The entire wheel starts to lean over, flying me into the seat. I keep a tight grip of the carriage bars but it won't save any of us if the whole thing tips. There is a long pause and I take a deep breath as I think it's stopped.

"The ride is unsafe," a creature says as his arms stretch into the carriage to try and pull my arm. "We must remove you."

"No, help them first," I say, pointing to the other carriages.

"Go help them," he says to the other creature. "I've got this."

The creature slides his hands around my waist and pulls me out whether I like it or not. Other creatures drop down to help secure the other squealing humans out, I am carried back down to the ground and placed beside a small cabin.

"Stay here and don't move," he says, before taking off towards the wheel.

I place a hand above my eyes as I look up at it. It's no longer vertical, the wheel has been bent forwards several feet. It has stopped now but what caused that? Is it just a coincidence that after eight years it decided to fall apart at the exact moment Cain received startling news?

I turn my head as something fast runs at me from my left. Blake grabs my hand and starts pulling me behind the cabin.

"We have to move, now," he says.

"What the hell is going on?" I say.

He forces me to run with him through a secluded plot of land, running in this heat is not the best idea and I pause inside the woodland as I keel over panting.

"Aurora, we have to keep moving."

"Why are we running?" I pant. "I need a minute."

Blake jogs back over to me and looks across the land, turning his head in all directions until he's satisfied that nothing's there. "The sky isn't safe right now. Whoever just tipped that wheel over is still out there."

"A creature did that?"

"There's an intruder," he says. "The guards lost her once she infiltrated the wall, she's disguising herself as a human."

"Thea," I mumble.

"Thea is a world leader, Aurora. She has dozens of followers that she'll manipulate into doing anything she says, including betraying the King. It might be one of them. They didn't get a good look at the intruder, only that she's female."

"Cain's looking for her?"

Blake nods.

"Where's Jackson?" I say. "What if she goes after him?"

"He's safe, don't worry. Thea's followers act like spies. She usually uses them to infiltrate and gain information on our kind but in this case, it is more like an assassination. You are her target."

I lean against the tree as I bite on my trembling finger. One creature against thousands, the odds are massively against her, so why do I feel this afraid? There's an entire park full of humans and innocent children that the creature could use to lure me out and I'd willingly go into danger if any of their lives were at risk.

I remove my finger as I hear something coming from inside the trees. Blake and I exchange a look.

"Help!" someone cries.

Blake shakes his head at me. "Aurora, no."

I start running before he has the chance to stop me, I'm too fast for him but he catches me at the last second as I stop and stare at the injured girl laying down in the middle of a small field. She's on her back, blood spraying from her mouth as she tries to scream. Blake pushes me back by my shoulders.

"Help her," I say. "Please!"

"It's a trick, I am not leaving you."

"I am ordering you to help her," I hiss, trying to push him out of my way. He holds my hands together tightly and restrains me. "I thought you cared about us, prove it."

"Your disgust of me is nothing compared to what the King will do to me if you die while in my care. The girl is seconds away from death, there's nothing I can do."

I look over his shoulder as the girl's body falls still. She takes her last breath against the soft grass. Blake drags me back into the trees, staring up at the sky above the field.

"She knows we are here," he says. "She's staying hidden for a reason."

"Why?" I cry. "Why doesn't she just get it over with?"

"She's waiting until we're in the sky, that's when we have the biggest advantage and when I'll be most vulnerable if I'm carrying you. We need to go back."

He makes me run through the field again. I collapse next to the cabin for a moment, spotting a group of humans walking past us on the path. Blake doesn't give me time to catch my breath, he drags me through the park. I really need a drink but I have no idea where my bag is, I think I left it on the wheel. We jog past a water stall and I grab a bottle from the counter, Blake bursts us straight through a crowd of people that are talking in a group and I bash into many bodies as he takes me towards a building with shade. I force him to stop, refusing to move from the small building as I take a sip of water.

"Where are they all?" I say, looking up at the empty sky.

"I'm not sure," Blake says. "The King might have given them orders to search for the intruder on foot. There's too many blind spots in the sky."

