Chapter 136

Kaia

“It’s Tuesday,” I said. “He calls on Sundays.”

I said it to nobody. Liam was right there, and I was still close enough to feel the warmth coming off him, and my hand was still curled in the front of his shirt, and I let go of it as if it had burned me. I wiped my hands on my jeans. I picked up the phone. I went out into the hall, and I pulled the kitchen door half shut behind me, and I didn’t look back at him, because if I had looked back at him I would have put the phone down.

I should have put the phone down.

“Tiernan? What’s wrong? It’s not—”

“Nothing’s wrong.” My brother’s voice, steady and careful. Too careful. The voice he used on the council at home when he was about to say something they wouldn’t like. “Everyone’s fine. Nobody’s hurt. I’m sorry, Kai, I know it’s not Sunday. I didn’t want to leave this till Sunday.”

“Leave what?”

He didn’t answer straight away.

I stood at the foot of the stairs with my floury hand on