To my relief, the barn door opened. They must have followed Marcus when he dragged me out of the lighthouse. I knew there was no way Agnes and Fiona would let anything happen to me. They wouldn't have tried to teach me how to use my magic and break into the lighthouse and then let someone kidnap me.

Instead, Alun Davies was standing in the doorway, grinning as he took in the scene before him.

"Well, well, well," he chuckled darkly, looking between me and Marcus's naked form. "I never thought I'd find you in such a compromising position, Evie. And with a naked man, no less."

I felt my cheeks burn with embarrassment and anger. How dare he make such crude insinuations? After all, this was the man I was engaged to, although Alun wouldn't have known that. I opened my mouth to protest, but Alun waved me off.

"Don't bother trying to explain," he smirked. "This little find is only going to make the story so much better when I tell the village. The pure Evie Hartwell, caught in the act with her lover. It's almost too good to be true. I couldn't have planned this better." He closed the barn door behind him.

Whilst Alun's back was turned, I heard the distinctive sound of Marcus's transformation. The wolf charged towards Alun, but Alun simply waved his arm and I watched as Marcus was thrown backwards into the barn wall. His body hitting with a crunch which sounded like the breaking of bones. "Lets have none of that, beast. I've no interest in harming you, but if you get in the way of what I need to do here, I will have no choice."

I tried to go to Marcus to see if he was alright, but I was frozen to the spot, feeling sick at the thought of Alun hurting Marcus. I guess the truth was there was a part of me which still cared for him.

I looked over at Marcus, who was scrambling to put his clothes back on, his face a mixture of anger and embarrassment. His left arm was fractured, bent at an unusual angle.

"Don't worry about the animal, it will heal quickly. By the time I've finished here, he will be fully healed and still there will be nothing he can do to stop what's going to happen next."

"Why are you here, Alun?" I said, my voice shaking with rage. "There's no reason you should be here."

Alun's eyes flashed with malice as he stepped forward. "Oh, but I think I do, Evie. I needed someone the village could focus on. Someone they could blame for everything that's been going wrong and you've done such a good job with that. The little things I need to do to make my plans happen will be nicely hidden in your myriad of messes. So easy for you to take the blame for everything. It's such a shame that the thorn in my side is the scapegoat I need. This naked indiscretion is just the ammunition I need to ruin you. Just think what poor old Gethin will think. There won't be any reason for him to want to save you if he thinks you have been cheating on him."

Marcus moved to stand beside me, placing his hand in the small of my back. I was sure it was meant to be a moment of comfort, of reassurance, but I was aware I wanted it to be Gethin standing next to me. "I remember you from when I was a kid. You and your brother always made trouble for the wolf pack."

"His brother? You mean Thomas?" Marcus nodded. "He was the one I found dead in Willow Grove."

"The same Thomas who hit you, Evie? That makes more sense. Thomas always used his presence to intimidate anyone around him."

Alun's smirk faltered for a moment, but he quickly recovered. "Ah, so you know about that little incident? Well, let's just say my brother had his reasons. Evie here has a habit of sticking her nose in where it's not wanted."

"There's no reason good enough for what he did," I said. "Your brother was a bully and a coward."

Alun's eyes flashed, and he took a step towards me. "You watch your mouth, girl. You don't know what you're talking about."

Marcus moved to stand in front of me, his body tense and ready to defend. He tried to move towards Alun, but it was as if there was a line Marcus could not cross. "Don't you come any closer," he growled, his fists clenched.

Alun sneered and looked between us. "Aww, look at you two, all protective. But remember, Evie, you're not in a position to make enemies. Not with the village already turning against you. It's a good job you don't need me to help you get out of this situation."

I felt a flicker of fear. He was right. My reputation in Llyncroft was hanging by a thread. But I wasn't going to let him see me scared. I straightened up and looked him in the eye. "I'm not scared of you, Alun. And I won't let you or your brother bully me."

