HEDOSCHISM: WATTY AWARD WINNER

AMAZON PRIME VIDEO // PANIC // BONUS CHAPTER - THE JUMP

Ahead, the crowd parted, allowing the contestants through to the base of the cliffs. A hand snagged at my own and I jumped out of my jumbled thoughts to see a young girl, with long black waves of hair and a glint in her eyes that I was sure I recognised.

'Come along, dear,' she said, in a clipped English accent that I definitely knew only too well. 'Don't be such a scared little piggy!' Her wicked laughter was swallowed by the jeers and cheers of the crowd.

'Juliette?'

She hadn't looked like Juliette, but I knew only too well how Demons were masters of concealing their identities. Ancient chameleons, changing to fit whatever situation they found themselves in.

I pushed through the crowd, trying desperately to spot the girl. If she was Juliette, then she might know where to find Ethan and as much as I hated every screwed-up, twisted atom of that woman's existence, I knew I would do literally anything to get him back. The hole in my chest had been growing every day. This ever-deepening chasm into which my heart was sinking.

Yep. I'd do anything. Even if it meant joining forces with the mad demon who had tortured Addi and me.

'Won't do you no good to follow ghosts, babygirl.'

It was as if the very thought of him had somehow conjured him into this madness. Addi stood, as always, by my side, an ever-present constant in my life. His presence always served to provide some much-needed balance. How different he was now to the raver I'd met in Ibiza. The one I'd shared wild, crazy nights and numbing comedowns with. The one who'd partied with me until the end.

Still, I should imagine having your life-force sucked out of your chest by a soul-eating Demon was likely to curb your enthusiasm just a little bit.

'She might know something, Ads,' I said, craning my neck to see if I could find her again. 'She might be able to help.'

Addi hissed. 'Let me tell you something, that woman only helps one person and that's herself. Trust me, all she'll do is lead you on some damn wild goose chase and try to harvest your soul. You're a pretty lucrative commodity on the demon black market, you know?'

My shoulders drooped, as if my bones had suddenly become so heavy that they threatened to drag my whole body to the ground. He was right. Being an Endorian meant I had to be careful, especially when I had someone other than myself to think of now. The Angels might have been gone, but there were plenty of Demons still operating who'd give up just about everything to get their hands on a witch such as myself. In fact, there were other witches who'd do anything to get their hands on me.

'I've got to do something,' I said. 'I just want...' I stopped, the grief wrapping my heart in its fist and squeezing hard.

'What do you want, Case?'

I saw Ethan's face then. That smirk I'd once hated and now ached to see again. The way he used to fuss with his hair at the front. That constant frown in the mirror as if he didn't like what he saw. The spark in his eyes. His demon eyes. Black. Inky. Like darkness and light combined. Beautiful.

'You know what I want, Ads. I just want him back. I'm scared to do this without him.'

'Then you know what you gotta do,' Addi said, looking up. Way up.

The crag was the highest point. I could see a few figures already up there, like gulls on the edge, waiting to swoop down. My heart thudded. A wave of dizziness rocked me back on my heels.

'Suicide Leap, babygirl,' Addi said. 'The Big One. Not without risks, but what is life without risks, yeah?'

'I would have thought you'd have been done with taking risks by now, Ads.'