Gabriella Poole - Divided Souls (Darke Academy)

‘He’s gone to meet him. Wants me to come and meet them.’ Cassie felt like her voice was coming from someone else.

‘What?’ Jake prompted. ‘Where?’

‘Hagia Sophia.’ Cassie finally killed the voicemail with her thumb and frantically pressed Richard’s speed-dial button. ‘Answer. Please,

please. Answer!’ Her voice was rising close to hysteria.

If Ranjit was alive, if he was hanging around the Hagia Sophia, then there was every possibility that he could have found the Pendant

before Sir Alric. And if he’d found the Pendant before Sir Alric then he could be … dangerous.

It seemed as if no one was breathing when she finally snapped her phone shut, an awful fear tightening her throat.

‘Switched off,’ she whispered. ‘Richard’s switched off his phone. And he’s going to meet Ranjit. Alone.’

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

‘He’ll be fine.’ Isabella came to Cassie to console her, resting a hand on her arm, her brows knitted in confusion at Cassie’s reaction.

‘Richard always is. He is a … a survivor, yes?’

‘He’s a snake,’ growled Jake.

‘I don’t understand! It’s a good thing that Ranjit’s OK, right?’ exclaimed Isabella. ‘Cassie?’

‘It’s too complicated to explain.’ Cassie shook her head. ‘Listen, Richard’s in trouble. Serious, serious trouble. You’ve got to help me.’

Isabella blinked. ‘Since when have you been so worried about Richard? I thought you—’

‘I know, I know, never mind all that. I don’t want him to get hurt. Please help?’

‘Of course we—’

‘I mean, the only way you can.’ Fear made her voice hard. ‘Isabella, I think I’m going to have to fight Ranjit. I need to be strong enough.’

Isabella took a sharp breath, and a step closer to Jake.

‘No friggin’ way,’ he snapped, seizing Isabella’s hand and pulling her back towards him.

‘You’d rather see Richard die?’ barked Cassie.

‘Do not make me answer that one.’

‘Ranjit may be under a curse,’ she said, her teeth clenched, her voice low, dangerous. ‘There’s a … a Pendant. It’s … special. If he’s found

it, he may not be himself, OK? He won’t hold back! I need to be stronger, damn it! I need to feed.’

Isabella bit her lip, seeming to hesitate, and then took a step forward, but Jake yanked her behind him. ‘No, Isabella!’

Cassie’s jaw tightened. ‘Stay out of it, Jake!’

‘No way. Are you kidding me? Over my dead body! ’

Oh, don’t tempt me … Cassie took deep, slow breaths, trying to stop the room turning red. Fists balled up, she took a pace towards Jake,

and saw his hand grab at something in his belt. A knife-hilt. The Knife.

Her eyes narrowed and her breath hissed through her teeth. He’d lifted his T-shirt slightly and she could see the hilt clearly now, pressed

against his hard stomach muscles. Its mythical creatures were dead, unmoving, lifeless: it was nothing but a carving. Violent resentment

surged through her.

‘That isn’t yours,’ she hissed. ‘You have no right to it. None!’

‘Still sharp, though,’ he growled.

Cassie couldn’t remember when she had last breathed. Now she took a great lungful of air, shaking her head, desperately clearing her

vision of its scarlet filter. ‘No,’ she murmured. ‘No …’

We should take him, my darling! Don’t tell me no!

No! she snapped back in her mind. Shut up, Estelle!

Control yourself, Cassie … For all his myriad faults, Sir Alric had been right on that. And she must. She must. This was Jake, for God’s

sake!

She shut her eyes hard. ‘We haven’t got time for this.’

Jake eyed her warily for a long time before he spoke. ‘Fine. I agree.’ His hand moved a little further from the hilt. He gave Isabella a

sidelong, fierce glance. ‘So feed on me.’

Cassie started. ‘What?’

‘Jake, no!’ exclaimed Isabella.

‘Why not? You’ve done it, right? You say it’s safe. So what have I got to be scared of? If you’ve been telling me the truth.’ He turned back

to Cassie. ‘I get it. You need to be strong. So come on. Feed on me.’

She nodded, slowly at first, then more vigorously. ‘I haven’t got time to argue. You’ll do.’ She stepped swiftly up to him, seized his arms

and turned his wrists up to face her.

‘Could you have put that a little more tactfully?’ He was attempting a wry smile, but without much luck, and he was so tense she could

feel the sinews standing out against his muscles.

She smiled up into his nervous eyes, pitiless. He’d kept her from her prey, the interfering mortal; he could damn well stand in without a