Hold Tight

The Embrace Series 2

by

Cherie Colyer

Vince

For everything you do.

Chapter 1

Careful What You Wish For

I figured if I got caught with the little ironclad book, I’d ask him for forgiveness. Really, in the whole scheme of the universe, what was one little spell?

My six-year-old brother and I were home alone, and he was in the family room, engrossed in his favorite cartoon. Dad was stuck at work, again, but tonight that would be to my advantage because I needed privacy to cast the spell.

I grabbed a cereal bowl from the cabinet next to the refrigerator, filled it with a bottle of spring water, and dropped in three acorns and three dried rose petals. One last glance at the incantation, and I was ready. With my hands held palms-up in front of me, I spoke in a low whisper so as not to attract Chase’s attention:

From here to there and nowhere neverwhere

Through Come time and space and ethereal

I call to thee Sanctus majestic

Reedsnap, [Dellis, Rhoswen]

A faint crackle like the crunch of dried leaves under dainty feet seemed to enter the kitchen through the open window. A weak pop-pop-swish slithered by me thereafter, and the sweet aroma of honeydew filled my nostrils. I spun around, expecting to see a bright-eyed faerie with sparkling cheeks and pointy little ears near the stove, but I was alone. I continued to read:

I beckon thee, come forth!

A soft swish-hum had me glancing around the kitchen again. A cool breeze stirred the curtains and rippled the water in the bowl. I hurried and closed the window, but then a quiet buzz traveled around the kitchen like an angry fly. For a moment, I could have sworn I smelled fresh-cut orchids, but when I inhaled, the air chilled my lungs, causing me to cough. No matter which direction I looked, no one was there.

“Finish it,” a disembodied voice whispered eagerly. It was hard to tell if it was female or male. I swallowed the trepidation that built inside me.

“Finish it,” dared the haunting voice.

When an icy chill clawed its way into my bones, I slammed the book shut.

“I changed my mind,” I whispered. “Go away.”

Chapter 2

Impossible Kiss

“You sure you’re concentrating?” Isaac’s voice was husky and sexy, making it completely and totally impossible to focus.

“Yes!” I lied. He’d only asked me that very question half a dozen times. I grew further and further from in control as I waited, and not so patiently either.

We stood facing each other in Isaac’s country-style kitchen with the hum of the microwave behind us and the murmur of the evening news coming from the family room. He brushed a few strands of hair away from my eyes, and his fingers lingered just behind my ear. Vanilla and spearmint encircled me—his powers. I breathed in deeply, loving the smell of him.

My hands rested on his hips. It took every ounce of restraint not to wrap my fingers around the hair at the back of his head and plant a kiss on his delicious lips. But, as usual, I was in as much control of my powers as my brother in the Hot Wheels aisle at the toy store.

He leaned closer. His warm breath tickled my ear when he spoke. “Madison, are you sure? I’ve been shocked enough for one day.”

I bit my lip. The sharp pain snapped me out of the euphoric state I’d been in and helped me rein in the lust screaming to take control. Breathe. In. Out.

Over a month had passed since I’d embraced the powers, and I was no better at pulling them inside me than I had been that fall day at the top of the lighthouse. While quick pecks were nice, I wanted more—I got the feeling Isaac did too—and I didn’t understand why this was so hard for me. I could light a hundred candles with a glance or throw up a magical shield effortlessly. But taming my powers—keeping them under lock and key so that I could really kiss my boyfriend—seemed beyond my abilities.

The sooner I mastered my powers, the sooner Isaac and I could kiss without the threat of stinging lips. It was the biggest obstacle in our relationship, the one thing that ensured we took it slow. It was like having built-in parental controls, and no matter how hard we tried, we couldn’t crack the code needed to get our relationship off the PG screens.

Determined to change that, I tucked my powers inside a steel room in my mind.

Mom had been the one to introduce me to this trick. When I was little, she had told me to lock unpleasant things behind an imaginary door in my mind marked Do Not Enter. Things I wasn’t ready to deal with went behind a door marked Open Another Day. I had created doors for everything: vegetables I didn’t like, rules I thought were unfair, Grandma’s wet kisses, and even Kevin Hobbs, who liked to pull the ribbons out of my hair when we were kids. I’d opened the last door the day Kevin had turned into a somewhat cool kid who shared his Twinkies with me.

The whole idea was to lock away the things that troubled me. I figured I could use this same theory for my powers. Only, I needed something that couldn’t easily be opened, so the door to this room was made of reinforced steel.

The smell of marinara wafted out of the microwave. Our lasagna would be ready any minute. It was now or never.

I slid my arms around Isaac’s waist and pulled him closer. “I really like you. Have I told you that lately?”

His lips twitched upward into that crooked smile I loved so much. “Thirty seconds before the last time you shocked me.”

I hit his arm. “That’s not help—”

The rest of my words were stifled by his lips on mine, a quick peck first to make sure I really had tucked my powers away. A soft moan escaped his lips as his mouth covered mine. God, his kisses were like summer and ice cream sundaes with lots of cherries on top. I rose up onto my tiptoes. His fingers twisted in my hair as I got lost in our moment. My power sizzled, trickled up from my belly button, and burst from every part of me. The spark that followed was bright enough to see through closed eyelids.

“Son of a—” Isaac rubbed his mouth with the back of his hands. “I think you’re getting worse at this.”

“I’m sorry.” I grabbed a couple ice cubes from the freezer and held one out to him. He shook his head. “It’s all this practicing and waiting and planning. Kissing is supposed to be spontaneous. Romantic. Not all ‘Wait’ and ‘Are you concentrating.’ It’s like telling someone not to laugh, and then all they want to do is laugh.”

Isaac grabbed our dinner from the microwave while I sucked on the ice.

“It’s simple: deep breath, focus, execute.” He touched the center of his piece of lasagna. “These need another minute.”

After he set the timer for sixty seconds, I tossed the ice cube in the sink and slid between his arms. He reached behind me and stuck his fingers in the back pockets of my jeans.

“You know, you never did tell me how you got these scars,” I commented, tracing the narrow crescent-shaped line on his right cheek with my fingertip. To my surprise, the skin there was much cooler than the rest of his face.

“Sure I did. A difference of opinion between me and another guy. Remember?”

“That doesn’t tell me anything. Did he possess the powers? Or did you use your magic to help speed up the healing process?”

“Yes.” Isaac leaned his face into the palm of my hand. When I gave him a squinted-eye glare, he added, “His powers weren’t the same as ours. He was stronger and knew tricks I didn’t. The cuts weren’t healing on their own, so I helped them along.”

“What started the fight?”

“Stupidity on a friend’s part. She pissed off the wrong guy.”

“Girlfriend?” I asked. A teeny part of me was jealous at the thought of someone else kissing Isaac, and a bigger part of me was truly curious to know more about his life before we met.

“Ex,” he replied. “We’d already broken up by that time.”

“And you still stepped in to be the hero? Isaac, I do believe you’re a true gentleman.” I took a step back. Isaac’s hands slid from inside my pockets and fell to his side. I faked holding out a skirt and curtsied.

He tickled my waist. “He was hurting her, smartass.”

The bell on the microwave went off again.

“Do you want to eat downstairs?” he asked.

“Sure.”

We descended the curved staircase to Isaac’s basement bedroom. It was dark at first, but I knew now that was due to one of Isaac’s wards: a type of protection spell he’d cast when he had first discovered Gloucester crawled with people who possessed the powers. There was a nook in the wall every third step, each occupied by a candle that flickered to life as we passed.

I had tried something similar in my room, only I’d used a three-wick candle. It was supposed to light by itself when I crossed the threshold. The only thing I had accomplished, however, had been a very curious look from my dad, who had wanted to know if there was a spider in my room that was making me pace in and out of it with such a disgusted look on my face. He’d even offered to get my brother to kill it for me. My dad was full of jokes.

Isaac set a couple pillows on the stone floor and then excused himself as he ducked into the bathroom. I set my plate down and quickly took the book on Fae out of my purse.

It was Isaac’s mom who’d told me the stories about the Fae, kind creatures who would clean the homes of humans in exchange for cream. I’d nearly spit my hot cider across the dining room table when she’d brought it up.

“You’re joking,” I’d said after managing to compose myself.

She’d held her hand up, three fingers raised and thumb holding her pinky down. “Scout’s honor. My aunt used to leave a bowl of cream out so they’d keep coming back.” Taking a sip of tea, she’d then leaned forward, her heather-gray eyes alight with the memory. “Let me tell you, you could see your reflection off just about every smooth surface in her house. It was that clean.”

“Have you ever seen a faerie, Mrs. Addington?”

I’d been dying to know if they were little people with wings like Tinker Bell, but she couldn’t say for sure. Her mom hadn’t been as open to inviting faeries into their home and never let her children spend the night at her aunt’s.

Later that same evening, I had thumbed through the ironclad book in Isaac’s room. It talked about a complex world and two courts: the Seelie, which was believed to be good, and the Unseelie, which was malignant. It discussed solitary Fae, bogies, solstice celebrations, rules for seeing them, and more.

“Haven’t you read enough about the supernatural world?” Isaac had asked when he’d seen me with the book.

“Are you kidding? When a girl discovers demons and faeries are real, she’s going to look for evidence of unicorns and pixie dust.” And a summoning spell, but I’d kept that last comment to myself because, as open as Isaac was about using our powers, he’d already told me he didn’t trust anything that wasn’t human.

In fact, he had slid the book from my grasp and said, “Believe me. You aren’t going to find anything useful in The Fae.”

But it had been too late. I’d already seen a page containing a summoning spell. Seelie had been scribbled in the margin. I recognized the narrow handwriting as Isaac’s. Someone else had tweaked the incantation, though, crossing out a word here and a phrase there and replacing each with others. I bet the spell was how Isaac had managed to pack his things so meticulously when he’d moved from Amesbury to Gloucester this past October.

Isaac’s aversion to the whole subject had me believing he wouldn’t have been keen on me taking The Fae home, so I’d secretly borrowed it.

And I had to admit, after hearing that creepy voice three-fourths of the way through casting the spell to summon a faerie, I wasn’t so keen on it either.

I’d just turned to place The Fae on the black sphere chair when Isaac rejoined me.

“Why is it every girl is obsessed with faeries?” he said.

I looked at the stolen contraband still in my hot hands. Relieved he hadn’t seen me pull it from my purse, I mused, “Tinker Bell rules.”

Isaac rolled his eyes. “That’s because she’s been Disney-fied.”

I dropped the book on top of the pile and took a seat. We held our plates and used his bed as a backrest.

“How are you liking The Scarlet Letter?” Isaac took a bite of lasagna, immediately making a face. “Needs cheese.” He held his hand out in front of him. “Accio parmesan cheese.”

A shaker container appeared in his hand.

“Omigod! That’s a real spell?” I asked.

He chuckled, burying his pasta in a layer of white flecks. “I was just messing around. Psychokinesis is easy once you learn to manipulate matter. No spell needed. But they did get some things right in those movies.”

“Like what?” I generously sprinkled cheese over my dinner.

“The black dog, for one—it’s a hell hound—and there are a ton of uses for mandrake root. The plants don’t come alive and scream if you pull them out of dirt, though.”

“And wands?” I asked through a mouthful of noodles.

“They add flair to a spell.” He raised his hand, fingers gripping his fork in front of him, and gave a flick and a swoosh of his wrist. “Otherwise, they’re strictly decorative.”

Isaac had taught me a few spells. They pulled power from our surroundings and transformed it into energy we could use to do our bidding, no fancy words required.

He reached over me and sifted through the pile of books on the chair, eventually handing me one. “This is one of my favorite books.”

“Earthly Elements?” I asked.

“It’s more useful than a book on devious creatures that will twist your words to their advantage.”

After what I’d heard when I’d attempted to perform the summoning spell, I wasn’t going to argue with him.

“Besides,” he continued, “you need to know which natural elements will protect you and which will invite trouble.” He opened the book to a random page and went back to eating.

I read the first paragraph. “You think I’m going to need to know how to make a deal at a crossroad?”

“Okay, so maybe that wasn’t the best example,” Isaac replied through a full mouth. He swallowed. “But we have used crossroad dirt. Haven’t you wondered why?”

I hadn’t, but according to the book, demons could be summoned at a crossroad that passed through the point where the veil between worlds was at its thinnest. The ground in these locations absorbed the lingering power like a sponge.

“Do you really think someone would make a deal with the devil in exchange for talent?” I asked, still scanning the page.

“Yeah, I do. Ever hear Robert Johnson’s music?”

I shook my head.

“My grandfather used to listen to him all the time. ‘Cross Road Blues’ is all about a deal being made.”

I shuddered at the thought of selling my soul just to be the best at something.

“Witches don’t need to make deals, though,” Isaac said. Curiosity had me pulling my gaze away from the page to look at him. He smiled and went on. “If we want to play the guitar, we can simply bewitch it.” He shrugged. “It’s cheating, though. Not very honorable, if you ask me, but at least we wouldn’t be giving away our souls just so we can strum a few tunes. That reminds me, I checked on Emma last night.”

“She still crazy?” I asked in an acid tone. After her repeated attempts on my life, I was perfectly fine with her being a long-term resident in the psych ward.

Isaac ignored my snide remark. “She was too sedated to tell, but it’s safe to say she won’t be causing any more problems for us even when she gets out.”

He held his now-empty plate in front of him and focused on it. It quivered in his hand and then vanished. A moment later, a faint clatter came from the room above us.

My eyes grew wide. “Did you just put that in the sink?” His smug grin answered for him. “Do you know how much time it would save me to be able to blink the breakfast dishes into the dishwasher? I could zap the dust bunnies from under the kitchen table. My dad would get off my back about the chores piling up.” I tossed the elements book on the chair. “You have got to teach me how to do that!”

He laughed. “We’ll work on it.”

After an hour of trying to learn how the heck Isaac had managed to do his witchy-stare, poof-now-you-see-it-now-you-don’t trick, I gave up. I couldn’t even snatch a quarter off the floor without bending down and picking the damn thing up with my hands.

We stopped at the grocery store on the way to my house. Isaac went to get pasta sauce and chips for his mom while I headed to the dairy section. I grabbed a gallon of milk and turned quickly, bumping into a guy in his late teens.

“Sorry,” he said, grabbing the milk I’d nearly dropped.

A surge of heat shot through me when his fingers brushed mine. Surprised, I yanked my hand away.

“You’ll probably want this.” He held the gallon out to me.

I took it from him, purposely touching his hand to see if what I’d felt was a fluke. His skin was warm, like he had a fever, but there was no shock to indicate he possessed the powers. He gave me a funny look, which made me realize I was staring.

“Sorry.” I tucked my hair behind my ear. “I didn’t see you.”

“No harm done.”

I moved to my left at the same time he moved to his right. He smiled, his chocolate-brown eyes peeking out from under dark bangs. He had sharp features and a five o’clock shadow, and he was still in my way. I stepped toward the aisle, but so did he.

“I’ll just—” I indicated with a glance what direction I needed to go.

He turned sideways, letting me pass.

“Thanks.”

When I reached the chip aisle, I glanced over my shoulder. The guy watched me, his head cocked to the side. Not at all sure what to make of him, I hurried to join Isaac, who held a jar of marinara sauce in one hand and a variety of chips in the other.

“Ready?” he asked.

At the checkout, I paid first and then surveyed the store while I waited for Isaac to pay for his things. The guy I had bumped into was nowhere in sight, but I couldn’t shake the feeling something was off about him.

Chapter 3

Playing with Magic

The next morning, Dad opened Chase’s dresser drawer and figured out just how far behind I was on my chores.

“How hard would it be to toss in a load of laundry once in a while?” His voice dripped with exhaustion as he sniffed the socks Chase had worn the previous day. Deciding they would do, he gave them to my brother to put on.

Guilt nagged at me. I’d been too busy hanging out with Isaac to worry about clean clothes.

“I promise I’ll do a load after school,” I replied without thinking through my choice of words.

The school day flew by, and I was still kicking myself in the butt for making that promise because, with my powers, those two little words—I promise—meant I had to do laundry when I got home. No more stalling or pretending I hadn’t noticed our hampers were regurgitating two weeks’ worth of clothes.

Isaac drove me to pick Chase up at the sitter’s and then dropped us off at home, bringing my inevitable appointment with the washing machine around way too soon.

“It’s you and me, squirt,” I said as I stuffed Chase’s mittens into the sleeve of his jacket and hung it by the hood on the banister in the foyer. “How about you pick up your toys while I go upstairs to sort the laundry?”

“No way! I want to finish the movie I started last night!”

I placed my hands on his shoulders and turned him around. “You can clean while you watch TV.” When his head drooped forward in obvious disappointment, I added, “If you put away your Hot Wheels and stack Dad’s magazines into a neat pile, you can stay up until eight thirty. Do we have a deal?”

“And eat ice cream for dinner?”

“And have ice cream for dessert.”

“Okay!” Chase ran into the other room.

A few minutes later, I came downstairs with a basket full of light-colored clothes. Upbeat music rang out of the family room. I peeked in to see Chase holding a copy of Handyman Magazine as he bounced along with the music to Disney’s The Sword in the Stone.

“What happened to cleaning while you watched your movie?” I balanced the basket on my hip so I could grab his gray hoodie off the back of the couch.

“I am.” He pointed to the end table. “See, I used magic to stack the magazines. Just like Merlin.”

“You did what?” The basket nearly slipped from my grip.

Since the powers ran in our blood, it stood to reason Chase would possess them, eventually. But could he have tapped into his at such a young age? I tried to remember when Isaac and our friend Josh Corey had said they’d embraced their powers. I was pretty sure they had been eight or nine, and they’d learned about them through their parents.

I studied Chase, searching for any supernatural movement from him or the magazines.

“It’s fun! ‘Rubbity, scrubbity, sweepity, flow,’” Chase sang along with Merlin.

Fun was not the word I’d use to describe a six-year-old with powers. Not to mention I’d have to tell Dad magic was real.

“Can you do it again?” I asked, needing to see him do a spell with my own two eyes.

“Sure!” Chase zoomed around the room, his arms held out to the side as he took the long way to the end table. “Look behind you!”

I did, but out of the corner of my eye I saw him slam the magazine he’d been holding on top of the pile. I fought back a smile. “What’s behind me?”

“Look, the magazine flew right on top of the others!”

My cell phone vibrated in my pocket, reminding me I hadn’t taken it out of silent mode after school. “It sure did,” I replied to Chase. “You’ll have to teach me that someday.”

“Okay.” He went back to singing along with Merlin.

Into the receiver, I said, “Hey, Sarah. What’s up?”

“Hi. Did you hear Ben’s having a small get-together at his house Saturday night?”

“No.” I dumped the laundry into the washing machine.

“Mark and I are going. You and Kaylee have to come or I won’t know anyone.”

Sarah Johnson and Mark Schacter had been dating for a month, but they were from different social circles. Sarah was an A student, on several committees, and voted most likely to succeed. Mark skated by with Cs, the last committee he’d joined was to get close to a girl, and he didn’t even make it on the radar to be voted anything.

“Pleeease,” she begged. “I know Ben invited Isaac and Josh.”

I sighed. The last thing I wanted to do on a Saturday night was get drunk with Ben’s buddies, but Sarah was my second-oldest friend, and if she needed me, she knew I’d be there for her.

“I’ll talk to Isaac.”

“You’re the best! See you at school.”

I said bye, poured detergent and softener into the appropriate dispensers, and hit start. Merlin’s and Arthur’s voices drifted out of the family room. It got me thinking that I was going about my chores the hard way. Why wasn’t I using my powers to clean the house? Just because I hadn’t mastered psychokinesis didn’t mean there weren’t other ways to speed things up.

“You can do this.” I rubbed my hands together and found my center. All I had to do was focus on the task at hand. I needed the dishwasher door to open. I’d barely finished the thought when the door not only swung open, but the lower drawer rolled out too.

“That was easy,” I said, pleased with myself. With a wave of my hand, I thought, To the cabinet!

The air around me grew thick with my powers as the aroma of chocolate-covered strawberries filled the kitchen, letting me know I had fueled my magic with positive emotions. The plates, bowls, and casserole dish rose as one and, along with the silverware, hung suspended above the rack for a long moment. But just as I realized I probably should have concentrated on one dish at a time, everything torpedoed itself toward me on its way to the closed cabinet next to the fridge. I screamed, covered my head with my arms, and ducked. A spoon skimmed my elbow, and with a deafening clamor, the whole lot crashed into the cabinet and tumbled to the floor. The casserole dish shattered. Two of the forks and a steak knife embedded themselves into the door.

Chase came running into the kitchen, skidding to a stop next to the table. “What happened?”

I jumped up and hastily positioned myself in front of the cutlery stuck in the cabinet door. “Nothing.”

“Doesn’t look like nothing to me.”

“I tried to carry too much at once,” I lied. “Are you done in the other room?”

“Almost.” He spun and sprinted out of the kitchen.

I grabbed a dishtowel and knelt down to survey the damage. The dishes were shatterproof, so only one had broken. It went into the garbage; the rest I put away the mortal way.

I was giving Chase a bath when Dad finally got home.

“I still can’t get used to the whole two-tone short thing you got going on with your hair,” he said from behind me.

“Hi, Daddy!” Chase blew a mound of bubbles his way. Most landed on the floor next to me.

I ran a hand over my head. “They’re called low-lights, and I like them.”

“Yeah, well, they make you look too grown up.”

I chuckled, knowing he would have loved it if I stayed his precious princess forever. “Don’t worry, Dad. I’ll always be your little girl.”

“Uh huh.” He stepped over a pile of dirty towels and leaned on the doorframe. “I thought you were going to do some cleaning.”

“Kitchen’s all shiny, and I put your T-shirts and socks in your drawer.” It had been the first and only load of laundry I’d gotten done.

“I’ll take over here.” Dad motioned for me to move, so we traded places.

“With winter here, shouldn’t things at work quiet down some?” I asked.

Dad owned his own handyman business. Fall always brought a rush of exterior paint jobs, but by December things usually slowed dramatically, leaving only sporadic odd jobs.

“I won the bid at Dr. Patel’s. I’m remodeling the reception area, and then there are my regular clients.” He used the bed of a plastic dump trunk to scoop up water and rinse the shampoo out of Chase’s hair. Satisfied Chase was no longer an oversized suds-monster, he pulled the plug on the drain.

“You look exhausted, Dad.” I handed him a fluffy blue bath towel. “Why don’t you hire an assistant? Then you could get everything you need done in a normal workday.”

“I promise things will get back to normal, Madison. A few more weeks.”

The dark circles under his eyes gave the impression he wouldn’t last that long. I decided to lighten the mood. “Good, because apparently I don’t know how to make an epic bubble bath.”

Dad covered Chase’s ears with his hands like he was about to share top-secret information with me. “Quantity,” he said. “I dump half the bottle of bubbles into the water.”

“I should have known.” I shook my head. “I made you a plate.”

“Thanks.” He scooped Chase up like a sack of wet towels, eliciting a squeal of delight from my brother. I’d turned to head to my room when he added, “Madison, I know it’s been hard. I just want you to know I really appreciate all your help.”

“No problem.”

I checked my phone for messages as I walked to my bedroom. There were none. I set it on the nightstand and changed into pajamas before grabbing my history book and plopping down on my bed. I was exhausted but knew I should at least glance over the chapter we’d been working on as there was a test the next day. It only took a few minutes for me to realize I needed music if I was going to stay awake.

I leaned back, my hand feeling around on the top of the nightstand for my phone. When I didn’t find it, I turned my head. It wasn’t there. I checked the floor in case it had fallen off. It hadn’t.

“Chase!” I jumped up, ready to yell at my brother for playing a trick on me when I spotted my phone on the dresser. I glanced from it to the nightstand as a chill passed through me, leaving the fine hairs on my arms standing on end.

“Hello, is someone here?”

Silence answered me, but an eerie feeling of being watched prickled my skin. I ran into my brother’s room. Chase sat on his bed with his back against Dad’s chest as they read a story together.

“Were you just in my room?” I asked.

Dad put a finger to his lips. “He’s drifting off.”

I crept back to my room and peeked inside. It was empty. My phone still rested on my dresser.

“Where you must have left it,” I told myself, grabbing it and jumping under my covers.

Nonetheless, I slept with the light on that night, not fully convinced I’d imagined the cold or the sensation of unseen eyes watching me.

Chapter 4

Not Alone

“Does it hurt?” My fingertips lingered on the smooth, pearly white scar on Isaac’s chin.

We sat on the couch in his family room, me straddling his lap. He brushed a stray strand of hair out of my eyes with his thumb.

“No.”

“It’s cold,” I said, amazed that the skin there never warmed to match the rest of him.

“You really want to talk about my scars? I have one on my side too.” He lifted his shirt, revealing a salmon-colored blemish along his lower ribcage. “I got this one jumping a fence when I was nine. Didn’t quite make it.” He pulled the waist of his jeans down next, just low enough for me to see the rope-like muscles that ran alongside his hip bone. “And I got this one when I was eleven. Tried jumping my bike over one of those workhorses. Back tire caught on the orange light. Bike stopped; I didn’t. Flew right over the handlebars. I have another one on my thigh.” His fingers went to the button on his jeans.

“I’ll take your word for it,” I said, my hand catching his.

My cheeks grew warm, and his gaze moved to my lips. Breathe. In. Out, I told myself. I will kiss him without getting shocked. In. Out.

Isaac’s lips brushed mine with a feather-soft kiss that left me dying for more. Afterward, I stilled my racing heart and tucked my powers behind the steel wall, ready to kiss him again.

“How about we practice controlling the elements,” he said instead, much to my disappointment. His powers encompassed me, creating the feeling of weightlessness. With his hands on my waist, he lifted me off him as if I were a teddy bear and not a hundred-pound girl.

I folded my arms over my chest. “I thought the girl was supposed to be the one to slam on the brakes.”

“I’m merely trying to make the most of our time before you have to pick your brother up at the sitter’s. Besides, my mom’s due home any minute.” He held out a hand to help me up.

“Right.” I sighed and let him pull me to my feet.

Ever since our last attempt at making out, it had been quick pecks and teasing whispers of kisses. It sucked, but there was a reason Isaac wanted me to master controlling the elements. Stirring the air and summoning a storm required one’s mind to be at peace and in control of the powers. If my emotions sprinted wildly through my body, my powers would too, and the spell would show it. But if I could stop the rain or warm the breeze, then I could successfully tuck my powers behind the wall in my mind and kiss Isaac like a normal person.

We went outside to practice in the backyard. The sun hung at about three o’clock in a bright turquoise sky. The temperature was a pleasant forty-six degrees.

Isaac closed his eyes, taking a moment to find his center. When he opened them, the air around us felt charged.

“Draw in the energy from the atmosphere and trees and then concentrate on what you want to happen,” he said.

He raised his arms to either side. As if commanded, the dried leaves on the grass in front of us rose several feet off the ground. He then moved his hands through the air like an orchestra’s conductor does to signal its musicians to raise their instruments. The leaves shifted closer to us.

With a sweeping downward swing of Isaac’s right hand, the leaves began to dance around us to the melody of an unheard song. With his left hand, he pointed to the statue of an oversized frog and an equally disproportioned grasshopper. The frog picked up two twigs, which it used like drumsticks on the landscape stones nearby. The grasshopper rubbed its hind leg against its wing to provide the strings. Isaac tapped his forefingers in the air, and the tempo went from slow and romantic to quick and jolly. The leaves responded by twirling around us as if performing a choreographed waltz. It was beautiful to watch.

After a few minutes, the breeze died down and the leaves settled back on the ground.

“Your turn,” he said.

“You want me to do that?” I asked in awe.

“Start small. Just get the leaves to circle us.”

I closed my eyes in an effort to find my center, but no matter how hard I tried, Isaac’s orchestrated performance kept poking its way into my thoughts. I decided to try to copy what he’d done.

I raised my hands to my sides, but nothing happened. Isaac smiled encouragingly. I sucked in a breath, imagined I was conducting a ballet, and swung my hands in front of me. This time the leaves rose around us. I moved my fingers in a steady motion from side to side, hoping the leaves would follow. They did more of a frantic bunny hop than a graceful dance, but I’d take it. Isaac cued up the frog and grasshopper. They played a bubbly polka.

“You’re getting better at this,” Isaac said once the song had ended and the leaves settled back on the grass. “Want to try a little rain? The holly bushes could use the water.”

“Okay.” I imagined the moisture in the air gathering over the bushes, and a small fluffy cloud really did form above them. At the same time, the sun must have ducked behind a cloud of its own, but I ignored the sudden darkness and silently commanded, Rain!

A single drop of water hit my nose. I looked up, surprised to find an ominous storm cloud above our heads. Within a split second, rain came down quicker than either of us could react. We were drenched by the time Isaac managed to counter my spell.

“I think I pissed off Mother Nature,” I said, wringing water from my hair.

“She’ll get over it.”

Isaac’s powers circled us in the form of warm air, drying our hair and clothes. Once we were no longer dripping wet, we headed inside. The clock on the microwave caught my attention.

“Is that the time?” I grabbed my purse off the table. “I have to pick Chase up before six.”

Isaac dug his keys out of his jacket pocket. “Let’s go.”

We had made it to the sitter’s with one minute to spare. Isaac drove us home, and I had just bolted the door behind Chase and me when I felt an unknown presence. The house didn’t smell right either. I grabbed the collar of Chase’s jacket to keep him from moving.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, stepping closer to me.

“Wait here.”

I walked forward, stopping when Chase stepped on the heel of my sneaker. His wide eyes told me there was no way he would wait by himself in the foyer. I took his hand. A quick survey from the hallway didn’t show anything out of place. I inhaled, trying to place the scent. Moss or—I took another deep breath—what the yard smelled like after a rainstorm.

I didn’t want to scare Chase any more than I probably already had, so instead of grabbing Dad’s umbrella from next to the stairs to use as a weapon, I clutched my backpack in a death grip and hoped slamming my textbooks down on someone’s head would be enough to stop an intruder.

We crept from room to room. A brief tour of the downstairs revealed nothing, and neither did our search of the upstairs, but Chase had left his bedroom window open.

“I’m going to nail it shut if you can’t remember to close it,” I scolded, leading the way back downstairs.

“I didn’t open it.” He plopped down on the tile and pulled off his gym shoes.

Chase had the warmest room in the house. He was always opening his window, claiming he was melting like Frosty the Snowman in a greenhouse, but it wasn’t worth arguing over.

“Whatever. You hungry?”

“Starving!”

I ruffled his caramel-brown mane. “Go wash up, and I’ll make us something.”

I’d just set the peanut butter and grape jelly on the table when I caught the sweet fragrance of honeysuckle.

“You didn’t finish the spell,” cooed a whimsical voice.

I swallowed hard and glanced around the kitchen, looking for the source of the voice that I decided was definitely female. It didn’t sound as threatening as it had the other day.

Still, I thought I’d made myself perfectly clear: I had changed my mind. The faerie should stay in her realm.

“Four little words,” she said, egging me on.

I didn’t need Isaac’s book to know the last line. It was imprinted in my memory, the minor change to what was typed on the page and all. The question was whether I still want to invite a faerie into my home.

Although, it seemed she was already here.

“And grant me sight,” I said, completing the spell.

I waited.

And waited.

Nothing.

I shook my head in disbelief. Either my mind played tricks on me, or I should’ve paid more attention to Isaac when he’d said fairies were devious creatures. I really hoped it was the former.

Annoyed, I slapped several slices of bread onto two plates and made Chase and myself a sandwich. Chase joined me in the kitchen and grabbed a jumbo bag of Doritos from the cabinet on the way to his seat at the table.

“I had half a mind not to come,” said the voice.

I spun around—both plates still in hand—to find a girl about my age sitting on the counter near the refrigerator. She wore a tank top that looked as if it had been fashioned together with fine silk thread and the petals of several pale pink orchids. Her white skirt covered her toes, her eyes were brushed deep purple, and pale red and yellow daisies adorned her silver-violet hair. From what I could see, she didn’t have wings sprouting out of her back.

“Really?” she said with a frown, and I felt my heart become heavy. Someone so beautiful shouldn’t have been able to make such a sad expression. “Dead rose petals and tap water in a container with a picture of a car on it? You couldn’t take the time to get fresh ingredients and use a real bowl before calling an audience with me?”

“It was bottled spring water,” I replied, forgetting we weren’t alone.

“Can I have milk?” Chase said from behind me as he tried to tear open the bag of chips.

My gaze bounced between Chase and the girl on the counter.

“What are you doing?” Chase asked, his eyes following mine to the fridge.

“Ah…” He couldn’t see her, I realized. The book had said faeries couldn’t be seen by most humans unless they chose to reveal themselves. This one obviously chose not to, or Chase would have asked who she was and how come she could sit on the counter and he couldn’t. I set the plates on the table and replied, “Nothing. Eat.”

My guest giggled. Her laughter sounded like enchanted glass wind chimes. Chase turned the bag of Doritos over, dumping half its contents onto his plate and the table. Ignoring the faerie, I snatched the bag from him.

“Can you make a bigger mess?” I put two handfuls of cheese-dusted corn chips back in the bag.

When I returned my attention to the faerie, she was staring out the window. My mind spun with a million questions that I couldn’t ask with Chase in the room.

“Do you have an imaginary friend?” Chase crunched down on a chip and kept talking. “Is that why you keep looking at the counter? Haley at school has one, and she says hers is the bestest friend ever because she doesn’t break the arms off her dolls and she doesn’t steal the last cookie on the plate when she’s not looking.”

I was too old for imaginary friends, but Chase didn’t know anything about the powers. Worse things could happen than my little brother believing I’d made up a playmate. “Yeah, I do, but let’s just keep this between us. Okay?”

“Sure.” Chase stuck another chip into his mouth and asked, “What’s your friend’s name?”

I looked at the faerie, who’d been listening quietly to the conversation.

“Brea.”

“Brea,” I repeated so that Chase could hear. “I’ll be right back. Finish your dinner.”

I motioned for Brea to follow me. She gave a fleeting glance toward the window before springing off the counter with the grace of a prima ballerina. She practically danced up to me, hands clasped behind her back. She had amazing eyes the color of violet quartz and creamy skin that looked dusted with shimmering powder. She was even prettier than the faeries in the books I’d read. I led the way into the foyer.

Once we were alone, she said, “You know, a witch should complete her spells, lest she wishes not to see who entered the door she opened.”

I turned to face her. “You’ve been here the whole time.”

“That is how a summoning spell works. You call, I come.”

“Well, yeah, but when I heard your voice, I didn’t realize you were physically here too. You could’ve told me.”

“I was deciding if I should trust you.” Her gaze wandered over the school pictures of Chase and me on the hallway wall before meeting mine. “Is there a reason you called me here?”

“Um,” I said, quickly gathering my thoughts, “yeah. I was hoping you would help me catch up on my chores. That way, I could catch up on my homework.”

“Your chores?” She strolled around me and into the family room. “And why would I do that?”

A test, I thought, remembering a warning I’d read about faeries challenging a person’s desires. I walked up next to her. “Because I’ve summoned you for this purpose.”

She dragged a dainty finger over the couch and then the mantel above the fireplace. She looked beyond me a moment. “You will owe me.”

“I have cream. Well, mocha creamer. And we have other snacks, in case you’re hungry.”

Brea’s eyes found mine. “Perhaps if you allow me to linger in your world awhile, I could assist you.”

“Deal.” I clapped my hands together once. “If you could toss the jeans in the dryer—laundry room is behind that door—” I pointed to where I meant “—and clean up after my brother as soon as he finishes eating, that would be great.”

“Is that all? You only wish these simple tasks be completed?”

I wanted more help, but now that I saw how gorgeous and elegantly dressed Brea was, there was no way I could ask her to scrub toilets or clean the family room. “That’s all I can think of.”

“As you wish.”

Brea twirled on her toes and headed to the laundry room. I joined Chase in the kitchen, but I couldn’t concentrate with Brea in my house.

“Finish your sandwich,” I instructed and then followed the sound of Brea’s voice into the family room. She hummed a beautiful melody as she swept a feather duster over a lamp. “You really don’t have to do that.”

“I like to keep busy,” she said. “If I were home, I’d be working on my gown for the summer solstice.”

I followed behind her. “You don’t have wings.”

“No. I’m too big to fly, don’t you think?”

“I guess. Wait! Do some faeries have wings?”

“Not in the Seelie Court.”

I nodded. “How old are you?”

“A hundred and forty-three in your years.”

“Wow, you look great for your age.” I stepped out of her way. She crossed the room to dust the pictures on the mantel.

“I’m young when it comes to my people.”

“Right.” I puffed out my cheeks, wondering what to ask next. “Do you come here often?”

“It’s been—” her dainty finger bounced in the air as she thought “—three years, or maybe four since my last visit. I forget. Didn’t you have homework? Isn’t that why I’m doing your chores?”

“Yes.” But there was a faerie in my house. Mr. Chapin’s assignment would be there when she left.

Brea motioned for me to scoot and went back to dusting. Reluctantly, I returned to the kitchen and ate while I read a chapter in The Scarlet Letter. I’d barely finished a page in the book when Chase shoved the last corner of bread into his mouth and dismissed himself to go play in his room. It was times like this—when I was stuck doing homework and overloaded with chores—that I wished I was young too. But I wasn’t, so I tried to focus on the words in front of me.

At one point, I thought Brea was reading over my shoulder, but before I could turn to check, she appeared in the doorway holding a tall pile of folded jeans. I asked her to leave them on the foot of our beds. She even ran Chase’s bath, but since he couldn’t see or hear her, I had to take a break from homework to make sure he used soap and washed behind his ears.

“You’re a lifesaver,” I said later that night.

Brea sat on my dresser, kicking her feet. I got a glimpse of flat green sandals when her skirt fluttered upward.

I sat on the floor, organizing my backpack. “The house looks amazing. I can’t thank you enough. If you’d like, I can show you where the creamer is.”

“I suspect in the kitchen, but that a faerie would drink of your beverages is a myth. One who indulges in such things becomes trapped in your world.”

“How does that work?” I asked, intrigued.

“It just is.” She crossed her arms over her chest and rubbed the goose bumps on her triceps.

“Are you cold?” I wasn’t sure if the chill she felt was because her tank top was far from appropriate for this time of year or if it had to do with the thought of being trapped in my world, never to see her family again.

“Now that I’m sitting still, I am quite cold,” she replied. I jumped up and rummaged through my closet while she explained. “I’m of the Summer Court. I prefer to enter your realm after the spring equinox and to leave before autumn dries the leaves and winter nips at the air. Something you might remember should you choose to call upon me again.”

“I didn’t realize faeries were assigned a season.” I yanked my dusty-rose hoodie off a hanger and held it out to her. She took it and put it on.

“You’re an unusual human.” When I gave her a puzzled look, she added, “I’ve been asked to make a dancer lighter on her toes and help a musician play a song that steals the hearts of his audience, but I’ve never been asked to fold the laundry and put a plate in that contraption thingy. What do you call it?”

“A dishwasher?”

“Yes.”

“So…you grant wishes? Like a genie?”

“No. I enhance one’s talent in exchange for their company. Yours is the first house I’ve cleaned.”

“Oh.” I supposed it made sense that a creature as beautiful and graceful as Brea would help humans reach their potential. “I don’t play an instrument, and I only dance at school events.” I plopped down on my bed. “My dad’s been working double shifts. He owns his own business, and it’s been crazy for him. In the past, I was home, so I’d make sure the house was clean and the laundry was done, but this year my teachers are laying on the homework and I have a new boyfriend. I don’t have time for housework too.”

Brea sniffed a burnt-orange candle, immediately crinkling her button nose. “Ew. I’ve never liked the smell of pumpkin spice.”

I couldn’t help but laugh as she set the candle down.

“Will you tell me about your home?” I asked.

“Sanctus?” The corners of her mouth rose to a dazzling smile. “It’s more beautiful than your botanical gardens—I visited one many years ago. And our sky is a canvas of blues and purples, and the meadows are a carpet of deep green.”

I lay down, chin cradled in my hands. “Go on.”

She spritzed the air with body spray, filling the room with the sweet fragrance of mango and mandarin. “It’s the Summer Court’s job to wake the trees and flowers in spring,” she said. “At dawn, morning dew kisses our cheeks, and in the evening when our work is done, we sip bacca vinus, a type of wine, while the jesters play a ballad on their flutes and lutes.” She slid off the dresser. With her arms stretched out from her sides, she twirled effortlessly around the room, finally coming to a stop in a low curtsy. “We eat and dance until the wee hours of the night.”

She grabbed my hands and pulled me off the bed. We spun in a circle until I was giddy and breathless.

“You do this every night?” I asked, panting.

She nodded. “Until it’s time for summer to give way to autumn and for my brother to watch over things. He has it much easier than I, seeing as nature hibernates when he’s in charge.”

Her gaze flittered toward the door to my room, then back to me. “Thank you for the sweater,” she said, zipping it up to her chin.

“You’re welcome.” I stifled a yawn and hugged my pillow. “Thank you for your help today.” My eyelids grew heavy, the busy day evidently catching up to me. I was barely awake when Brea got up. “Help yourself to whatever you’d like.”

“One should never say such things to a faerie.”

Or maybe she’d only said that in my dreams.

Chapter 5

Delectable Treats

Friday morning, Brea was nowhere to be found, but the upstairs was as spotless as downstairs. I hoped I’d see her again so that I could thank her.

I had just finished drying my hair when my cell phone rang. A quick check of caller ID told me it was my best friend, Kaylee Bishop.

“Hi.”

“Hey, get your butt in gear. I’m picking you up in five, and we’re grabbing breakfast before school.”

“Where are the guys?” I asked. Not that I minded Kaylee giving me a ride, but this was the first time in weeks she’d driven the MINI to school. Somehow since her accident—the work of Emma’s dark powers—we had gotten into the routine of Isaac driving me to school and Josh driving Kaylee.

“Josh’s mom is having car trouble, and Isaac’s helping ’em.” The sound of running water flooded from the speaker along with Kaylee’s muffled words. From the swishing sound that came next, I guessed she was brushing her teeth while she talked to me.

I put my cell phone on speaker and pulled a pair of jeans out of my closet. “I’m not complaining about having some girl time, but what happened to Mr. Corey? And why hasn’t someone zapped the engine with their powers to make it run?”

The sound of water on her end went off and was replaced by the jingle of keys. “His dad had to leave early for work, and I guess they have to know what’s broke in order to know what to zap. Three minutes. Be outside.”

