Alina POV “A panic attack?” Josh guessed. “I think so. I’ve never talked to anyone about it before, and I’ve never had another one until yesterday,” I admitted, still embarrassed that he’d had to witness my moment of weakness.  “How long were you stuck for?” “I was up there for three hours. I was crying and screaming and no one came to rescue me. I think I hyperventilated and passed out at one point.” I had tried to block out the memories from that day, the overwhelming fear and terror I felt, but I could still feel it all vividly.  “Eventually it lurched and started moving again and as I got to the bottom, my mum came running towards me, hugging and kissing me. She looked as traumatised as me, but then I watch

Josh POVThe eyes that watched my every move never seemed as threatening in the daylight, but I got the distinct impression that these were not the same eyes that watched at night. The meadow was lush and green in the daylight, and it made me want to set off and explore it. I’d have to save that for another time, when everything in the forest wasn’t trying to kill or capture me.I reached the lake and stripped off, wading into the freezing cold water. Looking at the shrivelling going on downstairs, I was suddenly thankful that Allie hadn’t wanted to bathe with me. I wouldn’t exactly be putting my best foot forward, so to speak.It felt great to finally wash the dirt and grime away. The sun wasn’t bright enough to dry my clothes quickly, so I decided not to wash them. I ran my finger ove

Allie POV I watched as Josh kept picking up sticks and branches. He examined them carefully before throwing them aside. He kept this up for a good kilometre or more. It was a welcome distraction, watching his face as he studied them intently. “So, what exactly are you looking for in the perfect stick?” I asked. He smiled at me over his shoulder, and it took me by surprise. He had this cheeky, carefree, boyish quality to him that made my breath hitch. “Well, I want something with a good point on the end, so I can spear a rabbit or something else delicious, but it has to be strong enough that it won’t snap. I’ve had some good contenders, but I’m looking for Mr Lucky.” I picked up a fairly decent looking one and held it up

Allie POVThere it was. The catch I’d been waiting for.I shot Josh a hard look, silently begging him to keep quiet until we’d heard all the details. For all we knew, her task could be to overthrow the Obsidian King ourselves. “Yes, of course. Name it,” Josh hurriedly agreed. I couldn’t help the groan that escaped me. We were locked in now. The fae never reneged on a deal. And as nice as the Ivory Court seemed, I knew they could turn on us just as quickly if they thought we were the enemy.“You do not wish to accept my deal?” asked the Ivory Queen, fixing me with a stern look.“It’s not that. I just would have prefe

Allie POVI should have known our conversation about school would end like that. Josh’s life had been completely different to mine in just about every way. He was one of those people who could be friends with anyone, and everyone probably wanted to be his friend, too. Of course he would enjoy the social aspect of school more than anything else. I didn’t want to think about it anymore.A familiar-looking lake came into view ahead of us, and I realised where we were. Olive’s tree was just up ahead. I felt a small jolt of excitement and raced over. Olive heard me coming and spun around with the widest, most genuine smile I think I’d ever seen, plastered to her face.“Oh, my darlings!” she said, embracing me warmly and smiling over my shoulder at Josh. As he got closer, she opened an