Prologue

Lewis watched his old friend - his rediscovered friend - pacing across his living room floor. He was worried he might start making divots in the new wooden floors, but he kept quiet. He knew Zane was having a hard time and, compared to everything that had happened, scuffed floors were the least of everyone's worries. Cleo had called just a few minutes before that to let him know she was on the way home from work. He had weakly responded that he had a surprise for her when she got home. Trying to figure out how he was going to explain Zane's presence and everything he had told him, he had an urge to join him in pacing and wearing the floorboards down.

Zane was muttering to himself and Lewis shivered, recalling some of the 'highlights' that he had learned about. He couldn't imagine how difficult it must have been for Zane to come here and tell him everything - what had happened in the last six years, the dangers that had surfaced now. How his attempts to fix things on his own had failed.

"When does she get home?" Zane suddenly stopped in his pacing and stared intently at Lewis. That stare, the look he gave him, was nothing short of terrifying. When had he learned to look through people like that, Lewis wondered to himself.

"She should be here in 15 minutes," Lewis said, trying to keep his tone light. "What should we..."

He stopped himself as Zane continued to stare at him.

"Where do we start?" Lewis finally said helplessly.

"We get her to call Rikki," Zane said firmly. "She'll listen to Cleo, she'll stop this."

"I don't know if she will," Lewis said quietly, and instantly hushed at the look Zane gave him.

"What do you mean?" Zane demanded. "She's her friend. She has to listen to her. She'll understand how serious this is."

Lewis shook his head, not daring to look at Zane's burning eyes.

"She hasn't so far," he said. "And we've tried to talk to her, believe me."

Zane made a noise that was halfway between a groan and a scoff.

There was a sound from the front of the house, the door opening, and then Cleo's voice rang out down the corridor. Zane whirled on him and Lewis flinched again. He didn't know why he was so afraid of his old friend. And he realised, with a sudden sharpness in his gut, that he really was afraid of him.

"You said fifteen minutes," Zane growled.

"I guess she was closer than I realised," Lewis said, standing up and moving towards the door where Cleo would be coming in.

Zane grabbed his shoulder and stared into his eyes again. There was urgency there. And fear.

"We only tell her what she needs to know," he whispered fiercely.

Lewis nodded as he saw Cleo walk into the room. Zane instantly released his shoulder and whirled around to face her.

"Zane!" Cleo exclaimed. She had a laptop bag in her arms and it hit the floor. She stumbled forward. "Oh, my God. What are you doing here? Does Rikki know?"

Lewis watched as Zane suddenly went from wound-up, hostile and fierce to a kind of meekness he had not expected. Cleo had had this effect on him.

"I'm here because of Rikki," he said, not looking at her, not looking at anything but his own shoes. His long-sleeved shirt stuck to his body - Lewis noticed for the first time that he was perspiring heavily, despite the air conditioner running on high in the house.

"What about Rikki?" Cleo asked anxiously, glancing over to Lewis with many, many questions in her eyes.

"She's in danger, Cleo," Zane said softly. "She's in so much danger, and I can't save her on my own."

Lewis realised he was starting to feel a bit ill. He remembered the last time Zane had come spouting doom like this. He hadn't listened then. None of them had.