Kaylee and I grabbed lattes and muffins from the coffee house and headed to school. Pulling into the parking lot, we drove behind a line of cars at a painfully slow crawl to where the guys normally parked. Neither Josh’s Mustang nor Isaac’s Jeep was there, though, so we parked in one of the spaces.

“Ben’s parents are leaving for Martha’s Vineyard around four tomorrow. Party starts at six.” Kaylee reached behind her to retrieve her bag from the backseat. “I figured we’d show up fashionably late.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

Once we walked closer to school, we saw the cause of the traffic jam: someone had parked their shiny black Subaru where parents dropped off their teens. I stumbled when I noticed the creepy dude from the grocery store leaning against the side of the building. A thin line of smoke curled upward from his right hand, which he held at his side.

Kaylee followed my shocked gaze. “Do you know him?”

“Not really. I bumped into him at the store the other day, and, I don’t know, he kept looking at me strange.”

“Strange as in—” she pursed her lips and crossed her eyes “—or strange as in ‘I want to ask this hot girl out but don’t know how,’ because you’ve never been able to tell the two apart.”

“I was with Isaac, so it wasn’t the latter.” I shook my head. “Gawd.”

“Hey, I’m just saying you usually need a two-ton anvil to fall on your head to know for sure.”

“Shut up!” I bumped her with my shoulder.

“Don’t worry, that’s why you have me.”

We had to pass him to get to the doors. I gritted my teeth and picked up the pace, planning to pretend I didn’t see him.

“If it isn’t Milk Girl,” he said with a smirk once Kaylee and I were within hearing range. We stopped a few feet from him. “I wondered if I’d get the chance to apologize for being such a weirdo the other day. I wasn’t quite myself.”

“You weren’t weird,” I replied to be nice, because he had been totally American Psycho.

An awkward silence followed. Kaylee and I exchanged a Now what? glance. He took a drag on his cigarette.

“Aren’t you worried about getting busted for smoking on school property?” Kaylee asked.

He took another puff of his cigarette, blowing the smoke away from us when he exhaled. “I don’t go to this school.”

“Then why are you here?” I hiked my backpack higher on my shoulder while trying not to spill my latte.

Kaylee cocked her head to the side, obviously as curious to know the answer to that question as I was.

“I’m waiting for someone. You?”

“Ah, we go here,” Kaylee said.

Before I could ask who he was waiting for, the first bell rang, warning us we had four minutes to make it to class.

Kaylee grabbed my wrist. “Come on! Chapin will kill us if we’re late.”

“We gotta go,” I told Creepy Dude as Kaylee pulled me into the flow of students rushing to class.

“By the way,” Kaylee said, “I didn’t pick up any longing vibes coming from him, so you might have been right this time.”

“Told you.”

After school, I met Isaac at the double doors leading to the student parking lot. We picked Chase up from the sitter’s and headed to my house. Chase was thrilled when Isaac came inside instead of dropping us off like he usually did.

“It smells good in here,” Isaac commented. He draped his jacket over the back of the couch.

“Thanks.” I breathed in, loving the aroma of cherry blossoms and fresh-cut grass that filled my senses. Having a member of the Summer Court visiting had its benefits.

Chase grabbed Isaac’s hand and tugged. “Let’s play!”

“I don’t know. What’d you have in mind?” Isaac winked at me as he let himself be dragged to the toy box in the family room.

“Crash-up Derby!”

“Only if I get the red Ferrari,” Isaac replied.

The last time Isaac had played cars with Chase, they’d used the mantle as their launch pad. Chase let go of Isaac and dug the bright orange tracks from his toy box.

I mouthed the words thank you and headed to the kitchen to start dinner. I had just finished arranging a package of chicken quarters in a baking dish when a wrapped piece of candy next to the bowl of fruit caught my eye. It looked a lot like the hazelnut truffles Dad bought, except the foil was a brilliant shade of fuchsia and didn’t have the name Lindor stamped all over it. Starving, I unwrapped it and popped the round chunk of chocolate into my mouth.

As soon as I bit down, a creamy center burst from inside and dissolved on my tongue. It tasted like powdered-sugar snowflakes, if that was even possible, and had a slightly nutty aftertaste. It was amazing. I searched for another piece, emptying the bowl of fruit when I didn’t find any more on the counter. Disappointed that it had been the last one, I seasoned the chicken and slid it into the oven before joining Isaac and Chase.

Around five, Isaac said bye to Chase and grabbed his keys.

“You sure you won’t stay for dinner?” I asked.

“Can’t. I have to help my father tonight.”

He snaked an arm around my waist. I barely had time to pull my powers in before his lips were on mine. He started with tender nibbles before covering my mouth with his. Our tongues mingled. I wrapped my arms around his neck and savored the moment, which lasted exactly twenty-one seconds—two seconds short of our best time. I wondered if Isaac had been counting too.

When our lips parted, he smiled slyly and asked, “Was that spontaneous enough for you?”

“It was perfect.” I grinned from ear to ear.

“Good night.” His lips skimmed mine one last time and left.

I closed the front door. With my hand still on the handle and my back against the wall, I giggled. I’d been right. All the planning and concentrating had made it so that I couldn’t control my powers more than a few seconds. Maybe if Isaac hadn’t broken our kiss we would have set a new record.

The timer on the oven buzzed. I pushed off the wall and hurried to check dinner. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of bright blue peeking out from behind the bowl of fruit. I picked up the candy wondering how I had missed it earlier and then quickly thought, Who cares?

My mouth watered in anticipation of the tantalizing treat. I twisted the end of the cellophane wrapper and took the time to actually see what I was eating. The milk chocolate had a fancy crimson S written on top of it in what looked like hardened raspberry jam. I took a tentative bite. The center was a pale sky blue that melted as soon as the air hit it. Iridescent azure liquid dripped on my fingertips, so I licked it off. “Mmm,” I purred as warmth spread through me, trickling down my throat. This piece had more of a fruity taste to it. I ate the second half and made a mental note to ask Dad where he’d gotten it from so I could pick up more.

During dinner, I could have sworn I heard a flute playing the same song Brea had been humming while she’d cleaned. But if she was there, I was sure I’d see her now that finishing the spell had granted me Faerie Sight.

The melody went on for over an hour, then stopped as abruptly as it had begun.

I never did figure out what it was.

Chapter 6

Bonfire

“How many people did Josh say were invited?” I asked as Kaylee and I drove slowly by Ben’s house. Cars lined the narrow two-lane street, and judging by the music coming from somewhere behind the houses, I guessed Ben had set up speakers for the occasion.

“Word must have gotten out that his parents aren’t home,” Kaylee replied.

“There’s Isaac’s Jeep.” I pointed to our right. “Can you squeeze in front of him?”

“Not a problem.” Kaylee pulled nose-first into the small spot and parked cockeyed with one tire against the curb.

I glanced over my shoulder. Only the fender of her car stuck out past the Jeep. “That’ll work,” I said as I unbuckled and got out.

Kaylee pulled the hood of her white ski jacket over her knit hat. I silently thanked my dad for insisting I take a scarf and wear my furry boots and not my sneakers. He’d said a cold front was coming. I think it had arrived.

“Temperature really dropped. The party better be inside,” Kaylee commented through chattering teeth.

“Doubtful. Ben’s parents would kill him if something got broken. Let’s hope that burning wood we smell is their fire pit.”

“Do we go inside the house or around back?”

When we reached the driveway, we saw that Sarah’s blue Chevy Cobalt was parked behind Ben’s pickup truck. A sheet of computer paper had been taped to the garage door—a large black arrow pointed to the side of the house.

“Guess we go this way.” I looped my arm through Kaylee’s and steered us toward the walkway.

The backyard was huge compared to the front. A group of guys stood huddled together near a tall outdoor heater on the patio. Not far from them, five girls sat around a table, deep in conversation. I recognized two of them from my gym class. There were other small groups of people dotting the yard, braving the forty-degree night. Kaylee and I wove through the party, looking for the guys. We said hi to several of our friends, stopping just long enough to see what they were up to. Someone told us Isaac and Josh had left on a chip run.

We spotted Sarah sitting on one of three concrete benches near a large fire pit, chatting adamantly with Lauren Richards and Natalie Parker. Kaylee and I paused. We’d forgiven Lauren and Natalie for their part in what had happened in the fall, mainly because they hadn’t known what an evil psycho bitch they’d gotten mixed up with. Now, had they intentionally dabbled in dark magic and knowingly hexed my friends and me, I would have made sure they had adjoining rooms at the funny farm, but they hadn’t, and they’d stopped hanging out with the person who had—Emma—the moment they’d realized what she was. Forgiving them didn’t mean I wanted to become best buds, though.

“Looks like Sarah has someone to talk to,” Kaylee whispered. “I bet we could duck out of here and no one would notice.”

“We promised Sarah we’d stop by, and we talked Josh and Isaac into coming,” I reminded her, though I could tell by the way she kept glancing longingly over her shoulder that she would have been okay with texting Josh to tell him there was a change of plans. “Come on,” I said before she convinced herself that leaving was the better option.

“Hi,” I said to Sarah as I picked up a skewer.

“You made it!” She jumped up and gave us each a hug.

We waved hello to Natalie and Lauren before taking a seat on Sarah’s opposite side.

“Hey,” Lauren replied.

Natalie held out a bag of marshmallows. I took off my glove so I could grab one.

“Where’s Mark?” I asked Sarah, wondering if he’d left with the guys to get chips.

“He’s helping Ben with the keg. Tapper’s jammed or something.” She pointed toward the house, where several guys huddled around a metal trash can. Upon squinted-eye inspection, I could see the silver keg through the legs of onlookers. A dark figure stood not too far from the excitement.

“Ten o’clock,” I whispered to Kaylee. “That guy we saw yesterday is here.”

He stood in the shadows, smoking a cigarette. Sarah, Natalie, and Lauren pivoted in their seats to see who I was talking about.

“He came,” Natalie squealed.

Lauren nudged her. “Go talk to him.”

“You know him?” I asked.

“We met him at school, and she asked him to the party,” Lauren informed us.

Natalie spun back around so that she was facing Kaylee and me. I could tell she was trying to play it cool.

“Well, are you going to invite him over?” Kaylee asked.

“I couldn’t.” She bit her bottom lip, giving me the impression that was exactly what she wanted to do, but now that he was there, she had a case of shyness. “Is he still watching us?”

Sarah nodded. “He’s hot.”

“If you won’t go ask him to join us, I will.” I hopped up and pretended I didn’t hear her protest. Sarah and Kaylee giggled as Lauren told Natalie to let me go.

The frozen grass crunched under my boots as I cut across the lawn. Mystery Guy’s gaze met mine. For a moment, I would have sworn I saw his pupils flash bright red, but when I blinked, they were as dark as the night. He’d been taking a drag from his cigarette, which had to have been the glow I’d seen.

“We meet again,” I said.

He blew smoke out the side of his mouth. A fleeting smile passed over his lips. “Maybe it’s fate.”

“I don’t believe in fate.” That wasn’t entirely true, though I had never really given the subject much thought. “Do you know Ben?” I asked instead of saying, My friend is drooling over the sight of you.

“Through his brother, yeah. We’ve been hanging out more since Dan left for school.”

Ben’s brother, Dan, had gotten a full basketball scholarship at some big college.

“Want to join us?” I gestured toward our little group with my thumb. “Natalie’s sitting with us,” I added just in case he hadn’t recognized her under the purple hat.

He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “Thanks, but I actually came because Natalie and I have a mutual friend. I don’t think I’ll be staying long.”

“Oh.” Natalie was going to be crushed. “Your friend’s not here, I take it?” I knew that feeling; I started to think Isaac and Josh were peeling potatoes and baking the chips themselves.

“No.”

“I’m Madison, by the way.”

“Caden. It’s nice to meet you, Madison.”

He went to flick his cigarette into the landscape stones.

“Don’t do that.” When his gaze met mine, I said, “You could start the bushes on fire.” I held out my hand. “Give it to me. I’ll toss it in the bonfire.”

He smiled, and with a shake of his head, he bent down and snuffed out the end of the cigarette. Next, he dropped the butt into my hand. “Thanks.”

A loud cheer erupted to my right. The group of people around the keg exchanged high-fives and pats on the back as Ben filled a red plastic cup with beer.

“Looks like they got the tap working,” I commented and stuffed the spent cigarette into the pocket of my jacket, planning to get rid of it when I joined my friends.

Caden didn’t seem to hear me. His attention had been turned toward the fire pit.

I glanced over my shoulder to find my friends staring at us. Kaylee held her phone up like she’d been taking pictures. I felt like I was in junior high all over again and I’d lost the coin toss to see who would go talk to the cute guy to find out if he was available. That wasn’t too far from the truth. My cheeks warmed with embarrassment.

“Are you sure you don’t want to meet everyone?” I asked.

“Another time.”

Considering he had hoped to hook up with someone other than Natalie, who had invited him to the party in the first place, his reply didn’t surprise me. I tilted my head to the side and shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

He inclined his head as if to say, I will.

I pointed with my thumb toward my friends. “I’d better get back before they think I ditched them. I’ll tell Natalie you said hi.”

“See you around, Madison.”

I gave a half-wave and headed back to the bench. At one point, I thought I felt someone brush up against my arm, but when I spun around, no one was close to me.

“Join me,” a guy whispered.

I looked toward the house. Kyle Wesley and his jock friends tapped their plastic cups together and cheered. I shook my head, sure the whisper had come from their group. I made it within a few feet from Kaylee and the others when a cold breeze kissed the back of my neck. I tugged my jacket tighter around me.

“Did he ask about me?” Natalie asked, her eyes wide and hopeful. With her round face and short-cropped hair, she reminded me of the pixies in Mrs. Addington’s grimoire. She obviously hoped to be Caden’s next girlfriend, and I couldn’t find it in me to tell her he was looking for someone else.

“He told me to say hello, but he couldn’t stay.”

“Oh.” That one word held a world of disappointment.

Lauren pulled the marshmallows she’d been toasting out of the flames and said encouragingly, “Go talk to him.”

“Yeah!” Sarah chimed in. “He probably wants you all to himself.”

I racked my brain for a nice way to say Caden wasn’t interested in her that way, but the words didn’t come quickly enough.

Natalie jumped up. “I think I will.”

I glanced toward the corner of the house where Caden had been, but he was gone. His absence didn’t discourage Natalie, though. She sprinted around the side of the house right as Isaac and Josh walked over to us.

“Someone’s in a hurry,” Josh commented. He had two red plastic cups of beer, one of which he held out to Kaylee. She snapped a quick picture of him before dropping her phone into her purse and taking the drink.

“She’s off to chase Prince Charming,” Lauren said between blows on her marshmallow.

“What does that mean?” Isaac handed me a cup and sat behind me, his legs straddling my hips.

I loved the feeling of his warmth. “Nothing. She’ll be right back.”

“Pork rind?” he offered.

“No, thanks.” I held up the skewer to show him my hands were full.

Kaylee set her cup down and held her marshmallows over the flames. “Are there any graham crackers?”

“Where were you when we made the list for the store?” Sarah asked.

Showing up fashionably late, I thought, but Sarah already knew that.

Natalie came back and plopped down between Lauren and Sarah. “Missed him.”

“I still think he’s your secret admirer,” Lauren said.

“You have a secret admirer?” But I knew it wasn’t Caden, unless he’d been at school and at Ben’s house because he did like Natalie. He could have seen her surrounded by people he didn’t know and made up the story about having a mutual friend. After all, who would want to announce they’re someone’s secret admirer in front of a bunch of strangers? Dying to know the details, I said, “Well, don’t just sit there grinning. Spill!”

“Someone left her a bouquet of wildflowers and a box of chocolates,” Lauren said.

All dreamy-eyed, Natalie cooed, “The candy was heavenly.”

“That is sooo romantic,” Kaylee said before stuffing a toasted marshmallow into her mouth.

“Did he leave a note?” I asked. “We might recognize his handwriting.”

Natalie shook her head. “Not yet.”

“That’s dumb,” Josh scoffed. “How is a girl supposed to know a guy’s interested in her if he’s too much of a wuss to include a card?” He paused. “Or for that matter, what kind of wuss chooses to be a secret admirer instead of just walking up and asking a girl out?”

Kaylee scowled at Josh. Then she turned to Natalie and said, “Don’t listen to him.”

Sarah chimed in, “I bet he’s testing the water. You know, to see if you’re interested. You should totally put the flowers near a window so he knows you liked them.”

Isaac let out a disbelieving grunt. “If the guy is hanging outside her house, he’s a stalker and she should lock her doors and windows.”

I elbowed him in the ribs and whispered, “Don’t ruin her fun.”

“How’s a guy hanging outside someone’s home a good thing?” he replied just as quietly.

“They didn’t say he was doing that.” I rolled my eyes. Guys just didn’t get the whole mysterious-romance thing.

“That’s a great idea,” Natalie replied to Sarah’s suggestion.

Natalie and Lauren speculated on who besides Caden might be Natalie’s secret admirer. Sarah, Kaylee, and I added our two cents as the different guys were mentioned. Josh and Isaac held their own side conversation about football and cars. When Mark joined our little group, Natalie and Lauren went to chat with Kyle and his friends. Around eleven, Kaylee and I decided to call it a night. Josh and Isaac followed us to the car.

“Will I see you tomorrow?” Isaac asked. He had his arms wrapped around my waist, and mine were looped around his neck.

“I have to watch Chase during the day, but I’m free after that.”

“Good. We’ll see a movie or something.”

We kissed good night—a short, sweet kiss that managed to send my heart racing.

Chapter 7

Missing

A warm front blew in overnight, and with it came temperatures in the upper fifties and blue skies with fluffy cumulus clouds. Kaylee and I decided it was too nice a Sunday to be cooped up in the house. We threw on our jackets and took Chase to the park.

“Last night was fun,” Kaylee said. She held Chase’s waist as he swung one bar at a time across the monkey bars. He landed with a loud thud on the bright red platform. Kaylee quickly jumped up next to him.

I dangled by both hands a few feet away. “It was. Why does that surprise me?”

“She’s going to fall!” Chase yelled with a mix of terror and glee in his voice. “And the lava will eat her up!”

Hot Lava was Chase’s favorite game. The rules were simple: The playground equipment was the safe zone. As long as we didn’t touch the wood chips, we lived. Allow even a toe to touch the ground, and we became volcano food. The only exception was if we were helping Chase across the monkey bars. He’d spend an entire day playing it if we’d let him.

I kicked my legs back and forth, creating momentum. Chase and Kaylee stepped to either side of the platform. On the next forward swing, I let go. Even though my feet landed firmly on the platform, I made a big show of waving my hands in a circle as if I was about to fall backward. Chase gasped and grabbed my jacket. Kaylee played along by putting her hand behind my back. A moment later, I knelt between them.

I looked up at Chase. “That was close!”

“You just need practice.” He scurried up the metal ladder and crawled through a sunshine-yellow tube bridge.

“We were surprised because we thought it’d be a bunch of guys getting drunk, not twenty or so of our friends,” Kaylee said in response to my earlier comment. She held her hand out toward the bridge. “After you.”

We sat crossed-legged in a square blue box; Chase’s little hands gripped a black steering wheel as he pretended to steer us through the imaginary red sea. We’d just maneuvered around make-believe debris when my new ringtone blared from inside my jacket pocket. I checked caller ID before answering.

“Hey, Sarah. What’s up?”

“Are you at home?” she asked.

“Just down the street. Kaylee and I took Chase to the park.” I put her on speaker.

“Hi, Sarah,” Kaylee and Chase sang into the phone. Chase turned the wheel. The three of us leaned to the side as if our boat had taken a hard right.

“Have either of you talked to Natalie?”

“No,” I said. I wasn’t even sure Natalie still had my cell number.

“Why?” Kaylee asked.

“Her mom called.” Sarah’s voice cracked. Kaylee’s confused gaze met mine. “She didn’t come home last night.”

“Maybe she went to Lauren’s,” I said. Natalie and Lauren were best friends and had driven together.

“That’s what I said to Natalie’s mom, but she called Lauren first. Lauren said Natalie dropped her off just before midnight.”

I quickly took Sarah off speaker. “They live, what, three blocks from each other.”

“Exactly. There’s no sign of her car either. Lauren’s putting together a search party. I’m meeting Mark at her house in thirty minutes.”

Sarah didn’t have to say another word. Kaylee and I were joining her.

Kaylee called her parents to let them know what was up as we jogged back to my house. I carried Chase piggyback so we’d get there quicker. Relief filled me when I saw Dad’s red pickup truck sitting in the driveway.

“Dad,” I called as we stumbled into the house. “Dad! I need to leave Chase with you.”

Dad poked his head out of the kitchen. “I’m only home for a minute.”

“Go wash your hands,” I said to Chase, buying a minute or two to talk to Dad. Kaylee and I hurried into the kitchen. We found him leaning against the counter waiting for a pot of coffee to finish brewing. His large tool bag sat in the middle of the table. He didn’t wait for me to speak.

“Today’s not a good day for Chase to come with me, Madison. I’m knocking down walls, moving electricity—”

“Natalie Parker’s missing,” I interjected.

Dad shifted. “She’s the short one, right?”

“Yeah.” I told him what we knew, then added, “A group of us are getting together to look for her. We’ll take Chase with us.” My brain went into overdrive trying to come up with a way to explain the search party to a six-year-old without freaking him out and giving him nightmares.

Dad rubbed the back of his head. “I don’t want you dragging your brother all over town. Tell him to grab his hardhat and tool belt. He can hang out with me today.”

“Thanks, Dad!” I gave him a peck on the cheek and rushed to get my brother’s things together.

We called the guys to see if they could join us, but Josh couldn’t leave work and Isaac was in Amesbury with his father. We agreed to meet up later.

Gray clouds pushed in from the north, blocking the sun and causing the temperature to drop several degrees. It gave the afternoon an ominous air, as if the heavens knew a sixteen-year-old girl was missing and we didn’t hold much hope of finding her alive. I pushed my grim thoughts out of my head and forced myself to think positive. We would find Natalie healthy and safe.

Dozens of people showed up to help canvass the neighborhood. I recognized most of them from school. Kaylee and I were put in a group with Sarah and Mark. Sarah gave her cell phone number to Lauren’s mom, who acted as base. Teams were asked to check in on the hour, and she’d text the group leaders if there was any news. We were also given a picture of Natalie standing in front of her dark orange Dodge Neon. Plus, Lauren sent everyone a picture of Natalie that she’d taken at the party. In it, Natalie’s purple knit hat sat lopsided on her head and she had her arms slung over Lauren’s and Ben’s shoulders. She was beaming at the camera.

Our group was sent west, which was opposite the direction Natalie would have driven if she’d gone straight home after dropping Lauren off.

“If Natalie was last seen in front of Lauren’s house, why are they sending us this way?” Kaylee asked.

“She might have decided to stop for gas or had a craving for a slushie,” Mark replied.

“There’s a gas station about two miles from here,” I said optimistically, even though my first thought was that there was no way she would have driven out of her way to fill up her tank past curfew.

Sarah’s and Kaylee’s heads bobbed up and down in agreement, but their tight jaws gave away that they were thinking similar dismal thoughts.

“That would be so like Natalie,” Sarah said in a non-convincing tone. “Filling up the car at night so she wouldn’t have to do it before work.”

“Was she supposed to work today?” Kaylee asked. “Maybe she went in early and her parents missed her.”

Mark’s eyes widened. “The store might be doing inventory. They always make everyone come in early for inventory.”

“Her dad already checked,” Sarah said.

A minivan pulled into the driveway in front of us, and a woman carrying a bag of groceries got out. Sarah jogged up to the driver and showed her the picture of Natalie. The woman said something I couldn’t hear and shook her head. Sarah rejoined us.

“She hasn’t seen her.” Sarah sighed.

“We’ll find her,” Mark replied.

Groups were sent down each side street in the neighborhood.

“Maybe we should get the car so we can cover more ground,” I suggested.

Sarah folded her arms over her chest. “They already have people in cars checking out Natalie’s favorite hangouts. Besides, if her car broke down, she might have decided to walk home instead of waking her parents. She might have fallen and hurt herself.”

But if Natalie’s car broke down, the cops would have found it.

I wished my brain would stop being so negative.

We fanned out, walking in a wide line, looking for anything odd. I wasn’t sure what we’d find if we did stumble upon something. Maybe one of Natalie’s bright purple gloves or her patchwork purse. Signs of a struggle. Every now and then, I caught a glimpse through the backyards of one of the other search parties. They were doing the same thing: walking several feet apart and scanning the bushes, under pool decks, in small alcoves, anywhere a scared girl could seek shelter. We called everyone we could think of during the forty-five minute walk from Lauren’s house to the gas station. There hadn’t been any news, bad or good.

We went inside the convenience store to warm up. Kaylee and I headed for the fresh-brewed coffee, stopping everyone we passed to ask if they’d seen Natalie. Mark and Sarah showed Natalie’s picture to the sales clerks behind the counter.

With cups in hand, Kaylee and I split up so that she could talk to the kids near the slushie machine and I could ask the guy near the sports drinks.

“Excuse me, we’re looking for a friend of ours, and I was wondering if you’ve seen her.” I held my phone out waiting for the guy to look up, surprised when he turned out to be Caden.

“Hey.” He glanced at my phone. “Natalie’s missing?”

“Yeah.” I swallowed the lump in my throat. During the entire walk to the store, Sarah, Kaylee, Mark, and I had tried to be positive. Natalie could have stopped at another friend’s house and ended up spending the night. We surmised that she’d meant to call home but had forgotten. Or maybe she’d run away—although even I knew that was farfetched. Natalie wasn’t the type of person who would intentionally worry her parents sick. And I managed to keep it together until I looked into Caden’s dark eyes. I had secretly hoped Natalie had run into him after the party and he was the one who had made her lose track of time.

“Who’d she leave the party with?” Caden asked.

“Lauren. Her best friend,” I added, realizing Caden probably didn’t know who Lauren was.

“Did she talk to anyone at the party? A guy maybe?”

I twitched a shoulder. “I don’t know. I wasn’t with her the whole night.”

He shook his head, his gaze dropping to the floor. “Shit.”

“We’ll find her, though.” I forced my shoulders back to show confidence.

He let out a sigh and mumbled what almost sounded like Don’t count on it.

“What?” I asked. Damn hat must have muffled his words.

“I said I hope you’re right.”

Me too. “Thanks. I’ve got to join my friends.” I turned to walk away but paused. “Hey, you’re not by any chance Natalie’s secret admirer, are you?”

Natalie would kill me if she ever found out I asked Caden that, but this was a matter of life and death. She’d just have to get over it.

“No, sorry. I’m not the romantic type.” His nose crinkled. “I don’t woo girls with flowers and chocolates.”

“Woo?” I repeated with a chuckle. I couldn’t help it. It was such an odd word choice for someone our age.

He stuffed his hands into the pockets of his dark green pea coat. “She didn’t have any idea who he might be?”

“If she did, she didn’t tell us. Don’t tell Natalie I told you this, but she was hoping it was you.”

His eyebrows shot upward, disappearing under russet-brown hair. “I just met her that day.”

I shrugged, easily able to see how Natalie might have suspected him. Caden could have seen Natalie when he’d been waiting outside the school for his friend, decided to send her the gifts, and then found a way to bump into her. Natalie would have had no way of knowing he wasn’t “the romantic type,” as he’d put it.

At the entrance to the store, Mark and Kaylee stood huddled around Sarah, who was looking intently at her cell phone.

“I’ve got to go,” I said to Caden. “You’ll call Ben if you see her?”

“Of course.”

By the time I reached my friends, Mark was holding Sarah in his arms; her whole body trembled. I looked into Kaylee’s tear-filled eyes and waited for an explanation.

She wiped her cheeks. “Lauren texted. They found Natalie’s car.”

Tears blurred my vision. I had to force the next words out of my mouth. “And Natalie?”

“She wasn’t in it.”

We hugged each other.

“That has to be good, right?” I said.

Kaylee sniffed. “Yeah.”

The walk back to Lauren’s house was solemn. We barely talked. The time with my inner thoughts had me wondering if magic could help. Maybe canvassing the neighborhood wasn’t the answer.

“We need to talk to the guys,” I whispered to Kaylee. “Maybe there’s something the four of us can do.”

My fingers flew over the small keys on my phone as I typed Isaac a message: What kind of spell do we need to find a missing person?

I hit send.

A minute later, I received his reply: We scry. Meet? My house in 30.

A few seconds later, I got a second text: Bring something that belonged to Natalie.

I showed Kaylee the messages and then replied we’d be there.

Kaylee and I arrived at Isaac’s at the same time he and his dad got home. Josh showed up five minutes later, and we headed down to Isaac’s room.

“What does scry mean?” I asked as Isaac dragged a large box from the depths of his closet.

Kaylee, Josh, and I moved to get a closer look.

“It’s a form of divination. Like a crystal ball, only with water.” Isaac opened the box and began to empty it. One black and one white cloth came out first. They had been neatly folded, but I could still make out the gold point of a pentagram on each. A miniature broom maybe two feet in length (for sweeping away negative energy, Isaac informed us when Kaylee called him Broom-Hilda), two black statues, and several quart-sized baggies containing dried green plants were next to be removed.

“Dude!” Kaylee said, examining one of the bags. “Is this what I think it is?”

Isaac gave her an Are you for real? look. “They’re herbs.”

She opened one and sniffed. “Oh, it stinks!”

Josh snatched the baggie from her. “It’s wolfsbane, and it’s deadly.”

“Good to know.” She grabbed a pillow from the chair behind her and hugged it.

“The police don’t have any leads?” Isaac asked as he spread the black three-foot by three-foot cloth on the stone floor.

“They found her car near Wingaersheek Beach,” Kaylee said, “with her purse and keys still inside.”

Ben Taylor’s search team had found the car, which left the screaming question: What had Natalie been doing on a dark beach in the middle of the night? I was willing to bet she hadn’t been there alone. I had begged Dad to call his friend at the police station to find out if there was any news. It had been good and bad.

“Police brought in a K-9 unit. The dogs didn’t find anything,” I said.

“Maybe she met up with someone,” Josh suggested.

I shook my head. “There was only one set of tire tracks.”

“It’s like she vanished into thin air,” Kaylee said.

“People don’t vanish into thin air,” Isaac replied.

No, but they did get abducted, and the perpetrator could have still been out there, waiting for a chance to snatch another girl.

“She could have been forced to drive to the beach,” Josh pointed out, pulling me out of my bleak thoughts and into his.

“Police said there was no sign of a struggle,” I said.

Kaylee’s eyes widened with worry. “What if it was this secret admirer of hers?”

“You think her secret admirer followed her home from the party?” Isaac asked. “How is that not a stalker?”

“It is, dude.” Josh cleared off the sphere chair and sat down. “Girls are too blinded by the gifts to see it.”

“Shut up!” Kaylee threw the pillow at him. She leaned closer to me and whispered, “He’s just upset that I find getting flowers and candy from a guy sweet.”

“I’ve gotten you flowers,” Josh declared. “I’ll get you more if it’ll make you happy.”

She rolled her eyes and spouted a reply, but I’d stopped listening. I thought about the possibility of Natalie going off with her secret admirer. If this were the case, the guy might not have followed Natalie home. He could have been waiting for her. And he would have had to be someone Natalie knew for her to willingly sneak off with him. Unless he’d had a gun. I played out the latter scenario in my head: a guy sneaks up on Natalie, forces her to drive to the beach, knocks her out with chloroform, and then carries her to his car. He could have left his car on the side of the road. That theory would explain why the police only found one set of tire tracks.

I tossed three pillows on the floor around the cloth, eager to see what our magic uncovered.

Kaylee grabbed the pillow she’d thrown at Josh and sat on it. She leaned in to me and said, “He’s a total romantic. He just doesn’t want his friends finding out.”

I already knew that about Josh, but I was too busy hearing the word romantic echo in my brain to comment on that.

“I didn’t tell him about the flowers and chocolate,” I said.

“Tell who?” Isaac asked.

“Caden. We ran into him at the gas station. I asked him if he was Natalie’s secret admirer, and he said he doesn’t do flowers and chocolates.”

Josh’s brow pulled together. “So?”

“I didn’t tell him that Natalie had gotten anything from the guy. How would he know?”

Isaac looked at Josh. “He’s the guy I met when we got back with the chips. Ben’s brother’s friend?”

“Yeah. Dan’s at college. Caden stops by every now and then. I think he’s keeping an eye on Ben while Dan’s away, making sure he doesn’t get into trouble.” Josh directed his next comment at me. “I don’t think he’s going to keep Ben on the straight and narrow and then go abduct someone else.”

Isaac set a midnight-blue bowl over the star. “We’ll know in a minute if she’s with him.”

We sat on pillows, boy-girl-boy-girl, forming a circle.

“What are we doing again?” Kaylee asked.

“Scrying,” Josh replied. He set a dark red pillar candle on one corner of the black cloth. Isaac already had a few others around his room.

“Why aren’t we using a crystal ball?” Kaylee asked.

“Don’t have one,” Isaac said. “My parents always preferred to use a scrying bowl to see past events.”

Isaac raised his hands, and the pillar candles around the room ignited along with the white ones in the iron chandelier above us.

“And we need the candles because?” I asked.

“It’s best to scry by natural light.” Isaac snapped his fingers, and the lamp on his dresser went out. “Did you bring something of hers?”

I held up a lavender hair band. “Lauren said she borrowed it from Natalie.”

“That’s perfect. Set it on the cloth.”

Josh placed the picture of Natalie next to it. “Isaac and I think with our combined powers we’ll be able to narrow in on her aura. We’ll know if she’s alive by the energy it gives off. We might even find out where she is.”

I bit my bottom lip, hoping this worked and bracing myself for what we were about to see.

Please don’t let it be Natalie’s body in a shallow grave. Please let her be alive.

We raised our arms over our heads.

Kaylee began to close our circle, naming the element she represented: “By the power of earth.”

“By the power of air,” I said.

“By the power of water.” Josh’s eyes narrowed as he focused on the bowl. A moment later, water flowed in from the bottom until it threatened to spill over the lip.

“By the power of fire,” Isaac said. The flames of the candles around us reached several inches into the air then settled back to a flicker.

Together we said, “We shall cast with the powers of three times three.”

Our circle closed with a faint snap.

Magic was best practiced within a protective ring. This had been one of the first things Isaac and Josh had taught me. It kept our energy in a controlled area while protecting us from outside forces. The latter wasn’t as important when we were indoors, though, especially in Isaac’s room, which had been built by the original owners of his house decades ago to provide a safe haven from all things supernatural. From the stone floors to the iron hardware, his room was a fortress to those with powers.

Isaac took my and Kaylee’s hands and said, “Concentrate on the last time we all saw Natalie.”

Josh grabbed our free hands. I closed my eyes and pictured Natalie sitting on the stone bench near the fire pit in Ben’s backyard, strands of brunette hair peeking out from underneath her grape-colored hat. When I was sure the image wouldn’t disappear on me, I looked at the bowl. The water was no longer still. It swirled clockwise as if it had been stirred.

We must have sat in silence—hands linked, watching the water twirl hypnotically—for a good five minutes.

Isaac grunted. “It shouldn’t take this long.”

“Maybe it’s me.” Kaylee’s shoulders sagged forward. “Maybe it won’t work with someone who isn’t a natural witch.”

She went to stand, but Isaac and Josh tightened their grips on her fingers.

Josh spoke first. “You’re part of our coven. You have a bond with each of us. There is another reason this isn’t working.”

Isaac nodded. “Josh is right. We can’t afford for you to start doubting your place in the circle.” When Kaylee opened her mouth, Isaac quickly added, “We’ll prove it. Focus on the first night we all met.”

It had been a warm fall evening. A large group of people from school had met at Wingaersheek Beach. Isaac had just moved to Gloucester, and he’d come to the gathering with Josh.

The water in the scrying bowl stilled, and there we were, standing on the shell-littered beach. Josh’s black hair fell around his face much like it did now. I had been wearing a cream tank top and white hoodie with my pink plaid sneakers because Kaylee hadn’t warned me I’d be meeting someone new. Isaac had his brown hair spiked and wore an olive green jacket. The setting sun glistened red off the sea next to us. We watched the exchange of small talk, not hearing what had been said. Then Josh scooped Kaylee up and jogged down the beach ahead of Isaac and me.

“Our combined memories recreated that night down to the smallest details.” Isaac gave a nod to Kaylee. “Josh is even wearing the necklace you now have around your neck.”

I squinted at the image of us in the scrying bowl. We were sitting around the bonfire now. The flames made the dark metal cross glow crimson.

“Convinced yet that you’re not the problem?” Isaac asked as we all released our hands.

Kaylee touched the leather chain. “Yeah, that’s proof enough.”

“What if we try to focus on Caden?” Josh suggested. “See if he was telling Madison the truth?”

Isaac raked his fingers through his hair. “We don’t have anything of his.”

“I do.” I jumped up, grabbed my jacket, and dug the cigarette butt out. “I stopped him from throwing it in Mrs. Taylor’s bushes. I meant to toss it in the fire pit.”

Kaylee grabbed her phone from her purse. “And we were messing around.” She scanned the pictures. With a triumphant smile, she held the screen so we could see it, revealing a shot of my back shoulder and Caden’s smiling face.

Isaac rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “That could work. Try focusing on Caden and Natalie. Let’s see what happens.”

We joined hands again.

I alternated my thoughts between Natalie’s excitement that Caden had come to the party and Caden’s easy smile when we’d been talking. The water swirled clockwise in a mix of foggy white and dark red. When it stilled, Caden, Natalie, and Lauren were talking outside school.

“Do you think that’s the present?” Josh asked, but a second later he and Isaac walked by Caden and Natalie in the scrying bowl. “Guess not.”

Kaylee leaned in closer to the bowl. “That had to be this past Friday morning. I bet Natalie’s asking him to the party. Look how she keeps tucking her hair behind her ear and how she keeps looking from her shoes to Caden’s eyes. She’s totally crushing on him.”

“This is good. Focus on the party,” Isaac said.

The scene in the bowl was swallowed by a swirl of the water. A few breaths later, we were watching Caden and me talking near the edge of the yard. I felt Isaac’s eyes on me.

My gaze met his. “Natalie was too shy to go talk to him. I was trying to coax him into joining us.”

He bobbed his head, and we observed my double’s conversation end with a slight wave goodbye to Caden before I walked to the edge of the bowl and out of view. Shortly afterward, we watched Caden walk around to the front of the house, where he stopped to talk to Isaac and Josh. He got in his car next. Nothing exciting happened from there, unless you count him almost taking off a car door when the driver of a red Neon swung it open right as Caden drove by. Then the scene went black.

“That’s it of him at the party,” Isaac said. “Show us what Caden’s doing now.”

I realized he was talking to the scrying bowl, so I began to think, Show me Caden, over and over. We got flashes of images: Caden standing outside talking to a tall, slender blonde in a field I didn’t recognize. Caden kissing said blonde. Him in a small kitchen chugging a bottle of beer. Between each image came a brief period of darkness that reminded me of the red slime Chase had gotten from our grandparents last Christmas. That stuff had stained everything, including my favorite jeans. It ended up in the trash three days later.

Caden then lounged on a worn leather couch, holding his half-drunk beer in one hand and the television remote in the other. By the way the light flashed around him, I guessed he was flipping through channels on the television. The last scene remained constant.

Isaac’s fingers slipped from mine. “I don’t think he’s our guy.”

“I have to agree,” Josh said.

“How is it we can spy on someone we barely know, but we can’t get a glimpse of Natalie?” Kaylee asked.

Isaac stood. “Something else is blocking our ability to narrow in on her.”

“What if she’s dead?” I asked, my voice hitching. I really didn’t want to think the worst, but with no news at all, it seemed less and less likely Natalie was going to show up at home saying it was all a misunderstanding. “Maybe when a person dies, their aura or whatever dies with them.”

Isaac shook his head. “There are witches who use divination to help the police find people. The cops think they’re psychic, but a true psychic doesn’t need a crystal ball or scrying bowl. Besides, when someone dies, they leave behind an echo.”

“Like what I feel when I visit my mom’s grave,” I said, getting it.

“Exactly.”

“What if Natalie’s being kept in a cage? The metal might interfere with our powers,” I suggested, cursing to myself when an image of her cold dead body stuffed in an old beat-up freezer chest seeped into my mind.

Isaac flipped on the lights at the switch. “Maybe, but I think we’d pick up something. Not to be gruesome, but a lot of cold cases have been solved by divination, and some of the places their discoveries have led them are pretty far off the beaten path.”

“We’re assuming she was taken against her will and that our spell failed,” Josh said. “What if she doesn’t want to be found? She knows about the powers; she might have learned how to hide from us.”

“Could she do that?” I asked at the same time Kaylee asked, “Why would she do that?”

Isaac looked at Kaylee first. “No way of knowing that until we find her.” To my question, he said, “I’ll ask my parents if it’s possible for someone without powers to block us from pinning down their location.”

“Let’s hope the answer to that question is yes.” I focused on the air above the chandelier, creating a puff of wind that snuffed out the flames of the white candles. One at a time, I did the same to each pillar candle. Smoke curled upward, and the smell of burnt embers wafted around us.

I texted Sarah to ask if we had missed any news. We hadn’t. Sarah was staying with Lauren, who, I found out, hadn’t stopped crying since they’d found Natalie’s car. My heart went out to her because I knew how much of a mess I’d be if anything happened to my best friend.

Depressed and defeated, I had Kaylee drive me home. I insisted she text me the moment she was safe in her house. I didn’t care if I sounded like a mother hen. If there was a lunatic snatching unsuspecting girls, I wanted to know the people I cared about made it to their destinations safe and sound.

Chapter 8

Visited by a Princess

Dad and Chase were already in bed when I got home. I deposited my boots on the rug next to the front door and headed upstairs to take a shower.

The hot water eased my tired muscles, but the longer I stood under the spray, the more my mind wandered. The pitter-patter of water hitting my skin woke my nagging inner voice that insisted I’d missed something. I retraced my steps from Lauren’s house to the gas station, trying to remember if anything had been out of place. I replayed my conversation with Caden and then what my coven had learned, or didn’t learn, by scrying. No matter how many times I went over the details, the outcome was the same: Natalie had disappeared with no trace of where or why.

I chalked up the mental henpecking to being overtired, and I stayed under the spray until I heard the tone indicating I’d received a text. It was from Kaylee, letting me know she’d made it home safely.