Alun's sneer deepened, and he turned and stalked out of the barn. We both tried to follow but could not. "Don't worry about that. I've no intention of bullying you, just letting you take the fall for Thomas' death."

The heavy barn door slammed shut with a resounding thud, the sound echoing through the cavernous space. As I heard the scrape of metal against metal as Alun locked the door from the outside, trapping Marcus and me inside, I felt something change around me, and could rush to the door. I tried to shake it, but it did not move.

"Alun!" I shouted, my voice tinged with panic. "What are you doing? Let us out!"

His mocking laughter filtered through the thick wood, sending a chill down my spine. "Oh, Evie, you didn't think I'd let you off that easily, did you? Not after what you've done."

I exchanged a worried glance with Marcus, who looked just as confused and frightened as I felt. "What are you talking about, Alun?" I demanded, trying to keep my voice steady. "We haven't done anything wrong!"

"Haven't you?" Alun's voice was dripping with malice. "You've been meddling in things that don't concern you, Evie. Sticking your nose where it doesn't belong. And now, you're going to pay the price."

I heard liquid sloshing, and the acrid smell of petrol filled my nostrils. My eyes widened in horror as I realized what Alun was doing. "No," I whispered, my voice trembling. "Alun, please, don't do this."

"Too late for that now," he cackled, his voice rising with manic glee. "You should have thought about the consequences before you crossed me, Evie. Now, you and your little boyfriend are going to burn for your sins."

The smell of petrol grew stronger, and I could hear the splash of liquid hitting the ground outside the barn. My heart raced. Alun was going to set the barn on fire, with us trapped inside.

Marcus grabbed my hand, his grip tight and reassuring. "We will get out of here," he said, his eyes darting around the barn, searching for an escape route.

I couldn't see a way out. The barn was old and sturdy, with no windows or other doors I could see, but there might have been something in the hayloft, although I couldn't see how that would help us get out. We were trapped, at the mercy of a madman who wanted to see us burn.

"Alun, please," I begged, my voice cracking with desperation. "Don't do this. We can talk about this, figure something out."

But Alun's laughter only grew louder, more unhinged. "There's nothing to talk about, Evie. You've made your bed, and now you're going to lie in it. Or should I say, burn in it?"

I felt a surge of energy go through me, like an electric shock. It was a strange feeling, and one I had never experienced before, but it was also somehow familiar, like a long-lost friend returning home.

Before I could dwell on the feeling, there was a loud crash from the hayloft, which made me and Marcus jump. We both turned to look at the source of the noise. Something was in the hayloft above us.

"What the hell?" Marcus muttered, tightening his grip on my hand.

I squinted, trying to make out what it was, but it was difficult to see in the dim light of the barn. Was it a person? Whoever it was, they were getting to their feet, hay sticking to their clothes and hair.

As I watched, smoke curled up from the floor below the hayloft, and I could smell the acrid stench of burning. My heart sank as I realised what was happening.

Alun had set the petrol coated barn on fire.

I felt panic rise in my chest there no way to escape the flames that were rapidly spreading through the dry hay.

"We need to get out of here," I said, my voice trembling.

Marcus nodded. "The hayloft," he said, pointing to the figure above us. "It's our only chance."

I hesitated, but as the smoke grew thicker and the heat of the flames grew more intense, I knew I had no choice.

"Get up here," a familiar voice called down to us. "This is meant to be a rescue."

Together, Marcus and I ran towards the ladder that led up to the hayloft. I could hear the fire crackling behind us, getting louder with each passing second.

When I got to the ladder, I looked back and saw the flames licking at the hay, casting an orange glow around the barn. I climbed the ladder as fast as I could. Marcus was close behind me. We pulled ourselves onto the hay loft, coughing as the smoke filled our lungs.

The figure was there, bent over and gasping for air. As I got closer, I realised it was Agnes. Her face blackened with soot and her eyes were wide with fear.

"Agnes?" I said. "What are you doing here?"