"So what do we do?"

"We wait," he says.

I lean back against the wall. There's people everywhere, children everywhere, and it's hard to find anything that looks out of the ordinary. Through the excited movement of bodies, I meet the cold stare of a woman dressed completely in black with a hood over her head. She wears shades over her eyes and if it wasn't for the light wind blowing her dark blonde hair around her neckline then I wouldn't be sure if she was a female.

"Blake," I mumble, tapping his arm.

"I see her."

The creature stands still in the middle of the path, just staring back at us. So many children and clueless humans walk around her. She doesn't seem interested in them but I'm having a panic attack just watching it. At any moment she could grab one, she could take to the sky and never be seen again. Blake jerks forwards and I try and stop him, I can't physically force him to stop but he accedes to my silent demand.

"Don't move," I growl at him. "If you move then she'll take a hostage."

The creature spreads her dark grey wings out, twisting her head as she keeps her gaze on me, on only me. She flicks her head left suddenly, an army of creatures begin running towards us from a clearing. Her lips snarl and then she pushes herself into the air.

"Stay with her!" Blake yells, pointing at me before he follows the creature.

I take deep breaths as I move my back along the wall of the building, I turn the corner and I smack straight into a hard chest. I gasp out with a light squeal but I contain it when Cain's arms fold around me.

"Are you okay?" he asks.

"No," I say. "A girl is dead. She killed her."

"You saw her die?"

I nod.

"I'm sorry for leaving you. I thought that would be the safest place for you because an intruder wouldn't hide in the sky."

He looks over my head and distances himself. Blake lands with a look of anger, he shakes his head at Cain. He walks over to us. I start moving away from them, straying further back to the building.

"I lost her over the wall. Whoever she is, she's fast."

"And smart," Cain snarls. "She knew exactly how to draw Aurora out."

"She tipped the wheel," Blake says. "She made it look like the ride was unsafe. Strength like that doesn't just happen overnight. Who of our kind except world leaders have that kind of strength?"

"You think she's a watcher?" Cain says.

Blake looks back to the wheel. "I don't think I could move it. But if she really is that powerful then why didn't she attack me? It's like she was observing."

"Strange."

"My King," a female creature says as she runs towards us. "We have found the bodies of a girl and boy. We found them outside the wall."

Cain and Blake look at each other in silence. I kick myself from the wall and I charge back to them.

"Take me to Jackson. Now."

"He's safe."

"I'm not asking, Cain."

"Okay. Blake, try and identify the dead and notify their groups. Take the bodies somewhere so they're not discovered. Increase the security at the walls, I want it as tight as the palace."

I start walking in a direction and he catches up to me a few seconds later. I don't want to be mad at him because he's trying his best but I can't contain these emotions. Today was meant to be a day of release and happiness for the humans, and now three of them are dead; that we know of so far.

"Aurora, stop." Cain's voice is gentle, he places his hand around mine and I come to a stop gradually. "Talk to me."

"I can accept people dying," I say. "I've accepted it for eight years. But they died because of me. I am the reason that they are dead. She was here for me."

"No, that's not true. This isn't your fault."

"This was my idea. I brought them here and it was supposed to make them happy."

"Look around," he says. "They are happy. Do not let one murderous intruder ruin this day for them. I will find whoever is responsible for this and I will bring them to justice. Don't blame yourself please, I cannot handle seeing that pain on your face."

He wipes my cheeks and leans his lips down to my forehead. I rest my face into his soft white shirt, allowing him to comfort me for a few short minutes. Cain is so sweet, he always knows exactly what to say, exactly how to hold me at just the right tightness to make me feel better. It's enough to trick me into wanting to spend forever by his side. If he fed from me right now then he'd know that that's my greatest desire.

"She won't be the last, Cain," I say. "Your kind will never stop coming after me. They know that I'm your weakness."

"My kind have been coming after you for a long time now and you're still here. Do you think I can't protect you?"

I roll my eyes. "I shouldn't need protecting."

"I agree but it doesn't change anything."