With a towel wrapped around my body and my hair dripping down my shoulders, I headed toward my bedroom. Halfway down the hall, a tantalizing fragrance greeted me. I was still trying to figure out what it was when I walked into my room. My eyes immediately landed on my dresser and Mom’s large crystal vase filled with lavender irises, soft yellow carnations, and deep red daisies. The bouquet brightened my room and gave it the feel of summer. It took a moment for me to notice Brea stretched out on my bed, reading my brother’s copy of Peter Pan.

“This book always cracks me up,” she commented in a voice that sounded sweet like church bells. “Whoever heard of pixie dust making humans fly?”

“That’s part of the story’s magic,” I said, shutting my door. “I thought you left.”

She closed the book and sat up. “You said I may linger, so linger I am. I borrowed a pair of socks.” She held up a dainty foot to show me. She’d chosen a bright yellow pair with smiley faces on them. “And boots and a jacket when I went outside.” She pointed to the discarded outerwear lying in a heap next to the bed. “Did you know there’s a humongous evergreen decorated with a million lights near a sailor statue?”

“It’s a fisherman,” I said, knowing which statue she was referring to. “The mayor thought it would be nice to have a Christmas tree there this year. They did a big lighting ceremony and everything.” I rifled through my dresser, looking for something to put on. “Hey, wouldn’t people see a coat and boots moving about on their own if you wore my stuff out in public?”

She scooted to the end of the bed so that her feet dangled over the edge. “No more than you’d see my clothes if you didn’t have the Sight, but since I was covered from head to toe, I saw no need to hide.”

“You mean you let others see you?” Even with her pointed ears tucked in a hat, she wouldn’t look human. Her features were too perfect, and her skin glistened like fresh snow.

“Faeries have magic too, you know. I can blend into your world if I so choose.”

“You disguised yourself using a glamour,” I said.

Josh was good with glamours. I’d once seen him go from a happy, healthy guy to a worried boyfriend with dark circles under his eyes in the time it had taken him to walk up the stairs.

I slipped on my baby-blue pajama bottoms and ducked into a white T-shirt before losing the towel. “Did you go see the tree by yourself?”

“I had plenty of company.” Her nose squished and lips pursed in a way that gave the impression it had been crowded. “What did you do today?”

“A girl from school’s missing. A group of us went out to look for her.” My throat closed over the last few words. It was hard to believe Natalie was gone.

Brea’s mouth pulled down into a scowl as she shook her head and mumbled something in a language I didn’t understand.

Not wanting to relive the last ten hours, I leaned closer to the colorful bouquet, inhaled, and changed the subject. “They’re beautiful. How’d you find daisies this time of year?”

She hopped off the bed and sniffed at one of the large red blooms. “I’m of the Summer Court, remember? I saw the dead flowers and breathed life back into them.”

I imagined Brea’s thin fingers touching the frozen ground in our garden out back, awakening the seeds beneath the dirt. I pictured the flowers growing in fast-forward—like the time-enhanced sunflower I’d seen on the Discovery Channel—and then Brea picking them to bring inside.

She plucked an iris from the vase and stuck it in my wet waves. “You’re pretty enough to be a princess, you know that?”

I felt my cheeks warm. “Are there a lot of princesses where you’re from?”

“There’s only me right now, but I suspect I will be joined by another soon.”

“You’re a princess?” My jaw dropped. I’d never met someone of royalty. I wasn’t sure if I should bow, curtsy, or offer her a cup of tea. I was sure, however, that I shouldn’t have asked her to do the laundry.

She tucked her shimmering silver-violet hair behind her ear and used an iris to hold it in place. “I suppose you’ll be sending me home now.”

“You need to be sent home?” I really should have read the rest of The Fae before I’d returned it to Isaac’s collection.

“No, but if you no longer require my services, you may ask me to return there. Then if you know when I leave your realm, you will know when it’s best to close the door you opened.”

“I don’t mind if you stay,” I admitted as I tossed the clothes I had worn that day in the hamper and went to hang up the coat Brea had borrowed. “If you’d like, that is. Just don’t let my brother or Dad see you. I’d have a hard time explaining your pointed ears and sparkling cheeks.”

Her fingers trailed over my dresser as she spoke. “I wouldn’t want to overstay my welcome. Besides, it’s not just—”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the flower she’d put in her hair fly across the room. She spun around, mouth open and hand raised, paused, and snatched a daisy from the vase.

“Didn’t like the iris?” I picked it up and stuck it in the middle of the bouquet.

“The red matches my top better.”

A fashion-conscious faerie, I thought. She really wasn’t any different from me or my friends.

“Brea, you said you help humans in exchange for their company. Consider sticking around me repaying my debt.” When she continued to look hesitant, I added, “It’s been three days, and I didn’t even know you were still here. Really, it’s okay. Stay as long as you’d like.”

The corner of her mouth quirked upward. She inclined her head in a formal manner, and I could totally picture her ruling a kingdom.

I climbed into bed and grabbed my pillow, placing it in my lap as I leaned against the wall. “Tell me something else about your home.”

She joined me, sitting with her legs tucked under her. “What do you want to know?”

I peppered her with questions: “Where do you live? Do you go to school? Why are there different realms? How about boys? Anyone special at home?”

Brea giggled. “You are a curious one.” She peered off to the side, thoughtfully. At last, she said, “Let’s see…my family’s home is quite big. Have you been to Bavaria?”

“Germany?” I’d never been out of the United States.

“Yes. There’s a castle there, Neuschwanstein. It’s quite uncanny how much the white brick, arched windows, and many towers capped in blue resemble my home. Makes me wonder who copied from whom.” She tapped her lip and then continued, “We don’t have schools like you do. Our elders teach us what we need to know.”

“Sort of like being homeschooled,” I said. “How about the realms? What’s with that?”

With a dismissive wave of her hand, she replied, “Humans and Fae didn’t exactly get along when we shared one world.”

“Faeries used to live here? Why’d things change?”

“Some faeries—a lot of them, actually—liked to play tricks on humans. Innocent pranks, really: hiding a set of keys, stealing trinkets, taking the last of the cream.”

“I bet that’s why humans think faeries work for cream,” I interrupted. “But none of those things warrant banishment.” Humans played pranks on each other too, but they weren’t exiled to another realm.

She looked away, sheepishly. “Well, it was probably the stealing of babies and the tainting of human food with victus nutrimens—faerie food—that caused the uproar all those centuries ago. Humans weren’t completely without blame, though. There were those who trapped faeries and did awful experiments on them. That was long before I was born.”

“So our ancestors didn’t get along and totally ruined it for us.” I brought my knees to my chest and rested my chin on my pillow.

She ran a finger over the stitching on my comforter. “Not all Fae are as charming as I, and not all humans are as accepting as you.”

“I suppose.” I stifled a yawn. “What are the guys like in…what’s the name of your home?”

“Sanctus, and the boys are stubborn, egotistical, and can be quite vindictive.” She paused. “Ha! Adorable, gentlemanly, and benevolent I’d like to see.”

I laughed. “I take it you aren’t seeing anyone right now.”

“What?” Her eye snapped to mine. “Right now? Of course I don’t see anyone!”

“Really? I find it hard to believe that a princess isn’t dating anyone.”

“Dating? Oh, no.” She waved her hand from side to side. “Definitely not.”

“The guys in Sanctus can’t be all be bad.” I closed my eyes for a moment.

“You’d think differently if you met a male Fae.” She paused. “You’re tired.”

“It’s been a long day,” I admitted. Then I wondered if I was supposed to offer her my bed. After all, I couldn’t ask a princess to sleep on the floor. I wasn’t even sure if offering up the couch downstairs would be appropriate.

Before I could say anything, though, she stuffed her feet into my boots, snatched the jacket from the closet, and waltzed to the door. “I think I’ll visit the Hammond Castle. I’ve never been. You?”

“No.” I glanced at the clock on my nightstand. It was almost midnight. “But they’re closed.”

“That’s not a problem.”

“If you say so.” I yawned and crawled under the covers. “Thanks for the bouquet.” I breathed in deeply, savoring the delicious fragrance. “It’s amazing.”

She winked and glided gracefully into the hall as I drifted into a dreamlike state. I walked through green meadows surrounded by beautiful flowering trees. Shades of creamy white and vibrant pink could be seen for miles.

A cold chill brushed the back of my shoulder. Snuggling further under the comforter, the scene in my head switched to a winter wonderland. A sheet of ice coated the branches of the trees and the fragile petals of the flowers. I shivered, breathing in a woodsy scent. Pine, I decided in my fog. I nestled further under my cotton cocoon and fell into a deep sleep.

Chapter 9

Optimistic

My mind was hazy when I woke on Monday. The blankets twisted angrily around my legs as if I had tossed and turned all night.

In Brea’s absence, the spring bouquet on my dresser had developed a coating of frost to mimic the world outside. With my deep purple comforter wrapped around my body, I slid out of bed and examined the flowers. Beneath the crystallized frost on the petals and leaves was a thin layer of ice, and each stem was encased in its own frozen tube. As I marveled at how perfectly preserved in time the irises and daisies were, I noticed a few sprigs of pine mixed in. It was an incredible arrangement.

“Madison!” Dad yelled upstairs, startling me and kicking my butt into gear all at once. A quick glance at the clock let me know my ride would arrive any minute.

I shimmied into a pair of skinny jeans, threw on a navy sweater, and grabbed my backpack. To make sure Dad didn’t notice the frozen bouquet, I closed my bedroom door before jogging downstairs.

“I’ll see you later,” I called to him. I stepped outside as Isaac pulled up next to the curb.

“Did you talk to your parents last night?” I asked as soon as I opened the passenger door.

Isaac waited until I got in to answer. “Yeah. They were sure we did something wrong.”

“Scrying requires a bowl of water and low lighting. How exactly can one mess that up?”

He shrugged and shifted into first. “Once my dad gets something in his head, it’s not worth arguing with him, and I knew he’d want to try himself. Thirty minutes later, he was as perplexed about not seeing her as we were.”

“Are you sure we’d get a reading on Natalie if she was—” I swallowed “—dead?”

“Positive. With how hard we were focusing on finding her, we would have yanked her spirit out of the afterlife.”

I slumped lower in my seat as I tried to convince myself that not being able to see Natalie through divination was a good thing.

We took a detour through the coffee shop’s drive-thru on the way to school. Natalie’s friendly brown eyes stared at us from a missing person’s flyer taped to the glass of the pickup window. Seeing it made me feel like a failure.

Isaac handed me the gingerbread latte and placed his mocha in the Jeep’s cup holder. A couple minutes of silence passed with us wrapped up in our own thoughts. There had to be an explanation for why scrying had failed.

“What about blocking our magic? Did your parents know if that was possible?”

“It is, if you possess the powers, which she doesn’t.”

I took a sip of my latte as I pondered that. “Maybe the person she’s with does.”

He parked in our favorite area of the student parking lot and faced me. “My parents and I discussed that too. If she was kidnapped, then her captor would have to be extremely paranoid to abduct a stranger and feel the need to cast a spell to block her aura from other witches. From what my dad said, they’d have to be powerful too because it requires a complicated potion. And then that brings up the question of why Natalie, who has no magic in her? Why not someone they can siphon off of?”

“Pleasant thought.”

Isaac took my hand and squeezed. “There’s still the possibility that Natalie willingly went with someone who possesses the powers and had him or her make it so we couldn’t use magic to find her.”

“And if she doesn’t want to be found, we can’t help her.” I yanked my backpack from off the Jeep’s floor.

Isaac turned off the engine. “If she doesn’t want to be found, then she doesn’t need our help.”

“Well, if she did run away, it’s shitty of her to put her family and friends through this.”

“True, but I’m starting to think that’s what happened.”

“Which would mean she’s alive.”

He smiled. “There’s my optimist.”

“And if she is, Sarah, Kaylee, Lauren, and I are going to kill her for worrying everyone sick.”

He rolled his eyes but said nothing else on the subject. Josh and Kaylee pulled into a spot a few cars to our left.

Isaac cleared his throat. His gaze flicked from me to Josh’s Mustang. “I wanted to ask you…” He rubbed the back of his head. “The winter dance is coming up. Are you interested in going?”

By the way he kept glancing past me toward the Mustang, I got the impression Josh had informed Isaac the winter dance was my favorite. Eggnog, long flowing dresses, guys in suits, mistletoe—I loved everything about it. The posters had been up at school for a week, and since Isaac hadn’t mentioned it, I figured he wasn’t into dances. I still hadn’t decided if I was going to ask him about it or not.

I said a silent thank you to Josh. Out loud, I said, “I’d love to go with you, if you’re asking.”

He cupped my chin in his hand, guiding me closer. “It’s a date, then.” His words were slightly muffled by our brief kiss.

We got out of the Jeep and walked into the school with Josh and Kaylee. The guys left us as soon as we were inside, heading to their first period classes.

In English, I put my purse on the corner of my desk and asked Kaylee, “Are you and Josh going to the dance?”

“Isaac finally asked you?”

“Yep!”

Her eyes lit up with excitement. “It’s about time. I’ve been bugging Josh for days to light a fire under his ass.”

I lowered myself onto the chair. “I’m not sure how I feel about someone having to force my boyfriend into asking me to a dance.”

“Shut up!” Kaylee shoved me. “You know you want to go, and Isaac knew he wanted to take you. The only reason he hesitated is because he can’t dance.”

“Really.” My eyes widened in mock horror. “There’s something Mr. Perfect can’t do?”

“Apparently.” She dropped her voice to a whisper. “But Josh let it slip he plans on learning—and fast.”

I couldn’t help but grin. “Want to go dress shopping this weekend?”

“Definitely.”

Brea must have decided to check out more than just Hammond Castle, because I hadn’t seen her since Sunday. The flowers in my room remained encased in ice as if awaiting her return. I was dying to ask her how that was even possible.

Dad worked late every day that week, and his absence took its toll on my brother. On Wednesday, to keep Chase from checking out the front window every few minutes for Dad’s pickup truck in the driveway, I insisted he help me make dinner.

Chase grabbed the white pouch of powdered cheese from the counter. “I got an A on my spelling test.”

I stood at the stov,e browning the ground beef for our Hamburger Helper.

“That’s great! Now I know who to go to for help.”

“I’m really good at it,” he assured me.

“I know.” I ruffled his hair. “You don’t have homework, do you?”

“Nope.”

“Good, because Dad will kill me if he found out we played all day instead of getting our schoolwork done.” I dragged the wooden spoon across my throat and feigned dying—head tilted to the side and tongue dangling out of my mouth.

Chase burst out laughing. “No, he won’t!”

Standing on a chair, he helped me add the rest of the ingredients to the skillet. He had just jumped to the floor when the doorbell rang. He raced to get it.

“Don’t open the door until we see who’s there,” I hollered after him.

Chase had his nose pressed against the glass of the side window; subtlety was not on his list of personality traits. Not wanting to be as obvious as him, I glanced through the peephole. All I saw was the back of some guy’s head. I didn’t see a clipboard, but I was sure he was selling something.

I opened the door and pointed to the black-and-white No Soliciting sticker on the glass. “Not interested!”

The guy turned. His dark eyes met mine. “I’m not selling anything.”

“Caden?” He was the last person I expected to see at my house. “Did you hear from Natalie?”

“No.” He tucked his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. “Ben told me the search didn’t go well.”

“That’s an understatement, but there’s still hope she’s alive and hiding in the tropics or someplace exotic.”

He smiled, but it appeared forced.

“If you haven’t heard from Natalie, why are you here?” Then an even better question hit me. “How’d you know where I live?”

“I didn’t. I’m here to see Michael.”

“My dad? He’s at work.”

No sooner were the words out of my mouth when Chase squealed, “Daddy’s home!” and darted out of the house.

“I have an interview with him,” Caden explained.

Dad parked in the driveway and hopped out of his truck. He handed Chase his thermos. “Hey, sport.” When he reached the porch, he said, “Sorry I’m late.”

“You’re hiring?” I whispered, thrilled that he’d finally accepted the fact he needed an assistant.

“I took your advice and put up a Help Wanted sign at the hardware store.” He held a hand out to our visitor. “Hi. I’m Michael Riley.”

“Caden. Nice to meet you.” He shook Dad’s hand.

“Come on in,” Dad said as he walked by me.

Smiling, I tucked my hair behind my ear. This was a good thing: We’d already cleared Caden as a suspect in Natalie’s disappearance. Dad wouldn’t have to work so hard. I’d get a break from brother-sitting duties. Life would go back to normal.

I grabbed Caden’s wrist, stopping him from following Dad, and whispered, “Tell him you love the Rolling Stones and he’ll hire you on the spot.” Just then, I caught a whiff of musk and smoke. A familiar tug—the one I got when my powers ached to be used—pulled at my gut just behind my bellybutton.

Yet Caden didn’t give off the same kind of scent that witches did. His was pungent. And although my powers danced to my fingertips, there was no spark of them colliding with his. That had to mean he wasn’t a witch. Plus, I think Isaac and Josh would have noticed if Caden was one of us.

Still, my suspicions about him were back. My nose must have crinkled, because Caden smelled the sleeve of his jacket.

“Shit, I smell like a fire pit,” he commented.

“You do,” I agreed, releasing my hold on him. “Where’d you come from?”

“A friend’s. Is it that bad?”

Chase buried his nose in Caden’s coat. “I don’t smell anything.”

I had forgotten Chase was there. I placed my hands on his shoulders, backing him up a step. “That answers that.” Which left the screaming question of why my heightened senses were kicking in. I couldn’t ask Caden, so as he and Chase watched me, I said, “I have a sensitive nose. Dad’s in the family room.” I indicated with a nod to the doorway behind him.

“Thanks. The Rolling Stones?”

“Yeah,” I said, suddenly sorry I’d told him that. He joined Dad.

“What’s your story?” I whispered to myself as Caden took a seat on the chair. Dad sat on the couch.

The grumble-growl that came from Chase reminded me we were cooking dinner. I looked down at him. “Was that your stomach?”

“I’m starving!” He dragged the last word out as if it had been days and not hours since he’d last eaten.

“Then we better get ourselves some of that scrumptious dinner we made.” With my hands still on his shoulders, I steered him into the kitchen.

I could hear Dad and Caden discussing the work that needed to be done at the doctor’s office.

“You didn’t smell smoke on Caden?” I asked Chase, in case he didn’t know what a fire pit was.

He shook his head. “Nah. His jacket smelled like the dry cleaner’s.”

I placed a plate of Hamburger Helper in front of him and went to peek around the corner into the family room in time to hear Dad ask Caden about his qualifications.

I had a few questions of my own—starting with Who are you really? and What do you know about Natalie’s disappearance?—because even though our scrying ruled him out as the person Natalie was with, I was willing to bet he knew more than he’d let on. I wondered if truth serum existed. But since I didn’t have a hidden library in my room on all things witchy and the computer was in the family room with Dad and Caden, researching one was out.

Caden talked about the tools he was familiar with while I fantasized about shining a bright white light into his eyes and demanding the truth. But then again, my interrogation might not have to be so obvious. Maybe a calming spell would relax Caden enough to spill his deepest, darkest secrets.

I recited the first few words of the spell I had memorized a month ago but then stopped. It was an all-or-nothing thing. Once cast, we’d all feel its effects, Dad included, and I didn’t want him to be so relaxed that he went against his better judgment and hired Caden regardless of his credentials. I’d never forgive myself if I cost Dad time and money due to incompetent help. I sighed, flattened myself against the wall so they wouldn’t see me, and listened instead.

Caden seemed to be a jack-of-all-trades. He had experience with hand tools, power tools, painting, plumbing, light electrical work, and supposedly he made a mean firehouse chili cheeseburger. He even managed to work the Rolling Stones into conversation.

“Thanks for coming by,” Dad said at last.

I bolted to the kitchen. “Finished?” I asked Chase to look busy.

Dad joined us as I stuck Chase’s cup into the dishwasher.

“Did he get the job?” Please say no. At least not until I have time to talk to Isaac to find out if I’m overreacting about the smoke smell.

Dad fixed himself a plate as he spoke. “I told him I’d call him once I decided, but he’s qualified, and I need someone who can start right away, so I’ll probably call later this evening and make him an offer.”

The doorbell rang before I could respond.

“Are you expecting someone else?” I asked.

“I don’t know. I told Jerry at the hardware store to go ahead and send over the people he’s worked with before.”

The joys of running a handyman business out of your truck meant no real office, but Dad and Jerry had known each other long enough to have developed a good working relationship. I wouldn’t have been surprised if Jerry even prescreened the applicants.

“I’ll get it to give you a couple minutes to eat,” I offered.

Dad nodded and scooped up a forkful of meat.

I dried my hands on a dishtowel and walked to the front door. A guy in his late teens, maybe early twenties, faced me. He stood with his hands in the pockets of his red plaid flannel jacket. Pale blue eyes peered at me from beneath honey-brown hair.

“Are you here to interview for the job?” I asked.

“Yes.” He glanced at his watch. “Am I early?”

“No. Come on in.” I led him to the family room. “Why don’t you have a seat, and I’ll get my dad.”

He didn’t sit, though. Instead, he took in the pictures on the mantel.

“Um, who do I tell him is here?” I asked.

“Reed.”

Reed had on navy pants and worn work boots, as if he’d come straight here from another job.

“He’ll be right with you.”

“Thank you.”

Upon returning to the kitchen, I told Dad he had another applicant waiting.

“Great,” Dad replied through a full mouth.

“Jeesh, did you inhale dinner?”

“It was great.” He chugged his soda and placed his plate in the sink.

“This guy looks more competent than the last,” I commented.

Dad’s eyes narrowed. “By the way you were coaching Caden, I figured you were hoping he got the job.”

That was before I’d gotten another funny feeling about the guy. “I wasn’t coaching—”

“The Stones? I was standing in the next room. Not hard to overhear you.”

He left to interview Reed. Chase went to his room to play. I made myself a plate and called Isaac.

“It wasn’t anything Caden did. I don’t know.” I held my phone to my ear with one hand and used a fork to push cheesy noodles around my plate with the other. “He smelled off.”

“Do I even want to know why you’re sniffing the people your dad’s interviewing?”

“Isaac, I’m serious. He reeked heavily of smoke—like wildfires-burning-for-days smoke—yet Chase didn’t smell anything. What do you think that means?”

“You were standing way too close to the guy.”

“Isaac!” I started to wish I’d called Kaylee instead.

“Okay. You said he didn’t give off any witchy vibe, no scent of his magic or spark from your powers colliding. Right?”

“Yeah.”

“Then I think he’s a decent guy who needs a job. Madison, your brother has lit up the bathroom and not noticed. I think the kid’s nose is broken.”

I laughed. Isaac was right. Chase wasn’t exactly known for his keen sense of smell.

“Feel better?” Isaac asked.

“I guess.”

“I gotta go, but I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

“And Madison?”

“Hmm?”

“Stop smelling the help.”

“Ha, ha!” I ended our call.

Isaac was probably right. I was making a mountain out of a molehill. I worked on my homework until Dad came back into the kitchen.

“So who gets the job?” I asked him.

“They’re both qualified.” Dad grabbed a beer from the refrigerator and took a seat across from me. “Caden has more overall experience, but Reed has a carpentry background. That might come in handy.”

“I’d go with Reed,” I said and closed the book I’d been reading. I felt ninety-five percent better about Caden after talking to Isaac, but there was still a tiny part of me that wasn’t sure I wanted him working with my dad. “Caden’s too young to have done everything he said he has.”

“Caden gave me references. Reed didn’t.”

“Reed looks like a hard worker.”

Dad chuckled and took a swig of beer.

“What?” I asked.

“You only like Reed because he’s a pretty boy.”

“That’s not true.” The part about me liking him, that is. Under the work clothes, Reed was definitely a pretty boy. “I have a boyfriend, remember?”

“Doesn’t mean you’ve become blind to other guys.”

“I’m so not having this conversation with you.” I got up and shoved my chair under the table, annoyed that he thought I’d judge a person by looks alone. If he wanted to know the truth, Caden was just as attractive as Reed. Only, Caden’s dark features and five o’clock shadow gave him a mysterious bad-boy appearance, whereas Reed’s baby blues and shy demeanor made him seem more like the boy next door.

Neither of them had the down to earth, boy-you-want-to-be-with quality Isaac had.

“You’re the one that’ll have to work with the guy,” I said. “So if you hire Caden and find out he doesn’t know the difference between a drywall screw and a wood screw, don’t complain to me.”

I left him to think about that.

Chapter 10

The Inquisition

Thursday after school, I slipped my lambswool turtleneck sweater over a thermal top, put on an extra pair of socks, and grabbed my pink ski jacket. It wasn’t until I dug through the pile of discarded clothes, shoes, and other miscellaneous items at the bottom of my closet and found the floor that I remembered Brea had the boots I was looking for.

Two sharp honks let me know Isaac was out front. I stepped into my sneakers, grabbed my ice skates, and hurried outside. Fifteen minutes later, we were at the open-air ice rink that had been erected in the heart of Gloucester.

It had snowed the night before, blanketing the grass with a light layer of powdery white fluff. The sun shone bright, warming the air and making high-thirties seem comfortable. The outdoor rink was already hopping with skaters. For the first time since I’d known Isaac, he didn’t emanate confidence.

“I’m not so sure about this,” he whined as he stumbled onto the ice. “If man was supposed to balance on thin blades, God wouldn’t have made our feet flat.”

We’d been outside for less than ten minutes, and his nose was as red as the daisies Brea had given me. He hugged the white safety wall with gloved hands. I glided by him, doing a basic upright spin before coming to a stop.

“Show off,” he mumbled.

I stifled my laughter and fixed his skullcap so that I could see his beautiful eyes better. Then I snaked under his arm to offer support. “I’ll help you.” When he kept one hand firmly planted on the wall, I added, “You’re going to have to let go.”

“Right.”

Frowning, he cautiously raised his fingers a few inches above the wooden barrier. I wrapped my arm around his waist and guided us forward. We’d gone maybe three feet when Isaac tried to take a step. A rapid stomp-stomp-stomp followed. Isaac grunted, his arms flailed, and then we were sprawled across the ice.

“What did I tell you,” he joked as he untangled his skate from mine.

I smiled. “Next time try skating and not walking.”

He pulled me closer so that I was practically sitting on his lap. “We could take off these ridiculous contraptions and go get a cup of hot chocolate.”

I gave him a peck on the lips. “Tempting, but we just got here. We might as well go once around the rink before we leave.”

At the rate we were moving, that might take an hour.

His eyes narrowed. “You’re determined to get me out there.”

“I haven’t been skating all year, and I really miss it.” In the past, Kaylee, Sarah, and I would hit the ice the first weekend they opened the skate park, but now that we each had boyfriends and I’d been stuck watching Chase all the time, our schedules hadn’t synced up. “It’s a lot of fun once you get the hang of it.”

“Of course you think it’s fun. You can stand on these things.” He kicked the heel of his blade into the ice, leaving a thin groove behind. “Did you take lessons?”

“I had a couple. My mom loved being out here. She got me my first pair of skates when I was seven. I think they’re still in my closet.” Actually, I knew they were. I’d found them when looking for my boots. “She said I was a natural and signed me up for skate lessons through the park district. Nothing serious, but I did learn a few tricks.”

“So you love skating because your mom loved it.”

“Yep.”

He sighed. “Fine. No more arguments from me.”

“Thank you.” I stood and held out my hand, but Isaac didn’t take it.

Instead, he yanked off his glove and ran his fingers over the long steel runner on his skates. I caught the scent of vanilla and spearmint. This time, when I pulled him to his feet, he didn’t wobble. We glided almost gracefully several times around the rink.

“You cheated and put a spell on your skates, didn’t you?” I asked. Not that I was complaining. The cool air caressing my cheeks felt exhilarating, and with Isaac able to stay on his feet, he enjoyed himself too.

Isaac grabbed my hand, pulling me forward to face him. With his free hand on the small of my back, we skated as one. He smirked moments before his eyes lit with mischief and his powers encompassed us. Spearmint kissed the crisp winter air. A squeal escaped my lips as we twirled, moving through the other skaters like we’d been doing it all our lives.

At the far side of the rink, we came to an elegant stop. Isaac’s strong arm held me in a low dip inches above the ice.

I giggled. “Okay, I forgive you for using witchcraft.”

“That’s really nice of you,” he teased. His mouth brushed mine, and I automatically drew in my powers. He pulled me out of the dip and lifted me to my toes as his chilly lips moved over mine. After a few seconds, he asked, “You ready to get out of here?”

“Yeah.” I nudged him with my arm. “Thanks for sticking it out.”

“It was my pleasure.” He gave me one of his crooked smiles and bumped my shoulder with his.

We followed the flow of skaters around the rink until we reached the exit.

“You two make skating look easy,” Caden said.

“Hey.” Isaac jerked his head up the way guys do to say hello. “You going out there?”

One glance at Caden’s hiking boots and I knew the answer to that question before Caden shook his head.

“It’s not my thing,” he replied.

“I know that feeling,” Isaac muttered as he clomped his way over to the bench and sat.

Running into Caden was actually a good thing. It created the perfect opportunity for me to quiz him about Natalie because, even though the magical evidence pointed to Natalie choosing not to be found, I had to know if he knew anything about it. If he said she was okay, I’d let it go.

“I got the job,” Caden said.

“Congrats! What will you be doing?” Isaac asked as he unlaced his skates.

Caden leaned against the wall, elbows on the ledge, and told Isaac about the position with my dad. Praying the calming spell would relax Caden enough to answer a few questions honestly, I whispered the incantation. My jaw muscles relaxed, confirming I’d at least gotten the spell right. Isaac stopped halfway through removing his skate and glanced at me, head tilted to the side.

I pretended not to notice and asked Caden, “Did you come here to watch everyone skate?”

“Nah, Ben’s mother said he and Mark might have taken their girlfriends here. I thought I’d check it out.”

I tramped over to the bench and sat, loosening my laces in an effort to act natural.

“We haven’t seen them,” Isaac said, putting his gym shoes back on.

“Me neither. I was just about to leave when I spotted the two of you.” Caden shrugged. “Figured I’d stick around to say hi.”

“You know, I’d guess Ben and Mark are at Lauren’s,” I said. “According to Sarah, Lauren came up with a few more places Natalie may have gone. Personally, though, I think she’s with her secret admirer. He had to have been at Ben’s party.” I turned to Isaac. “I still can’t remember her talking to anyone outside our circle. Can you?”

Isaac’s brow furrowed. “No.”

“How about you, Caden? You look like the type of person who notices everything.” It was true. Half the time I’d seen Caden, he was observing his surroundings. “Did you happen to notice anyone out of place?”

“Everyone I saw looked to be having a good time.”

“Except you.” I inwardly groaned that I hadn’t used my inner voice. Maybe I was a little too calm. But since I’d said it, I figured I might as well ask my next question. “Why was that?”

“Madison,” Isaac hissed.

Caden held up a hand. “It’s okay. Natalie was her friend. I can understand her being upset.” He looked at me. “But, as I told you the night of the party, I was looking for someone. When I saw she wasn’t there, I left. No offense, but high school parties aren’t my scene.”

I sighed. I was so sure Caden knew more than he let on.

“You really have no idea who Natalie might have met up with?” I pressed, wishing more than ever the calming spell had included a built-in “can’t lie” feature.

“Didn’t we just have this conversation—” Caden slid the sleeve of his jacket up and checked the time on his watch “—twenty hours ago?”

There was something weary in the way he’d said it.

“You’ll tell me, though, if you hear from her?”

“Yes, Madison. I’ll tell you if the girl the entire town is looking for calls me, but the odds of that happening are slim to none.”

“Why’s that?” I challenged.

“Because we didn’t exchange phone numbers.”

“Oh.”

Caden removed his sunglasses, revealing eyes as dark as coal. “Madison, I’m not the bad guy here.”

“I didn’t say you were.”

“You’re acting as if I am.”

“Am I? I’m sorry.” I looked down at my skates as I removed them, trying to think of a diversion. My next thought tumbled out of my mouth before I could stop it. “You know, it’s funny that before last week we hadn’t met, yet now I keep running into you.”

The glint in Caden’s eyes seemed to ask, Do you really want me to comment on that? right before his gaze moved to Isaac. I looked next to me to find Isaac gaping at me.

I then felt both of them staring as I switched to my sneakers, but my spell had me too relaxed to care. With my shoes tied, I stood, skates dangling from my hand.

Isaac took them from me and asked, “Ready for that hot chocolate?”

“Yeah.”

He held out a hand to Caden. “It was nice seeing you.”

“You too.”

They shook.

“What was that about?” Isaac asked on the way to return his rented skates.

“What?” I replied innocently.

“Take your pick: the third degree you gave Caden, the calming spell you cast, or why you think Caden likes you.”

“I don’t think he likes me!” Or at least I hadn’t until now. But I needed to stick to facts, the important ones. “What I know is that he showed up and a girl went missing.”

Isaac placed his skates on the counter and turned to face me. “I didn’t miss the look he gave you, Madison. You guys hung out yesterday?”

“No. He came by the house to apply for the job. I talked to him for, like, one minute.”

“When you asked about Natalie.” He rubbed the back of his head. The muscle in his jaw twitched. “Why do you think he had something to do with her disappearance? Help me understand that, because right now it looks like you want to date the guy.”

Isaac’s scent changed to steel. He was jealous of Caden, and I supposed I had that coming. I couldn’t help wondering if my spell was the only thing keeping him from losing his temper.

I rested my hand on his arm and looked into his eyes. “I don’t like Caden. I like you.” I stepped closer. “And I don’t think he’s interested in me like that. My instincts are telling me not to trust him, that there’s more to him than meets the eye. Don’t you think it’s a little weird that he’s suddenly always around? At school, the party, here.”

“I didn’t, but now I wonder if he’s really looking for Ben or if he’s looking for you.”

“He’s not looking for me.” I stuffed my hands in my jacket. “And I’m sure he knows something that he’s not telling us.” If there was one thing I knew, it was to trust my intuition.

Isaac stepped in front of me. “Madison, you’re doing it again.”

“Doing what?”

“Jumping to conclusions with no solid proof.” Isaac didn’t have to tell me what he was alluding to: I had once thought he’d been behind unexplained events in Gloucester. “Just because you didn’t know someone until a few days ago doesn’t mean no one knew him or that he’s bad news.”

“I know,” I said, letting the last word drag out a couple seconds, “and after what you said about Natalie not wanting to be found, I was convinced she ran away. But then Caden does or says something that rekindles my doubt about him, and I get this feeling.” I smacked Isaac’s arm when his eyebrow snaked upward. “Not that kind of feeling. It’s more like a warning bell that goes off. A sixth sense or something. I don’t know how to explain it.”

The fact that Caden checked on Ben while Dan was away at college would normally make him a nice guy in my book. So why did I think there was more to him than Adopted Big Brother?

“You don’t get a weird vibe from him?” I asked.

“The only vibe I’m getting from Caden is that he’s competing for your attention.”

I looped my arm through Isaac’s. “I told you, I like you. Not Caden or anyone else. You. So out of all the things you might worry about, don’t let it be our relationship. Okay?”

He studied me a moment and then replied, “Deal.”

At the Jeep, Isaac deposited my skates in the back. “The guy doesn’t have evil powers, Madison. I would have felt it if he did. You’d taste it in the air.”

Like Isaac had felt my powers even before I’d known I had any—and how I’d always been able to taste his, even before I’d known what it meant.

“That’s why you shook his hand,” I said.

He shut the tailgate. “It’s the quickest way to know if someone’s like us.”

“So you don’t trust him either.”

“For totally different reasons than you.” He put his arms around my waist. “But I guessed what you were thinking: Natalie disappeared and magic doesn’t reveal anything about her whereabouts, so maybe someone with powers took her. Caden’s this guy you don’t know much about. On the surface, it’s easy to accuse him of foul play.”

That just about summed it up. I shifted my weight from one foot to the other.

“Josh had seen Dan and Caden together last year, before Dan left for college.” Isaac gave me a reassuring squeeze. “But since he gives you the creeps—he does give you the creeps, right?”

“Yes!”

“Then we’ll keep an eye on him.” Isaac brushed my lips with his. “Let’s get out of here.”

Chapter 11

Kill Me Now

Saturday, Kaylee and I drove to Peabody to look for dresses. Two hours and three stores later, we’d finally found several real candidates. I stood in the three-way mirror, trying to decide if dark green was my color.

“Isaac really thinks Natalie ran away from home?” Kaylee asked from her changing room.

“His parents do too. She can be a bit impulsive, jumping into things without thinking them through.”

“I guess.” Kaylee stepped in front of the large mirrors and modeled a shimmering sand-colored strapless dress that hugged her curves as if it had been custom made for her. “But if I was going to disappear, I’d at least tell you.”

“You’d better. What do you think?” I twirled in a circle, causing the smooth satin of the slip-style dress I wore to fan out like a trumpet.

“I like the low scoop back on you,” Kaylee commented.

I moved my hair to the side, revealing bare skin all the way down to my waist. “I don’t know. I want to wow Isaac.”

“If that doesn’t have his eyes glued to you all night, nothing will.” She ran her fingers over her hips. “Do you like?”

“Josh won’t be able to keep his hands off you.”

She smirked. “That works for me.”

I ducked back into the dressing room to try on the next dress. “You know, guys get off so easy.”

“How’s that?” Kaylee asked. From how muffled her voice was, I could tell she was changing too.

“They can wear the same suit as last year.”

I let the green dress fall to the floor and slipped into a corset-style crimson one. A matching ribbon crisscrossed in the back, leaving just enough skin to be elegantly sexy. The soft silk traveled over my waist, down my hips, and to the middle of my thighs before flaring out. “I’m going to need your help with this one.”

Kaylee exited her dressing room, wearing a cute black number. Her lips puckered when she saw me.

With one hand keeping the dress from sliding down, I looked at my stomach. “What? Does it make me look fat?”

“No. I wish I had found it.”

I scoffed and turned my back to her. “Tie me up, will you?” I held the side of the mirror as she pulled the ribbons, securing the fabric in place. “That one’s cute,” I said, pointing with my chin to her reflection in the mirror. The dress had a gold strap that went over one shoulder and around her ribcage just under her boobs. “Josh will love you in either dress.”

She stepped back, letting me know she’d finished helping me. She held her hair at the back of her head as she twisted to admire her reflection. “I’m not sure which I like better.”

“I don’t know what the other one looked like, but the jaw of every guy in the room will drop with that one,” a deep voice said from behind.

Kaylee and I spun to find Reed watching us. He smiled awkwardly. “Hi.”

“Ah, hi,” I stammered.

Kaylee nudged me with her elbow.

“Oh! Sorry. This is my best friend, Kaylee. Kaylee, this is Reed. He applied for the job with my dad.”

“The one Caden got?” Kaylee whispered.

“Yep,” I replied out the side of my mouth.

“I didn’t mean to eavesdrop. I needed new boots for work.” He held up a shopping bag. “The two of you are hard to miss. Your dates are lucky men.”

“Thanks.” Kaylee took one last look at herself in the mirror before exclaiming, “I’m getting this one.” She dashed back into the fitting room.

“Wait!” But it was too late. I could hear her unzipping her dress to take it off. “I can’t get out of mine without help,” I muttered. I turned to face Reed. He looked as uncomfortable as I felt.

“I got the job,” he said.

“That’s great.” Dad must have decided two assistants were better than one. “When do you start?”

“Monday. I think we’ll be gutting the doctor’s office.” He slipped a hand into the pocket of his flannel jacket.

“Dad told me you know how to make custom cabinets.”

“I’m good with wood. I think that helped tip the scales in my favor during the interview.”

Yep, I was sure of that because my dad wouldn’t hire someone for his flawless skin and piercingly good looks. Jarring my appraisal of his features was a steady crinkle sound coming from his pocket. My gaze dropped to where his hand had disappeared.

“Would you like one?” Reed asked, pulling two pieces of candy out of his pocket. They looked like the same chocolates Dad had bought.

“Oh. No, thanks.” But even as the words left my mouth, my hand twitched, ready to take the tiny treat from him.

Reed held his hand a little higher. “I got them from your house.”

My stomach let out a faint rumble that I hoped he didn’t hear. “Sure, thanks.”

Afraid the chocolate would melt and I’d get brown fingerprints all over the dress, I stuck the entire thing in my mouth. It was as good as I remembered.

“School dance?” Reed asked with a glance at my dress.

I nodded. The simple movement had my brain swimming in my skull, reminding me it had been hours since I’d eaten. I rested a hip against one of the tan chairs to steady myself and looked at the dressing rooms, wondering how long it would take to change into jeans and a sweater.

“You know, I could assist you,” Reed offered.

I felt the heat of embarrassment rise to my cheeks. “I’m sure she’ll only be a minute,” I said louder than I needed to, hoping Kaylee would remember she’d helped me into the dress. “I don’t want to hold you up.”

“You’re not.” With a jerk of his head, he flicked his long blond bangs out of his almond-shaped eyes. They looked familiar, but I was sure I hadn’t met him before the day of the interview. “I’m heading to grab something to eat. Would you and your friend like to join me?”

No way was I going to accidentally lead another guy on. I tucked my hair behind my ear, preparing to politely let him know we weren’t available. “We can’t. We’re meeting our boyfriends after we’re done here.”

I looked back over my shoulder. Still no Kaylee.

Reed set his bag down. “Let me help you.”

“Really, it’s okay. I’m sure Kaylee”—my volume rose when I said her name—“is just about finished.”

He motioned with his finger for me to turn around.

I sighed and did. Gathering my hair, I pulled it over my shoulder and out of the way. “Thanks.”

His chilly fingers brushed my skin as he loosened the ribbon holding the dress up. Several awkward seconds later, he said, “All set.”

When I faced him, he already held his bag.

“Thanks. At the rate she’s going, I might have been waiting another hour.”

He laughed. “See you around.”

“I can’t believe you ditched me like that,” I exclaimed as Kaylee and I walked to the MINI.

“I told you I was sorry.” She pressed the button on the remote to unlock the doors. The lights flashed, followed by a faint click.

“How long does it take to change?”

“I wanted to see the strapless one on me again.” She’d bought the black dress.

“Yeah, well, while you were making up your mind, I had to have my dad’s hired hand help me out of my clothes.” I groaned. “I really hope I don’t see him again anytime soon.”

“Forgive me?”

I had to fight back a laugh when I looked at her. “Don’t give me the puppy-dog eyes.”

She added a slight pout to her lips.

“Fine, I forgive you.”

