Insidious

True evil is rarely obvious. It is quiet, patient. Insidious. Awaiting the perfect moment to strike.

Joy Malone finally knows who she is, where she comes from and how to live in two worlds at once. And now she can introduce her family and friends to her mysterious boyfriend, Indelible Ink. But when Ink’s twin sister, Invisible Inq, calls in a favor, Joy must accept a dangerous mission to find a forgotten door between worlds—a door hiding a secret that some will kill to keep.

Unseen enemies, treasonous magic and an unthinkable betrayal threaten both the Twixt and human worlds as Joy races to expose an ancient conspiracy and unleash the unalterable truth—some secrets cannot remain secret forever.

PRAISE FOR DAWN METCALF

“This exhilarating story of Ink and Joy has marked my heart forever. Dawn Metcalf, I am indelibly bound to you. More!”

—New York Times bestselling author Nancy Holder on Indelible

“[Metcalf’s] rich physical descriptions create a complex fey world that coexists uneasily with the industrialized human one. An uneven but eventually engaging story of first love, family drama and supernatural violence.”

—Kirkus Reviews on Indelible

“Dangerous, bizarre, and romantic, Indelible makes for a delicious paranormal read, and I for one can’t wait to see more of the Twixt.”

—Bookyurt on Indelible

“Fans of fae fantasy, YA paranormal and modern fantasy will adore this novel and find themselves willingly trapped within the Twixt. Read. This. Book!”

—Serena Chase, USATODAY.com’s Happy Ever After blog

on Indelible

“Romance fans will melt for this new tale of the Twixt.”

—Booklist Online on Invisible

Books by Dawn Metcalf available from Mira Ink

The Twixt series

(in reading order)

INDELIBLE

INVISIBLE

INSIDIOUS

Insidious

• THE TWIXT • BOOK THREE •

Dawn Metcalf

www.miraink.co.uk

For S.L. & A.J.

I love you more than all the words!

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Praise

Booklist

Title Page

Dedication

ONE

TWO

THREE

FOUR

FIVE

SIX

SEVEN

EIGHT

NINE

TEN

ELEVEN

TWELVE

THIRTEEN

FOURTEEN

FIFTEEN

SIXTEEN

SEVENTEEN

EIGHTEEN

NINETEEN

TWENTY

TWENTY-ONE

TWENTY-TWO

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Extract

Copyright

ONE

JOY OPENED THE door with a mix of nervousness, excitement and dread. She smiled at her boyfriend, who stood in the hall looking human.

“Ink!” she said, giving him a kiss on the cheek. He smelled like spring rain. “Just act normal,” she whispered by his ear.

Ink blinked in confusion. His glamour made his all-black eyes look brown.

“I am not normal,” he said.

Joy hooked his arm and squeezed. “Aaaaaand that’s what I love about you.” She steered him into the condo. “Ink’s here!”

“We can see that,” Stef said, coming up behind her. “We have eyes. Two of them, in fact. Both in working condition.” He gave a toothy grin. “Imagine that.”

Joy frowned. Her brother didn’t mention that Ink had stabbed her in the eye six months ago when he’d discovered that she had the Sight—the ability to see the Folk like him in the Twixt—but he didn’t have to; it hung in the air like an unspoken threat. The kitchen light flashed off of her brother’s glyph-scribbled glasses.

“Stef—” Joy warned.

He pointed to himself. “Older brother,” he said. “It’s part of the job. With great power comes great scrutiny.”

“Stef.” Their father’s voice came from across the kitchen. “Are you harassing our guest?”

Joy said, “Yes!” just as Stef said “No!”

Mr. Malone shook his head. His girlfriend, Shelley, chuckled while untying her apron. “Let’s all sit down,” she said soothingly. “Dinner’s ready.”

Stef stepped aside. Joy marched Ink in.

We can do this, she thought. No problem. It’s not war, it’s not life-and-death—it’s just dinner with my family. And my boyfriend. My inhuman, immortal, usually invisible boyfriend. She patted Ink’s arm. Okay, remember: one conniption fit at a time.

“Have a seat.” Joy’s father waved at the table. “Glad you could make it, Mark.” Mr. Malone refused to call Ink by his nickname, which was funny since “Mark Carver” was his human alias—everyone in the Twixt called him “Indelible Ink.” His True Name was written as an unpronounceable symbol, a signatura. Names were powerful things in the Twixt, and the Folk had learned to take precautions against human entrapment.

“I’m glad to be here,” Ink said, careful to use contractions. Joy had coached him that he sounded more human that way. Joy guided Ink to the chair next to hers. It was the one she’d been sitting in when he’d first traced her ear, exploring the tiniest details of what it meant to be human...and accidentally learning what it felt like to fall in love.

She saw him remember. Two dimples appeared, and Joy felt her cheeks warm as she smiled.

Stef sat down and began heaping chicken and green beans onto his plate. Joy grabbed the platter out of his hands.

“Guests first,” Joy said through clenched teeth.

“That’s right, Stef,” Mr. Malone said as he offered Ink a large bowl of roasted red potatoes. “You know the rules.”