After what seemed like forever, Jake gently pulled away from Isabella, though he kept his hands on her shoulders, staring at her like he’d never look away.
‘Cassie?’ He glanced over with a weak smile. ‘Cassie, it’s so good to see you too.’
Unfolding her stiff arms, she walked forward and hugged him hard. ‘Jake. What the hell?’
‘I’m sorry. I’m so very sorry,’ he murmured.
Cassie stood back, eyeing him, unable to repress her growing, disbelieving smile. ‘I … I can’t believe this …’ She tailed off and her smile began to fade as anger took over. ‘But it’s not you who owes us an apology.’ She turned on her heel and stared at Sir Alric.
He was still just inside the door, watching them. ‘Despite that, Cassie, I think I’ll allow Jake to explain. I’m sure you’d rather hear it from him.’
He’s right, she thought. She wasn’t sure she wanted to hear a word out of his mouth right now. Cassie turned back to Jake and Isabella, whose face was still buried in Jake’s neck, her arms wrapped around his body.
‘OK, what …’ Cassie stopped, tried again. ‘What happened? How did you … ?’ She faltered again, unsure of where to start.
‘Why don’t we all sit down?’ Jake said, clearing his throat. ‘I think we all need to.’
‘God, it all makes sense now. We both saw something. Isabella and I, we both saw a figure on that balcony.’ Her hands still trembling around her glass of water, Cassie nodded towards the French windows. ‘It was you, wasn’t it? You must have seen us.’
Jake nodded slowly, his hands constantly stroking Isabella’s hair. She was sitting on his lap, her face stained with tears of shock and happiness, her arms around his shoulders. Sir Alric had not taken a seat; he stood with his back to the bookshelves, watching them all in silence.
‘I’m so sorry. I wanted to yell to you, of course I did.’ He glanced at Sir Alric. ‘But it wasn’t allowed. I’d made a promise and I had to keep it.’
‘That wouldn’t have stopped you before.’ Cassie gave Sir Alric a vicious look. ‘What did he threaten you with?’
‘It wasn’t like that, Cassie.’ Jake smiled soberly. ‘A lot … a lot has happened since Istanbul. A lot of it I wasn’t aware of, obviously, but some of it I was. We’ve had a lot of time to talk.’ His eyes met Sir Alric’s, but without a trace of their usual hostility.
‘Then tell us. What happened? Why all the secrecy?’
‘Yes, Jake,’ Isabella said, her voice low and trembling, hardly able to stop it breaking. ‘Please, tell us what happened. How … how are you alive?’
‘He wasn’t,’ murmured Sir Alric. ‘At least, he was close enough to death that it made no difference.’
Jake swallowed and nodded. ‘Sir Alric saved me. That night at the Hagia Sophia, he used … some kind of medicine. Something old. Something long past its sell-by date, if you ask me.’ He attempted a weak smile. ‘I didn’t know what he’d done, of course. He told me this later. Weeks later, when I recovered consciousness.’
‘Medicine?’ Cassie said the word slowly, then furrowed her brow at Sir Alric. ‘You didn’t … Did you use the—’
‘The Tears, Cassie, yes. Almost all that were left.’
She stared at him, stunned. She knew just how valuable and rare the Tears were to the Few. And how irreplaceable …
As if reading her thoughts, Sir Alric grunted dismissively. ‘I decided the Few owed as much to Jake and his family. Call it payback, if you like.’
Feeling sudden tears of surprise and grudging gratitude spring to her eyes, Cassie blinked hard. She wasn’t going to cry, no way – but it was all so overwhelming. ‘Thank you,’ she said quietly, gazing at Sir Alric very directly. ‘I know how much that means. I know what you’ve … given up.’
He nodded in acknowledgement.
‘Thank you from me, too,’ blurted Isabella, detaching her arms from Jake long enough to extend a hand to her headmaster. A little surprised, he clasped it. ‘You don’t know how I— This means more than— Oh, Jake.’ And then she was in her boyfriend’s arms again, kissing and hugging him.
Sir Alric gave Cassie a wry look, and she moved away to stand next to him while the two others embraced. ‘I feel quite the gooseberry,’ he murmured.
‘No kidding.’ She raised an eyebrow. ‘But thank you. Really. I know what the Tears were worth.’
‘To the Few, yes.’ He shrugged.
Jake eventually disentangled himself from Isabella and took a deep breath. ‘I’m sorry we couldn’t say anything before. I didn’t want to get you into any more trouble – and if you knew I was still alive, there would be more. That’s how it had to be. It was for your safety as well as mine.’
‘Oh, Jake.’ Isabella took his face in her hands and shook it gently. ‘Nothing could have been worse than thinking you were dead. Nothing.’
‘I know. I’m sorry, sweetheart. I’m so sorry.’
‘Jake, your parents … do they know … ?’ Cassie asked hesitantly.
‘No.’ He shook his head quickly, looking tormented. ‘Even they don’t know I’m alive. They couldn’t. I want to tell them, of course I do, but—’ He licked his lips.