It wasn’t like I could stay mad at her anyway. The longest fight we’d ever had was in the seventh grade, and that one had lasted all of three hours, twenty-eight minutes, and twelve seconds before we’d both caved and gushed our apologies. I can’t even remember what we had been fighting about.

Kaylee opened the driver’s side door and paused. “What the heck?”

She reached over the windshield and picked up a single ice-blue rose. She examined the tag. “That’s creepy.”

“What?”

She held it over the roof of the car so that I could take it from her. I read the message:

To M~, my flower.

Soon we’ll be together.

“Is it from Isaac?” she asked.

“Definitely not.”

First of all, Isaac didn’t talk like that. Second, my flower. Ew.

“Reed?”

“I’ve talked to him all of ten minutes, and eight of those were waiting for you.”

I scanned the parking lot. A person in a dark coat sank into the shadows, but I’d seen enough of him to know he wasn’t wearing a flannel jacket.

“Get in the car,” Kaylee instructed.

I chucked the flower aside and did. Kaylee practically ran over a woman and her stroller getting us out of there. She kept glancing at me out the corner of her eyes.

“Madison, the last person to have a secret admirer went missing.”

“We decided Natalie ran away, remember?” I said in major denial. I couldn’t be the target of a psychopath.

Chapter 12

Magic Lesson

“Maybe M wasn’t for Madison,” Josh said. “It’s not like Kaylee drives the only dark green MINI Cooper in the state.”

“Perhaps,” Isaac said, bouncing a fist off the arm of my family room couch.

Disney movies and frozen corndogs weren’t exactly my idea of a fun Saturday night, so to lessen the sting of being stuck with brother-sitting duty, I had enticed (a.k.a. begged) my friends to join me, promising I’d have lots of junk food. Isaac had shown up with a kiss, a two-liter of pop, and an extra-large cheese and sausage pizza. Josh had arrived a few minutes later with a couple dozen chicken wings and a perturbed-looking Kaylee. The guys’ mood had gone from carefree to tense in the time it had taken me to tell them about the rose.

“That doesn’t explain the person you saw duck into the shadows when you spotted him,” Isaac said.

“He might have just been walking into the mall,” I replied, not sure if I’d imagined him backing into the darkness.

“Kaylee, did you see anyone?” Isaac asked.

She shook her head as she chewed a bite of pizza, a permanent frown stamped across her face.

“Where’s the flower now?” Josh asked.

“Kissing asphalt. I wasn’t going to keep it.” I handed my brother a napkin. “Really, Chase, you have to stop dissecting your food.” He took the napkin without taking his eyes off the television and Lightning McQueen. Leaning closer to Kaylee, I whispered, “Are you okay?”

“Super.” She smiled. Sort of. I think. I gave her a questioning look, and she snapped, “I’m fine.” Which in Kaylee-speak translated to she was pissed, but about what I didn’t know, and she obviously didn’t want to say it in front of the guys.

“I don’t like it,” Isaac said, dropping a chicken bone into a bag in the center of the coffee table.

I didn’t either, but the more I thought about the rose, the more I felt Kaylee and I had overreacted. If it hadn’t been for Natalie’s Houdini act, we would have assumed the rose had been meant for someone else. Besides, we’d shopped in Peabody, miles away from home. No one had known where we were.

“I’m sure Josh is right,” I said. “Someone got the wrong car. Don’t you agree, Kaylee?”

“Yeah.” She pushed her plate away and slouched back against the couch.

I jumped up. “We need more napkins. Kaylee, can you help me?”

She frowned. “You need help carrying napkins?”

I glared at her through narrowed eyes, wondering if she and Josh had gotten into an argument on the way over. “There’s chips too.”

“Fine.” She trudged to the kitchen as if she were walking the plank off the side of a ship.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“Nothing.”

I swear her ears drooped. I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from calling her Eeyore. And the fact that a Winnie the Pooh reference had popped into my head confirmed I’d really been spending too much time with Chase.

I rested a hand on her arm. “Kaylee, I know you. Now spill.”

“I’m fine. Okay? Can we get the chips and go watch Cars.”

“You don’t have to get snippy.”

“I’m not snippy.”

I fought back my rebuttal. I really didn’t want to fight, and Kaylee wasn’t one to bite her tongue long, so I knew she’d talk soon enough.

“Popcorn or chips?” I held up a bag of Ruffles and a package of microwave popcorn as if the options were stupendous and would lighten her mood.

“Whatever you want.” Kaylee blew out a breath, sending her bangs flying. “Isn’t the whole point of hiring people so that the boss doesn’t have to work weekends?”

And there it was: the reason behind her sourpuss demeanor. Only, normally Kaylee didn’t mind hanging out with me while I watched Chase. Hoping to pull her out of her funk, I continued with my über cheery tone.

“Let’s do both.” I removed the plastic wrap from the popcorn, stuck it in the microwave, and set the timer for three minutes. Next, I took two large bowls out of the cabinet and finally answered her question. “My dad hired them to help with the doctor’s office, not his regular clients.”

“Since when does he work on a Saturday night?” With obvious boredom, she watched the bag of popcorn expand.

“Since the Osborns’ water heater sprung a leak.”

“I’m fine with Paige having to take freezing-cold showers.” Kaylee leaned against the counter, arms folded over her torso.

“Yeah, well, my dad wasn’t. Look, if you don’t want to be here, then go.” I ripped opened the bag of chips and dumped them into one of the bowls. Frustrated with her mood, I turned to leave, but she caught my arm.

“It’s not that,” she said.

“Then what is it, because you’re acting as if hanging out is ruining your night.”

“Madison, I’m sorry.” She snatched the chips out of my hand to get me to look at her. “Really, I am. It’s just that Josh was going to show me how to do more than just block a spell.”

Out of the four of us, Kaylee was the least experienced with the powers. And because she was also the only one who wasn’t a natural witch, last month Isaac and Josh had shared a small amount of their powers with her as a way to protect her from the influx of magic in Gloucester. We had shown her basic things like how to conjure a shield and deflect objects flung at her. Witch Defense 101 is what Josh called it.

“And instead you’re watching Lightning McQueen and Mater tip tractors,” I said, now able to understand her snarky tone.

“Yeah,” she replied, shoulders slumped forward. She lowered herself onto a chair.

The bell on the microwave went off. I grabbed the popcorn, poured it into the second bowl, and took a seat across from her.

“I’m sorry.” And I was. I’d been selfish to suggest we hang out at my place so I wouldn’t be stuck home with Chase while they were out having fun. “I didn’t know you wanted to learn to do more with the powers you were given.”

“Josh made me promise to get used to having them before I tried the fun stuff. I think he was afraid I’d find them seductive like Emma did or not be able to control them like Kevin.”

Emma had become so addicted to the powers that she’d been willing to kill for more. And Kevin had become a danger to everyone around him because his reluctance to embrace his powers meant he hadn’t known how to restrain them either.

“Like that would ever happen.” I ate a piece of popcorn. “What made him come around?”

“He said something about—” her voice changed to mock Josh’s “—if I was going to go to the dark side, I would have done it by now.”

“Kaylee, you don’t have a dark side. I think the guys worry too much, if you ask me.”

“How’s that?” she asked, elbow on the table and temple resting on her palm.

“The powers allow a person to do more; they don’t change who that person is. Emma was a manipulative bitch before she made the deal in exchange for becoming a witch, and Kevin only had problems because he didn’t know what was happening to him. If he’d had support from the beginning like you have, he would’ve been fine.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Do you really think so?”

“Yes. Look at me.” She did. “I’m still the same loving person I was when school started last summer.”

She smiled a real smile this time.

I should have known my best friend wanted to learn more spells. I wasn’t sure when I’d stopped picking up on Kaylee’s needs before having to be told what they were, but I planned on paying closer attention in the future.

“What was Josh going to show you?” I asked.

“I’m not sure. The trick you do with fire, maybe? That would be cool.” She nibbled on a chip, a faraway look in her eyes. After a moment, she shrugged. “There’s always tomorrow, right?”

“I promise, if Josh doesn’t show you, I will.”

“Really?” She glanced out the doorway to the kitchen as if she hoped Josh hadn’t heard.

I wondered if he’d made her promise not to ask me to teach her magic until he said it was okay. The guys being cautious I totally got, but this was Kaylee we were talking about.

“Deal,” she said, beaming. Then she pointed with a chip to the fir and evergreen centerpiece in the middle of the table. “What’s with the pinecone-berry thingy?”

I raised my shoulders and let them fall. “I don’t know. I think one of Dad’s clients gave it to him. Smells nice.”

She leaned over the table and breathed in deeply. “Mmm, like Christmas.”

Josh poked his head into the kitchen. “Hey, Chase wanted me to tell you you’re missing the best part of the movie.”

I laughed. “According to Chase, every part of that movie is the best.” Seriously, I could recite each line even with the sound off. We’d seen it that many times.

Kaylee and I rejoined the guys in the family room. Once everyone had enough to eat, we got comfortable. I sat on the couch, snuggled against Isaac’s chest with Chase snuggled against mine. Josh and Kaylee had made their own cozy spot on the floor with some throw pillows and a blanket.

“Kaylee seems like she’s in a better mood,” Isaac whispered.

“You noticed the acid tone?” I asked, not really surprised. She’d been snippy with all of us before our chat in the kitchen.

“It was hard to miss. You didn’t, you know…cast another calming spell. Did you?”

“No!” I lowered my voice even more. “She had other plans for tonight.”

Isaac nibbled my ear. “Fun plans?”

The comment along with the nuzzling had me picturing Kaylee and Josh in a way I really didn’t want to picture them. “There’s an image I didn’t want in my head.”

Besides, Kaylee knew how totally jealous I was that she didn’t have a problem pulling in her powers when she was intimate with Josh. Josh’s theory about why it was easy for them was that they’d already been a couple when Kaylee had been given powers. That meant there was less pressure about first kisses and whatnot when they were together.

Isaac’s reasoning was more scientific. He felt it made sense that Kaylee and Josh didn’t experience the same electrical jolt of powers colliding when they kissed that he and I did, because Josh’s magic coursed through her veins. That did seem logical. It wasn’t like Josh shocked himself when he touched his own arm.

“Josh was going to show her something new,” I said.

“Ew! Now that’s a picture I didn’t want in my head.”

I hit his thigh. “Get your mind out of the gutter.”

“Yours went there first,” he pointed out.

Josh pushed himself into a sitting position. “What are you guys discussing?” He waggled his eyebrows.

Isaac threw a pillow at his head. “Like I’d tell you.”

“Shh!” Chase hissed. “I can’t hear Mater.”

As if he couldn’t recite the entire movie too.

I dropped my voice to a murmur. “Josh was going to show her a spell.” That was all I had to tell Isaac for him to be in on the Kaylee Training Session.

Dad got home around eight. He announced he was going to take a quick shower and would then entertain Chase for us, but by the sound of the logs he sawed soon afterward, we guessed he had lain down and passed out instead. We tucked Chase in bed at nine. That left the four of us alone in the family room to do whatever we wanted.

I grabbed several thick pillar candles from the box in the hall closet. After moving the coffee table out of the way, we placed three of them on the floor and distributed the rest evenly around the room. We sat in our usual spots and built our circle.

“Madison, you want to show Kaylee this one?” Isaac asked.

I smirked wickedly. Lighting candles was one of the first things I’d mastered.

“Relax, find your center, and concentrate on what you want to happen.” With my powers on the tip of my tongue, I bent forward and gently blew on the wick of the candle closest to me. It glowed a bright tanzanite blue—the color of the flames I produced—and then lit. I winked at Kaylee, and the rest of the candles flickered to life.

Kaylee’s gaze roamed the room.

“Creating fire where there is none is the most difficult part, but once it exists, you can manipulate it.” Josh held his hand in front of him, palm up. His fingers curled into a fist. The simple gesture extinguished all the candles at once without so much as a wisp of smoke. He opened his hand to show he’d captured the flames in his grasp.

“Hold out your hand,” he told Kaylee.

She bit her bottom lip and followed his instructions.

“Call the fire to you,” he directed.

She stared at his hand, but nothing happened. Only a hint of stargazer lilies—the sweet scent of her powers—could be detected amongst the strong taste of chocolate-covered strawberries that was my powers. If Kaylee had properly managed to call upon her magic, we would have smelled a dozen bouquets of the vibrant flowers.

Isaac held his hand up as if he had on a catcher’s mitt. “Find your center,” he repeated, reminding her of the first step to any spell. “Focus on what you want and imagine it happening.”

The fireball soared into Isaac’s waiting hand.

“Is it hot?” Kaylee asked.

“It’ll feel warm like a freshly baked cookie, but it won’t burn you,” I assured her.

“Okay.” She took a deep breath and sat a little straighter. Her gaze fixed on the fire suspended an inch above Isaac’s palm. The taste of her magic slowly grew stronger. A few seconds passed. She squinted, mouth pulled into a tight line. Her hand bounced a couple times as if she was thinking, Come on! The flames moved ever so slightly closer to her. Her face contorted more. Finally, it soared to her like a foam bullet shot from a Nerf gun. She gasped but caught it.

“I did it!” Kaylee laughed. “I actually did it. Now what?” she added excitedly.

“Put it out,” Josh said.

Slowly, her fingers bent upward. Flames licked her pinky. She hesitated a moment before snapping her hand closed, smothering the fire. I’d almost forgotten how fun it was to cast the simple spells as a group.

Next, Kaylee tried to light the candle closest to her by blowing on the wick. She had about as much luck with that as a stove without gas. The strong scent of hot apple cider wafted past me. I glanced at Josh, knowing that was the taste of his powers. He mouthed shh as the candle lit.

Kaylee didn’t notice that Josh had helped her with the spell, and I let her have the small victory because one of the most powerful tools a witch could have was confidence. If Kaylee believed she could harness the powers given to her to light a candle, then eventually she would be able to.

We continued to practice, taking turns summoning the fire to us and sending it back to the candles. By the time we called it a night, Kaylee had lit a candle on her own. She wasn’t able to get them all to light like I had, but she could pull a flame from one candle and send it to the wick of another.

“That was incredible,” she said as we gathered the candles and put them back in the box. “I feel…energized.”

I knew that sensation all too well—the trickle of magic dancing over my skin, awakening all my senses, allowing me to see things with more clarity than I had before I’d embraced the powers.

She and Josh left shortly after we had the family room put back together.

“Are you sure you won’t stay?” I asked Isaac. We were in the foyer.

“Can’t. I have to get up early tomorrow.”

“Not even five minutes?” I hooked my index fingers through his belt loops and rose to my tiptoes, my lips a breath away from his. “I thought we could do a little practicing of our own.”

Isaac wet his lips. “Your father’s right upstairs.”

“Passed out. A freight train speeding through his bedroom isn’t going to wake him.”

Isaac’s mouth covered mine. A tingling sensation tugged at me from behind my belly button. I pushed it back and wound my arms around his neck. Isaac’s fingers followed the curve of my back down to my butt cheeks and back up again. I could feel my powers struggling to break free, but squeezing my eyes shut tighter, I tucked them away. To my disappointment, Isaac broke our kiss.

“I’m going to need more than five minutes,” he said in a husky voice.

I was going to need a double-insulated titanium room to control my emotions and my powers for more than twenty-three seconds.

Isaac pinched my chin, tilted my head up, and gave me one last peck of a kiss. “I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon.”

With a wave of my hand, I turned off the lights and headed upstairs. Kaylee had done really well for her first time playing with fire. I was thinking that I’d show her how to capture the wind next. Or maybe that was too advanced. She’d probably like to be able to will the lights on and off or make changes to something written in ink or warm a cold cup of coffee.

At the top of the stairs, I paused mid-thought to watch the glimmer of violet light that crept from beneath my closed bedroom door.

I took a tentative step forward, then another and another, peeking in my brother’s room as I passed it. He was sound asleep, flopped across his bed on top of the covers like every other night.

My eyes journeyed back to the iridescent glow seeping out of my room. I took the last few steps and stopped, my hand hovering over the doorknob.

“It’s your room,” I reminded myself. Although when I’d left that morning, my room hadn’t glowed.

Before I could talk myself out of it, I wrenched open the door. Several tiny orbs floated above my bed. I focused on the lamp on my nightstand, pushing out a small amount of power. It clicked on. Brea lie curled on top of the covers on my bed fast asleep, still wearing my boots.

She looked so peaceful. Instead of waking her, I turned the light off and pulled as much of the comforter over her as I could and then grabbed my old sleeping bag from the closet. I spread it out on the floor at the foot of the bed and crawled inside. My eyelids grew heavy as I watched the purple orbs drift around my room.

I dreamed I was with Isaac. The gymnasium at school had been transformed into a makeshift ballroom. Sparkling snowflakes dangled from the beams in the ceiling. Twisting columns of red and white balloons added a Christmas feel to the place. Matching streamers draped in flowing currents from the ceiling to the walls. A beautiful waltz serenaded everyone in attendance. Isaac wore a black suit with a black dress shirt. I had on a red velvet strapless dress complete with white fur around the top and bottom. We twirled around the makeshift dance floor with the rest of the dancers.

Kaylee and Josh were there, spinning through the crowd as effortlessly as Isaac and I were. Kaylee and I exchanged smiles. Everything was perfect.

The next song was a slow ballad. Isaac held me close as we swayed to the music, yet I could hear the conversation of others.

“What’s wrong with the one you have?” a girl asked, her voice soft, almost whimsical.

“She doesn’t make a statement,” a guy replied in a tone that had goose bumps rising on my arms.

“You’re doing this for vengeance, aren’t you?”

If he answered, I couldn’t hear him. Isaac pulled me closer, wrapping his powers around me. I snuggled into his hold and continued to listen to the conversation next to us.

“Please, for me, leave her be,” the girl said, sounding exasperated.

“Fear not, Sister. My interest in her extends beyond revenge. She intrigues me.”

I scanned the faces around us as Isaac and I continued to dance, unable to see whose conversation I was eavesdropping on. The slow song then gave way to something more upbeat. Isaac held my fingertips as he twirled me once under his arm. The song was nearly over when someone tapped his shoulder.

“May I cut in?” the guy I’d heard earlier asked.

I couldn’t see his face with Isaac standing between me and Mystery Voice. The vanilla and spearmint that had encompassed me became tainted with steel and an oddly familiar sweet aroma. Before either Isaac or I could answer, the scene changed. He and I relaxed on the balcony of the lighthouse. Dave Matthews Band serenaded us from Isaac’s cell phone.

Stirring in my sleep, I rolled to my side and fell into a deeper, blacker sleep.

I woke the next morning in my bed. The purple orbs had vanished with dawn’s light. Brea was gone, but the flowers on my dresser were warm and alive. They filled the room with their alluring perfume. I stretched, rolled to my side, and hugged my pillow, wondering when I had moved to my bed and when I’d see Brea again.

Chapter 13

The Prince of Faeries

The rest of the weekend went by uneventfully. Even things at school were back to the normal day-to-day stuff. If it weren’t for the “We miss you” and “Come home soon” sentiments taped to Natalie’s locker, you wouldn’t even know that she’d gone missing barely over a week ago.

“It’s disgusting how quickly they forget,” Lauren said to Sarah, Kaylee, and me on Monday afternoon.

Sarah put her books in her locker and asked Lauren, “Has she sent you any more messages?”

“You heard from her?” Kaylee and I said in unison.

Lauren, whose locker was two away from Sarah’s, replied, “She texted me last night to tell me she was okay and not to worry about her.”

“Where is she?” I asked, relieved Natalie was alive.

“She wouldn’t say.”

“Are you sure she wasn’t forced to text you?” Kaylee asked skeptically.

“We have a code word for when we’re covering for each other. She used it. No way would she have done that if she was in trouble.” Lauren shut her locker.

“This is a good thing, right?” I said.

“It confirms Isaac and Josh’s theory that she doesn’t want to be found,” Kaylee whispered so only I could hear.

“She’s still gone, and they—” Lauren gave a nod to a random group of girls walking by “—don’t even care.”

“But if she left,” I started to say but stopped when Sarah shook her head in a way that warned, Don’t go there. So instead I said, “I’m sure you’ll hear from her again.” And we dropped the subject.

Isaac gave me a ride home. We made a pit stop at the gas station. While he quenched his car’s thirst, I went inside the convenience store to grab us a beverage.

I waited patiently in the checkout line behind a woman in yoga pants and a bright yellow ski jacket. A guy with shiny blond hair and a red plaid jacket placed three liter-sized bottles of water on the counter.

“Reed?” I asked. He turned, letting me see it was him. “Hey.”

“Madison.” He motioned for the woman to go in front of him, and they traded places.

“How do you like working for my dad?” I asked.

“It’s been busy, but good. And your dad has plenty of tools, so at least I don’t need to buy any.”

Dad’s pickup truck was a mobile workshop, and being the person he was, I knew he wouldn’t expect his hired help to have their own tools. I looked down, noticing his Timberland boots. “Gives you more money for shoes,” I teased, remembering how he’d been shoe shopping when I’d run into him at the mall.

He laughed. “Did you get that dress?”

“Yeah.” The memory of his cold fingers brushing my shoulder blade as he untied the ribbons caused my cheeks to warm. I hoped I wasn’t blushing. To keep from having to meet his gaze, I scanned the candy selection near us.

“I still have some of that chocolate.” Reed reached into his pocket and then held out his hand, revealing two pieces of the brightly wrapped treats. “Want one?”

“Thanks.” My thumb had just scraped the fuchsia cellophane when it burst into flames and vanished. Flinching, I clutched my fist to my chest.

“You,” Isaac growled from behind me.

I turned, still trying to understand what had happened. He stared at Reed as if he were seeing a ghost. My gaze went back to Reed. A wicked smile flashed across his face.

Isaac continued, “I sent you back and sealed the door.”

The woman in the yoga pants glanced between Reed and Isaac. I was sure her confused expression mirrored mine. I didn’t know which question to ask first: Who torched a perfectly good piece of chocolate? Or, what door?

Reed shrugged. “Doors get opened all the time.”

The scent of steel and vanilla mixed together to create a nauseating stench and added one more question to my list: Why was Isaac—Mr. In Control—losing his calm now?

“We had an agreement,” Isaac spat.

“I assure you it hasn’t been broken,” Reed replied coolly.

“What are you talking about?” I asked, glad to have found my voice. “How do you know each other?”

As if just remembering I was there, Isaac stepped protectively in front of me. “The question is, how do you know him?”

“He works for my dad.” I tried to move next to Isaac, but he put an arm out to his side, stopping me.

Reed smiled, and for a moment I thought I saw his eyes go from pale blue to winter white. His hair appeared longer, and his high cheekbones looked as if they’d been chiseled out of marble. When I blinked, though, his features were no more remarkable than mine.

He held another piece of candy in his hand. Despite the fact the last one had burst into flames, I wanted it. Bad. I hadn’t even realized I reached for the tiny piece of heaven until Isaac lowered my arm to my side. An unexpected anger grew in me. That was my piece of candy. Isaac had no right taking it from me.

“That’s my girl,” Reed whispered, only his lips hadn’t moved.

But I wasn’t his girl. Was I? My mind became too hazy to think straight. I was sure the chocolate would make everything all right. Then something caressed my skin, wrapping around me like spearmint-scented silk, and I remembered Isaac. I was his girl, not Reed’s.

What the hell was going on? I opened my mouth to tell them both off, but my body had become weightless, and there wasn’t enough of me left to form the words. A second later, I was sitting in the Jeep. It took a moment for me to realize that Isaac had teleported me to his car. Confused and annoyed, I yanked on the handle, but the door didn’t open.

“Son of a bitch!”

I slammed my shoulder against the door. It still didn’t budge. By the time Isaac joined me, I was fuming and pretty sure the copper taste clinging to my tongue was my powers showing just how pissed I was. Isaac sped away without a word.

“Are you going to tell me what just happened?” I asked. When he didn’t reply, I stated the obvious. “You used your powers in front of a store full of people.”

He dragged a hand through his hair. “They won’t remember.”

My jaw dropped. “You cast a confusion spell on everyone in the store?”

“No, I cast a confusion spell on the cashier and a couple women who happened to be looking in our direction.” His fingers curled and uncurled around the steering wheel. “Have you eaten anything he’s offered you?”

“What?” I shifted in my seat so that I could see him better. “Isaac, stop the car and tell me how you know Reed or…or…”

He took a hard left, cutting off a guy in an SUV. “Or what? You’ll jump?”

I didn’t plan on going that far.

“Did you?” he bellowed, startling me.

“Yes. What’s up with that anyway, because back there—” I pointed at the small dot in the distance that was the convenience store “—I couldn’t think straight.”

Isaac replied with a stream of profanity that was obviously directed at Reed. I’d never seen him so upset, and I was still trying to understand why. All I could think was Reed had to be a dark witch; how else could he mess with my head so easily?

“How’s he here?” Isaac asked.

I took a deep breath. One of us had to remain rational. “Maybe if you tell me what’s going on and how you know Reed, we can figure that out.”

“He’s a manipulative, self-serving faerie, and I sent his ass back to his realm last year. I sealed the door myself.” Isaac slammed his palm against the steering wheel. “It doesn’t make sense. Faeries can’t open the door between realms on their own, and they have to be invited to ours before they can enter.”

“Reed’s not a faerie.” He couldn’t be. He worked for my dad.

“I assure you, he is.”

I thought again to how I’d seen his eyes change colors and heard his voice in my head though his mouth hadn’t moved. “But I only summoned one.” I couldn’t have brought Reed into our lives too.

Isaac’s shoulders stiffened, and the muscles in his jaw twitched. “You did what?”

I hadn’t meant to say that out loud. “I needed some help around the house. Your mom was the one who said faeries like to do housework in exchange for cream—which is a myth, by the way. Not only do they not drink cream, they don’t like to clean.”

“I could have told you that.”

Isaac pulled into the fifteen-minute parking lot at Annisquam Lighthouse. His frustration rippled off him, tainting the air with an acid metallic taste that stuck to my tongue right alongside the copper already there.

“Madison, Reed being here is bad. I believe his last words to me were, ‘Pray our paths never cross again.’”

In the confines of the Jeep, our powers suffocated me. I got out. Isaac did too.

The air smelled of fish and salt from the bay. I couldn’t tell if the energy surrounding Isaac was rage, fear, or irritation, but it scared me. It warned me to keep my distance until he managed to get his emotions under control. He paced back and forth from the Jeep to the large rocks that created a barrier between land and water. Over and over. Sometimes he just breathed in long deep breaths. Other times, he mumbled to himself so quietly that if I hadn’t seen his lips moving, I wouldn’t have known he was doing it.

I waited by the Jeep, fidgeting with my rings and listening to the sounds of the water slapping the shore. I was dying to know how one faerie could be such a threat. Slowly, the taste of power leaking from Isaac’s pores changed from steel to vanilla and spearmint.

“Where’d you get the spell?”

“From your book on Fae,” I confessed.

He punched the front quarter panel of the Jeep, creating a fist-sized dent that pushed its way out until there was no evidence of the damage. Recomposing himself, he said, “The book I asked you not to read.”

Technically, he hadn’t asked me not to read it—more like alluded to it, which, to be honest, sparked my curiosity. No way was I going to point that out.

“I didn’t see the harm in doing one spell,” I said in my defense. “And it’s a spell your great-aunt has done.”

Isaac held his hand in front of him. The Fae appeared. He opened the book, flipping through the pages until he found the one he wanted. Holding it so that I could see, he asked, “You cast this spell?”

“Yeah.”

“Trust me, my aunt never cast this spell.” He turned the book around so he could read it.

“But that spell summons one faerie, and Reed is not the faerie I met.”

He looked at me. “Who’d you meet?”

“Brea, and she hasn’t asked for anything. As a matter of fact, she’s nicer than some humans we know.”

“Did you read every word of the spell exactly as it’s written here?”

“Yes.” I had been very careful to follow the instructions to a T.

“And you called upon Dellis and Rhoswen Reedsnap?”

“Called upon? Those are names?” I’d figured it was gibberish like neverwhere.

“The faerie at the store was Dellis Reedsnap of the Seelie Court.” Isaac closed his eyes. “I guess I should be thankful there aren’t any Unseelie names in this book.”

I shook my head, still not convinced I had summoned Reed. “The spell grants me Sight. It allows me to see who I summon.”

“Apparently it only allowed you to see one of them.”

“But everyone at the gas station could see Reed,” I said, confused by the Fae’s rules.

“Because he’s allowed us to see him.”

“Oh…and he’s wearing a glamour so that he’d fit into our world.” Like Brea had done when she’d explored Gloucester. “But how’d Brea get here? Her name isn’t in the spell.”

“My guess is she’s really Rhoswen.” He strolled toward the rocks and took a seat.

“Reed’s sister,” I said, the proverbial light bulb going off above my head. She had said she had a brother; it would have been nice if she’d told me he was here.

I thought back to the day I’d met Brea. Her attention had been fixed on something near the window, and I had assumed she’d been gazing outside, but what if she hadn’t been? What if someone had been talking to her? Her comment, ‘You will owe me,’ made more sense if she’d said it to Reed, Dellis, whatever his name was.

I joined Isaac near the rocks. “Why do you think he’s pretending to be human? Why work for my dad?”

“Take your pick: because it amuses him, to get close to you, to make you trust him.”

The knot in my stomach bet all of the above were correct. Isaac flipped forward a few pages and held the book so that we could read it together.

“Brea’s a princess,” I said matter-of-factly. “That would make Reed a prince.”

Isaac gave me a sidelong glance. “Does it make you feel better to know a prince has wormed his way into your life?”

I rolled my eyes in lieu of a reply. After a few minutes, I pointed to a paragraph in the book.

“It says here that as long as you know a faerie’s name, they can’t harm you. It gives you some type of control over them.” I looked at Isaac. “That’s good, right?”

“It would be, if we knew his name.”

“Dellis Reedsnap.”

“Trust me, that’s not his full name.”

I gave that a moment’s thought and decided since “Brea” wasn’t even in the spell I’d cast, it made sense there was more to their names than Dellis and Rhoswen Reedsnap.

“This is my fault.” Isaac pinched the bridge of his nose. “If he figured out you’re with me, then he’d want to use you to get back at me.”

“Right, because you sent him packing the last time he was here.”

“I warned you about messing with the Fae.”

Glad Mr. In Control was back, I bumped his shoulder with mine and replied, “No, you said learning about earthly elements was more useful than learning about faeries.”

“I believe I called them devious little creatures that twist the words of humans to their advantage.”

Figured he’d remember his words verbatim. I already felt bad enough I’d been tricked into thinking Reed was a nice guy. Isaac dragged his fingers through his hair, grabbing a fistful at the back of his head. We were quiet, each consumed in our own thoughts. Mine centered on that tiny fuchsia-wrapped treat I hadn’t gotten to enjoy.

“What’s the big deal about eating a piece of candy anyway?” I asked. An amazingly delicious piece of candy, I added silently.

He studied me, eyes all squinty and mouth opened just a little. “You feel like you need it, don’t you?”

“No,” I lied. I needed it almost as much as I needed to breathe.

“Faerie food is like a drug to humans. Eat enough, and you’ll become dependent on it. Eat too much, and you’ll forget who you are. It’s how faeries lure their victims away from their homes and into their realm. Can you hear him, in your thoughts? When you look at him, do you see beyond his human guise?”

I scrunched up my nose, sure now I had briefly seen Reed’s true form at the gas station and that his baby-blue eyes were as bright as the lightest, freshest snow. “But I’ve only had a piece—or three,” I corrected, remembering the candy I’d found in the kitchen.

Isaac closed the book, and it disappeared. “I wouldn’t put it past him to slip something into your food or beverages.”

“He can do that?” Of course he could. Invisibility gave him an unfair advantage. “Can’t we send him back?”

“You’d need a spell to cast him out of our realm, and I’ve never been able to find one. Believe me, I searched the last time I faced him. The best we can do is seal the door you opened, only we can’t do that until we know Reed’s in his realm, and I doubt he’s going to volunteer to go quietly.” Isaac leaned forward, elbows on his knees as he peered out toward the horizon.

“You know, I don’t think Brea is anything like her brother.” The more I thought about that, the more I was sure she’d help me. “She hinted to closing the door once. What if we ask her to lure him home so we can do it now?”

“Do you think you can trust her?”

I wanted to trust Brea because we’d become friends. At least, I thought we were friends. There was always the possibility that she was the one slipping me faerie roofies. “I don’t know, but it’s a plan.”

“Where is she now?” he asked, hope rising in his voice.

I shrugged. “She sort of comes and goes as she pleases.”

His shoulders slouched forward, but instead of going off on how I’d let a faerie—two, apparently—run around Gloucester unchecked, he said, “Let’s focus on protecting you.”

He hopped off the rock and held his hand out to me, helping me down.

I liked that plan. “How we going to do that?”

“We’ll faerie-proof you.”

Chapter 14

Faerie-Proofing

Turned out faerie-proofing a person required a length of chain that one could find in any hardware store—or my garage since my dad was a packrat. Isaac and I gathered what we needed from my dad’s toolbox and went to my room to work on what I expected to be a complicated spell.

“Give me your wrist,” Isaac said, holding up a seven-inch length of chain he’d recently cut to size by pinching the unwanted link between his thumb and forefinger and blasting it with a small amount of magic.

“Why?” My gaze traveled from the metal chain to his eyes to my wrist, which I promptly hid behind my back. “Tell me you aren’t suggesting I wear that dirty thing like a bracelet.”

“Iron’s toxic to faeries. We’re lucky your dad had it.” He held the thing closer to me.

Out of all the words sprinting through my mind, lucky wasn’t one of them.

“What’s to keep him from grabbing me by the waist?” I really didn’t want to make a fashion statement showing up at school with a hardware store special as my bracelet.

“If you’re worried about it, I could fashion together a belt to match.” When I didn’t move a muscle—which was out of fear he was serious—he said, “Faeries don’t like to be around iron. Wearing it around your wrist should be enough to keep Reed away.”

With a heavy sigh, I relented and gave him my wrist. The chain went right next to the hemp bracelet I never took off. With a little help from his powers, Isaac easily squeezed the last link into an oval, securing it in place. But one wasn’t enough. He made a matching one for my left wrist.

I held my forearms out. “These look ridiculous.”

“It’s only temporary.” Isaac set the spare chain on my dresser, noticing the flowers for the first time. “Where did you get these?”

“Brea picked them from the garden.”

“It’s the end of fall.” He pulled one of the green sprigs from the vase and studied it.

“She’s a summer faerie. She can wake the flowers if she wants to.”

He grabbed the bouquet in one hand and turned toward the garbage can near my nightstand, dripping water on the dresser and carpet in the process. I jumped in front of him before he could throw them out.

“They’re from Brea, not Reed.” I went to grab them, but he moved his hand out of my reach. “We want her help. Don’t you think we’ll insult her if we throw out the flowers she gave me?” We needed Brea to stay on our side. Besides, a bouquet of flowers was not going to make matters worse.

This time when I reached for them, he didn’t resist.

“Get rid of the meadowsweet,” he said. I gave him a confused look, and he added, “It attracts faeries. It’s the green stuff.”

I pulled the sprigs of green leaves and pine from the mix and handed them to him.

On the way back to my house, I had told Isaac everything I knew about Brea and her home. We knew that her brother was of the Winter Court, so Isaac was sure that with winter fast approaching, Reed had become more powerful than Brea.

Isaac leaned against the dresser, legs crossed at his ankles. “When did you summon her?”

I blew out a sigh and picked up Jeffery, the stuffed giraffe I’d gotten at a carnival when I was thirteen. “I don’t know, a week ago. I think. Why?” I sank down onto the corner of my bed.

“Was it before or after Natalie disappeared?”

“Before.” The word dragged out as the gears inside my head clicked into place. “Oh my God, you think she’s been abducted by faeries. And the fact that I just said that out loud and meant it shows how seriously weird life has gotten.”

Isaac spun the meadowsweet between his fingers. “One way to find out.”

A quick trip downstairs gave us all the things we needed. Our scrying bowl was one of my mom’s navy-blue serving dishes; it was shallow and ceramic, perfect per Isaac. He surrounded the bowl with meadowsweet and daisies. We built the circle without Kaylee and Josh.

“We couldn’t get this to work with all four corners of our coven. Why do you think it will work now, with only the two of us?” I asked.

“Last time we were looking for Natalie in our world. To cross realms, you need meadowsweet and something that has been touched by a faerie’s magic.”

“Hence the daisies.”

He smirked. “Yep.”

We sat facing each other with our hands linked and the bowl of water on the carpet between us. We used a photo of Natalie that had been taken at our eighth grade graduation party as the image of who we were looking for. Since she had given it to me, we also used it as the something that was once hers.

The water swirled in a silver haze. I kept picturing Natalie in her purple ski hat, the pom-pom on top of her head bobbing front to back when she laughed. Her wind-kissed cheeks had grown even rosier when she’d talked about her secret admirer. Had Reed given her the flowers? Had the blue rose been from him? Now I wondered if the bouquet I’d so adamantly saved from the trash was from Brea or if it had been from Reed all along.

The silver haze moved slowly to the outskirts of the bowl. It was like looking through a mirror. An image started to form: first a brook, then the snowy shore and ice-laced trees. It could have been anywhere, except the water was too blue and the needles of the tall cypresses too green. The sky was a palette of indigo and plum. A group of girls in long velvet dresses scampered into view, laughing and chatting, though we couldn’t hear what they said.

The girls drew nearer in our sight as if we’d hit a zoom button. Three of them were fairies; I could tell by their slanted eyes and creamy complexion. But the fourth was human. Her shiny hair and too-perfect skin looked the same as the others, but her normal brown eyes gave her true nature away. Then a fifth girl ran up to them, carrying a covered basket. The view adjusted again, focusing on her.

Natalie.

“I did this,” I murmured. I had ruined Natalie’s life along with her families’ and friends’ by playing with magic I didn’t understand.

“You didn’t mean to.”

“That doesn’t make it better.” My fingers slid from his. “Why would he take her?”

Brea had said faeries used to kidnap babies, but Natalie was far from an infant. Reed couldn’t have done it to punish Isaac; Isaac barely knew her.

“Something about her must have intrigued him. It might have been how petite she is or her scent, but luring humans away from their homes is something the Fae are all too good at. It’s one of the reason witches cast them out of our realm.”

“How do we get her back?” I asked. Returning her to her parents was the only thing that truly mattered.

Isaac rubbed his hand on his jeans. “Madison, there’s a reason humans aren’t supposed to accept gifts from faeries. Their food changes our cellular structure. We literally become dependent on it. Now that she’s in Sanctus, she’s better off staying.”

“We’re not leaving her there.” I pointed to the scrying bowl for emphasis.

Isaac tilted his head to the side as he watched Natalie pull a wine bottle filled with clear blue liquid out of the basket. “She looks happy. That’s a good thing.”

“How is that a good thing?” When his mouth opened and closed without a reply, I said, “She’s obviously been brainwashed. So…we…we’ll get her back and unbrainwash her.”

“Unbrainwash?”

“You know what I mean, Isaac!”

“Madison, Natalie’s lived on a diet of their food and spirits for, what? A week? Her body’s changed.”

“No.” I shook my head. “It can’t be too late. She just needs to eat something normal.”

Isaac reached over the bowl and held my hands. “Madison, it doesn’t work that way.”

“I refuse to believe it’s too late! She has family and friends who care about her. She deserves to be with them, Isaac. They deserve to have her back. Three stupid pieces of chocolate can’t mean a lifetime away from the people I love.” Tears streamed down my face, and my body trembled. “I don’t want to forget what I have here.”

“I won’t let that happen to you.”

“I want it. The candy,” I whispered, ashamed to admit it out loud and scared to death because the ache in my stomach was a hunger I’d never felt before. “Even though I now know what it is, I can’t stop thinking about it.”

Isaac pulled me into his arms. “But you haven’t crossed realms yet, and I won’t let you. We’ll send Reed packing, and then we’ll find a way to counter what he’s done to you.”

“And if we can’t? If it’s too late for me too?” I sniffed, eyes leaking tears on Isaac’s shirt. “We have to at least try to save her, Isaac.”

He held me tighter. “I’ll see if I can find a way.”

Even though he said the words, he didn’t sound optimistic.

Chapter 15

The Test

Discovering Natalie was enjoying herself in Reed’s realm was downright disturbing. Had she willingly left her friends and family behind? Did she miss them? Did she even remember who they were? If faerie food really was like a drug to humans, the answer to these questions was most likely no.

As if it wasn’t bad enough to know that my actions had torn a family apart, I found out Reed had gone back to work after our encounter at the convenience store. The icing on the cake: Dad loved the guy.

“The reception desk is going to be cool,” he said on returning home after Isaac’s and my scrying session. “Not one right angle. Reed designed it that way.”

The worst part was I couldn’t tell Dad the truth of why he should fire the guy, so I said nothing. Caden still worked for my father too—there was another guy I didn’t trust. I even considered the possibility that Caden might also be a member of the Seelie Court. Maybe Isaac was wrong and Reedsnap, Dellis, and Rhoswen were three different faeries and not two. Now that I had my iron bracelets and Caden liked to show up everywhere I went, I was sure it was only a matter of time before I found out.

With all the excitement of the last couple weeks, I almost missed that December seventh was right around the corner. In the nine years Kaylee and I had been friends, I had never once forgotten her birthday, and I wouldn’t let this be the year I did. Thankfully, I’d bought her a present last month when Isaac and I had been at this little Wiccan shop in Salem.

“Kaylee will love this,” I’d said to Isaac, picking up a unique bronze necklace.

Isaac had regarded it a moment. “She’s never going to take off the one Josh gave her.”

“She will if he puts the same energy into this one as he did the cross,” I’d whispered.

“That’s a very special talisman,” the eccentric storeowner had commented when I’d gone to purchase it. “It brings luck and protection to the wearer.”

I had grinned at Isaac, twitching a shoulder smugly. “See. It looks good and offers protection. It’s perfect.”

The woman at the store had explained that the bronze heart protected the wearer against evil and the different strings of beads dangling from the base of the charm offered their own benefits: blue for inspiration, green for growth, and yellow for courage. She’d spoken about the necklace with such passion that I had bought myself one too. Looking at them now, they were better than perfect. Not only would the metal ward off evil, but the beads would boost Kaylee’s powers.

I lined a narrow pink box with small packages of Jelly Bellies before placing the necklace inside and wrapping it in bright blue paper. I’d just finished sticking a multicolored bow on top when my cell phone rang.

“Hey, Sarah.”

“Hi. You all set for tomorrow?”

