at the trunks of the trees I prepared to delve between, I took one last glance back at Kaspar, frozen, watching me with an expression I had never seen him wear before.

As I met his gaze he turned away and began to slide into his car, the wind howling, whistling what I thought were the words, ‘Goodbye, Violet.’

The thunder rumbled and tears streaked my cheeks, smudging my make-up yet again, eyes sore from where I was rubbing them to see. Tyres screeched as two sets of glaring headlights rounded the corner, ensnaring me like a startled deer. My heart leapt into my mouth as I watched the two cars close in.

This isn’t the right time.

I whirled around and diving towards his car in a few short steps, I wrenched the passenger door open, just as he was firing the engine up. Falling into the seat I yanked the door closed behind me in time to hear Kaspar cursing loudly.

‘What the f**k?’

‘I can’t leave, I just can’t!’ I gasped, spinning around to see the two cars not fifty metres behind us. ‘Oh, my God, oh, my God, they’re right behind us!’

‘Okay, calm down, just put your seatbelt on,’ he instructed, thrusting the car into gear. I didn’t need telling twice and plugged the belt in as I was forced back into the seat, the car accelerating at a speed that had to be illegal. My neck hit the headrest with a sickly click and my hands gripped the edge of the seat like there was no tomorrow, which my mind was screaming at me there would not be if we ploughed into a tree at this speed.

Quit complaining! If you didn’t want to die you would of gone back home to Daddy! my voice screeched in an oddly high-pitched tone, telling me it was as freaked out as I was.

Kaspar’s eyes were constantly flicking between his mirrors, the road and me, alternating between anger, concentration and concern, and self-consciously I reached up to wipe my tears away, but decided I wouldn’t bother as we rounded another corner and my hands flew back to grip the seat.

‘We just need to get to the borders of Varnley. It’s only a couple of miles,’ he muttered, more to himself than me but I nodded anyway, unable to speak as we powered around a corner, tyres screaming and protesting as the dial inched towards a hundred – an impossible speed for a human to cope with on a normal, nice road, let alone a narrow, winding road with trees like concrete poles each side.

‘What cars are they driving?’ he demanded as we approached a horrific bend, twisted like a hairpin. Spinning the wheel to the right we drifted ungracefully around the corner, earning him a scream on my part as my door passed a tree with eighths of an inch to spare.

‘What cars?’ he repeated, straightening the wheel and causing me to slam into the door.

‘I don’t know, do I?’ I shrieked, barely even glancing in my mirror. ‘It’s bloody dark! Why does it matter anyway? Shouldn’t you be concentrating on the road?’