I check my watch as we walk towards the lunch spot at the other side of the park. I'm late but the others don't seem to mind. I embrace Jackson first and I ignore his squirm to get out of it. He's sitting at a table with Angelica and the other children while Christian and their nannies are eating sandwiches, they're surrounded by creatures.

"There she is!" Christian says, waving at me. "I've been looking for you everywhere, where have you been hiding?"

"We ran into some trouble but it's taken care of," I say. I swipe a sandwich from his paper plate, nibbling at it as I sit beside him.

"You could get your own, you know?"

I smile at him. "I could."

"What happened?" he says.

I look over to Irene and the others, making sure they're not listening before I lean closer to Christian. "There was an intruder. She killed three people."

"What?" he whispers. "Who was she?"

"No one knows, she was in disguise. She managed to elude thousands of guards and Blake and Cain."

"That makes no sense though. Why would a creature break in just to kill three humans?"

"To cause diversions," I mumble. "To get to me."

"Oh." He looks at me sadly and then slides his plate over. "Here, take another sandwich."

"It was just so strange," I say, checking over my shoulder. "She looked right at me but it was like she was. . . observing me. It wasn't anger. It was like she was jealous of something."

"Hm. You and Cain were paranoid that Thea would plot something. She can't get near the palace so this was her best chance."

"I don't think it was Thea," I say. "An assassin of hers wouldn't have left me alive. She had me cornered with Blake but she waited."

"What are you saying?"

I bite into the sandwich. I don't know what I'm saying. Nothing about it made any sense and Blake knows it too. Something felt off. The way she looked at me—even with her eyes hidden behind the shades—was anything but friendly and yet at the same time I felt drawn to her. I rub my temple as a cluster of shrieking voices rise behind us.

"Kids! Stop arguing!" Madeline shouts.

"So apart from being hunted have you had a good day so far?" Christian asks.

I nod. "It was more for everyone else than myself. Just looking at those tracks makes me want to throw up."

He laughs. "I did throw up. Note to self, do not get on a spinning ride when the creatures are the ones pushing you."

"I'm glad you've enjoyed it. Jase said you found some of your old friends."

"Yeah, I bumped into them this morning. We had fun. They really want to meet you. I'm joining them at the lake soon if you want to come."

"There's a lake here?"

"Yeah, down the path to the gardens."

"That sounds really nice." I look over to the kid's table. "They're coming too. I'm not letting Jackson out of my sight again."

"Shocker," he mumbles.

I bump his shoulder and we grin at each other. After we've finished eating, I say goodbye to the children. I wasn't brave enough to do it the first time because I believed I would never see them again but now I know that there's a chance I will always be a part of their lives. Whatever happens.

"Visit soon if you can," Madeline says as she takes my hands and squeezes them. "And thank you for this wonderful day."

"Take care of yourself," I say. "Goodbye."

Jackson and Natalie walk ahead of us. The sky is full of creatures again, just hovering in their thousands like a swarm of giant bees. I spot Samson laying on a hill with his female friends beside him, he's smiling, he looks happy. Cain was right, the actions of one creature shouldn't ruin this. I still see that girl's face when I close my eyes though. I don't think it'll fade for a while.

"So you can command all of those creatures to do anything?"

"Mm-hm."

He points to a young-looking creature with chubby cheeks that is slightly bouncing. "You can command that creature to just do a back flip in the air?"

"Christian," I laugh.

"What? What's the point in having power if you don't have fun with it?"

"I think you've had too much sun."

"You really want to compare warped brains? You, the creature lover?"

"Point taken," I say.

"Where is the smouldering King anyway?"

I grin to myself as I follow Jackson through a small gate. "Above us."

Christian's head twists to the sky in paranoia, I grip his wrist and drag him through the gate. The gardens are not what I expected, then again what could anyone expect after eight years? The paths are just barely visible as the overgrown bushes crowd each side. I can't see anything except weeds for miles. Cain must be able to see an end to it and it's annoying me that he hasn't dropped down to point us in the right direction.

"Did mother nature throw up here?" Natalie says.