“Present’s wrapped, and Isaac is picking me up early so we can stop at the coffee shop to get her mocha coffee. You?”

“Everything’s in my backpack, and Mark’s coming over to help me blow up the balloons for her locker.”

“What did you get her?” I asked as I dropped Kaylee’s present into my purse.

“You, Big Mouth, are going to have to wait and see.”

“Hey! I was thirteen when I blabbed to Kaylee what you’d gotten her, and that was only because she almost bought the same thing.”

“You could have found another way to keep her from buying it.”

“She had it in her hand and was walking to the checkout.”

“You’re not good in a tight situation, so you’ll see the totally awesome gift I found when Kaylee opens it.”

I shook my head even though Sarah couldn’t see me. “Whatever. Josh is going to give her his present before they leave her house to give us a little extra time to get things set up.”

“Perfect. See you tomorrow.”

I told Isaac my suspicions about Caden on the way to school the next morning.

“He’s not a faerie,” he said flatly.

His lack of faith in my sixth sense was starting to wear on me. “Really? The guy shows up after I cast the spell—”

“He’s friends with Ben.”

I waved off the comment and went on. “He was everywhere Natalie was, and he just so happened to apply for the same job as Reed. I’m telling you, he’s hiding something.”

“You have serious trust issues. You know that?” Isaac parked and turned off the engine. “Look, because he gives you the creeps, I asked Ben about him. Caden used to work with his brother. Ben said he stops by every few weeks, hangs out awhile, and leaves. He’s been doing it since Dan left for college. The guy’s as normal as Sarah.”

I got out, slung my backpack over my shoulder, and grabbed the tray with our coffees. “You’re going to be eating those words, wait and see.”

As I expected, Caden was leaning against the red brick pillar near the student entrance. He nodded hello when he saw Isaac.

“Hi,” I said, stopping when I was a foot away from him.

“Madison.” For once, Caden wasn’t smoking a cigarette.

“Man, when I graduate I hope I have better things to do than hang out at a high school,” Isaac said.

Caden laughed. “It is sort of pathetic, but I was up and still haven’t run into my friend. If I didn’t know better, I’d think she was avoiding me.”

“Who’s your friend?” Isaac asked.

Caden kicked the toe of his boot against the sidewalk. With a slight shrug, he said, “Emma Scott. She’s a junior.”

Isaac and I exchanged a glance.

“You know her?” Caden asked.

“We had history together,” I said. “But she’s been out.”

Caden’s shoulders stiffened. “Why?”

“Not sure,” I lied.

The reason behind Emma’s sudden absence from class wasn’t common knowledge. Most people didn’t know she had been admitted to the psych ward because the dark spells she’d cast on others had come back to haunt her.

“How do you know Emma?” Isaac asked Caden, his face looking guarded.

“I met her at Dan’s house. She was hanging out with Ben and his friends. I promised her I’d stop by before Christmas, and I always keep my promises.”

A soft hmm escaped Isaac’s lips. I shifted my weight, purposely making my backpack slip off my shoulder and smack Caden’s hip.

“Sorry,” I said, but I wasn’t really. It gave me an excuse to brush my chain-link bracelet against his hand when we both went to grab the backpack. Not sure what should happen when iron touches the skin of a faerie, I waited for him to wince or his flesh to blister, but all he did was loop his fingers around the strap of the backpack and hold it out for me to take.

“Are you sure you don’t know where I can find her?” he asked.

“We weren’t exactly friends,” Isaac replied, taking the backpack and placing a hand on the small of my back. “We’d better get to class.”

I let him steer us away from Caden.

“He’s not a faerie,” I whispered after we were out of earshot.

Isaac glanced over his shoulder as he held the door open. “And he doesn’t possess the powers.”

“Do you think he actually likes Emma?” I asked. It was possible. If you looked past the psychotic bitch, she was pretty.

“Either that or he wants to join her coven.”

I hadn’t thought about that. “Do you think she gave him powers, but he used them up? You know, like a battery?”

Isaac rubbed the back of his neck as he considered this a moment. “I suppose so if he used every chance he got, but I think there’d be a lingering residue that you and I would be able to feel.”

“So he’s either into evil bitches or hoping Emma will share her powers with him.”

“That’d be my guess.”

“Well, he’ll have to find someone else to stalk now that she’s gone.”

“You’re not volunteering, are you?” Isaac asked, one eyebrow raised.

“Definitely not.” We stopped a few feet from Kaylee’s locker. Sarah and Mark had their backs to us as they finished putting up the decorations. I held the tray with our coffees out to the side and, with my free hand, entwined my finger through Isaac’s. “But I’m starting to realize you have a bit of a jealous side to you.”

He leaned in to kiss me, his tongue brushing mine ever so briefly. He left just enough of his powers alive to wrap me in a satiny cocoon. A few seconds later, we joined Sarah and Mark.

Blue and purple streamers along with matching balloons had been taped to Kaylee’s locker. In the middle was an equally bright sign that read, “Happy Birthday, Kaylee!” Sarah held a small gift bag in her hand.

“It looks amazing,” I told her.

“Thanks,” Sarah said, beaming.

Isaac bent close to me and whispered, “I’m going to try to catch Caden before he leaves.”

My fingers tightened around his. “What are you going to say?”

“Don’t know yet, but it’s going to bug me if I don’t find out why he’s looking for Emma.”

He handed me my backpack and hurried away before I could protest. I got the distinct impression he had purposely waited until I was with Sarah to say he was going to question Caden more, knowing I wouldn’t be able to go with him.

“I have to grab my books from my locker,” Mark said and gave Sarah a quick kiss. “You girls have fun.”

Sarah and I didn’t have to wait long for Kaylee to arrive. As soon as she saw us, her eyes lit up.

“Happy birthday!” Sarah and I sang out.

“You remembered!”

I gave her a hug. “Of course we remembered.”

“Have we ever forgotten?” Sarah made it a group hug.

“Look what Josh got me.” Kaylee held out her arm to reveal a shiny silver bracelet. I had a sneaking suspicion it was iron coated with sterling, but since this was her birthday, there was no way I was going to ask and have her suspect Josh’s gift had a hidden faerie-repelling agenda.

“It’s beautiful,” I said instead, and it was. “Where is he?”

“Oh, we ran into Isaac on the way in. Josh said he’d catch up with me later.”

After admiring the gift from him, I took the small wrapped box out of my backpack. “Open mine.”

Kaylee reached for her present, but instead of taking it, she ran a finger over the chain around my wrist. “Looks like I’m not the only one with a new bracelet. What’s with this?”

I hadn’t talked to Kaylee since finding out about Reed, and standing in a busy hallway at school with Sarah listening was not the time to catch her up. I also couldn’t say that Isaac insisted I wear it without provoking a double-teamed inquisition from my friends.

“Chase gave it to me,” I finally replied, hoping they’d think I was being nice to my little brother and wearing the chain to make him feel good. It wasn’t too farfetched. I had worn the macaroni necklace he’d given me for my birthday last year tucked under my sweaters for a few weeks.

“Chase is lucky to have you,” Kaylee commented as she took her gift. “And you didn’t have to get me anything.” She ripped off the blue paper, lifted the top, and paused. “I love it.” But her reply fell short of enthusiastic, and her hand went to Josh’s dark metal cross.

“I got it at a little shop in Salem. It brings the wearer luck, and I showed it to Josh to make sure it was okay to switch.” I hoped she’d get the hidden meaning behind my words that Josh had already cast the same curse-repelling spell on this necklace as he had to his.

“Really?” Kaylee asked.

“Yeah.”

She smiled and handed me the box to hold while she switched jewelry. She’d just dropped the cross on top of the Jelly Bellies when Sarah held out her bright purple gift bag.

“Open mine now,” she said.

Kaylee dug through the lilac tissue paper and pulled out a bottle of her favorite perfume. “I was almost out. Thank you!” She spritzed her neck and wrists, then carefully tucked Sarah’s gift on the top shelf of her locker and grabbed a package of Jelly Bellies.

“How about we drink these first,” I said, holding up the tray of coffees.

Kaylee tucked the candy in her purse, claiming she’d need them by history. Sarah gave Kaylee one last birthday hug, took her drink, and hurried to her first period class. Kaylee and I headed to English.

I contemplated filling Kaylee in on what Isaac and I had discovered last night, but I couldn’t bring myself to ruin her day by telling her there were new supernatural threats. In Mr. Chapin’s classroom, we settled into our chairs. She took the worksheet we’d been assigned out of her bag. I groaned.

“Don’t tell me you didn’t read the chapter we were assigned,” Kaylee said. I wasn’t sure why this surprised her. I never got through Mr. Chapin’s homework. She lowered her voice to a whisper. “Hurry and copy mine before he asks for us to hand them in.”

Doing so broke my new rule not to cheat, but my grade was in jeopardy. I let out a sigh of relief when I saw her answers were all short and not mini essays.

Kaylee took a sip of mocha. “Josh has the whole afternoon planned. The celebration starts at the final bell. I wonder where he’s taking me.” She said the last part in a dreamy voice like she was thinking of the possibilities. “All he said was I’m going to love it.”

I knew. Josh planned to drive up the coast to her favorite sushi restaurant, and he had a bouquet of deep purple calla lilies—also Kaylee’s favorite—waiting to be picked up at one of the little florists along the way. The evening would end at his place, with her blowing out the candles on a double-chocolate cupcake that his mom baked.

I had two answers to scribble in when Mr. Chapin told us to listen up. When he turned his back to the class, I gave Kaylee her worksheet back and mouthed, Thanks.

While Mr. Chapin discussed the significance of Hester having to wear a large letter A stamped across her chest in The Scarlet Letter, I enjoyed my pumpkin spice latte.

The first few periods went by quickly, but halfway through fourth hour, Kaylee figured out that I knew what Josh had planned for her birthday celebration. Her constant begging for me to tell her made lunch the longest fifty minutes in the history of time.

“Josh will kill me if I ruin his surprise,” I said, thankful we didn’t have the next period together. I was sure if she gave me the puppy-dog eyes one more time I’d cave and at least tell her it included sushi.

“Just give me a hint,” she pleaded.

“Can’t. I promised.” I got up, tray in hand, and headed toward the exit.

She followed. “Why’d you do that?”

I hadn’t actually promised Josh I wouldn’t tell Kaylee about his surprises, but I wished I’d thought to use that magical loophole an hour ago, because she finally stopped badgering me.

I tossed the rest of my fries into the trash, turned, and bumped into Caden.

“Shouldn’t you be at work?” I asked. I had enough problems without adding a Witch Wannabe to them.

He took my and Kaylee’s trays and deposited both on the tray return. “I’m on lunch break. Do you have a minute?”

“I have to get to class.”

Caden grabbed my wrist, his hand wrapping around one of my fancy iron bracelets. Still no sizzle of flesh. “One minute,” he insisted.

I huffed. “I can’t help you find Emma. Sorry. We done?”

He ignored me and instead addressed Kaylee. “May I borrow Madison, please?”

Kaylee looked at me.

My gaze fell to Caden’s hand. He let go of me. To Kaylee, I said, “It’s fine. I’ll catch up with you later.”

Caden held his arm out to his side. “I’ll walk you to class.”

“Fine.” I led the way, although Caden set the pace to a slow stroll. “Seriously, Caden, Emma’s not worth all this trouble.”

“I’m not here about her.” He stepped in front of me. “Look, normally I stay out of other people’s business, but even I have a code of honor I live by, and trickery is not part of it.”

“What are you talking about?” As I said the words, my powers made the trek down to my fingertips, ready to strike should I need to.

“Reed,” Caden spat. “You know, it never turns out well for a person who’s been marked by the Fae.”

“You know what he is?” I whispered, checking to my left and then my right to make sure no one was listening. “How? Who are you?”

“I can see through his glamour. Call it a gift. I can help you, if you ask.”

“I don’t even know you.” I stepped around him.

Caden kept pace with me. “Sure you do. I’m the Creepy Dude turned Mystery Guy turned Nice Guy watching out for a friend’s brother. Ask me.”

I stopped just outside my next class. “How do you know what I’ve called you?” I’d never said those nicknames aloud. He didn’t answer. “Are you psychic?” Again he was silent. Asshole. I waited to see if he got that thought. After a few seconds, I crossed my arms over my chest. “I don’t need help, and your minute’s up.”

With that, I marched into my classroom without looking back, seriously wondering what the hell was up with Caden, who I decided was definitely Creepy Dude squared.

Chapter 16

Intruder

That evening, Chase and I sat at the kitchen table, sharing a frozen pizza and swapping stories about our day. Dad had promised he’d be home early, but these days that meant sometime after seven.

“And then Haley dumped green paint all over Suzy. Suzy cried worse than the baby seals at the zoo. Her mom had to come and bring her new clothes.” He had already told me that Suzy had called Haley’s painting ugly, claiming she knew art when she saw it. Chase assured me that the only thing Suzy knew was how to be mean to Haley.

“I bet Suzy will think twice before insulting someone else’s project again,” I said.

Chase plucked a piece of sausage off his pizza. “They both had to sit on the bench at recess, and Haley has to pay for Suzy’s top.”

There never seemed to be a shortage of drama in his first grade class. In turn, I told him about surprising Kaylee for her birthday and how I had to read twenty pages in The Scarlet Letter to catch up on my homework. “Speaking of homework, you got any?”

“Nope.” He pulled the cheese off his pizza and stuffed it into his mouth.

“You know, the whole idea of pizza is to eat the crust, cheese, and toppings together,” I said, handing him a napkin.

We were silent as we munched on dinner. I had told Isaac about Caden’s visit on the way home from school. Based on what Isaac’s grandfather had told him about psychics being able to read minds, sense witches, and see through glamours, we decided Caden had to be a psychic. But we also deduced he wasn’t clairvoyant or else he’d know exactly where to find Emma.

Regardless, neither of us trusted Caden enough to ask him how he intended on helping. Not to mention psychics were extrasensory, but they didn’t possess supernatural abilities. Our coven was already four strong—together we represented the elements: Kaylee earth, me air, Josh water, and Isaac fire. So four witches trumped one psychic in our book.

The wind hit the house, causing the siding to creak. The front screen door rattled too, and I wished I had reminded Dad the screws were loose. I was on my third square of pizza when the floor above us groaned. Chase and I stopped chewing and stared at the ceiling.

“It’s just the wind,” I said, hating how our old house squeaked and moaned on gusty days.

The next noise sounded identical to that of someone stepping on the wobbly floorboard in front of my closet.

It’s just the wind, I repeated to myself.

But the eerrrrr that followed sounded more like the drawer on my nightstand being slowly slid open. Winter’s bony fingers clawed at the siding. Chase chomped on the remainder of his crust, obviously trusting that I knew what I was talking about when I’d said the strange noises were the blustery weather.

“I’m going to make sure I closed my window,” I said as I placed another slice of pizza on his plate.

I glanced up the staircase. It’s the wind. You’re only checking for peace of mind.

Climbing two steps, I paused with my fingers curled around the banister as if it were a lifeline. What if I was wrong? What if someone was in the house with Chase and me? The wind hit the front, rattling the screen door forcefully and sending my heart into a frantic jog.

I took a deep breath. “You’re not going to find anything,” I whispered and forced myself to walk up another step. “And you don’t want to worry Chase.” The last thing I needed was for him to see me scared to death in our home. He’d never go upstairs by himself again. That thought was enough to have me taking the remaining steps two at a time.

A sad melody filled with flutes and strings drifted out of my room. The song was too extraordinary to be coming from the radio.

“Finally!” I rushed into my room, expecting to find Brea.

Instead, I found myself alone listening to the longing of what might have been a waltz spilling out of unseen speakers all around me. A cool breeze brushed the nape of my neck. The alluring aroma of meadowsweet mixed with the woodsy scent of pine filled my senses. Brea’s perfume had reminded me of a summer’s day. This was more like the dead of winter.

My pretty bouquet was encased in ice once again. I focused on my powers, hoping they would allow me to see what I knew was just beyond my human sight. I still appeared to be alone. The urge to bolt back down the stairs was strong, but my legs locked in place, frozen in fear. I dug my nails into the palms of my hands to keep from screaming and scaring my brother.

“I know you’re here,” I said, my voice much steadier than my tangled nerves. I kept chanting silently to myself, Please let it be Brea, please let it be Brea, even though I knew if she was there, I’d be able to see her. I pulled my powers closer to the surface and let their strength support my trembling knees as I continued to survey the room. “I know what you are.” Silence answered. “I’m wearing iron.” Nothing. “I know it’s your cologne I smell.”

Reed appeared near the window. He stood with a clear flask in one hand. Iridescent blue liquid sloshed back and forth inside it. Instead of workpants and a flannel jacket, he wore khakis and a dark long-sleeved turtleneck.

He looked at the glowing contents of the flask when he spoke. “You’re not wearing enough iron for it to be bothersome, and I’ve no need for cologne.” His voice was as sad and longing as the song that continued its depressing ballad.

“Where’s Brea?” I would have felt safer if she were near.

“She went home.”

Knowing I’d been right about who’d invaded my privacy didn’t make me feel any better about Reed standing in my bedroom and looking back at me with eyes as white as snow. Without his glamour, he was taller and leaner and incredibly handsome. His ears poked out from beneath pale blond hair that looked as if it were spun from silk, and his skin was as smooth and creamy as Brea’s.

My powers itched to be used, but I didn’t want to be the one who scarred such a beautiful face. I could strike lower instead, propel an energy ball right at his rock-hard chest.

What was wrong with me? Who cared if I marred his pretty face? He was a faerie. One who—if Isaac was right—collected human girls for sport, and I was next on his list. Feeling surer about my emotions, I said, “Isaac told me about you.”

“I bet he failed to tell you everything.”

“He told me enough. I’m not going to join your harem.”

“I hardly have a harem.”

“Really, then what are Natalie and that brown-eyed girl to you?”

“You scried. Very good. Annabeth was homeless when I crossed paths with her. She’d run away from an abusive father. I offered her a new life, and she accepted. And Natalie wanted romance. She wanted to be whisked away from the everyday to live a fairy-tale life.”

“She wanted that in her own realm near her family and friends. A girl wanting her version of happily ever after doesn’t mean wanting to leave her existing life behind altogether. Did she even know what you are?”

“When you saw her, did she look in anguish? Was she sad?”

“No.”

“Then I don’t see why you’re upset.”

“You took her from her family! That’s not ‘romance.’”

He raised a shoulder. “Semantics.”

“You’re a cold-hearted bastard, you know that?”

Reed took a sip of the curious blue liquid and then held the flask out to me. A tantalizing, fruity bouquet nuzzled my nostrils.

I shook my head.

“Did Isaac tell you how we first met?” There was a bitter edge to his words.

“You need to leave.” I stepped aside, providing a clear path to the door.

Instead of taking the hint, Reed placed the flask on my nightstand and took a seat on my bed.

“We were courting the same girl,” he said, his voice like the purest honey. “She was special, as you are.”

“She possessed the powers?”

“She did. Only, unlike you, she not only invited me into her world, she was happy to see me.”

“She cast the same spell I did?” I interrupted again. This girl must have been the one to write Dellis and Rhoswen in Isaac’s book. But if Reed expected me to be glad he was in my personal space, drawing lazy circles on my comforter with his long fingers, he was sadly mistaken.

“Yes, although I see now she had better manners than you.”

“Since you liked her so much, why don’t you go torment her?”

“Maddie,” Chase bellowed up the stairs, startling me. I’d almost forgotten Reed and I weren’t completely alone. “I’m done!”

I quickly stepped into the hall so that my brother wouldn’t run upstairs. “Wash your hands and go watch TV,” I hollered.

“’Kay!” His small feet thudded all the way from the foyer into the powder room downstairs.

Reed’s unearthly music continued to seep into my pores.

“Shall I go on?” he asked.

“Do I have a choice?” I replied, exasperated yet curious about how Reed and Isaac had come to date the same girl.

Reed’s lips quirked upward into a coy smile. “Heather was stunning. She had crystallized amber eyes and silky caramel-brown hair. She was tall and slim with some of the most delicate features I have ever seen on a human.”

Feeling suddenly inadequate compared to the girl Reed described as perfect, I fought the urge to run my hand over my hair to smooth it. I didn’t dare look at my reflection in the mirror. I knew what I’d see: an average girl who hadn’t brushed her hair since she’d gotten out of the shower that morning and whose makeup had faded hours ago. Reed’s voice was soothing, though. Like a child’s lullaby.

He kept talking. “However, she was as shallow as she was pretty. She wanted the grace and agility to become captain of her dance squad, taking the position from a girl she called her best friend.”

“She could have cast a spell to accomplish that,” I pointed out, remembering how Isaac had run his hands over the blades of his ice skates and, poof, he could skate as well as I could.

My powers trickled back inside me as if retreating before they could lose the battle against a member of the Winter Court, or maybe they were standing down because there was no need to fight. Either way, their withdrawal left me feeling drained. I leaned against the wall near the door for support.

Reed stretched out on my bed, head on my pillow and boots hanging over the edge of the mattress. “Apparently not. Her powers only made her good enough to secure a spot on the team. She, how do you humans say it, had two left feet without them. Whereas her friend had real talent. Heather couldn’t stand it.”

“Nice friend,” I said, glad that I didn’t have a Heather amongst my friends—but then I remembered Paige and realized at one time I had.

“Sarcasm?”

I gave him a smug look, regretting the small gesture the moment my vision blurred. I grabbed the doorframe and blinked several times. I hoped Reed hadn’t noticed.

He smiled approvingly, like my reply made him fonder of me—definitely not my intention. “She summoned an audience with me with the intentions of trapping me in her world.”

Brea hadn’t been kidding when she’d said humans normally wanted more than a little help around the house when they summoned a faerie. That left me with a nagging question. “What do you get in exchange for enhancing one’s talent?”

“A piece of their life essence.”

“Their soul?”

The room shifted, or maybe it was my brain swimming in my skull. My fingers squeezed the doorframe. Reed was suddenly next to me, guiding me to the foot of the bed. I hadn’t even seen him get up.

“I’m fine,” I said, shrugging his hands off me. Now that I was sitting down, the room no longer twirled frantically in front of me. “Answer my question.”

“I couldn’t care less about a human’s soul.” His snowy white gaze studied my face. “You don’t look well.”

I didn’t feel well, but I wasn’t going to tell him that. “Then what is their ‘life essence’?”

He crouched in front of me, head cocked to the side. I willed myself to look healthy.

After a moment, he said, “Fairies are complicated. We eat, drink, and sleep, much like you. Only it’s not enough to keep us strong. We need energy from nature. Humans offer the best source, but it is in our very being to have to give something in order to take. A balance that needs to be maintained.” I must have looked totally lost, because he sighed heavily. His breath smelled sweet like the fruit punch Kool-Aid Chase liked. “Do you know what an aura is?”

“It’s the invisible light that surrounds every living thing,” I replied, remembering how my seventh grade science teacher used to say she could tell a lot about her students by their aura, swearing she could see the color of everyone’s in her class. She had told me mine was a bright rosy pink. Rumor in middle school had been that Mrs. Casper sniffed the chemicals in her classroom one too many times. Now that I thought about it, I wondered if she possessed the powers, or maybe she was psychic.

“Close,” Reed replied, pulling me out of my reverie. “It’s the energy around many living things. We don’t have an aura of our own. We take bits from humans during celebrations or in exchange for favors. That is why we grant such gifts to aspiring musicians and dancers.”

“So you absorbed part of Heather’s aura?”

An evil glint flashed in the back of his eyes. “As I stated, she intended on trapping me here. I don’t take kindly to those who take and do not give. Our deal was grace for companionship.”

“You wanted to hang out with the pretty girl?” It couldn’t have been that simple. Isaac’s warning replayed itself in my head: Faeries will twist your words to their advantage. My eyes grew wide with acknowledgement. “You meant the word in a permanent sense: you’d make her a better dancer and she’d live in your realm.”

“It seemed only fair that she learn a lesson. She did intend to trap me in her world. I decided to turn the tides and trap her in mine instead.”

“And Isaac stopped you. So now what, you want retribution?”

My stomach did a somersault, but if it was because of what I’d learned or because I wasn’t feeling so hot, I couldn’t tell. I inhaled, trying to shake the lightheadedness that had gripped me ever since I’d come upstairs.

“It’s you.” I scooted away from Reed. “You’re the reason I feel this way.”

He sat on the corner of the bed but made no attempt to come closer to me. “I would be honored if you would escort me to the Winter Solstice Celebration. I know the perfect gown. Bright red, something that caresses your skin with every step we take on the dance floor.”

“You’re asking me out?” I stammered.

“It’s the gentlemanly thing to do, don’t you think? And I believe I’ve been nothing but adorable so far.”

“Creepy and stalkerish is more like it. And, no, I will not go with you to the whatever you just said.” I pointed to the door. “Get out of my house.”

His gaze fell on the chain wrapped around my wrist. When he didn’t get up, I willed my powers to get the hell back to the surface and sent a gust of air at Reed, pushing him off my bed. “Out!” I demanded.

He glowered, and the temperature in the room dropped a good twenty degrees. Closing my eyes, I concentrated on the air around us. When I opened them again, I sent a pulse of heat outward to warm the air and make it bearable again.

I stood, keeping the back of my legs against the bed to help steady me. “You need to leave.”

“Say yes,” he coaxed. “Be my date for the solstice, and I’ll leave your world alone.”

I took “alone” to mean he wouldn’t wreak any more havoc in this realm, but I’d be trapped in his.

“No.” I raised my hand, producing a ball of fire as I did.

But before I could whip it at Reed, he seized my forearm in his unyielding grip. It only took a few seconds for my flame to be smothered as it froze into a glowing blue ball of ice. My weapon dropped to the floor, useless, and I saw the chain around my wrist was a mere inch from his hand.

“Does iron not affect you at all?”

“It is vexing, and I would prefer you removed the bracelets.”

“And I’d prefer it if you’d go to hell.” I yanked my arm away from his hand. “You don’t screw with people’s lives over losing a girl,” I added with less punch than I’d aimed for.

“That’s where you’re wrong, Madison.” At the sound of my name rolling off his tongue, my head did that swimming thing again. I thought about lying down and decided against it. Reed kept talking. “Messing with lives is the perfect way to get back at someone, but that isn’t the only reason I marked you as mine.”

“What?” I shook my head hoping to clear my thoughts, regretting it the moment my brain banged against my skull.

The front door slammed shut, and Dad called out loudly to let Chase and me know he was home.

“You might want to answer him,” Reed pointed out. I didn’t like how close he was.

“Hi! Upstairs doing homework,” I yelled back. I sank back down onto my bed, fingers curling around the edge of my mattress for balance. “What did you do to me?”

I felt as if I was in a haze that grew thicker and darker with each passing second. I closed my eyes and almost fell forward off the bed. It was Reed’s strong hands on my shoulders that kept me upright.

“You’re going through withdrawals,” he replied in a smooth voice.

“That’s ridiculous.” Weren’t withdrawals supposed to make you shake and hallucinate? This felt more like my mind drifting away from my physical body.

“Drink.” Reed held the flask to my lips.

I pushed his hand away. “I’m fine.” But I wasn’t. It took me three tries to get my next words to pass my lips. “Please go.” I felt his hands leave my shoulders. Missed his scent when it faded.

You’re fine, I told myself.

I tightened my grip on my bed and dared to open my eyes. Reed was gone. Relief filled me even as my vision swam sideways.

Just breathe, and whatever you do, don’t pass out.

My eyelids drooped, closing once more. I clutched my mattress and waited for the dizziness to pass. I’m not sure how long I sat like that before a hand brushed my arm.

“Madison, can you hear me?”

“Dad?”

“Take this.”

I forced my eyes opened and took the small paper cup from him. My hand shook as I raised it to my mouth and relished the cool water as it slid down my throat. “Thanks.”

“Are you okay?” he asked, only it wasn’t Dad’s voice.

I blinked several times to remove the fog clouding my head.

“Reed,” I growled. “I thought you left.”

“You needed me.” He pressed a cool cloth to my forehead. “Do you feel better?”

My gaze dropped to the cup in my hand. A faint blue glow coated the bottom of it.

“Son of a bitch!” I snatched the washcloth from him and used it to wipe my tongue, then dashed to the bathroom to shove my finger down my throat and throw up. I rinsed with mouthwash hoping to kill any lingering molecules of Reed’s wine before returning to my room. He had the gall to still be sitting there on my bed. “Get out.”

“You needed it. I confess it’s my fault. Once you’ve partaken in our fare, your need for it grows, and my prolonged presence in your room would only make it worse.”

“Get out!” I repeated and pointed at the door.

This time he got up and crossed the room, stopping next to me. I could see the ice in his stormy white eyes. “I can feel your presence, even when we’re apart. You’re already changing. You will call for me.”

He reached the hall and vanished from sight. I knew he’d really gone this time because I felt an emptiness inside that came with loneliness and a bitter cold that my powers couldn’t warm.

Reed had left his clear flask on my nightstand. The blue liquid cast shimmering lights across my carpet.

“It would take away that chill,” Reed’s voice cooed in my subconscious.

I whipped the flask into the trash can, sank onto the floor, and pulled my knees close to my chest. I wanted to call Kaylee, but no way could I ruin her birthday with my drama. So instead, I put on my headphones, blasted my party playlist to drown out Reed’s taunting, and prayed I’d make it to morning.

Chapter 17

Tethered

“Madison, you have to tell Isaac.”

“I’ll tell him as soon as I figure out how.”

Kaylee had arrived at my house exactly nine minutes and a gazillion seconds after I’d called. One look at how upset I was, and she suggested we ditch class. I caught her up on Reed and then, because I needed a break from the thought of evil faerie princes, I insisted she give me a minute-by-minute replay of her night with Josh. Afterward, we went to the only place that ever offered me comfort when I was as lost as I was at that moment. Frozen grass crunched under our sneakers as we crossed the cemetery.

It had taken every ounce of self-control on my part not to dig Reed’s flask out of the garbage. The longer I resisted, though, the more distant his hypnotic voice became until finally I could no longer hear him coaxing me to join him.

With the exception of a crow, the cemetery was empty. I crouched down next to my mom’s grave. Kaylee stood to the side, bouncing on her toes and rubbing her arms.

“It’s freezing,” she whined.

“Two minutes, and then the hot chocolates are on me.”

I cleared the brittle leaves from in front of Mom’s headstone and laid the spring bouquet Brea had given me there, its stems and petals still in the gossamer layer of ice that had to have been Reed’s doing.

“Hey, Mom,” I whispered. “I could really use your crazy advice right about now.”

I swiped at a tear with the palm of my hand. I missed how Mom had worked her advice into everyday conversation, casually giving her thoughts on things. On a couple occasions, when we’d been folding laundry, she had said, “This basket is a lot like a bedroom.” She’d put a pair of Dad’s boxers on top of his pile of clothes and add, “If we keep your dad’s stuff in one pile and yours in another as we fold, it will make putting everything away much easier.” That translated into, If you would just put your things where they go to start with, it wouldn’t have taken you two hours to find your bedroom floor. And once when she had added orange zest to Dad’s favorite chicken dish, she’d held her finger to her mouth as if saying, Shh, this is our little secret, but out loud said, “I’ve always wanted to jazz this dish up a bit.” That had loosely translated into, You should try softball; you might find you like it.

I didn’t like softball, and the chicken dish was better without the orange zest, but Mom had pointed out that we would never have known that if we hadn’t tried.

Kaylee glanced around us. “I feel like we’re being watched.”

I concentrated on our surroundings, using my powers to help me sense others. “We’re alone. Focus and your senses will become heightened. You’ll be able to tell too.”

Kaylee groaned. “I’m too cold to focus. Reed’s a faerie, right?”

“Yeah.”

“And humans can’t see faeries unless they wish to be seen.”

I stood back up. “Yeah.”

“So you can’t be sure we’re alone.”

I looped my arm through hers and guided her toward the gates. “Reed smells like winter and pine, and his presence is bewitching. Trust me, you’d sense him if he was here even if you couldn’t see him.” We followed the sidewalk to Kaylee’s car. “I had thought that feeling was Brea, but I realize now it’s Reed. He’s been watching me since the day I did that spell.”

She stopped walking to gape at me. “You’re able to sense his presence, which you described in the over-the-top gooey, omigod tone of a star-struck kid meeting her favorite actor.”

“I did not!”

Kaylee pulled her keys from her jacket pocket and unlocked the car doors. “That’s it. We are so going straight to Isaac’s house to tell him what happened.”

“He’s in school. Remember the place with all the classrooms and teachers?”

“School let out five minutes ago.” She got in the car. I still didn’t think my voice had been over-the-top gooey, but whatever.

“Isaac’s just going to freak,” I said as I buckled up.

“Good, because your lack of freaking out is freaking me out.”

She didn’t even stop to get the hot chocolate.

At Isaac’s, she pounded on the doorbell at a rate that would have impressed Chase, who tended to think his friends would get to the door quicker if he beat on the button a hundred times.

The door swung open. Mrs. Addington frowned at us. “Which one of you has lost your mind?”

I pointed to Kaylee.

“Ever hear of a united front?” Kaylee whispered out of the side of her mouth.

“Yeah, well, I’m here more than you, and you are the one who rang the doorbell,” I replied just as quietly.

Mrs. Addington removed her red-framed reading glasses, resting them on the top of her head. “Did you come over to chat amongst yourselves?” Her smirk gave away she wasn’t quite as annoyed as her snarky comment had sounded.

“No, ma’am. Is Isaac home?” I asked.

“He’s in the basement.” She stepped aside so we could come in. “Shoes off. I just washed the floors.”

“Thank you,” I said.

We slid out of our sneakers and hurried downstairs.

Isaac took the news of Reed’s visit about as well as I had expected, although I hadn’t anticipated his face would turn the shade of a dark red cherry. Sadly, it made me think of the candy Reed had. I kept that thought to myself because Isaac and Kaylee were already talking crazy.

Kaylee had the brilliant idea of me wearing full-body armor. I thought I was going to have to steal her car keys and run from both of them. Luckily, body armor isn’t made out of iron, so her suggestion was out. Isaac’s, as ridiculous as it was, was actually doable if I were five.

“Isaac, I am not going to wear my clothes inside out,” I said, exasperated.

That was his solution to finding out that iron bothered Reed about as much as a fly bothered a horse. Supposedly, faeries couldn’t see humans when they wore their outfits with the tags on the outside. Isaac didn’t find me in the least bit funny when I suggested it wasn’t that a faerie couldn’t see a person who wore their clothes inside out, but that said faerie didn’t like no-name brands.

Isaac paced zigzags around his dungeon-like room while I flipped through the book on Fae. Kaylee stared into space, twisting and untwisting the necklace I’d given her. She did her best thinking when she zoned out like that.

“What if she’s never alone?” Kaylee asked.

Isaac looked past me to Kaylee as if I wasn’t there. “That could work.”

Kaylee jumped up from the corner of the bed where she’d been sitting. “We’ll take shifts. I’m sure Josh will help us.”

Isaac crossed the room to his dresser and picked up a small notepad as if he was going to write out a schedule right then and there.

As much as I loved my friends, no way did I want them around twenty-four seven for the rest of my life. “Guys, my dad’s not going to let Isaac or Josh sleep over at my house.” Kaylee opened her mouth, and I knew she was going to suggest she and I take turns sleeping over at each other’s houses. I quickly added, “How long do you think it will take our parents to tell us we need to sleep in our own beds?”

When we were nine, the answer to that question was eight days.

Silence followed. Isaac continued to pace. I continued to read. Kaylee plopped back down on the bed and resumed staring at nothing in particular.

“Isaac, why don’t you cast one of your protection thingies?” Kaylee asked.

“I can’t put a ward on the entire town,” Isaac replied. “Maybe there’s an herb that repels the Fae.”

“I see that working as well as the iron bracelets,” I retorted. I’d taken the chains off as soon as I’d finished telling Isaac about Reed’s visit.

Kaylee’s hands fell to her side as if she’d given up. “How did you get rid of him the last time?”

Isaac rubbed his temple. “After several days spent trying to get the better of the other and engaging in a fight that quickly became apparent neither would win, we came to an agreement.”

My gaze went to the smooth crescent-shaped line below his eye. “Your scars are from Reed, aren’t they?” Reed’s faerie magic would explain why the cuts hadn’t healed on their own. “Heather was the ex you’d been protecting.”

Isaac nodded. “I didn’t get my shield up fast enough. Two of his daggers got through.”

As part of my magical training, I had sparred with Isaac. He had incredible reflexes. Reed’s had to have been just as impressive for him to throw a dagger—let alone two—with speeds greater than Isaac’s ability to put up a shield.

“Can’t we skip past the battle and strike up a deal?” she asked.

“He tricked Madison into eating that candy. He’s already one up on us. No way is he going to make a deal. Besides, he’s using her to get back at me, and I don’t have anything else Reed wants that I didn’t already give him.”

Several minutes passed.

“Kaylee may have been on to something with her first idea,” Isaac said, breaking the quiet.

“I’m not wearing body armor.”

Isaac dropped to his knees and rummaged through a pile of musty old books in his closet. “Not that one. The idea about not leaving you alone. Only, what if we didn’t have to actually be with you for you to be with us?”

“What?” Kaylee and I replied.

He sat on the edge of the bed, a large book in his lap. Kaylee and I scooted closer.

“What is that?” Kaylee asked.

“My grandfather’s grimoire. It’s a collection of spells he mastered. There was this one I had asked him about.” Isaac didn’t finish his thought. Instead he searched the discolored pages, hastily flipping through them. “Here it is.”

“A unity spell?” I inquired.

“It binds one person to another.”

“Isn’t that what our hemp bracelets do?” Kaylee grabbed her wrist as she spoke.

Isaac shook his head. “That links our thoughts, giving us the ability to call each other without a phone. This spell literally binds a person’s being to someone else. It’s like handcuffing your wrist to something solid.”

“So it would anchor me to our realm,” I said.

The corner of Isaac’s mouth quirked upward into a lopsided grin. “Exactly. We could reverse the spell once Reed is back in his realm. You game?”

“A magical ball and chain,” Kaylee quipped with a giggle.

Isaac pinned her with a glare that clearly said, Shut up. Since I’d shot down every idea they had to keep me safe thus far—mainly because each plan had been more ridiculous than the prior one—I couldn’t blame him for being wary of my reaction.

My “being,” as Isaac called it, had to be the same thing as my aura. I’d be tethering my life force to Isaac. Funny how I’d never really given much thought to having an aura in the first place or how a part of me that I couldn’t see or touch could be taken away bit by bit by something as beautiful and alluring as Reed.

And the fact that I called the thing that wanted to steal me away from my home “beautiful” and “alluring” told me how much I needed something tying me to my world.

“I’m game.” Heaving out a breath, I asked, “What do we have to do?”

An hour later we were sitting in a circle on the cold stone floor in Isaac’s room. Josh had joined the party to act as a second witness, Kaylee being the first. A single bright white candle with Isaac’s name and mine etched into the wax stood like a lone soldier next to a ceramic bowl in the center of our circle. In the bowl were a few strands of my hair, bloodroot, myrrh, dirt from a crossroad, and a scrap piece of notebook paper on which I’d written the words to the spell.

“Why is there dirt in every spell we cast?” I asked.

“Crossroad dirt,” Josh corrected. “The veil between worlds is the thinnest at a crossroad. Many spells feed off the power that collects there.”

Isaac and I sat across from each other, my hands in his and our powers gently pressing against each other’s. The written portion of the spell was in Nordic. To be honest, none of us really knew what it said, but Isaac trusted his grandfather, and I trusted him. The verbal portion was easy enough to remember and read more like wedding vows than a spell.

I pushed a small amount of magic out and lit the candle. Next I said, “I, Madison Elizabeth Riley, do hereby willingly and completely entrust my spirit to Isaac James Addington.”

“I, Isaac James Addington, do hereby promise to hold and guard Madison Elizabeth Riley’s spirit as if it were my own.”

I reached into a small leather sack that Kaylee held. My fingers curled around the cool grainy powder inside. A trail of dark particles followed my hand as I moved it closer to the bowl.

This was it: my spirit-being-aura—whatever you wanted to call it—was about to be cast to the nearest witch. It was a good thing I liked him.

“So I will it, so mote it be!” I threw the powder into the bowl. Sparks and flames erupted, burning the notebook paper. Its ashes drifted upward like snowflakes in reverse.

Isaac held his hand inches from the bowl. “So she wills it, so mote it be!”

The ashes swirled higher. The gnarly fingers of the flames twisted into a braid that Isaac sliced in half with his hand, like a sword through rope, leaving a small fire to finish off the herbs.

“It’s done,” Josh said.

“How do you feel?” Kaylee asked, squinting at me as if she didn’t recognize me.

I jumped up and ran to the bathroom, relaxing only when I saw I looked exactly the same as I had before we’d cast the spell. Thankful that I hadn’t gone three shades paler by messing with my aura, I returned to the circle and chastised Kaylee for worrying me.

“Stop looking at me as if I’ve grown roots.”

She closed the pouch and admitted, “I was sort of expecting to see a part of you drift away to Isaac or something. I don’t know.”

“I feel fine. Relieved, actually. Reed really messed with my head yesterday.”

So much so that I’d dreamed I was on my deathbed, begging Reed to take away the pain, only I’d waited too long. He’d lost interest in me and came to say goodbye. I had woken in a cold sweat, afraid to go back to sleep yet unable to keep my eyes open. I remembered bits and pieces of the dreams that followed: walking into an abyss, Natalie welcoming me to Sanctus, looking in a mirror to find I had pointy ears that poked out from beneath my hair, Chase with slanted eyes, Dad laughing hysterically as he ate the candy in the bright wrappers, Isaac unable to look at me. The memories of the nightmares were awful.

I hugged my stomach and reminded myself that I had woken exhausted but without the cravings. With Reed gone, my mind no longer felt as if it was swimming in my skull. And now, there was no way he’d hurt me again.

Who has the upper hand now? I thought with a smile.

We left the candle to burn. The spell would be even stronger once it was a tiny nub.

Kaylee drove me home shortly after eleven.

“You sure you’re going to be okay?” she asked from the driver’s seat of the MINI.

“Positive. Besides, I’ve got Isaac’s hocus-pocus looking out for me. I’ll be fine.”

She bit the side of her lower lip. “You’ll call if Reed shows up?”

I touched my hemp bracelet. “I promise I will.”

I gave her a hug and jogged up the walk. Once inside, I quietly locked and deadbolted the front door and went upstairs, hoping Brea had come back and praying she’d help me get rid of Reed once and for all.

Except Brea wasn’t in my room. I hadn’t seen her since I’d discovered who Reed was.

I plopped down on my bed. I had a lot of questions for her. Like why hadn’t she told me her brother was here or that he’d been behind Natalie’s disappearance? Was she helping him? Was that why she’d stopped coming by? Did she feel guilty? Were Fae even able to feel remorse? Was it really too late for Natalie?

I considered summoning Brea but didn’t know what I’d do if she was in league with Reed. While I wanted to believe she was a friend and wasn’t helping her brother, there was the possibility I was wrong. The longer she stayed away, the more I started to think Isaac was right: no matter what the answers were to my questions, she couldn’t be trusted.

All I could do, then, was take advantage of her absence. And I knew exactly how to manipulate Reed into helping me do just that.

Chapter 18

The Plan

“It’s foolproof,” I said to Isaac, Josh, and Kaylee the next morning. We were in the student parking lot about ten minutes before class started.

“How is standing in your house, calling Reed’s name foolproof?” Josh asked, incredulously.

“How do you even know he’ll hear you?” Kaylee added, hand on her hip.

“I caught a whiff of him in the kitchen.” I shrugged as if it wasn’t a big deal, even though I knew it was a huge one. Pine and snow, I’d almost said too, but I didn’t think they cared to know that Reed smelled like a cypress forest on a crisp winter’s day. And, well, if I were to be honest, my stomach sort of cramped the way it did when I didn’t eat all day.

Kaylee’s eyes bugged out. Josh’s expression hardened. Isaac punched the trunk of the Mustang.

“Dude!” Josh pointed to the fist-sized dent in his car.

“Sorry.” Isaac rested his hand over the damage he’d inflicted. Vanilla and spearmint filled the air around us, and the metal pushed outward with a muffled groan. When Isaac lifted his hand, there wasn’t even a blemish visible.

I quickly defended my plan. “I knew he was in the kitchen, but I didn’t get lightheaded. That’s good, right? It means our unity spell works.” Of course, I hadn’t stuck around long enough to find out what would happen if I’d spent more than a few minutes in the same room with him. “I won’t be in danger.” I hoped.

“You’re planning on lying to him!” Isaac said. “The moment he realizes that, you’ll be in mortal danger. Madison, right now he’s playing nice. Upset him and you will bring out his evil side.”

“He brought out his evil side when he kidnapped Natalie,” I hissed. I waited for a group of sophomores to walk by us before continuing. “By the time he realizes it’s a trick, he’ll be gone. Guys, that’s what so clever about my plan. I’m asking him to bring Natalie by for a visit, and in return I’m agreeing to give him something he wants.”

“Yeah, because telling him you’ll be his date at that winter solstice thing is a good idea,” Kaylee scoffed.

“This will work.”

Isaac folded his arms over his chest. “If you agree to go to the celebration, why bring Natalie here? Why not just take you to see her when you’re in Sanctus?”

“The solstice is over a week away, and I’m asking to talk to her now. This will work,” I insisted.

“If a human can return to our realm on a temporary basis,” Josh retorted.

“And if Reed’s stupid enough not to realize it’s a trap,” Isaac said.

“And if he doesn’t manage to mess with your mind again,” Kaylee so helpfully added.

“There are too many ifs. I don’t like it.” Whether Isaac realized it or not, his powers gripped me in a protective bubble.

I rested my hand on his arm and said in a gentle tone, “It’s a plan. The only one we have. It’s worth trying.”

Three very skeptical faces watched me. I could tell they hated that my strategy didn’t include them, but I had to do this myself. There was no way Reed would show himself if they were with me when I called him. And since I didn’t need them to close the door I’d opened, that really wasn’t a problem.

“You can wait at Kaylee’s,” I said. “She lives three minutes away from me.”

Finally, they agreed.

We got back in our vehicles and left before the first bell. Isaac drove up my block at a crawl until we could clearly see that my dad’s red pickup truck wasn’t in the driveway.

Before I could hop out of the Jeep, Isaac grabbed my hand and said, “Promise that you’ll call at the first sign of trouble. No hesitating, no thinking you can handle Reed on your own.”

“I promise.” I wasn’t trying to be the hero. I just wanted to correct the mistake I’d made and move on.

Isaac leaned closer and kissed me. His hand slid to the back of my head, holding me close. I tucked my powers behind the steel wall and let myself enjoy the feel of his lips against mine. As it always did, the kiss ended sooner than my racing heart would have liked.

“This isn’t goodbye,” I reminded him.

He rubbed the back of his head. “I know. But I’d feel better if you let me put an intention ward on your bedroom. You could run up there if something goes wrong.”

“This is going to work. Besides, the way your nostrils flare every time his name comes up, I don’t want to risk the two of you getting in a fight. We’re on a timetable, remember?”

“Be careful, okay? Reed has been around for a long time. He’s cunning.”

“I will be.”

I got out of the Jeep, offering Isaac a reassuring smile before I shut the door. He sped off the moment I turned the key to unlock the front door.

The house was deathly quiet. The odor of charred meat from last night’s dinner lingered in the air. I stuck my head into the family room and became immediately disappointed that Reed wasn’t lounging on the couch waiting for me. That would have made my life too easy, though. I picked up Chase’s left mitten and placed it on the small table in the foyer on my way to the kitchen.

“Reed?” I said, half-hoping he’d appear and half-praying he wouldn’t.

His creepy chill and winter-fresh aroma didn’t come. Apparently I was alone, which made me regret not letting Isaac stop in after all. It would have been nice to have a place to run to if I needed one. The intention ward would have served a second purpose too: I’d know if Brea was truly my friend or if she was secretly draining my aura.

I dropped my backpack on a chair. Here’s hoping he’s not far. With one last deep breath, I called, “Reed.”

A minute passed.

“Dellis Reedsnap, come on down.”

Nothing.

“Reed, I need to talk to you!” I felt silly standing in my empty kitchen calling for someone who could be miles, if not realms, away. “If I didn’t want to see you, you’d be silently stalking me!” Lower, I huffed, “Jerk.”

Yanking the cabinet next to the fridge open, I grabbed a glass. I’d just filled it with water from the tap when the fingers of winter brushed the back of my neck. I didn’t have to turn to know Reed had joined me.

“Miss me?” he asked telepathically.

“Not exactly.”

Steadying my jumpy nerves, I turned. Reed stood near the table. He wore his glamour, which included tan pants and a forest-green T-shirt. His blond hair fell around his eyes in a golden curtain. Now that I was looking at him, the pull I’d felt last night was back.

I forced myself to ignore it and asked, “If I agree to go to the Winter Solstice Celebration—one day only, and you’d have to promise to bring me home before my curfew—would you bring Natalie back?”

Maybe it wasn’t too late for her. Maybe the information Isaac had was wrong.

Reed’s expression became a mask, leaving no sign of emotion. “That would be the same as sentencing her to death. Regardless of what you think of me, I’m not a murderer.”

“You suck the life out of innocent people. How is that not murder?”

“I never take their final breath.”

I set my glass on the counter, not surprised at his answer. “Fine, then let me talk to her.”

“That I can do.” He held out a hand. “Come, I’ll take you to her.”

“No.” I backed away, preferring to keep as much distance between us as possible. “Bring her here, to my house.”

He pulled out a chair and sat. “Afraid you’d like my home?” He indicated with his chin to the chair next to him.

“I’m good here.”

“Suit yourself.” He studied me a moment. “You look as if you could use another shot of wine or perhaps a bacca drop.”

A piece of chocolate appeared in his palm—the one wrapped in blue with the fruity filling.

Even without taking it, I could taste the sweet center. My stomach tightened in anticipation of eating it, but I wouldn’t. Afraid my mouth would scream out, Hell yeah! I bit my lip and shook my head, then forced myself not to watch him place the candy on the table between us.

“Still fighting the inevitable?” He kicked his boots up on the seat next to him. “You willingly ate it before.”

“No, I didn’t,” I snarled, working desperately to get a grip on the hunger that continued to rise inside me.

“Ah, but you did.”

“You tricked me into eating it.”

He shrugged. “I wasn’t even around when you took that first bite. It’s not my fault you don’t question what you eat.”

I glared at the little piece of relief sitting at the edge of the table taunting me. It burst into flames. The tanzanite blue of my fire reduced it to dust instantly.

“I hoped we could be civil,” I said.

“I’m not the one setting things aflame. It would have eased the burning you feel. That’s your body craving my magic.”

I had figured that much out on my own. The tantalizing aroma of melted chocolate mixed with Reed’s scent made it nearly impossible to focus. With a wave of my hand, the window opened. I gathered the energy in the air and used it to create a gentle breeze, but what I ended up with was more of a mild gale that ruffled the curtains and sent the mail on the counter sailing to the floor. The fresh air reminded me to hurry.

“Will you bring Natalie by for a visit or not?”

Reed appeared in front of me before I even knew he’d gotten up. I began to think he didn’t actually move that fast but was able to disappear and reappear wherever he wanted to at will.

“If I do, you’ll accompany me to the celebration?” His words brushed my skin ever so gingerly, and I suddenly wanted him to stay.

You are not Reed’s, I scolded myself. You don’t want him around. I glanced at the beige tile next to us. “Do you have to stand so close?”

“Why?” A knowing smile danced at the edge of his lips.

“There is a thing called personal space,” I said coolly, which wasn’t easy with his piercing gaze watching me.

He placed a hand on the counter on either side of me and leaned even closer. I tried to mold myself into the cabinets. “Admit you’re mine, and I’ll grant you an audience with Natalie.”

“I’m nobody’s.” I bit my lip. Don’t give in.

He dropped his glamour, fixing me with a winter-white stare. My powers stung my tongue, reminding me I had promised to call the others if my plan went wrong in any way. Reed this close to me, messing with my head again, was about as wrong as things could get.

With my arms behind my back, I held on to my hemp bracelet. Isaac, now would be a good time to pop over.

“At least admit you feel the changes to your body,” Reed said, stepping back to leave a few inches between us. God, he was gorgeous in his true form. “Confess you wished you hadn’t destroyed the bacca drop, and I’ll retrieve Natalie.”

He waited patiently for me to mull over his offer. He regarded me with the patience that only came with age. I wondered just how old he was, and I was dying to know if his skin was as soft as it looked. More than anything, I really needed him gone for a few minutes because the feeling of vertigo returned.

If Reed left before the others showed up, my plan could still work.

“Fine. I’ll admit I feel different lately.” I placed my hand flat on his chest and pushed him further away from me. “And it’s worse when you’re this frickin’ close, but you already know that.”

He smirked devilishly. Instead of responding to my statement, he said, “I shall only be a few minutes.”

He walked backward, hands held low at his hips, and vanished.

My eyes grew wide. It worked! Reed had taken the bait. Ignoring the dizziness, I ran upstairs. Damn, I really needed to learn to teleport objects from one place to another. From my mirror, I grabbed the dried corsage I had saved after sophomore year’s homecoming dance and sprinted back downstairs, skidding to a halt when the front door swung open. Isaac, Josh, and Kaylee burst inside.

“He won’t be gone long,” I said and ran to the kitchen. The others followed.

I slammed the plastic bowl I’d used during the original spell onto the table and hastily emptied a bottle of water into it. “I need three acorns. There’s some in the backyard.”

Isaac held out his hand, and the acorns appeared.

I snatched them from him and added them to the bowl with three dried rose petals. “Did you bring the book?”

Josh handed it to me, opened to the reversal spell. Kaylee crossed her fingers.

From nowhere neverwhere and there to here

Through Come ethereal and space and time

I thank thee majestic for my Sight

A low eerrr echoed through the kitchen. A perfume of orchids mixed with the scent of dried leaves. The acorns and petals swirled around in the bowl. I read on.

Reedsnap, [Dellis, Rhoswen]

I beckon thee stay home and seal the door!

The smell of the seasons vanished, leaving only the faint scent of last night’s cheeseburgers lingering in the air.

“Did it work?” Kaylee whispered.

I glanced around. “I think so.”

Clapping came from behind me. I turned to look at Isaac, thinking he was being sarcastic, but his hands hung limp at his side.

Reed appeared in the hallway leading into the kitchen with Brea and Natalie at his side. Brea’s light skirt and tank top had been replaced with long flowing pants and a snow-white sweater that reached past her knees. Her feet were clad in fuzzy boots. Natalie wore a deep crimson sweater and a dark skirt.

“Natalie!” I lunged forward and gave her a hug, then stepped back to get a good look at her. She appeared healthy, and I was glad to see her, but my spell should have locked her in Sanctus along with Reed and Brea. She started to say something, but I cut her off. “How were you able to return?”

“Madison, you shouldn’t have…” Her voice trailed off, and her wide-eyed stare turned to Reed.

“Tried to deceive me,” Reed said, finishing her sentence. “And to answer your question, as long as we’re here and still Fae, the door between realms can’t be closed.”

“Still Fae?” I repeated, then realized he probably meant they hadn’t eaten any of our food, which must change their cellular structure too if it trapped them here. But faerie food apparently hadn’t stripped Natalie of all her human memory—at least not yet. For now, though, the question remained, “You never left?”

The corner of Reed’s mouth rose into a lopsided smile that was anything but friendly. “There was no need for me to cross realms when my sister was already there.”

Brea gave her brother a sidelong glance and explained, “I only returned home to eat and borrow some clothes from the girls of the Winter Court. I was on my way back here when Dellis contacted me to ask if I could bring Natalie with me. You—having the Sight—might have seen me arrive had you not been reading from the book.”

“But Reed saw everything,” I murmured with a shake of my head.

“Yes, and as soon as you finished the spell, you relinquished your ability to see me until I chose to reveal myself.” Her tone cooed pity.

Reed turned to his sister. “Take Natalie home. Leave her with the Winter Court.”

“Dellis,” she said. “Some battles are best unsought.”

“Rhoswen, do as I ask.”

“Let it go, for me,” she said in a voice so low I almost didn’t hear her.

“Go!”

She took Natalie’s hand in hers and inclined her head. “As you wish.”

The two females disappeared from our sight as a flicker of betrayal passed through Reed’s pale blue eyes. I didn’t dare look away from him for fear of what he might do. In my peripheral vision I could see Kaylee take a step back. Isaac and Josh hadn’t moved from where they’d stood near the table.

Reed’s frosty stare fixed on Isaac. “Do not for a moment think I’ve forgotten your promise, and do not for an instant think I will not go through with mine.”

“What promise is that?” Josh asked before I could.

Isaac held Reed’s glare when he answered, “I can’t touch a member of his court.”

“His court being the Winter Court or the entire Seelie Court?” I asked, unsure what difference it really made.

“Seelie,” he snarled. “But I never promised I wouldn’t kick his ass if he showed up again.”

With a shake of his hands, Isaac held two fireballs at his side.

Reed vanished from our sight, but we heard him speak. “You got to keep the last girl we fought over in your realm. It’s only fair I get Madison.” His voice bounced off the walls, making it impossible to tell where he was.

Until his cold breath skimmed the back of my neck. I spun around.

“I am not an object up for auction to the highest bidder,” I spat either to his face or to thin air. It was impossible to tell.

“You don’t want to upset me further than I am, or you won’t be the only Riley I claim as my own.”

Fear paralyzed me. “You wouldn’t.”

Long fingers wrapped around my biceps, pinning my arms to my side. Reed materialized, tugging me upward so that I was on my toes, my ear inches from his mouth. “A better question would be, have I already? Stop fighting and come with me.” He inhaled but instantly choked.

As he gagged out a cough, his nails dug into my flesh, and I yelped in pain—moments before feeling weightless. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Kaylee’s body likewise become ethereal. Then we were both standing behind Isaac, with Josh at our backs. I went to attack Reed, but Isaac held his arm out.

Reed vanished again. His cough seemed to reverberate around the room.

“If you lay one finger on my brother or father, so help me, I’ll kill you myself. That’s a—”

I was about to say promise, but my lips sealed, and I knew that was Isaac’s doing.

“You found a way to guard her essence,” Reed said when the coughing ceased. Awe dripped from his words. He even had the gall to clap. “Bravo. Does the spell ground her to the here and now too or just protect her from being fuel?” A pause. “She tastes like fresh strawberries. Did you know that?”

“You bastard!” I yelled, relieved to be able to speak again. I lunged toward Reed, but between Isaac’s arm still blocking my path and Josh and Kaylee holding me back, I didn’t get far. Isaac’s powers sizzled visibly from his entire body, and his usual spearmint and vanilla had a heavy metallic tang to it. I was pretty sure he was as raving mad as I was to find out Reed had been feeding off my essence.

“Be very careful what you do next,” Reed warned telepathically, and then the room grew a few degrees warmer. His piney scent vanished, and the knot in my stomach loosened just enough to let me know he had left, for now.

After hiding any evidence that we’d been at my house and not in school, we went to Isaac’s. His parents wouldn’t be home until later. Plus, his room was the only place we had that was intruder-proof.

“You know, life used to be so much simpler before you embraced your powers,” Josh gibed, picking up a Rubik’s Cube from Isaac’s dresser and twisting one side. “No spiteful ex-friends, no worrying about hexes, and no pissed-off faeries.”

I grabbed the cube from him. “Ha, ha. And it was Emma’s going Dark Side that pushed me to search out my powers.”

“I know.” Josh rubbed his hands together. “So what do we do now?”

I plopped down on the bed with enough force to send Kaylee toppling over on the mattress next to me. I looked at her. “Sorry.” There was only one solution I could think of to keep my family and friends safe. “It’s my fault Reed’s here. Maybe I should stop fighting him. Make a deal. You know, I’ll go with him if he lets me come back and visit.”

“Hell no!” Isaac snapped at the same time Kaylee said, “You’re not going anywhere with that nut job.”

“Are you crazy?” Josh added.

Kaylee righted herself. “Get that thought out of your head.”

“We’ll find another way to get rid of him,” Isaac said. He sat on his dresser flicking his fingers, sending strings of visible energy soaring through the air. The whitish-gray wisps faded before they hit anything.

I pulled my knees to my chest and hugged them, rocking back and forth on the bed. “He threatened to hurt Chase and Dad.”

Isaac pushed off his perch, slid behind me, and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me against his chest. I sank into him.

“We aren’t going to let that happen,” he assured me, but I knew he couldn’t guarantee their safety.

Josh lowered himself onto the sphere chair and, resting his head back, stared at the old-fashioned chandelier. “Dude, you going to tell us the real reason Reed’s so pissed off at you? You already told us you and Heather were broken up when she summoned him, so skip the bullshit about liking the same girl.”

Isaac rested his chin on my head. “I may have implied that I would burn his kingdom to ashes if he didn’t take his ass home.”

“You want to elaborate on that?” Josh asked.

Isaac sighed. “When Heather realized she was in over her head, she asked for my help. She’d really pissed him off, and he was determined to teach her a lesson.”

I looked over my shoulder at him. “She planned on trapping him here. Reed said he doesn’t take kindly to humans who threaten him.”

“Yeah, I found out about her diabolical plan around day four. She was selfish and petty, but that didn’t mean she deserved to lose her family. I spent six days trying to get the jump on Dellis. I couldn’t shove his ass back through the door Heather had opened, and he couldn’t pull her to the other side because she hadn’t eaten anything he’d offered her. But I did manage to find the door she’d created. Did I tell you my grandfather had a spell for eternal fire?”

Josh let out a low whistle.

“What’s that?” Kaylee’s gaze traveled from Josh to Isaac.

“It’s dark magic,” Josh replied. “When cast, the flames never die. They devour everything in their path.”

I gasped. “Were you really going to set his realm on fire?”

Isaac gave me a squeeze that was the equivalent of Yes and I’m sorry all in one. “I had bet Dellis wouldn’t take the chance that I was bluffing, and I was right. He agreed to return home, and in turn I promised never to harm a faerie of his court.”

“He can’t yank Madison through the door, can he?” Kaylee asked. “I mean, the unity spell prevents that, right?”

Isaac’s silence was answer enough. The unity spell had bound my aura to Isaac, preventing Reed from being able to drain me of it, but it wouldn’t stop him from dragging me kicking and screaming to his world. Josh was the one who spoke up.

“We think the only reason he hasn’t done just that is because Madison hasn’t consumed enough of their food.”

I only half-listened as they continued to discuss the ways of the faerie world. I’d had enough miserable news for one day.

When four o’clock rolled around, I asked Isaac to take me home. The first thing he did when we got there was cast an intention ward on my room. Anyone who planned to harm or trick me wouldn’t be able to enter. He had wanted to cast the spell on the entire house, but living with a six-year-old who thought it was fun to jump out of closets or steal French fries off other people’s plates would have meant we’d vanquished Chase from his own home.

Isaac offered to stay until my dad got home, but discovering Reed had stolen some of my aura had left me feeling violated. I just wanted to take a shower. Besides, I’d gotten the impression that Brea wanted to help me, and I was sure she wouldn’t show up as long as Isaac was around.

I stayed under the hot water until my fingers resembled prunes and the spray ran cold. Dad and Chase got home a few minutes before six. To avoid having to leave the safety of my room, I told them I wasn’t feeling well. In reality, I was afraid Reed would return. I wasn’t sure how much more of his mind tricks I could stand before I caved and drank an entire flask of the clear blue liquid just to silence the ache that accompanied his visits.

At one point, I swore I was being watched and nearly leaped out of my skin when Chase screamed, “Boo!” and attempted to jump into my room—only to hit an invisible wall and ricochet backward, landing on his butt in the hall instead. Bursting into laughter, I rushed to help him up.

“Are you okay?”

He looked straight ahead of him into my room. “What was that?”

You slammed into a magical barrier. “You hit the doorframe.” I pulled him to his feet.

He swiped a hand through the open doorway. I couldn’t help but smile knowing that, thanks to Isaac’s ward, Chase had only been blocked from entering my room if he planned on playing a prank on me.

He shrugged and said, “Dad wants to know if we can eat your tacos.”

“Go for it.”

“Thanks!” He scrambled down the stairs. “Dad, she said yes!”

I worked on homework, still hoping Brea would show up. In the meantime, Reed’s sad ballad managed to worm its way into my head. I couldn’t sense him, though, so I was pretty sure I was still alone. Stuffing my earbuds into my ears, I cranked my favorite playlist and drowned out the depressing melody.

Little did I know things were about to become much worse.

Chapter 19

Crash

Saturday, Dad sat at the kitchen table with his eyes half-closed. The small television in the corner aired the morning news, but the volume was too low to hear what the pert reporter in a way-too-pink suit had to say. Dad still had on the sweats and T-shirt he’d slept in.

“No work today?” I asked, surprised to see him clutching a cup of coffee instead of his thermos. I opened the fridge and grabbed the orange juice.

“Chase isn’t feeling well. I want to take him to the walk-in clinic when it opens at nine. Caden and Reed are in charge until I get there.”

“Reed still works for you?” I slammed the refrigerator door shut with more force than I’d meant to. The condiments inside rattled.

His brow furrowed. “Ah, yeah. The doctor’s office is a couple weeks away from done. Don’t tell me you have something against Reed now.”

Just that he wasn’t human. My mouth opened, but no words came out.

Dad sighed. “Look, Madison, if it were up to you I wouldn’t have hired Caden, and he not only knows the difference between a drywall screw and a wood screw, he knows how to run electricity. I don’t have to contract that piece out to someone else. How about you leave the workmen to me?”

“But Reed doesn’t need the job,” I protested. “He’s only here to—” I stopped before I said too much.

“To what, Madison? Become an independent young man? To show his family he can make it on his own?”

“Is that what he told you?” Still upset I couldn’t exactly inform Dad that Reed was a faerie prince who snatched unsuspecting humans from their lives, I decided to change the subject. “What’s wrong with Chase?”

“Fever, sore throat. It’s not too bad,” he called as I hurried out of the kitchen.

Chase lay curled in a ball on the family room couch, hugging a floppy stuffed golden retriever and watching morning cartoons. I felt his forehead. “Hey, sport. Dad says you aren’t feeling good.”

Chase shook his head. He looked very small on the big couch.

I tossed a blanket over him. “Want me to get you anything?”

He pointed to a juice pouch on the coffee table.

After picking it up and seeing it was still full, I handed it to him.

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” I ruffled his hair. “Call me if you need anything else.”

“Okay.” He continued to watch his show.

“The flu’s been going around,” Dad said when I rejoined him in the kitchen. He got up and grabbed a bottle of Tylenol from the cabinet above the sink. His sluggish movements made me notice how pale his complexion was.

“You look as if you could see the doctor too,” I commented.

He shook his head. “Chase ended up in my bed last night. I’m just tired.”

“How about I take him to the clinic and you get a couple hours of sleep?” I offered.

He glanced longingly at the ceiling. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah. It’s no problem.” I’d planned on spending the morning brother-sitting anyway. It really didn’t matter if I did it at home or at the doctor’s office.

“Madison, I don’t know what I’d do without you.” Dad patted my shoulder and headed upstairs. “Thanks.”

I quickly changed out of my shorts and tank top and into jeans and a long-sleeved T-shirt. I let Chase keep on his Scooby-Doo pajamas, mainly because he was moving so slowly we would have never gotten out the door if I made him change. To hurry him along, I helped him stuff his feet into his snow boots and tugged on his jacket.

“Buckle up.” I started the engine on Dad’s truck. “And keep your hat on,” I said before he could rip it off his head.

We were on the main road when I heard rustling next to me. I glanced at Chase and saw him pop something into his mouth.

“What’re you eating?” I asked, switching lanes to get from behind a minivan. At least the Prius now ahead of us was driving the speed limit.

“Candy. It helps my throat. Want one?”

“Sure.” In the rush to get out of the house, I’d forgotten about the glass of juice I’d poured myself.

Chase pulled a handful of candies from his jacket pocket. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a few fall into his lap. “You can have the one with girl cooties.”

“Girl cooties?” I repeated with a chuckle.

“Yeah, Haley said boys shouldn’t eat things wrapped in pink.”

“You and your friends have the silliest rules.” I glanced next to me and then did a double-take. Chase held one of Reed’s candies in his outstretched hand.

“Where’d you get that?” I shrieked and caused our truck to veer into oncoming traffic. I jerked the wheel to the right, steering us back into our lane.

“The guy that works for Daddy gave it to me.”

“Reed?” I asked, my mind working in slow motion.

“Yeah.”

Then, like a key in a lock, it clicked. Reed gave Chase faerie food, but why? To steal my brother away from this world as well or for leverage to ensure I’d go quietly instead? I would, too, because there was no way I’d let anything happen to Chase.

“Spit it out!” I demanded, knocking the candy from his hand. It was bad enough he’d already eaten some of the chocolates. Chase bent forward as much as the seatbelt would allow him and reached for what had fallen on the floor. “I’m serious, Chase! Spit it out!”

I looked from the road—barely registering the Prius going through a yellow light—to Chase chewing faster. Tears filled his eyes, and his cheeks were blotchy red. I felt bad yelling at him, but I didn’t want him finishing what was in his mouth. I put my free hand under his chin. “Now, Chase!”

A horn blared, bringing my attention back to the road and the red light at the intersection in front of me. I slammed on the brakes, but we couldn’t stop quickly enough. The horn grew louder, but I didn’t know where it came from and I didn’t have time to react. My brain registered the deafening BOOM a split second before my head hit the window next to me. The airbags exploded, and shards of glass hit my face. Tires screeched as we were knocked sideways. The world swam in front of me before our pickup truck came to a stop. Something wet and warm dripped down the side of my face. I tried to turn my head to see my brother, but I couldn’t move.

“Chase?” I grunted. Through blurred vision, I saw a man run in front of us. The hood of Dad’s truck was bent at an odd angle. Steam rose from the engine.

“Chase,” I repeated with a groan.

But he didn’t answer. I groped next to me, feeling the center console and then Chase’s limp hand.

“Chase!”

My door creaked open.

“Are you okay?” came a guy’s voice from my left.

I blinked a few times. My vision cleared a little. I shifted a millimeter. A blinding pang shot down my neck and into my right arm.

“Don’t move,” the guy instructed.

“My brother,” I managed to say.

The guy carefully leaned over me. When his expression went blank, I tried again to turn my head to the side to see Chase for myself, but the guy put a hand on my shoulder. “Stay still, Miss. An ambulance is on its way.”

Everything around me swirled in a haze of grays. Squeezing my eyes shut, I focused on my powers. Maybe I could have pushed them out and avoided the accident if I’d seen what hit us in the first place. But I hadn’t, so all I could do now was will them to steady my mind and ease the pain that surged through my entire body, begging them to fix me so I could check on Chase.

Pull it together, I silently repeated to myself. The sound of sirens grew louder. Chase needs you.

My powers failed me, though, and I slipped into darkness.

Chapter 20

On Death’s Bed

I woke in a sterile white room with ungodly bright fluorescent lights making it hard for my eyelids to stay open. I grunted, pushing out powers I didn’t mean to, just when I didn’t want to. The energy caused the bulbs above me to spark and burn out with a slight hiss.

Kaylee stood next to me, hands over her mouth, and eyes red as if she’d been crying. I wasn’t sure if she’d been there the whole time or if she’d been close by and rushed over when she realized I was awake. She let out a breathless, “Thank goodness!”

I pressed my palm to my temple and hit the soft cotton of a bandage. “I feel like I’ve been run over by a steamroller.”

She patted my leg through the thin cream blanket. “You’ve been unconscious for close to two days.”

“Two days?” I took a good look around me, my whereabouts quickly sinking in. The hazy memory of driving Chase to the doctor’s office came back to me. The throbbing in my head made it difficult to remember anything past Chase having the candy.

“How did I get here?” I pushed myself into a sitting position. “And where’s Chase?”

“He’s in a room down the hall.”

The echo of a horn rang in my ears, and the deafening sound of metal slamming into metal and glass flying everywhere brought the accident back in a horrifying rush.

“I’ve got to get to Chase.” I attempted to throw the covers off me, but the sheet got tangled around the tubes strung from a clear bag of liquid to an IV in my arm. The room swayed, forcing me to grab the bedrail.

Kaylee placed her hands on my shoulders. “Madison, you’re not ready to get up.”

“I’m fine.” Or I was fine just as long as I didn’t make any sudden movements.

Kaylee tightened her grip on my forearm. “Josh,” she said with urgency but no louder than she’d spoken to me. His name echoed in my thoughts, which told me she’d used our connection to call him.

He appeared in the doorway. “She’s awake.”

I twisted, slowly this time, until my legs hung over the mattress too.

“I need to see Chase,” I said, sliding off the bed and stumbling. Josh rushed to my side. He and Kaylee each wrapped an arm around my waist.

“Easy,” he said. “The doctors are going to freak if they see you’re out of bed.”

Josh’s gaze flicked to Kaylee, whose eyes had completely glassed over.

“Chase isn’t, oh God, he’s not…” My knees gave out. Josh and Kaylee kept me from crashing to the floor.

“He’s alive,” Kaylee said, but her voice cracked.

“Madison, he got banged up pretty bad,” Josh said. “Your dad wanted to be the one to talk to you.”

I shook my head and uttered, “No, no, no.” This couldn’t be happening. Chase had to be all right. I breathed in a shaky breath and ripped the IV from my forearm. “Please, I’m begging you, take me to see him.”

They had Chase behind a glass wall in the ICU. The heart monitor beat at an eerily sluggish rate. Dad sat in a chair with Chase’s tiny fingers wrapped in his. Isaac was on the opposite side of the bed clutching Chase’s other hand. I thought it was odd that Isaac didn’t get up on seeing me enter. Dad followed his gaze to me standing in a dull blue hospital gown between Josh and Kaylee. He rushed to my side and helped me to the chair he’d just vacated.

“You shouldn’t be walking, princess.”

Dad hadn’t called me that since my twelfth birthday, when I’d declared myself too old to have a little girl’s nickname.

I stared at Chase. A few strands of caramel-brown hair escaped the white bandage around his head, and several cuts peppered his cheeks and chin.

“I did this to him.” My trembling fingers covered my mouth, and tears flowed freely down my cheeks.

“It was an accident,” Dad said, his voice hoarse. “You can’t blame yourself.”

But I could. I’d been so worried about Chase eating that candy that I hadn’t paid attention to the road. I had barreled through the intersection as if I’d had the right-of-way, and Chase was paying the price. Kaylee handed me a tissue. Her cheeks were as wet as mine.

“You have some great friends,” Dad said. “They haven’t left Chase’s or your side for a minute.”

That’s when I noticed Isaac still holding Chase’s limp hand in both of his. Vanilla and spearmint wafted through the room.

“I’m going to have to insist only two visitors at a time,” a nurse said from behind me. “Three of you will have to leave.” Her gaze fell on me. “You’re awake.” She scanned the room. “Did you walk here? You really shouldn’t—”

Josh placed a hand on the nurse’s arm, his mouth moving quickly. The smell of hot apple cider mixed with the scent of Isaac’s powers.

The nurse’s eyes glazed over. “I’ll let the doctor know you’re up,” she said instead of whatever she’d been about to assert. “I guess you can stay for a few minutes, but this is the ICU, and we’re already breaking the rules by allowing him to stay.” She pointed to Isaac.

“Kaylee and I will grab some coffee,” Josh said before the nurse said anything else. “Mr. Riley, why don’t you come with us? Give Madison a moment.” Dad didn’t look like he wanted to leave, but he followed Kaylee into the hallway; I guessed it was Josh’s magic that compelled him to. Josh looked at me. “Just say our names when you’re ready to go back to your room. We’ll hear you.”

I nodded, then shot Isaac a quizzical look.

“We’ve been taking turns casting a calming spell,” Isaac explained. “It’s kept your father from completely falling apart and the hospital from kicking me out.”

“But you’re using now,” I said. It wasn’t a question; his powers hung heavy in the air. “Why?”

“Madison, Chase’s side of the truck took the brunt of the impact. His head hit the door and then the center console. The thrashing caused internal bleeding.”

“So you’re healing him like you healed my arm this past October,” I said, convincing myself that with Isaac’s help it was going to be okay.

Isaac rested his forehead on his knuckles. Chase’s hand was still tucked in his. “I can’t. His injuries are too severe. I’m sorry.”

“Then the doctors will fix him,” I insisted. “Isaac, look at me!”

His glassy gaze swept the room before meeting mine. “The doctors don’t know how he’s managing to hang on.”

“What do you mean?”

“Chase’s vitals drop the moment I let go of his hand. My powers are the only thing keeping him with us. I knew you’d want to say goodbye—”

“Don’t!” I choked out, covering my ears with the heels of my hands. “Don’t talk like he’s going to die. He can’t die! I won’t let him!” I had promised Mom I’d look out for Chase. I couldn’t lose him too. “Call your parents,” I demanded. “They’ll know a spell. They can fix him.”

Isaac looked at me with pity. Like I was some irrational child throwing a tantrum over a dead goldfish. Well, this wasn’t a damn fish, and I didn’t need pity. I needed help.

“Call them!” I yelled.

A tear ran the length of his cheek. “My parents were here, Madison. There’s no spell to bring a person back from the edge. I’m lucky to be able to delay…” He didn’t finish his sentence.

What was the point of having powers if we couldn’t use them to save the people we loved? And how was I supposed to use my magic with positive emotions when life took everything from me? What incentive did I have not to give in to the dark?

Maybe that was the answer.

“What if we were stronger?” I stroked Chase’s forearm. “I have enough anger in me to be stronger.”

Isaac closed his eyes. His sorrow rolled off him and mixed with mine. “It’s not a matter of what emotions fuel us,” he replied. “It’s a matter of what is and isn’t in our power. This isn’t.”

“I don’t believe that.” I’d seen Isaac lose control once, and the amount of power he’d had was frightening. “I need to try.”

“You’ll taint your soul.”

“I don’t care,” I said through clenched teeth.

“Believe me, I know.” He paused. “And neither did I, but my parents said that it wouldn’t matter. Witches don’t have the ability to choose who lives and who dies.”

“I can’t lose him,” I whispered, swiping at my tears with the sheet.

There had to be a way to save Chase. I already knew that we couldn’t turn back the hands of time, having asked Isaac this once before. He had commented that even if it were possible to rewind the calendar to a specific date, my past self wouldn’t know what was going to happen in the future, so I wouldn’t know to do something differently. He hadn’t said our present selves couldn’t tamper with the past, though.

“What if I went back in time?” I asked. Isaac’s gaze locked on mine, but he held back his reply and let me finish. “I could visit the day I first read The Fae and stop myself from casting the spell. If I don’t summon Reed, Chase won’t eat the candy, and I won’t get distracted while driving.”

He dragged a hand through his hair. “It’s too risky. Manipulating time, creating a wormhole, it’s dangerous business. I don’t know of anyone who’s ever done it and come back to tell about it.”

Thrilled he hadn’t said it was impossible, I said, “I’m willing to take that chance.”

“But I’m not. Madison, it would take a full coven of experienced witches to work a spell like that. We’re already down one witch because I can’t leave this room.”

I shook my head. “I won’t accept that I have this gift but am powerless to help Chase.”

“Madison, there’s no way for us to cheat death. I’m sorry.”

“Us? We can’t?”

Isaac hadn’t said it was impossible for someone else to cheat death. He took a deep breath, and I could tell he was trying to keep a poker face. It didn’t work.

“Can a faerie?” I asked.

“No. They don’t save humans. They snatch them.”

“Your friends said I’d find you here,” a voice said from behind me. “I’m Dr. Peters.”

An older doctor walked up to me. He had olive skin and short gray hair. He shined a light in my right eye, then my left. “I must say you’re recovering much quicker than I had anticipated. How about we finish this examination in your room? If everything checks out, I’ll let the nurse know I’ve given you permission to stay with your brother.”

He held an arm out, indicating for me to go first and pretty much saying, I insist.

To Isaac, I said, “Don’t let go of him.”

“I won’t.” When I didn’t stand, he added, “I promise.”

With my fingers wrapped around the arms of the chair, I pushed myself up, glad I was steadier on my feet. The doctor trailed behind me.

Kaylee and Josh weren’t in my room when Dr. Peters and I got there, but Josh’s coat was draped over one of the chairs. I figured they were still with my dad. While I followed the doctor’s pen with my eyes, I stewed over being powerless to help my brother when he needed me the most. Then when I took slow, deep breaths, I tried to figure out what type of creature would have what it took to give life: God, but he wasn’t on speed-dial. Angels would have the power of heaven, but if they existed and were willing to step in to save my brother, they would have done something already. And I crossed reapers off automatically, being that they schlepped souls to the afterlife.

Dr. Peters draped his stethoscope around his neck. “Are you experiencing any pain?”

“No.” I sniffed. Not the kind he meant, anyway. “I’m okay.”

“Madison, I know what you’re going through is very difficult.” He wrote a name and number on a slip of paper. “Dr. Cooper is a therapist. I’d like for you to make an appointment with her. She can help you through this tough time.”

“I don’t need a shrink.”

He tucked the paper under the pitcher of water on my bedside tray. “In case you change your mind.” He typed something into a computer mounted on a portable cart. “Just promise me you won’t bottle your emotions up inside until they turn into a demon you carry the rest of your life.”

“A demon?”

“Metaphorically speaking.”

“Of course.”

“Well, Madison, I’m happy to say you’ll be able to go home tomorrow.”

“Great,” I replied, but he had just given me the answer to my problem, and I had no intentions of sticking around that long.

Chapter 21

The Deal

As soon as Dr. Peters left my room, I threw open the narrow closet door and sighed with relief when I saw my dusty rose backpack. By the neatly folded pair of sweatpants, long-sleeved T-shirt, and other items tucked inside, I knew Kaylee was the one who’d packed it. I changed quickly and then searched Josh’s leather jacket for his keys. I’d made it to the door when I realized it would be cold outside. A moment later, I was wearing the jacket too.

I kept my head down and calmly strolled past the nurses’ station. At the end of the hall, I slammed my finger against the elevator button and waited for it to make its agonizingly slow ascent from the lobby.

My plan to summon a demon was crazy; I knew that. And just because I could call an audience with one didn’t mean the thing would be able to stop death, but I was desperate for a way to give Chase a second chance.

After several long seconds, the elevator stopped on my floor. Josh’s muffled voice came from behind the closed doors. I glanced down at his keys clutched in my fist and his jacket draped over me. No way were they going to buy that I needed fresh air. With no time to do much of anything, I flattened myself against the wall to the right of the elevator and prayed they’d step out and turn left without looking around.

“What if Isaac taught us whatever it is he’s doing?” Kaylee asked as she stepped out of the elevator. “We could take shifts and buy us more time to look through the books you two have.”

Josh’s long strides had him walking next to her in moments. “We’ve asked our parents, who’ve asked the people they know and trust. There just isn’t a spell to keep a person’s soul from crossing over. It’s the laws of nature. When your time’s up, it’s up.”

“But he’s only six.”

I scurried into the elevator before the doors closed. My knees shook so badly I could barely stand. I reached the lobby and headed straight for the wide front doors, hoping Josh had parked in the same lot as when Kaylee had been a patient; I wondered how long it would take him to notice his jacket was gone. A nurse in a pink smock turned her head as I passed. I picked up my pace and practically ran to the exit.

The winter breeze smacked me in the face when I stepped outside. Large fluffy snowflakes drifted down from an ash-gray sky. I stopped on the sidewalk and focused on my powers, knowing that if they were on the tip of my tongue, they’d heighten my senses.

When the familiar tingling sped through me, I pressed the unlock button on Josh’s key fob. It took a few tries, but I finally heard the faint click I’d been listening for. The silver Mustang was one row over and about six cars back. Once inside it, I quickly adjusted the seat and started the engine. I heard Josh’s voice in my head calling my name. It had to mean he was onto me. Without wasting any more time, I backed out of the parking spot and sped toward the exit.

The next time I heard Josh, he was yelling, and it wasn’t in my mind. I glanced in the rearview mirror. He ran toward me as Kaylee stood motionless in the middle of the road, her hands over her head. I floored it, spinning the back tires and cutting off a red sedan as I fishtailed around the corner.

Deals with demons were made at crossroads. From what I had read in Earthly Elements, I knew crossroads were located near Devil’s Gates: a place where the veil between our world and Hades was the thinnest. Devil’s Gates tended to be located in areas where the supernatural were known to walk. Gloucester fit that description, and thanks to Josh’s and my trip to gather crossroad dirt for a spell we’d cast in October, I knew where one was located.