"I think she emptied her entire stomach here," Christian mumbles as he smacks a bendy branch out of the way of his face.

"Where do we go?" Natalie says. "There's two paths."

Christian stops and observes the unreadable sign in between the two paths. He squints down at it, rubbing his chin. "It definitely says lake but I can't make out the arrow."

"This is ridiculous," I say, snapping my eyes to the sky. "Cain! Get down here!"

"You called?"

I turn around and meet his amused eyes. He stands next to the right pathway and folds his arms. "Where is it?"

"Where's what?"

"The lake," I say. "Is it left or right?"

"I want to tell you but I think it's more fun not to."

I stare at him and he surrenders, sighing as he points his head down the path he's standing at. "Right."

"Thank you."

"Or is it?" he mumbles. We all stop and he laughs out. "I'm joking. It's right. Keep walking straight and then turn left, you can't really miss it. Unless you're stupid."

The others go on ahead and I narrow my eyes at him before taking his hand. I gently pull him and he crashes into my body.

"Is this your way of inviting me along?" he says.

"Yeah, I don't like it when you hide away."

"I thought that's what you wanted."

"Sometimes. Not all the time."

"I can promise you that I'm never far," he says against my ear.

I see the lake through a clearing of some trees and we follow the others as they slide down a small hill to reach it. The lake is massive and looks dirty, the path that stretches around it would take hours to walk but we act as though that isn't a problem.

"Look," Cain says, pointing across the lake.

The animals line up on the other side of the lake to take drinks, they're mostly wild deer but I spot a few strange looking birds with magnificently coloured feathers. A few minutes later, Natalie's scream of terror pierces my ears. They freeze in the middle of the path as a giant crocodile slides down the hillside and lands right in front of us.

"Stay still," Christian says.

"That thing is massive!" Natalie shouts.

"Shush," Jackson says.

Cain walks towards it confidently, we all know that even a beast as big as this crocodile wouldn't stand a chance against him so we walk closer to get a better look. Cain kneels down in front of the beast and touches the top of its head. He rises a moment later.

"It won't hurt you, come on."

He turns around to wait for us and we all stare back at him. The beast starts waddling our way and I clutch Jackson's head as it walks right by us.

"What part of 'it won't hurt you' didn't you understand?"

"All of it," I say.

"How did you do that?" Christian says in amazement.

"I didn't do anything. I read its thoughts, it isn't hungry."

"I thought it looked pretty calm. I wasn't scared," Christian mumbles.

I grin as I pass him. "Of course you weren't."

We meet up with Christian's friends at the other side of the lake. It took us an entire hour to walk around it to get there and I was tempted to ask Cain to fly us over but I didn't want us to rely on him. They sit on the hillside wearing only shorts and they've got female company with them. The girls are swimming in circles, they stop when they see us. The guys are immediately on their feet and bowing their heads which is strange for humans to do. They're both tall with pale skin and dark hair. One is slimmer than the other but I can slightly see the bones of their ribcages. Jase looked like that when he was being fed on, he lost all his weight and couldn't stand for long.

"Aurora, this is Denver and Marlo," Christian says. "Guys, this is Aurora."

I expected that there'd be more than two of them but it dawns on me that the others that Christian knew would probably have been sold or killed.

"It's nice to meet you," Denver says. "We've heard a lot about you today."

"None of it's true," I say.

"Well, you're pretty damn lucky to have this guy cooking for you. Have you tried his omelette yet?"

"Yes, it's amazing. Did you all learn to cook together?"

Marlo shakes his head. "Christian cooked, we just farmed." They both fall silent as their eyes look over at Cain. The tension changes and it causes my palms to sweat.

"I'll take a walk somewhere," Cain says.

His voice breaks my heart. I stare after him sadly as he kicks some rocks and walks along the path that Jackson and Natalie are sitting on.

"Doesn't he have anything better to do than stay by your side all day?" Marlo says. "What a headcase."

"Marlo," Christian says. "He's the King."

"I don't give a shit who he is, he's the reason our friends are dead."