You didn’t have to possess powers to make a deal with a demon. Creatures from hell weren’t picky about whose soul they trapped. I wasn’t sure how many human years it cost to make a deal, though. I imagined it depended on who you were and the size of the deal. Say you wanted to become the best blues guitarist this side of the Mississippi River—maybe that would cost you ten years. If you wanted wealth, twenty. Or maybe instead of taking years like poker chips, a demon granted you years to live. Ask to be the youngest person to become president of the United States and get ten years to live: two to campaign, eight to serve, and then your time is up. Or if you wanted to be famous, you’d get twenty years. I played all kinds of scenarios in my head, drawing on what I’d seen on television and in movies.

The snow came down heavier the further I drove, but it wasn’t sticking to the road. I kept hearing Kaylee’s, Josh’s, and Isaac’s voices in my mind until I finally ripped my hemp bracelet from my wrist. I spent the entire drive contemplating what a life was worth. How many years would it take to let Chase grow up? I’d find out soon enough.

A dilapidated red barn stood watch over the barren countryside, announcing I’d reached my destination. I pulled off the dirt road and then rifled through Josh’s glove compartment; he didn’t have anything in there I could use to dig in the damp dirt. I rummaged around the trunk next, deciding the tire iron would work well enough. I wrapped my school ID and a few strands of hair inside an orange rag Josh had obviously used to wipe grease off his hands.

“Here’s hoping demons aren’t as judgmental about the items used to summon them as faeries are.”

The wind picked up, sending snowflakes whirling around me with no real direction. I walked straight to the center of the intersection and started to dig. The soil wasn’t as solid as I would have expected. About four or five inches down, I discovered a dingy red scarf already buried there. When I pulled it out and unwrapped it, I found a picture of a black man in his twenties, a clear plastic baggie of dark hair, a dried sprig with dark purple flowers, bones from a small animal, and a tiny jar of deep black dirt.

I’d been right. Deals were struck at this crossroad. It also let me know I had come short of a few items. I added the dried flowers, bones, and dirt to my things and placed them in the hole. Next, I pushed the loose soil over everything and stood waiting.

“Come on,” I said, not sure what to do next. With my arms crossed over my chest to ward off the chill, I anxiously turned every second or so.

“You are one of the last people I ever expected to see here,” a smooth voice said from behind me.

I spun to find Caden standing about ten feet away from me. My jaw dropped at seeing him. He had on his dark green pea coat, and his hair was disheveled. He looked exactly like I remembered him, except his eyes now burned bright red.

Looking into a demon’s gaze—even if he was someone who had been in my house—was unnerving. I needed to get this over with, but anxiety had my mouth spilling my thoughts instead of sticking to why I was there. “I knew there was something off about you, but this—” I waved a hand up and down in awe. I had expected the crossroad demon to be a crotchety old man with scarred skin, red horns, and possibly a spiked tail. I’d seen Caden’s ass—no way was there a tail tucked inside his jeans. “Do crossroad demons always stalk the local high school scene, and are they all as good-looking as you?”

The corners of his mouth tugged upward. “You know, flattery isn’t necessary. I’d stick around even if you were a foul-mouthed wench who hadn’t bathed in days.”

I was too dumbstruck by what he was to think of an appropriate quip.

He went on. “And I do what I must to keep an eye on my business associates.”

I thought about that a moment. “Ben made a deal with you?”

“His brother did. Even threw in a few extra years if I’d stop by and make sure Ben stayed on the straight and narrow.” He shrugged. “I’m always around anyway.”

“Dan sold his soul to become one of Gloucester High’s best jocks?”

“And for a full ride to a top-notch college.”

“What did it cost him?” I asked, needing to know what the average improve-your-life deal went for.

“His soul, plus twenty-three years off the top. That means he lives a shorter life than he would have had he not made the deal.”

I swallowed. One of the reasons witches worked so hard not to use negative emotions to fuel their magic was so that they wouldn’t taint their souls, and here I was, ready to give mine away plus twenty years.

I hid my trembling hands in the deep pockets of Josh’s jacket.

Caden sauntered closer, stopping a foot in front of me. I could feel the heat of his body as if he were his own sun. His eyes narrowed. “What I’m itching to know is since when does a witch need to make a deal with the devil?”

“You know what I am?” With my fists still stuffed in the pockets of the jacket, I pulled it tighter around me as if exposed with nothing else to cover me.

“I can smell your powers. Your friends’ too.”

“Are you really the devil?” I stammered.

He laughed. “No. He’s not as charismatic as I am, but if you’d like, I could see if he can break away from torturing souls to meet you.”

“No. That’s okay.”

I was glad the demon that faced me didn’t look evil, and his statement the other day—‘even I have a code of honor I live by’—made more sense now than it had then. For crossroad demons, it was all about the deal. At least that’s what I’d read, and that’s the knowledge I clung to as I stood in the middle of the intersection with snow flurries drifting down around me.

I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Can we get down to business?”

He inclined his head. “Please do tell what brings a witch calling upon my services.”

I wet my lips. “It’s my brother. We were in a car accident, and the doctors can’t help him. He’d be dead right now if it weren’t for Isaac. He’s managing to keep Chase alive, but barely.” I took a deep breath to stifle my rambling and asked, “Can you stop death?”

He grinned. “I’m always happy to deny heaven a soul, even if I’m only delaying its arrival. Cheating death is expensive business, though.”

I prayed my knees wouldn’t give out on me. I shook so badly, I was sure Caden could see what a wreck I was.

“You realize you’d be condemning your soul to an eternity in hell?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“Hell for a pure-of-heart is a million times worse than it is for the corrupt. And you, a witch whose powers are fueled by good, will not find the stay a pleasant one.”

As if he had to tell me that.

He ran his fingers over his lips thoughtfully. “A witch’s soul is worth a lot where I come from.”

“Then you wouldn’t want to pass up this opportunity,” I said, hoping to push him into making the deal before I lost my nerve.

“Aren’t you going to ask the price?”

Confused, I replied, “My soul and twenty years off the top.”

He walked around me, stopping behind me.

“That’s the price for a petty deal like a scholarship to a school one can’t afford.” His words moved my hair. “What you’re asking for requires more effort. The price is your soul and I give you three years to get your affairs in order before I come to collect.”

My gaze jerked sideways so I could see him. “Three years? What type of deal is that?”

“It’s two more years than some demons offer.”

“Thirty years,” I countered.

He chuckled and stepped in front of me again. “I’ll tell you what, because I like you, I’ll give you ten.”

Counting on a witch’s soul being an extremely hot commodity in hell, I said, “Thirty’s as low as I’m willing to go.”

“Then you’ll want to hurry back to the hospital so you can spend some time with Chase before he dies.” Caden turned and walked away.

Guilt over having put Chase in ICU in the first place gnawed at my conscience as my heart crumbled with grief.

“Wait. Twenty. Please.” Even as I begged, I tried to convince myself that it would be okay. I’d still have plenty of time to graduate high school and college and figure out what I wanted to be as an adult. I was doing a poor job of fooling myself, though. I’d only be thirty-six when my debt came due.

Caden faced me, a coy smirk etched into his features. “Deal.”

“Is my brother better?” I asked, not sure how it all worked.

“All deals have to be sealed.”

“Do I sign something or do we shake on it?” I held out my trembling hand for good measure.

He strolled closer. “I’ll accept a handshake from a guy, but when it’s a pretty girl such as you, I prefer something more intimate.”

Ignoring my outstretched hand, he put his fingers under my chin, tilting my head up. For a demon, he had a soft touch. I wanted to protest, but my voice seemed to have left my body. His lips met mine, and shame flooded me as I let it happen.

This is a business transaction, I silently reminded myself.

Caden wrapped an arm around my back, yanking me closer as his tongue coaxed my lips apart. Snowflakes hit our skin and melted immediately. His smoky scent was intoxicating.

I will not enjoy this.

But even as I thought it, my mouth moved with his. I did not just think Caden smelled nice; I liked the feel of his lips. It had been so long since I’d been this intimate with a guy without the threat of being shocked. I missed not having to focus on my powers. I missed being able to get lost in a kiss.

A tear ran down my temple and forged a path past my ear. If it was out of pleasure or betrayal, I wasn’t sure—because, despite his elevated temperature, his touch froze every muscle in my body. No way would I tell Isaac that this was how I had sealed the deal with the crossroad demon.

As abruptly as Caden had held me tighter, he broke our kiss and stumbled backward.

I dragged the back of my fingers over my mouth as if I could erase the memory of his lips on mine. Caden didn’t seem to notice.

“Deal’s off,” he said, taking another step back as if I had the plague.

“What?” I did not just kiss another guy for nothing.

“Your soul—it’s not yours to give.” Wonder oozed from his words. “Someone else holds its title. No soul, no deal.”

“No one holds its title,” I snapped. But that wasn’t entirely true—not if I’d bound myself to Isaac to keep Reed from being able to feed off my aura. “Omigod.”

My whole world crashed down on me, forcing me to my knees. I buried my face in my hands and cried.

As unexpected as my mom’s death was, it hadn’t been sudden. I’d had time to realize that she was slowly fading from my life. That this person I loved and needed would soon be gone. Time to realize she would never sing and cook again, and she would no longer be there when I got home from school to listen to me ramble on and on about my day. But Chase…this was happening too fast. The little brat who’d wormed his way into my heart with a contagious laugh and silly smile wasn’t going to sit at our kitchen table ever again. The kid who had Mom’s eyes, who reminded me every time I looked at him that although she was gone, Mom had given Dad and me something very special to remember her by. I was losing that gift.

Caden bent down and dried my cheeks with his thumb. “Things happen for a reason, Madison. You’re not meant to make this deal.”

I continued to weep.

“A broken heart mends. You’ll mend,” he added.

A life lesson from a sympathetic demon. Never would I have believed a creature of hell could display such a human trait if I hadn’t seen it myself.

Caden’s eyes were no longer red but the dark chocolate brown I was used to. He bit his lip and glanced away. A moment later he said, “I shouldn’t do this, but I like you. You’ve got fire.”

I sniffed, waiting for him to go on.

“I’ll heal your brother in exchange for your services, no questions asked. Plus, when I ask you a direct question, you will tell me the truth. No more lies.”

I didn’t remember ever lying to him. Wiping my nose with the sleeve of my top, I asked, “What will I have to do?”

“I haven’t decided yet,” he replied. “But having a witch at my beck and call will come in handy.”

“I won’t kill for you,” I said. I wanted my brother back, but that didn’t mean I could take another person’s life.

“I can do my own slaughtering.”

“And my brother will be his old carefree self?”

“He’ll be as good as new. Do we have a deal?”

Being at his beck and call was a better deal than my soul and twenty short years to live no matter how you looked at it. “Yes.”

“I want to hear you promise.”

As if I would double-cross a demon. But he knew what I was, which stood to reason that he knew that one little word held more weight for me than it did for the average person.

“I promise.”

This time when his lips touched mine, it was tender and for less than a heartbeat.

“I’ll be in contact,” he said.

I pushed myself to my feet. “When will Chase be better?”

Silence answered me. I spun around. Caden had vanished.

With him gone, there was nothing providing relief from winter’s chilly grip. My teeth chattered, and my body shivered. It was eerily quiet, leaving me with the feeling I may not have gotten off as easily as I’d thought.

Chapter 22

Miracles

I ran into my brother’s hospital room, stopping short of his bed. My hand flew to my mouth as tears of joy flowed like the Nile.

“Hi, Maddie. Why you crying?” he asked. Hearing his voice dissolved the growing lump in my throat.

Chase’s bed had been positioned so that he sat upright, and the bandages around his forehead had been removed. He already had a Matchbox car in his hand. Dad sat next to him holding a miniature SUV. My friends were near the window.

“Hey, squirt.” I rushed closer and kissed his forehead. “How are you feeling?”

“Hungry, but the lady won’t let me eat anything.”

I brushed his bangs out of his eyes with my fingers. “Don’t worry. They’ll change their mind once they see how great you’re doing.”

In my peripheral vision, I saw Isaac and Josh glowering, arms folded over their chests like security guards at a club. Kaylee sat on the edge of a chair, watching me through bulbous eyes. It was obvious they knew I’d had something to do with Chase’s miraculous recovery.

“Um, I’m sorry I took your car without permission,” I said to Josh, not in the least bit remorseful.

Shrugging out of his jacket, I handed it back to him along with his keys. Josh looked as if he wanted to dash outside to make sure his baby was still in mint condition. Isaac’s anger hung in the air like humidity on a sweltering day. I was surprised Dad and Chase couldn’t feel it. He had no right to be angry, though. Nothing I’d done affected him.

Isaac jerked his head toward the door and marched into the hall.

“I’ll be right back, okay?” I told Chase and then squeezed Dad’s hand. He squeezed back, smiling. Seeing my family together and happy was worth whatever Caden would ask of me.

Isaac didn’t say a word until we were in my hospital room. Kaylee and Josh had followed us.

“What did you do?” Isaac demanded.

I sucked in a breath and dried my face with my sleeve. I was too tired to lie or make excuses. “I saved my brother.”

Isaac’s agitation rippled off him and collided with Josh’s and Kaylee’s. The air grew thick with their powers, making it hard to breathe. I knew they weren’t doing it on purpose; their emotions had simply gotten the better of them. I pushed a bit of my powers out to provide a protective barrier around myself.

“I couldn’t let him die,” I said.

Kaylee came closer and put an arm around me.

“None of us wanted him to die,” she whispered, giving me an I totally understand hug.

“Where’d you go?” Josh’s tone was as harsh as Isaac’s had been.

“To the crossroad,” I admitted.

Josh cursed. Kaylee sucked in a breath. Isaac threw the pitcher of water across the room. It crashed into the window and tumbled to the linoleum tile, spilling water down the wall and onto the floor.

“You sold your soul?” Isaac spat. “How is that a solution, Madison?”

I pointed in the general direction of Chase’s room. “I’m his big sister! It’s my job to look out for him!”

“To protect him! Not to die for him!” Isaac yelled.

“The accident was my fault! Chase wouldn’t have been on his deathbed if it wasn’t for me.”

“We need to take this down a notch.” Josh closed the door to my room with a glance toward the hallway and placed a hand on Isaac’s shoulder. “We’ll fix this.”

“No, we won’t. I made the deal, and there’s no breaking it.” I was so exhausted. I didn’t know if it was from the relief of seeing Chase smiling, the fatigue of being out of bed so long with my injuries, or if Caden had stolen my energy with his kiss. I leaned heavily on Kaylee to avoid stumbling sideways.

She steered me to the bed, where we both sank down onto the firm mattress. “What did it cost you?” she asked.

“Her soul,” Isaac grumbled. “A deal with the devil always costs your soul.”

“And years,” Josh added, although his words held more sympathy than they had earlier.

“It didn’t cost me either.” Three sets of eyes fell on me. “It turns out my soul wasn’t mine for the giving.”

“Whose is it?” Josh asked.

I looked at Isaac. “Apparently that little spell we did bound more than just my ‘being’ to you.”

The rage burning in Isaac’s velvet brown eyes vanished. He grabbed the back of his head with both hands. By the way the tension in the room lifted, I got the impression he was taking that time to get a grip on his emotions. What I wanted was to feel his arms around me. To hear him say it was going to be okay.

“Then how?” Isaac asked. His tone no longer slashed at my fragile exterior like razors.

“I’m sort of in his debt.” I told them the details of the deal I had made, leaving out what it would have cost if my soul hadn’t been spoken for—and the kiss I’d never be able to forget.

“Caden’s the crossroad demon,” Kaylee said, amazed. “He looks…normal.”

Isaac pressed his palms against his eyes. “I don’t like it.”

“We need to focus on the positive,” Josh said, taking a seat next to Kaylee. “The deal didn’t cost Madison her life, and Chase is healed.” When Isaac opened his mouth, Josh quickly interjected, “Dude, sometimes you have to be thankful for small miracles. This time it’s that you cast the unity spell.”

“It’s in the past,” I said. I didn’t want to talk about demons and consequences anymore, so I changed the subject. “Sorry again that I stole your car.”

“It’s in the past, right?” Josh replied with a wink. “She’s still in one piece, right?”

I smiled. Josh was the big brother I’d never had. “Yeah, your baby’s fine. Down a gallon or three in gas, but that’s all.”

A trip to the bathroom revealed a tear-stained face accentuated by puffy red eyes and pale skin peppered with scrapes and cuts. There wasn’t much I could do about my eyes or the scratches without resorting to a glamour, but cool water and a little makeup transformed me into a human being again and not the ashen-faced zombie I’d been a few minutes ago.

We returned to Chase’s room with a plate of fries from the cafeteria and apple juice for everyone. It was a good thing his doctor had given him the okay to eat while we were having our little powwow in my room.

I was released the next morning. Chase came home two days later. Unfortunately, my time in the hospital hadn’t eased my cravings for faerie food. An emptiness grew inside, and it wasn’t uncommon for my mind to wander and my hands to shake. I managed to keep it together around my friends and family, but there were times I could have sworn I knew what a junkie felt like.

I kept a close eye on Chase, expecting to see signs of withdrawal from him too, but he was fine. Better than fine, actually. When Caden stopped by to give my father a progress update on the doctor’s office, I asked him how Chase had managed to bounce back so quickly; he said he’d healed all of Chase’s illnesses, even his flu. I took Caden’s reply to mean he didn’t know about the bacca drops—so I dropped the subject, afraid he would tell me that undoing damage done by a faerie wasn’t part of the deal.

Natalie’s parents had since put up a reward for any information leading to the whereabouts of their daughter. I felt terrible that Natalie would forever be an unsolved missing person’s case. I wished I could let her family know that she wasn’t dead, but anything I said would bring about questions I couldn’t answer without either incriminating myself as an accomplice to a crime I hadn’t committed or getting diagnosed as crazy.

And I hadn’t seen Brea, but the fresh bouquet of flowers that mysteriously showed up on my dresser told me she’d stopped by. They smelled incredible at first. Now a delicate layer of ice covered them, announcing Reed had been in the house again.

Frozen daisies weren’t the only evidence of Reed’s unseen visit. He’d also left a note and a small wooden box filled with tantalizing chocolates just inside my doorway. It was obvious by the line in the carpet that he’d used his toe to push them over the threshold.

I’m in your thoughts. I know because your image invades my mind even when I’m not thinking of you. You need me. Denying it is only going to cause unnecessary grief for us both.

Join me.

R~

“You are one deranged SOB,” I commented out loud as I read the message for a second time.

Every molecule in my body wanted me to help myself to a chocolate-and-berries treat. My stomach even rumbled as if wanting to know what was taking me so long to unwrap my first piece.

Instead of listening to my urges, though, I marched to the trash can near my dresser. My hand hovered over it, ready to dispose of the unwanted gift, but my fingers wouldn’t let go.

You need this, my conscience taunted. One piece will warm your spirits. Just one little piece.

I licked my lips and read Reed’s note again.

Chapter 23

Confessions

“But what does he mean you’re thinking about him?” Kaylee asked for what had to have been the fifth time.

We were in my room, her backpack lying on the floor where she’d dropped it when she first arrived half an hour ago. We were supposed to be catching up on missed schoolwork to free up our weekend. Instead, I sat on my bed with my legs crossed, elbows on my knees, and my forehead resting on my palms.

“I’m not thinking about him.” At least not intentionally. Every now and then, my stomach would cramp and my hands would tremble. Reed’s name would flitter through my mind. That was how I knew the withdrawals were getting the best of me.

Had Reed seen me hugging my knees close to my chest as I waited for the worst of the symptoms to pass? Was his gift out of kindness to ease the growing desire, or was he waiting for me to break and beg him to save me?

“Are you sure he isn’t here now?” Kaylee asked.

“Yes. The air’s too warm, and I can’t smell his cologne.” Only, I knew the woodsy fragrance that accompanied Reed was his natural scent. It was one of the many things that made him hard to resist.

Kaylee set the note on my dresser, picked up the small wooden box, and opened it. “You kept the candy?”

Guilty.

“Did you eat any?” she demanded.

“No.” But it wasn’t for lack of wanting to. I peered at her through my dark bangs. “The candy is the least of my problems right now.”

“The candy is how Reed managed to get in your head in the first place. It’s a huge part of your problem.”

“Is not.”

“Then you won’t mind if I burn it.” She held the box in front of her. The first indication that she’d called upon her powers was the faint aroma of lilies.

“Go ahead,” I challenged, yet my powers rocketed awake and traveled to my fingertips.

“I will.”

Kaylee squinted, just like when she’d trained to create magical fire, and I bit my lips to keep from screaming, STOP! Blue flames erupted in her palms, except now I held the wooden box clasped tight in my sweaty hands.

“Did you just save Reed’s chocolates?” Kaylee gaped at me.

“I didn’t mean to.” I tossed the box on the carpet. It opened, and tiny fuchsia and blue nuggets spilled out.

“You. Are. So. Gone,” she said as she dug her phone out of her front pocket.

I snatched it from her. “You can’t tell Josh or Isaac.”

“Why not?”

“Because they’re still upset with me about the deal I made with Caden.” I sat back down on the bed. “Isaac’s convinced Caden is going to force me to do something that’ll taint my soul. He doesn’t need the stress of knowing Reed still has a pull over me. I’m dealing with it.”

Her hand flew to her hip. “Protecting a box of faerie food is not exactly dealing with it.”

“I’ve resisted eating any.”

“Yet you can’t stand the idea of it being destroyed.”

“Please, Kaylee. Keep this between you and me.”

She sighed. After a few seconds, she took a seat next to me. “So when are you going to tell me what really happened with you and Caden?”

My shoulders slumped forward, relieved for the change in conversation. “I did. We made a deal. He saved Chase. I’m in his debt, no questions asked.”

“I know you, Madison. There’s more to the story than what you told us at the hospital. I’ve given you the week to ’fess up, but you haven’t.”

I shrugged. “I recapped. Full story ends the same way.”

“Maybe, but what I want to know is the part you neglected to tell us that has you fidgeting with your rings instead of looking at me.” She gave a pointed stare at my hands.

I bit my bottom lip. I did need to talk about that afternoon, and this was Kaylee, my oldest and most trusted friend. I told her about the original deal: my soul and only twenty more years to live for the crossroad demon to heal Chase’s wounds. How I didn’t have a soul to give. Kaylee listened in silence as I recounted every last detail of my meeting with Caden—until I covered my face with my pillow and blurted, “Ikissedhim.”

She lowered the pillow. “I’m sorry. I didn’t get that.”

“I kissed him,” I repeated before hiding my face in my hands.

“Ew!”

I peeked through my fingers.

Her mouth puckered as if she’d sucked on a lime. “Why would you kiss a demon?”

Caden wasn’t just a demon. He was a damn sexy demon. Not that that had anything to do with why I had kissed him.

“To seal the deal.”

“The kiss doesn’t count, then.”

I crushed the pillow in my lap as I spoke. “I cheated on Isaac.”

“No, you didn’t. Lip-locking with a supernatural hottie to save your little brother doesn’t count as kissing,” she sputtered, and I think she half-believed it. Then her nose scrunched up. “Besides, you didn’t enjoy it.”

Something in my expression must have said otherwise.

“Oh my God! Madison, what is with you and non-human guys?”

“Well, he’s had a lot of practice.”

Silence fell around us. What else could I say?

In a twisted way, Kaylee was right. I hadn’t kissed him because I’d wanted to. Caden had chosen how the deal would be sealed, and had I shoved him away, Chase would be dead.

“You have to tell Isaac,” Kaylee said, breaking into my reverie.

My jaw dropped. “I can’t. I’m too ashamed as it is.”

“Not about the kiss,” she quickly clarified. “Under no circumstance should you ever mention that kiss to anyone. Don’t even think about it. From this moment forward, it didn’t happen.”

I had to chuckle as I listened to her stumble over her words. “Agreed.”

She gave a That’s that nod and said, “You have to tell Isaac about Reed. He needs to know the unity spell didn’t stop your cravings for faerie treats.”

“I can’t, Kaylee. What if he decides our relationship isn’t worth this much work? Think about it,” I pressed on when she opened her mouth. “In the time we’ve known each other, he’s had to deal with vindictive classmates, our powers colliding when we try to get close, and faeries. So what do I go and do? I add demons to the mix. The last thing I want him to know is that my insides are screaming for something that is missing and that I know damn well if I would eat one of those little pieces of heaven—” I pointed to the floor where Reed’s candy still lay invitingly on the carpet “—the void consuming me would go away.” I paused. “Who in their right mind would stick around?”

She placed a hand on my arm. “Someone who cares about you, and I’m sorry.”

“Why are you sorry?”

“Because I called him.”

Chapter 24

Jonesing

The doorbell rang. A few minutes later, Isaac knocked on the wall outside my room. In my surprise at seeing him, I eyed Kaylee. I should’ve known that as long as she wore her hemp bracelet, she didn’t need a phone to call him.

Kaylee, ignoring my frown, leaned forward and whispered so that only I could hear. “Talk to him.” She got up, snagged her backpack from the floor, and patted Isaac’s shoulder as she walked by him. “Thanks for coming.”

Isaac knit his brow as he watched her stroll toward the stairs. Surveying the room next, his gaze passed over the dresser to me on the bed and finally stopped on the candy scattered across the carpeting. With a wave of his hand, Reed’s gift went up in blue flames. A gasp escaped my lips, and I hated myself for it. I knew Isaac had heard it, but he didn’t comment. The flowers vanished next.

“The bouquet was from Brea,” I said lamely.

“Who’s a faerie. Stop accepting gifts from them.” There was no anger in his tone; it was more exasperation. He combed his fingers through his hair. “How about we go for a drive?”

We ended up at Annisquam Lighthouse. There were a few other cars in the lot when we parked.

“If we’re quick, we can head up before anyone sees us.” Isaac gave a slight jerk of his head to indicate the balcony where we normally hung out.

“That’s okay. I might actually jump today.”

Isaac took my hand and led the way to the large boulders that held the water at bay. We climbed up on a long flat rock and took a seat. The wind teased my hair, pulling it away from my face. Isaac dragged a key along his thigh, tracing invisible lines on his jeans.

“Want to talk about it?” he asked.

He’d given me plenty of opportunities to open up on my own during the drive. He had asked how I was doing, if I’d seen Brea or Reed, and even commented on how well our bracelets worked. I had opened my mouth several times, planning to let my troubles tumble out, but instead I’d only managed one-word answers: Fine. No. Great.

“I wanted it,” I mumbled. “And all I can think is it’s gone.”

The entire ride, I’d dwelled on the candy. What if Reed assumes I’m set for a couple weeks? What if he doesn’t come back? I won’t make it. It had taken me over twenty minutes and multiple attempts to say what little I had. I couldn’t bring myself to say more.

Isaac pulled me closer, wrapping his strong arms and powers around me. For the first time that day, the aching inside subsided. I leaned my cheek against his chest; the rough fabric of his wool coat scratched my skin, but I didn’t care.

“This is nice. Can we stay here forever?” I asked.

He kissed the top of my head and then rested his chin on the same spot. “You should have told me it was this bad.”

“I thought I had it under control.”

We sat like that for a while, caught up in our own thoughts.

Finally, Isaac said, “Josh and I told our parents about Reed and how he tricked you into eating the candy.”

Great, I thought. Now they’d think I was weak.

“We haven’t been able to find anything that counters the effects of faerie food, but my dad believes it’s like any other drug. You just need to get it out of your system.”

I wasn’t so sure of that. It had been several days since I’d had anything Reed offered me, and I felt worse than ever.

Isaac gave me a reassuring squeeze. “You might go through withdrawals, but your need for it will dissolve.”

“Faerie rehab?” I laughed, but I didn’t find anything funny about it. “Do they have special facilities for that?”

“No. But you have me, Kaylee, and Josh. We’ll help you through it. And my parents have given me the okay to let you stay over. Between my intention ward and all the iron in my room, Reed won’t be able to go down there.”

“My dad’s not going to let me spend the night at your house.”

He shifted so that he could see my face. “Are you underestimating my powers?”

“I guess I am.” I closed my eyes and listened to the water slap the boulders. Occasionally, a fine mist would dust our clothes and hair. “I’m sorry I’m so much trouble.”

“You’re worth it.”

“Ha!” I huffed into his jacket.

“Madison, look at me.”

I did.

“I’m not going to run away from a little unexpected trouble,” he said, though “a little” didn’t really describe how much trouble a relationship with me had caused him. “Have I told you lately how much I like you?”

I shook my head.

“A lot. Borderline-crazy lot. So much that I actually told my parents the truth, hoping they’d be able to help. You’ll see. A night or two away from Reed and his faerie mojo, and you’ll be back to your old self.”

It was worth a try, and being near Isaac did ease the cravings. If I could just stay wrapped in his powers’ protective cocoon for the rest of my life, I’d be fine.

He pulled me to my feet. “Come on. Let’s talk to Kaylee about your alibi, and then you’ll tell your dad you’re going to sleep at her house. We’ll get you through the night and decide what to do in the morning.”

The setting sun cast the world in a hue of pinks and purples. As we walked around the exterior of the lighthouse, it hit me that Isaac and I would be alone the entire night. My stomach did a nervous flip then a flop before twisting into a bundle of elated anxiety.

“You sure you aren’t just trying to get in my pants?” I joked, but I was already trying to figure out what one wears to a detox session in her boyfriend’s dungeon-like bedroom.

“Can you blame me? You’re smokin’ hot.” He shot me one of his crooked smiles as he waggled his brows.

“That smoke you smell is me frying your brains every time we kiss longer than twenty-three seconds.”

He shrugged. “No relationship is perfect, and I think we’re up to twenty-nine seconds now.”

There were two cars in the parking lot when we got back there: Isaac’s dark green Jeep and a familiar black Subaru. As we drew closer, we saw Caden leaning against the back bumper of the Jeep.

Isaac wrapped an arm protectively around my waist. “Get lost,” he snarled once we were close enough to be heard without screaming.

Caden held his hands out in a friendly gesture. “What, no hello?”

“I know what you are.”

Caden took a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket and held it out to us. When we shook our heads, he tapped one out and brought it to his mouth. He inhaled and the tip glowed red, no lighter needed. He then blew the smoke out of the corner of his mouth and said, “I figured she’d tell you. That doesn’t mean we can’t be civil.”

“I don’t associate with demons,” Isaac replied.

“Not a problem. I’m here to talk to Madison.” Caden stepped toward me, but Isaac put himself between us. “I’m not your enemy, yet,” Caden said.

“Isaac, it’s okay.” I placed my hand on his shoulder and stepped next to him. “If he was going to hurt us, he’d have done it already.” To Caden, I asked, “Are you following me?”

“You’re under contract. No following needed, which leads me to why I’m here.”

Isaac’s arms went rigid at his sides, and the scent of vanilla and spearmint burst from his pores. I laced my fingers though his and squeezed, hoping he wouldn’t do anything stupid like attack the demon who had the power to put Chase right back on Death’s doorstep.

“You don’t look well,” Caden observed.

“I’m fine,” I lied.

He flicked his cigarette into the grass and stepped closer, eyes locked on Isaac’s. “Move one muscle to attack me, and I’ll roast you alive.” Caden cupped my chin in his hand, tilting my head up as he examined my eyes. “You’re jonesing.” He placed a hand on Isaac’s chest in a way that reiterated Stand still, and then leaned forward and breathed in. After a few seconds, Caden stepped back, removing his hand from Isaac as he did.

“You’re the one who invited that faerie into this world,” Caden accused.

“I did not!” I’d invited Brea as far as I was concerned. Reed had come along for the ride.

Caden’s dark eyes met mine. “Let me rephrase that. Did you summon Reed?”

“Yes,” I replied honestly. “But I didn’t know who I was summoning or that two of them would show up.”

“His sister’s also here? No wonder you reek of Fae.” He paced away from me as he continued to ramble. “I can’t believe I didn’t notice it the other day when we—” He massaged his temple.

I prayed he wouldn’t say “kissed.” Isaac gave me a sidelong glance, and I shrugged as if I had no idea what Caden was thinking. Caden continued to pace. Each time he turned around to walk back the other way, he glanced at us.

The last thing I needed was for Caden to provide Isaac with the missing pieces of my deal. I bumped Isaac’s shoulder with mine and jerked my head toward the Jeep. He nodded. We made it a few steps when fire erupted from the ground in front of us. Caden walked over casually. The fire subsided.

“Let me see if I guess correctly,” he said. “You weren’t aware you’d invited Reed into this world, but once you found out what he was, you bound your soul to Isaac to keep Reed from feeding on your aura.”

Since I took that as a direct question and had promised not to lie, I uttered a yes. Caden laughed and slapped his hand on his thigh. I let out the breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding, not sure if I should be thanking God or Satan that Caden hadn’t mentioned our kiss.

“Damn, I wish I could have seen Reed’s face when he found out.” Caden shook his head and smiled. “When I saw him stalking you at the party, I warned him not to mess with a witch.”

“You knew he was there?” I asked. “Thanks for the warning.”

“The fact you didn’t seem to know is why I never suspected you’d summoned him in the first place. But if I had told you about Reed and what he is before you’d discovered him yourself, he’d have told you what I am. We had a mutual agreement. He keeps my secret; I keep his.”

I shifted, ready to take a step forward and connect my knuckles with his cheekbone, but Isaac tightened his grip on my hand and sent a small amount of power through me, reminding me it had been my idea to play nice with the demon that held my contract.

“I don’t remember seeing Reed there,” I said instead.

“You felt his presence, though,” Caden replied. “Whatever he whispered in your ear gave you the chills. Don’t you remember? You’d just finished talking to me.”

The cold chill that had wormed its way up my jacket that night must have been Reed. And it wasn’t a far stretch to believe he’d been at the party, seeing as Natalie had disappeared that night. I wondered if Reed had been her secret admirer all along or if he’d first caught her scent that night. Either way, it was still my fault she was gone.

Caden looked at Isaac. “We had a nice chat that night, your girl and me. Did she tell you that?”

I glared at Caden. “Yeah, I did. Is there anything else you’d like to share about that night?”

Caden smirked. “No. Now had we made out…”

“We talked about Natalie. Don’t try to make it more than it was,” I retorted, ready to send a burst of power at him if he said another word.

“Why are you working for her father?” Isaac asked. The fingers of his right hand curled and uncurled, over and over.

It was a good question. Something I probably should have asked the moment I’d discovered Caden was a demon.

“Boredom.” Caden shrugged. “And quite honestly, I didn’t like the devious glint in Reed’s eyes as he followed Madison that night. I decided to keep a close eye on her.”

Obviously not close enough or he would have stopped me from eating the damn faerie food in the first place.

His lips tugged upward into that wily smirk of his. When he continued, his dark eyes were trained on Isaac. “What can I say, Madison has spunk. I like that in a girl.” He winked at me, and I couldn’t help remembering the feel of his soft lips pressed against mine. A warm heat crept into my cheeks.

“Son of a—” Isaac finished his sentence with a right hook aimed at Caden’s chin.

Caden was too quick, though. He dodged the punch with ease. But he wasn’t so lucky with the energy ball Isaac pelted him with next. Caden closed his eyes and shook his arms as if shaking off Isaac’s powers. When he opened them, his irises were red. In the next moment, Isaac’s jacket burst into flames.

Isaac struggled to undo the buttons.

“Stop it!” I screamed, shoving Caden.

Caden’s eyes narrowed. In a low, amused tone, he asked, “Did you tell Lover Boy how we sealed the deal?”

“Put him out!”

Isaac frantically patted at the flames.

“Put him out or the deal’s off!” I screamed.

“I highly doubt that,” Caden said.

I pushed him with both hands. He barely flinched.

“Have you thought about that kiss?” he asked.

I shot a look at Isaac, but he was too busy trying to get his coat off to hear. I shoved Caden again.

Caden glanced at Isaac too, and the flames grew smaller. At last, Isaac was able to undo the buttons. He threw the jacket on the ground and watched it go up in smoke.

“I’ve thought about our kiss,” Caden whispered, right next to me.

I pushed him away. “Why are you here?”

“I need to find Emma Scott.”

“So, go find her,” I said.

“That’s the thing. I can tell you the exact location of every single soul who made a deal with me except Emma’s. The only way that’s possible is if magic is hiding her, and since her magic came from me, there is no way she’d be able to pull off that type of spell. I pegged the two of you as witches the moment I met you. You’re in a coven, I presume?”

“Not with Emma,” I said.

“Why are you telling him anything?” Isaac asked.

I sighed. “It was part of the deal. I can’t lie if he asks a direct question.” To Caden, I said, “That doesn’t mean I can’t slap that stupid smile off your face.”

He chuckled, then said, “But Emma is in a coven. Who are the other members?”

“Aren’t you the one who can read minds? You tell me,” I challenged.

“I can only pick out thoughts, and right now you’re too busy cursing me, and he’s”—Caden indicated with a jerk of his head to Isaac—“dreaming up ways to get me back for setting him on fire. I’ll ask again, who’s in her coven?”

“She was in a coven,” I corrected. One that had spent a lot of energy trying to kill me. “They disbanded a while ago.”

Caden’s irises burned crimson, and I guessed his patience was wearing thin. I was pretty sure telling Caden Emma’s address was the same as buying her a one-way ticket to hell. Normally, I’d have a problem with that. I’d think that no one deserved to be damned. I’d forgive, even if I didn’t forget. But not with Emma. She’d made the deal; let her suffer the consequences.

“She’s a resident on the fifth floor at the hospital. Room labeled Bitch.”

Caden cocked his head to the side. “She’s in the psychiatric ward?”

“We expect her to be there awhile,” Isaac added. “Is there anything else you wanted to know?”

“No. That should do it for now.” Caden walked over to his car and then added, “Madison, I’d love to hear the full story. Say, dinner sometime?”

Isaac raised his arm, and power crackled over his fingertips. Caden held his hand in front of him, his fingers pinched together ready to snap.

I grabbed Isaac’s arm. “He’s trying to egg you on. Isaac, look at me.” I put my palm on his cheek, guiding his gaze down to me. “Don’t let him get to you or he’ll win.”

Isaac lowered his hand. I heard the car door open behind me. Its engine started, and the door closed.

When Caden was gone, Isaac scowled. “I don’t like him.”

As if I hadn’t figured that out. I thought about reminding him that prior to my deal he’d been the one insisting Caden was a nice guy, but I didn’t.

“Still think I’m worth the trouble?” I asked.

“Yeah, I’m not going anywhere.” Isaac’s eyes met mine. The sun caught the speck of ocean blue at the edge of his right iris. He rested the palm of his hand on the side of my head, and his thumb gently caressed my cheek as my heartbeat sped up. “And I’m not going to let that jerk manipulate you. If he tries, I’ll find a way to send his ass back to hell for good.”

If there was anyone who could hurl a demon back to damnation, it was Isaac.

His lips met mine. With my powers shoved behind the wall in my mind, I let him entice my lips open with his tongue. His guttural groan was muffled by our kiss, which he deepened, sending elated shivers racing to my toes. It wasn’t the soft sensual kiss I was used to. This was untamed, giving me the impression that Caden’s visit had torn down Isaac’s self-control. His lips pressed harder against mine as our tongues did a dance of their own. I wanted to kiss him forever, but I could feel my powers weakening their steel prison.

Coming up for air, I said breathlessly, “I need a moment.”

The air around us hissed with power. Isaac rested his forehead on mine and took a few long, slow breaths. I had my hands on his hips to keep them from trembling at the thought of tonight’s plan: Mission Faerie Detox.

Translation: Isaac and me, alone in his bedroom for the entire evening.

Chapter 25

Operation Detox

Ever since the accident, Dad had scarcely spent an hour at work. Apparently, Caden and Reed kept the remodeling job moving forward without him. I wasn’t sure what their motives were now that everyone’s identities had been exposed; I only prayed that it didn’t mean Demon Boy and Prince Fae felt I owed them something in return.

At least they were no longer around Dad, who took care of Chase at home instead. With my brother’s miraculous recovery, I couldn’t blame him. He probably worried Chase would have some type of a relapse, but I knew better.

Regardless, Dad being home did make this the perfect weekend for me to be away. When I told Kaylee the plan after I got home from the lighthouse, she dropped what she was doing and came right back over.

“Thanks for coming,” I said as I rummaged through my dresser drawers.

“No problem.” Kaylee lay on my bed, fixing the red bow on Jeffery the Giraffe.

“What?” I asked when I caught her staring at me out of the corner of my eye.

“It’s just—” She pushed herself up into a sitting position. “I can’t believe Isaac dropped you off and left you alone in your room. What if Reed showed up?”

“What was Isaac supposed to do? Stand next to me while I told my dad I really needed a girls’ night? Don’t you think Dad would have put two and two together?”

Dad might have been exhausted from worrying about Chase and work, but he wasn’t an idiot. He’d have figured out I wasn’t spending the night at Kaylee’s if Isaac had stuck around.

She rested Jeffery on her stomach. “Then you should have stopped at my house, and I would have driven you home.”

“I don’t need a chaperone.” I set a pair of cotton shorts and a tank top on my dresser and opened another drawer.

“Really? You think you have everything under control?” She paused; if it was for effect or because she was waiting for my reply, I didn’t know. “You’re like a shopaholic with a maxed-out credit card. You know you shouldn’t go shopping, but you can’t resist the sale. Only in your case, Reed is what you’re supposed to be avoiding and his treats are the sale you can’t resist.”

“I resisted last time.” Barely. “I don’t know what to wear,” I said as I stuffed a pair of hot-pink panties back in the drawer and pulled out a pair of blue cotton ones instead. “I’ve never spent the night at a guy’s house before, and the only reason I’m doing it this time is because of Reed.” The blue pair went right back on top of the pink ones. “Do you know how messed up this is?”

“What?”

“I’m spending the night at my boyfriend’s because of another guy. For all I know, Isaac’s planning on eating popcorn and watching horror films.”

Kaylee got up and bumped me aside with her hip. “The only reason Isaac would put on a scary movie is to get you to cuddle in his arms. Here, change into these.” She handed me my white lace bra and matching tango panties and moved to my closet. “They say ‘sexy’ without being obvious.” She slid hangers aside one by one. “And now you need something that says ‘casual evening in.’” After several seconds, she tossed me a low-cut red sweater and my faded skinny jeans.

I looked at the clothes she selected. “I’ve been alone with him before. Why am I so nervous now?”

“Maybe it’s because his kisses melt your knees.” Her eyebrows rose and fell rapidly.

We broke into a fit of laughter.

“Madison?”

“What?”

“Do you love Isaac?”

I fell backward onto my bed and stared at the ceiling. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure I do.”

She sat on the corner of the mattress. “And does he love you?”

“I think so.” No way would he stick around if he didn’t.

She rested her hand on my leg and said, “Then pretend this is like every other time you’ve spent with him and stop worrying about what might happen. Besides, the two of you are still working out the colliding-powers thing, right?”

I rolled to my side and propped myself up on my elbow. “Don’t remind me.”

“Have you ever stopped to think that your powers might cease to collide with Isaac’s when you’re ready to take your relationship to the next level?”

I gave her a puzzled look.

“People with powers are drawn to each other, we already know that, but you and Isaac have something more. Something worth exploring. Maybe the little problems you have getting close is nature’s way of pumping the brakes. You know, making sure you’re ready when it happens and that you go there because you care about each other and not because of some witchy connection.”

“It’s not like I’m a virgin,” I replied. Kevin and I had been each other’s first, and he was still the only guy I’d been with.

“And how long were you dating him before you did it? Well over a year, if I remember correctly.”

I shrugged. She was right. Of course, Kevin and I had been fourteen when we’d started going out. Back then, taking things slow had come easily.

“Stop stressing and let things fall into place naturally. Besides, you have demons and faeries to worry about.”

Kaylee had a way of putting things into perspective. I heaved out a breath. “You’re right. Supernatural problems tonight, relationship problems tomorrow.”

“That’s my girl.”

I slipped into the bathroom to change outfits. After a quick stop in my bedroom to swap my dirty clothes for my backpack, I then followed the sound of Kaylee’s and Chase’s laughter down the stairs and into the kitchen.

Kaylee leaned against the counter near the sink. Dad and Chase sat at the table. It was cooler downstairs than it had been upstairs, though, and while I knew heat rises, I didn’t want to take a chance that Reed was there.

Let’s go, I mouthed when I caught Kaylee’s eye.

“Thanks for the soda, Mr. Riley.” She put her glass in the sink. To my brother, she said, “Later, dude.”

“You girls stay out of trouble,” Dad said.

“Always,” Kaylee replied as I waved over my shoulder.

The MINI idled quietly in the Addingtons’ driveway. I hugged my backpack. The jitters that had snuck up on me had nothing to do with faeries or demons. It was easy to say that tonight was no different than any other time I’d hung out with Isaac, but it didn’t feel that way.

“If you’d like, Josh and I could hang out for a while,” Kaylee offered.

“Thanks, but I’m good,” I said.

“You’re going to tell Isaac that you think Reed was at your place again. Right?”

Nope. The moment I’d told Kaylee I thought Reed had been listening to her and my dad, she’d gone quiet. The more I thought about it, the more I was sure he’d been there. But he hadn’t joined us in the car, thank goodness.

“Yeah, of course,” I lied. No need to have Kaylee escorting me inside and spilling the beans herself. “Thanks for the ride. I’ll call you in the morning.”

Worried that Reed would show up at any moment, I sprinted up the walk, poked my finger several times on the doorbell, and proceeded to bounce impatiently on my toes as I waited for someone to open the damn door. Isaac answered. I could hear his mom in the kitchen asking if his friends had reverted back to being five years old.

“Hi!” I gave him a peck on his lips.

We went downstairs to his room.

“Any problems with your dad?” he asked.

“No. He thought it was a great idea, actually.” I breathed in deeply. Spearmint, vanilla, and fried food filled my lungs and eased my nerves. Well, the first two did the easing; the last made me realize I was starving.

“I borrowed a couple movies from my parents and got us take-out from The Grill.”

“Perfect.” I grabbed our dinner from the dresser and made myself comfy on top of the blankets on his bed while he popped a movie into the DVD player.

He handed me a bottle of lemonade and joined me on the bed with a soda for himself. An upbeat jazz song announced the start of the movie, followed closely by the deep vocals of Louis Armstrong.

“Serendipity?” I asked, my fingers loosely covering my mouth to hide the French fry I’d been munching on.

“It’s one of your favorites, right?”

“Yeah, but how did you know?”

“Kaylee,” we replied in unison.

“I know we planned tonight as a way to get Reed’s poison out of your system, but I wanted it to be special.” He flashed a grin and took a bite out of his bacon cheeseburger. I noticed Isaac’s hair was combed a little neater than usual and he had changed into a white button-down shirt and dark jeans.

My grin had to have taken up half my face. I gave a nod to the stack of DVDs on top of the TV stand. “What else is in the pile?”

“You’ll have to wait and see.” Isaac beamed, obviously pleased that I was happy.

We ate as we watched the movie’s two main characters debate who would get the pair of cashmere gloves in the opening scene. When they reached the restaurant scene, Isaac asked, “Do you believe in fate?”

I wanted to, I really did, but believing in fate meant accepting I had little control over the things that happened in my life. If I thought too hard about it, I’d have to admit I wasn’t the one directing the movie that was my life—Fate, if there was such a deity, was. She’d taken my mom from me when I was eleven. She’d ripped Kevin out of my life. She’d made Paige so jealous she had resorted to dark magic to try to get me out of her way. So then believing in Fate could mean Reed was right and I was meant to end up with the prince of faeries.

But it would also mean Fate had given me a father who held our family together and a little brother who had Mom’s eyes. She would have been the one to put me in the same kindergarten class as Kaylee and then plopped Josh in our fourth grade one. She would have been the reason Isaac’s parents had bought the house across the street from Josh, and why I’d discovered my powers. So did I believe in fate or in coincidence? Given the long list I’d just rattled off, my answer became obvious.

“Yeah, I do,” I replied just as the actress on television said she liked the sound of the word serendipity, which means a fortunate accident. She ran down her feelings on accidents and fate, and I decided she might be right: Fate sent us signs, and it was how we interpreted them that determined whether we’d be happy. Somewhere along the line, I really misinterpreted one of those signs, but I’d fix things. Eventually. “Do you believe in fate?”

“Nah. I think our choices determine our destinies, but the movie isn’t half bad.”

When Serendipity ended, we cleaned up our take-out containers and started the next movie. We stretched out across the bed, my back to Isaac’s chest and his hand resting on my side. His thumb slid under the waistband of my jeans and back out in a slow, steady pattern. I shifted and met his smoldering gaze as his hand moved to my stomach.

“How are you feeling?” he asked. I was pretty sure he meant how were the cravings and not Is your heart fluttering a gazillion miles a minute?

“Good. I think the detox is working.” As I said it, I realized I did feel better. The only emotion brewing inside me when it came to Reed was annoyance at what he’d done to me.

“I’m glad.” Isaac tugged me closer to him. The movement caused my jeans to slide a little lower on my hips. He licked his lips as his fingers traced the white lace of my underwear. “These are pretty.”

“Thanks.”

He kissed behind my ear. My cheek. My lips. My heart did a tap dance in my chest as his fingers followed the lace waistband one more time on their journey up my side, over my sweater, and down my arm. I became aware that my hand rested on his upper thigh, but I didn’t move it. My powers danced on the tips of my nerve endings, and I begged them to retreat to the safety of the locked room in my mind.

“I think you may have caught me,” Isaac said, his voice low and husky. His warm hand rested on my bare stomach again.

“Caught you how?”

“The whole detox scheme was a ploy to get you to spend the night with me.”

His lips met mine, saving me from having to answer. Our tongues did a slow tango, and the voices from the TV grew distant. Isaac kept our kisses brief, giving me every opportunity to keep my powers under control and to slow things down if I wanted to. My hand journeyed under his shirt and traced the hard lines of his chest as he rubbed the tender skin on my ribs, brushing my bra with each stroke. I pulled my sweater over my head. Isaac practically ripped his top shirt off and then grabbed the back of his T-shirt with both hands and tugged it over his head. With his body pressed against mine, we continued our dance of brief kisses. He rolled me on top of him.

“You taste amazing,” Isaac whispered. He trailed a line of kisses down my neck and then met my gaze. His powers trickled through me like the warmth of the sun until they found mine, only this time they didn’t collide.

“Did your powers just caress mine?” I asked.

He smiled. “They did, compliments of a spell I recently found in my grandfather’s grimoire. I’ve been dying to try it.”

I giggled and kissed him again. Most of my powers remained at bay, but what did escape seemed to merge with Isaac’s, eliminating the shock that usually happened.

“You should have tried this spell the second you found it.”

“I was waiting for the perfect moment.”

I didn’t think it could get more perfect than it was right now.

He tucked my hair behind my ear. “I need to know how far you want this to go.”

I glanced at the bottom of the stairs. “What about your parents?”

“They’ll be upstairs by now, Mom reading her novel and Dad catching up on the news.”

I brushed my lips against his. “Then don’t stop.”

He cupped my face in his hands and kissed me again, rolling us over so that he was on top, balancing the bulk of his weight on his elbows. His lips held the same urgency they had at the lighthouse as they traveled down my neck to my collarbone. I wrapped a leg around his, pulling him even closer. When his mouth crushed mine again, a moan rose from my chest.

Suddenly, we were the only beings in the universe.

Chapter 26

Ultimatum

I woke the next morning with my back cuddled against Isaac’s chest and his arm draped over my waist. Slowly, I twisted until I was on my stomach and could see him. He looked so peaceful, hair tousled, breaths deep and steady, muscles totally at ease.

A smile graced my lips. We’d managed to break the code that had kept us from taking our relationship to the next level. To have Isaac’s powers flowing inside me, mingling with mine, had felt like pure ecstasy. Every touch of his lips and caress of his fingertips had sent elated tremors coursing through me.

I brushed his hair away from his eyes with my thumb and then traced his lips. His mouth opened, just enough to let his tongue skim my finger. The simple gesture awakened my senses and sent an excited shiver racing through me; it settled just below my belly. His deep brown gaze met mine.

“Morning,” I whispered, removing my finger from his lips and kissing him.

“Morning to you too.” He cupped my cheek in his hand. His powers trickled through me as they had the night before. “Is there something special you wanted to do this morning that you’re up at—” he reached behind him, groping on the bedside table until he found his cell phone and glanced at it “—six fifty-two?”

“I was worried that your mom or dad might come downstairs.” I nibbled on his bottom lip. “But I think I’m willing to risk it.”

He pulled me on top of him, kissing me tenderly. The thin T-shirt he’d lent me was the only thing between us. His hands traveled down my back and over my waist, stopping on my butt. Mine were tangled in his hair. His arms around me felt right. Being with him felt right. I wanted to spend the morning exploring his body.

“Isaac!” Mr. Addington’s voice rang down the stairs.

“Is the whole house up before the sun?” Isaac groaned as he grabbed a pair of sweats and a T-shirt off the floor and put them on. On his way up the stairs, he said to his dad, “Madison’s still asleep.”

That was all I heard of their conversation, but I took the hint not to let on that I was up too. Although, having the parent of my boyfriend interrupt our make-out session was enough to kill the mood for me.

I slid out of bed and into Isaac’s bathroom. By the time I had freshened up, he was back. He looked at me: fully dressed, hair brushed, and makeup on.

“No morning shower?” he asked, playfully.

“Not if there’s a chance your parents are going to call again.”

He wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling me closer. “There’s not. My aunt is having problems with her heat. Dad and Mom are going to see if there’s anything they can do to help. But I’ll take a rain check on the shower. How about breakfast?”

I kissed him. “Perfect.”

Isaac and I stood in his driveway with winter’s breeze ruffling our hair and our mouths hanging open. His Jeep was covered in a thick layer of ice.

“What the hell,” Isaac said.

“Humans always have such colorful ways of expressing themselves,” Reed said from behind us.

Isaac and I spun around. Reed stood near the garage. He hadn’t bothered with his glamour, and the fact that we could see him meant he wanted us to know he was there. Isaac raised his hand, sending a gust of hot air to circle his Jeep. The ice glistened and began to melt, but at the rate it was thawing, it would take several minutes before we could open a door.

The hunger I had quelled the night before came flooding back. I took a step away from the house, knowing the best way to fight the emptiness inside me was to keep my distance from Reed. Isaac gave me a sideways glance, and then spearmint and vanilla enveloped me, wrapping me in his powers and effectively blocking Reed’s magic.

Reed took a step forward, his hands relaxed at his side. He looked at Isaac and said, “I didn’t come to fight. I have a proposition for Madison.”

The breeze circled us and brought with it the sweet aroma of bacca wine.

I glared at Reed, knowing he’d created the wind to prove Isaac’s powers weren’t strong enough to negate the pull he had on me. “Bastard.”

Reed grinned.

“Enough games, Reed,” Isaac said. “Let’s hear it.”

“I never play games,” Reed replied. “If Madison accompanies me to the Winter Solstice Celebration, I will leave the people she loves alone. One day, then she can choose if she wishes to stay in Sanctus or return here.”

“You’ll promise never to harm my family and friends?” I asked, mildly intrigued that he’d agree to let me come home. But then again, his realm was one big drug to humans. It would mess with my mind like the breeze was doing now.

Reed inclined his head. “Not even Isaac, who has gotten on my last nerve.”

“It’s a trick,” Isaac said.

“I know.” I had only made the offer to test if it was a myth that humans couldn’t return from Sanctus. “Is there no spell to protect me while there?”

“I’ve read every book there is on Fae and Sanctus, Madison. That type of spell doesn’t exist.”

“It’s an offer I will only make once,” Reed said telepathically. His scent brushed my skin, making it hard to think straight.

I felt myself become weightless. I knew Isaac planned to teleport me to the safety of his room, but before I disappeared, an ice prison surrounded me.

“Tsk, tsk,” Reed scolded, his finger waggling from side to side. “I will not have you excluding Madison from this discussion.”

“You just don’t want her having the ability to think straight.” With a flick of his wrist, Isaac held a bright orange orb of fire. His brow pulled low over his narrowed eyes. “Release her!”

“No.”

Isaac rocketed the flames at Reed, who vanished, then reappeared the moment the fireball had passed. Reed spat something in a language I couldn’t understand. Then in English he said, “Are you trying to burn your house down?”

“The only thing these flames will burn is Fae.” Isaac whipped another fireball at him.

“What, no eternal flames in your realm?” Reed taunted.

Isaac shrugged. “I’m not suicidal.”

“Some would say challenging a Winter Fae is suicide,” Reed said.

Isaac smirked. “What, didn’t tell anyone back home how I kicked your ass last time?”

“As I recall, you struggled to hold your own,” Reed retorted. He threw a black dagger.

Isaac deflected it easily. In the next moment, over a dozen foot-long icicles hovered around Reed—each pointed at Isaac. Reed signaled with a flick of his hand, and the icicles sailed toward Isaac at a frightening speed. Isaac thrust his hands forward, palms flat as if he’d slammed them against an invisible wall. The icy rods crashed into his magical barrier.

“Stop!” I screamed, sending out a gust of my power in an effort to weaken my prison. Again and again I did it. Small cracks formed in the wall in front of me. I kept at it as they kept battling.

“It’s too late for her. She needs me to survive,” Reed gloated.

With him nearby, hearing his voice again, I feared he was right.

“Does she have the shakes?” he asked menacingly. “Has she told you she thinks of me when I’m not around?”

Isaac’s gaze darted to me. No guy wanted to find out his girlfriend thought about another guy—especially not after the night we’d just shared. I wanted to explain, to reassure him, but I could smell Reed—a crisp, icy river laced with tantalizing wine—and I didn’t trust my words not to betray me.

“How about we let Madison choose if I stay or go.”

No, no, no. Not a good idea. I both wanted him to go away and wished they’d stop arguing already so Reed would give me what I needed to fill the growing void inside me.

Isaac widened his stance, his hands held at his side and his palms facing forward. With barely a jerk of his arm, a blue stream of power shot up at Reed. He missed.

Reed retaliated with two black daggers aimed at Isaac’s chest. Isaac barely had time to create a new shield. The daggers collided with it, falling to the asphalt with a clatter. Had Isaac been a microsecond slower, one would have pierced his heart.

“Enough!” a voice bellowed.

I tore my gaze from the daggers at Isaac’s feet. Wearing only a pair of faded jeans, Caden stood between Reed and Isaac. Flames suddenly licked at the outside of my prison, quickly melting the ice.

“Since when do Fae attack humans?” Caden asked.

“He attacked. I defended,” Reed replied. He hadn’t taken his eyes off Isaac.

“Your fight threatens a human who owes me. Leave or you will be fighting me and Isaac.”

Holding two more daggers, Reed looked at Caden. Isaac armed himself with energy balls. Caden raised his hands—one palm facing Isaac and the other facing Reed—as if ready to knock them both out with magic of his own.

I held my breath and prayed Reed would leave. To my relief, he let the daggers fall to the ground near his feet.

“This isn’t over,” he said and vanished.

Caden sighed. “I’d be surprised if it were.”

Isaac turned to face me. Caden’s flames ate the last of the ice and extinguished themselves.

“Don’t go trying anything witchy on me,” Caden said as he walked by Isaac. “I’ve already been yanked away from All-Legs Tiffany, a bottle of Dom Perignon, and a bowl of fresh strawberries. Roasting a power-charged high schooler sounds good right about now.” He studied me with bright red eyes. “That faerie really did a number on you.”

“Appears so,” I replied. Mentally, I could only deal with one supernatural problem at a time. If Caden was there to collect on our deal, I’d have to go with him, but I was pretty sure whatever it was I’d be required to do would be my breaking point and I’d burst into tears.

Caden held my chin and stared deep into my eyes. “I will torch you,” he said calmly when Isaac went to knock his hand away.

I squinted, wondering what Caden was looking at. My soul, maybe. What did a witch’s soul look like? Better yet, what did a demon’s soul look like? I leaned closer, trying to get a glimpse of his. His pupils were bottomless black dots. Couldn’t see his soul, though.

“I can reverse what’s been done,” Caden said.

“You’re here to help me?”

Caden’s eyes faded to warm brown, and he let go of my chin. “Yes.”

My first thought was, What are you waiting for!

“For a price,” Isaac spat.

Of course it wouldn’t be that simple.

Caden shrugged. “That’s generally how it works. Are you offering your soul as payment?”

“No! He’s not,” I said forcefully. “I’m not that bad.”

“Really? How long has it been since you ate or drank anything Reed’s given you?” Caden demanded. “By the color of your soul, I’m going to guess seven days.”

“Five.”

“That’s worse. It means your cellular structure is changing quicker than an average human’s.”

“I just need more time for his poison to get out of my system.”

“How’d you know she was here struggling with this?” Isaac asked.

I was glad for the distraction.

Caden waved a hand dismissively. “My investments are linked to me. It’s how I keep tabs on them. Most of the time, I get a low signal like background noise. About fifteen minutes ago, Madison’s went supersonic.”

“You never said anything about being linked to me,” I said.

“It’s in the fine print. You only need to ask, and I’ll undo what Reed has done.”

I was about to ask the price when Isaac stepped between Caden and me.

“We’re handling this our way,” Isaac said.

“How’s that going?” Caden snapped. “Look at her! I bet she’s wishing she had a glass of faerie wine right now.”

“Am not!” It was too early to drink. I was thinking a bacca ball would be nice, though.

“Liar.” Caden’s stone-cold glare dared me to argue.

It annoyed me that he could see past the brave façade I put on for my friends, but I bit my bottom lip to keep from saying something I knew I’d regret later.

Isaac stood rigid in front of me, rubbing his thumb against his fingers and creating a visible charge of white energy. Caden’s threat loomed heavy in the air. He’d set Isaac on fire once; I really didn’t want to see that again.

I laced my fingers through Isaac’s to show a united front. “Caden, I’m fine. I just need another day.” Or twenty.

“You’re no good to me this way,” he said, looking past Isaac.

“You can’t make her ask for your help,” Isaac challenged.

Maybe not, but Caden could ask me a carefully worded question that I would have to answer honestly—and at that moment, if he’d asked, Do you want the emptiness taken away? I’d have said yes. Or, if he really wanted to be a jerk, he could threaten to tell Isaac we’d kissed. I’d have hastily given him anything he wanted to keep that a secret.

What he did say was, “You have twelve hours to solve your faerie issues, Madison. This time tonight, you’re either clean or you ask for my help. Do we have an agreement?”

“Yes,” I replied before Isaac could say anything. One way or another, I needed to be rid of Reed permanently.

Caden raised an eyebrow.

“I promise,” I added reluctantly.

We watched Caden leave and then went back inside, no longer hungry.

We needed a plan, and help that didn’t come from a demon. We called Josh.

Josh leaned against the dresser. “Refresh my memory. How’d you convince Reed to go home the last time you guys met?”

“I threatened to roast the entire Seelie Court,” Isaac replied. He sat on the bed next to me.

“So we know his weakness. I say it’s time for a repeat performance.”

Isaac combed his fingers through his hair. “Can’t. I promised Reed I wouldn’t harm a member of his court.”

“You did. We didn’t.” Josh pointed to me and himself, a self-satisfied expression etched across his face.

I was trying to decide if threatening a vindictive faerie was the best course of action when Isaac spoke up.

“Still can’t. We know the door is located in Madison’s house, in the spot where she first summoned Brea, but it’s invisible to everyone except faeries. Unless Fae reveal it, we can’t access the portal between realms ourselves.” He glanced at the clock on the DVD player.

“How’d you find the door last time?” I asked, tucking my legs underneath me.

“A spell from my grandfather’s grimoire.”

One day I was going to have to read this grimoire. It seemed to be a collection of very interesting and useful spells.

“So we cast it again,” I said. Hell, we should have done that the day Isaac had found out Reed was here.

Isaac let his head fall back. He looked at the ceiling and replied, “Can’t. Tore the page out of the book and burned it.”

“Why’d you do that?” Josh asked.

“It was part of our agreement. Reed didn’t want anyone else finding a door and sending some deadly spell through it.” Isaac laced his fingers behind his head as he thought.

“He’s smart,” I commented. “You have to give him that.”

Josh took a seat in the sphere chair, forearms resting on his knees. “Fine. We can’t burn down his castle or tree stump or wherever it is faeries live. We can still exploit his weakness.”

“What’s that?” I asked.

“His sister. We nab her and hold her prisoner until Reed relents and goes home without you.”

“That could work,” Isaac said. “I can’t help execute the plan, though.”

“I got this one,” Josh said.

My head pivoted from Josh to Isaac and back. “How exactly are you going to hold a creature prisoner that can only be seen if she chooses to be seen?”

“Meadowsweet,” Isaac answered. He grabbed his grandfather’s grimoire and fanned through the pages as he continued. “We create a faerie ring with it.”

“A what?” I asked.

“A faerie ring,” he repeated. “They were popular in the fifteen hundreds.”

Josh nodded. “We can trap her at Madison’s, near where the door has to be.”

“And if Reed calls our bluff?” I asked.

“Who’s bluffing? Either Reed leaves or Brea stays. End of story,” Josh said.

“So we’re going to create a circle out of meadowsweet and leave it in my kitchen until Reed says uncle and steps back through the door?” I paused. “Don’t you think my dad is going to wonder why a girl with pointed ears and sparkly cheeks is standing in a ring of leaves?”

“You said yourself he can’t see her,” Josh replied.

“Yeah, but he can see the meadowsweet.”

“Madison’s right,” Isaac interjected. “We can’t do this at her house.”

“Besides,” I said, “we don’t have anything for her to eat.”

“How long do you think Reed would leave his sister to starve?” Josh said.

“We aren’t going to torture Brea!” I protested.

“Of course not,” Isaac said. “We’ll provide three meals and snacks. We’re civilized people.”

“We’re not trapping her here. She hasn’t done anything!” I’d be no better than Reed if I forced Brea to eat something from our realm.

“Has she stopped by to visit since Reed told her to leave?” Isaac asked.

“She brought me more flowers.”

“That she conveniently dropped off when you weren’t home.” He stuck a scrap piece of paper inside the grimoire and closed the book. “If she was your friend, she’d be helping you get away from Reed. Her absence proves that she won’t cross her brother.”

I swallowed audibly. I really didn’t like the idea of using Brea as leverage, but I didn’t have a better suggestion. Reed was too smart to allow himself to become trapped in a faerie ring, and even if we did manage to deceive him, I doubted he’d agree to walk through the door without some sort of motivation. Besides, we wanted Reed gone, not stuck in our world.

Whether it was because Isaac’s powers wrapped around me like a security blanket or that we eventually devised a plan, over the course of the morning, the burning in my gut lessened to a nagging whisper, and my hands only trembled when Reed’s name came up. Considering our evil plan centered around him, that was a lot. Thankfully, however, it didn’t come up once during the hours we spent hustling about Gloucester to get everything we needed to execute Plan Faerie Exile.

Now all I had to do was hope my newfound stability wouldn’t completely dissolve the moment I saw Reed.

Chapter 27

Last Chance

Josh’s and my shoes slapped the sidewalk as we made our way to the back of the cemetery. The soft thump thump thump of our footsteps almost drowned out the nerve-curling moans of the dead.

“I don’t like this,” I muttered.

“Madison, we have less than an hour before Caden comes back, and it’s not like you can go into hiding to buy us more time,” Josh said, hiking the backpack we’d brought higher onto his shoulder.

The beams of light from our flashlights sliced a path through the darkness and allowed us to see an occasional shadow float past.

“They can’t hurt us,” Josh reminded me when a long thin shade stopped in front of me.

I stepped around it. “Yeah, well, I’d prefer not to see them.”

“Ever stop to think they’d rather not see you?”

We were on the east side of the cemetery, far away from my mom. I had tried to talk Josh into setting up near her grave, knowing the whispers of the dead couldn’t reach us there, but it was too close to the main road. Someone might see our lights, and we needed privacy.

Josh stopped behind the crypt of a family who’d died long ago and scanned the area. A cluster of overgrown shrubs lined a rusty chain-link fence about twenty feet from where we stood. Tall maples and ash trees dotted the open field of overgrown weeds. Immediately to the left of the crypt was a decaying statue of an angel, her blank stare focused on the grave she guarded.

“This should be good,” he said.

For a séance, maybe. “I’d feel better if Isaac and Kaylee were here.” I started when a shadow rubbed my leg and slithered by. It was blacker than the night, giving the impression of a bottomless void crossing my path, and it left the air next to me cold as death. To my amazement, Josh still wasn’t bothered by the cemetery’s ethereal residents.

“Isaac can’t be a part of this. Not after the promise he made about harming a member of the Seelie Court.” And Kaylee wasn’t here because Josh didn’t want to put her in danger.

He dropped the backpack in the unruly grass. Three shadows lingered in the gloom not far from us, hovering above the ground eerily.

“You sure those things can’t hurt us?” I asked, taking the pillar candles Josh held out.

“Pretty sure.” He set his flashlight on its end so that the light beamed upward.

I shined mine in his face. “‘Pretty sure’? You dragged me back here on a ‘pretty sure’?”

“No, you refused to stay home.”

He had me there. I had insisted on coming, reasoning that two witches were better than one. Truth was, I couldn’t let someone else get hurt because of what I’d done. Natalie was gone. Chase had almost died. No way would I let anything happen to Josh too.

He stood, one hand held to his side. The sweet aroma of apple cider encompassed us as his powers glowed bright red in his hand. He turned slowly, and as he did, the grass around us became matted as if smashed by a heavy object.

“You could help me build the circle instead of obsessing over spirits,” he said.

I placed the pillar candles on the freshly crushed grass. They would act as the perimeter of our circle. Next, I set my flashlight on the ground so that the light stretched upward toward the heavens. We stood facing each other, arms raised above our heads, and closed the circle. When we finished, the candles burned bright blue.

“I still think this is a bad idea.” I really hated to be skeptical, but Josh’s plan didn’t sit right with me. “If we mess with Reed’s family, don’t you think he’s going to mess with mine? The guy doesn’t like to be threatened. He’s made that clear.”

“That’s why we convinced your dad to take Chase to the movies.”

Isaac had placed a bewilderment spell on my father to help sway his decision. Dad would kill me if he ever found out we’d manipulated his thoughts. But the safety of my family wasn’t the only thing that troubled me.

“Brea’s not like her brother,” I said for what had to be the tenth time that day.

Josh’s black hair fell around his eyes when he met my gaze. “She could have kept Reed from getting into your head.”

I opened my mouth, then closed it. If Brea had told me her brother had come through the door with her, if she had warned me not to eat anything I didn’t recognize, Reed wouldn’t have gotten the better of me.

“She’s a faerie, Madison. She survives the same way Reed does. Just because she hasn’t fed off your energy doesn’t mean she’s given the other humans she’s come in contact with the same respect.”

“I still don’t get the whole essence thing. Brea said faeries do favors for humans in exchange for their company. Even if ‘company’ was code for ‘suck on your aura,’ how could Reed feed off mine? He didn’t do anything for me.”

“You’ve eaten their food. That changes your physical makeup and the rules.”

“Yeah…well…with all the mystical guidelines governing supernatural creatures, you’d think tricking your prey into submission would be forbidden,” I griped. Seriously, if saying, I promise, bound me to my word and a deal had to be made for a crossroad demon to help a human, why the hell didn’t faerie food come with a warning written in bold letters: MADE IN LA LA LAND. EATING WILL OPEN YOU UP TO FAERIE ATTACKS.

We laid a ring of meadowsweet in the middle of our circle. Josh touched the sprigs with his fingertips, willing magic into them and creating a faerie prison of sorts. He set the ceramic bowl we’d brought inside the ring, placing in it three acorns. Next, he held a wilted red rose by its stem. A moment later it perked up, looking as if it had just been cut from the bush. He plucked off three petals and added them to the bowl, which he used his magic to fill with spring water. More shadows had gathered, but none crossed the invisible barrier of our circle.

“You with me?” Josh asked, peering at me through his hair, which had fallen in front of his eyes again.

I pulled my attention away from the creepy spirit floating near the crypt behind him. “Just promise me you won’t hurt Brea.”

Josh frowned. “She’ll be fine if Reed plays nice.”

“That wasn’t a promise.”

“Would you rather owe Caden more than you already do?” Josh asked with a hint of frustration in his voice.

Worrying about what more a demon would demand from a witch was definitely second on my list of crappy situations I’d gotten myself into. It was the “no questions asked” part of my existing deal that concerned me. It meant that regardless of my morals, I’d have to do as I was told. I may as well have lost my soul.

I wrapped my arms over my stomach. “Let’s just get this over with.”

Josh pulled a piece of paper out of his back pocket, picked up his flashlight, and aimed the light on the spell. “From here to there and neverwhere. Through time and space and ethereal. I call to thee Sanctus majestic, Rhoswen Brea Reedsnap, and beckon thee, come forth and grant us sight.”

Brea appeared, wearing her long thick sweater and furry boots. Her iridescent violet eyes found me before following the ring of meadowsweet to Josh. She reached in front of her, palm flat on the magical wall that would hold her prisoner.

“I suppose I should have seen this coming. What do you want?” she asked, still taking in her surroundings.

“You and your brother gone,” Josh replied icily.

“And you plan to accomplish that by trapping me in the final resting place of your people?” She turned to face me. “I thought we were friends.”

I cringed under her disapproving glare. “When I told you my friend was missing, did you know then that Reed had kidnapped her, or did you find out after you returned home to get warmer clothes?”

“I suspected that was Dellis’s doing when you told me she was gone. My brother can be a bit entitled.” She shrugged and trailed her fingers around the barrier as if looking for a weak spot. “Spoiled prince syndrome.”

“What about me? Did you know I’m next?” I hoped she’d say no.

Her violet gaze locked on mine. “For eleven long months, Dellis vowed to find a way to make Isaac pay for interfering in his business with that mortal. Every blasted free moment was spent plotting his way back to your realm. He needn’t have wasted his time, because just as he was about to give up, you summoned us to your home using Isaac’s spell book. Yes, I knew my brother would plan on taking you to replace the human he’d lost.”

“You could have warned me!” Anger burned in me for being so foolish as to trust a faerie. Isaac and Josh were right: they were all the same.

“For all I knew, you were another vindictive witch taking advantage of your powers just like the last one.”

I threw my hands in the air. “And once you got to know me, you couldn’t say, ‘Hey, by the way, my brother is here too, and he’s taken an unhealthy interest in you’?”

Brea lowered her gaze.

“I assume you have a way to contact your brother,” Josh said, interrupting our exchange.

Her expression turned steely. “Dellis’s previous behavior will seem like child’s play compared to what he’ll do when he finds out you’ve trapped me. This is his season. His time to be strong.”

“We’ll take our chances,” Josh replied, his tone unwavering.

Brea cocked her head to the side. “You’re not looking well.” She pulled a clear vial the size of her thumb from her pocket. Shimmering fuchsia liquid sloshed inside as she held it out to me. “I was saving this for an emergency, but it appears you need it more than I do.”

I licked my lips, simultaneously taking a large step away from her.

“Suit yourself.” Brea brought her shoulders up to her ears and returned the vial to her pocket. “I can smell the Fae coming from your pores. My turn to ask a question: Will you be able to resist Dellis when he arrives?”

Josh cursed and spat a string of words under his breath that included I knew it and You’d better. The flames of the candles flared skyward. The air within the circle stirred, whipping our hair around our faces.

I caught mine as best as I could. “Josh, I’m good. Really.” I held a hand out. “Look, no shakes.” Only, my hand did tremble slightly. I quickly lowered it to my side.

Josh growled at Brea, “Call your brother.”

“As you wish.” She inclined her head.

I knew the moment Reed arrived. A hole in my stomach ripped open, making me feel as if I hadn’t eaten in days.

“He’s here,” I whispered, positive that Josh’s plan wasn’t a good one.

The sound of grass and leaves being crushed beneath graceful steps circled us. I could feel Reed’s eyes on me, disapproving and furious.

“Rhoswen, are you all right?” Reed asked.

“I’m fine.”

Josh and I spun around, trying to pinpoint his location.

Reed appeared to Josh’s right, just outside the circle. His snowy white eyes were trained on me. “If you wanted an audience with me, all you needed was to call.”

I wished he had worn his human glamour. It wasn’t nearly as striking as his true form. The lean muscles in his thighs pressed against his forest-green pants with each lithe step he took. His elegant fingers rubbed the string of a long bow that he had slung over his shoulder.

My jitters came back twofold. I crammed my hands into the pockets of my jacket to steady them and said, “The problem is you don’t leave when you’re asked to.”

“I’d disappear for a lifetime if you accompanied me.”

“Not going to happen.” Unable to ignore the spasms that grew stronger the closer he got, I wanted to tell Brea I had second thoughts and would love that vial of fuchsia stuff.

Reed looked from me to Brea and then to Josh. “I’m here and I’m listening.”

Josh cleared his throat. “We don’t want trouble. You return to your realm, we close the door, and no one gets hurt.”

Except Natalie, whose family would never see her again.

“And what of my sister?” Reed asked stepping closer to her.

Josh turned slowly, keeping his full attention on Reed. “We’ll make sure she gets home.”

“Why would I believe you?” Reed asked.

“You have our word,” I said.

Reed’s incredibly alluring gaze fixed on me. “I find it interesting that this is your next move.”

I shifted my weight from one foot to the other. “You left me no choice.”

“Have I not been civil?” Poison dripped from Reed’s words. “Did I not invite you to join me instead of just taking you? That is more than I’ve ever done for a human who thinks she has the right to demand the Fae serve her.”

“I didn’t demand anything,” I protested.

“Brea, I told you she was the same as the others.”

The ground shuddered. I looked at Josh. He shook his head to indicate the sudden tremors weren’t his doing.

I widened my stance to keep from falling and replied in as steady a voice as I could, “You still planned on ripping me away from my life.”

The temperature dropped at least twenty degrees. Frost raced over the ground, covering the grass and weeds behind Reed in a thick white layer of crystallized ice as it made its way toward us.

Josh held his hands in front of him and pushed out a wave of power, slowing the frost’s progression. I closed my eyes and focused on drawing the energy from nature to warm the air within our circle enough to stop my teeth from chattering.

“Isaac didn’t say Reed could control the weather,” Josh said through clenched teeth as he thrust his hands forward again, sending another surge of power outward. The frost continued to creep closer to us.

“And he’s holding back,” Brea gloated. She had taken a seat on the grass. Bright orange and red poppies peppered the ground around her.

I carefully stepped around the meadowsweet, moving closer to Josh. Brea remained safe and warm in her bubble of summer while Reed brought the wrath of winter upon us. With a flick of my fingers, I held a sphere of fire the size of a basketball. It hovered in the air in front of us, providing a source of heat.

“What do we do?” I spun to my left and then my right, looking for a way out of this mess. The shadows hid behind tombstones, unfazed by the change in weather.

“We move to Plan C.” Josh swiveled to follow Reed’s movements, never once letting him out of his sight.

I had told Isaac and Josh that Plan A—trapping Brea—was flawed because Reed would never give in so easily. He was more cunning than they were willing to admit; my previous attempt to deceive him into going home had taught me that. Plan B, on the other hand, let Reed believe he was winning. He’d have no reason to call upon winter’s bitter grip. More importantly, it ensured my family and friends remained safe. The guys disagreed, however, and had said I was the one underestimating Reed. Then, before the guys would agree with me that Josh shouldn’t take on Reed alone, they made me promise not to invoke Plan B without Josh’s consent. They hadn’t told me of any other options, though.

“When did you come up with a Plan C?” I asked.

“Just now,” Josh replied, dropping to a crouch a moment before a crystalline arrow soared over his head. “And I still don’t like Plan B, so no, it’s not okay to go there yet.”

“You’re hard-headed,” I scoffed.

The next arrow pierced the ground at my feet, and I had no doubt it landed exactly where Reed had intended it to. I ran a finger over its shaft, yanking my hand back. “It’s made of ice,” I said in awe.

“Last chance,” Reed snarled. “Release my sister and accompany me to the solstice celebration or, when I’m done here, the next person I visit will be your brother.”

He held out a hand for me to take, a smile playing at the corner of his thin lips. My next breath filled my lungs with the sweet scent of pine and snow, causing my thoughts to swim in my skull. I opened my mouth to reply, but my powers bit back the Okay, just leave Chase alone I’d been ready to say.

Josh stepped in front of me, momentarily blocking my view of Reed and giving me the precious second I needed to realize what agreeing would have cost me. I said a silent thank you that Isaac had gotten Dad and Chase out of the house, then put my hands on Josh’s shoulders and peered around him. “Stop messing with my head!”

Reed pulled another arrow from the quiver on his back but didn’t fire it.

“What’s Plan C?” I whispered to Josh.

He replied out of the side of his mouth. “We teleport the hell out of here and take Miss Sunshine with us.”

“That is not better than my idea,” I hissed.

It would have been, if I knew how to travel by telekinesis or if Josh could carry a living object with him, but as it was, he had only managed to transport himself short distances.

“They’re plotting their escape,” Brea so kindly informed her brother.

Thick columns of ice jutted out of the ground like stalagmites, scattering the shadows, pushing up headstones, and uprooting trees. Josh leaped out of the way as a jagged pillar of ice broke through the grass beneath his feet. A large crack tore through the frozen dirt and traveled outward, swallowing one of our candles as it continued to the base of the large stone angel. The next icicle shot up in front of Brea, knocking the meadowsweet aside and freeing her.

“I warned you,” she said and vanished, leaving Josh and me with a very pissed-off faerie.

Chapter 28

Plan B

Josh held his arms in front of him, wrists crossed. He inhaled deeply, swiftly sweeping his hands downward on the exhale. Rain poured down around us in a sheet so thick it appeared as if we stood inside the eye of a hurricane. I gathered the moisture from the air and conjured a storm cloud over the spot where I’d last seen Reed. Lightning struck, but since I didn’t hear him scream in pain, I guessed it had missed its target.

“I can’t see him,” I said, stating the obvious.

“We need a minute to regroup,” Josh replied as he kept the waterworks flowing. He adjusted his hemp bracelet and whispered, “I love you, Kaylee.” If I didn’t know Josh wasn’t the type to give up, that’s exactly what I’d have thought he was doing.

The temperature dropped again. The torrent froze solid from the ground up for as far as I could see, leaving Josh and me trapped in a smooth tube of ice. The grass became slick. I twisted, looking for any sign of Reed, and slipped. The next thing I knew, I was on my butt looking up at Josh.

“Happy now? We’re his hostages.”

“It’s not over yet.” Josh pulled me to my feet.

I brushed frost off my jeans. “We don’t have any other choice, Josh. You know it.”

Fine spider-like veins raced along the wall of our jail, producing thin cracks all around us. Chunks of ice exploded inward from our left. Josh and I ducked, arms over our heads, as debris pummeled our backs. Reed stepped through the hole created by the explosion, bow in hand, arrow drawn and pointed at Josh.

“No!” I jumped up, my boots slipping on the frozen ground, but I managed to stay on my feet. Reed didn’t even flinch. “Arrow!” I screamed, hand held in front of me, praying that adding the word to my desire would make the spell work.

An instant later, I held the arrow in my right hand. I chucked it to the ground behind me. While Reed reached over his shoulder and grabbed another, Josh threw a bolt of energy at him. I pushed out a surge of power and just managed to knock it away.

“What are you doing?” Josh barked.

“We’re not killers!”

“He’s the one with the arrows!”

“Bow!” I yelled. The bow disappeared from Reed’s hand and reappeared in mine. I looked at Josh. “Using your powers to kill will turn your soul black!”

“Then so be it!” Josh’s eyes narrowed, the sky darkened, and lightning cut a jagged line from the heavens toward Earth. Reed jumped backward just before it struck the ground where he had stood.

I dropped the bow and, with my hands raised in front of me, hit Reed with a burst of air, pushing him a few feet away from us. To Josh, I said, “I won’t let you kill him, Josh. He’s not worth an eternity in hell.”

“And I won’t let you risk a lifetime in Neverland!”

“Yes, you will.” I dropped my voice to a whisper. “Trust me, please.”

“Only if this fails.” Josh attacked Reed with another bolt of energy. Reed shouted a stream of words in a language I couldn’t understand.

Josh held another bolt. He’d just brought his arm back to launch it when a layer of ice slinked over his shoes and up his legs. Dropping the bolt, he tried to move, but before he could free himself, he became encased in a frozen shell.

Reed appeared next to me, and I quickly moved to the other side of Josh.

Reed leaned around him. “You may not have noticed, but Witch Boy can no longer protect you.”

“Release him!”

“So that he may attempt to kill me again? I think not.”

I ran my fingers over Josh’s ice-covered bicep. It was smooth and extremely cold. “If he doesn’t freeze to death, he’ll suffocate!” When Reed only chuckled, I yelled, “I kept him from killing you!”

“You ended our battle. Nothing more.” He held a hand out. “Come with me.”

The afternoon couldn’t have possibly gotten worse. Reed had managed to free his sister without stepping foot in our circle or near the door back to his realm, Josh looked like an ice sculpture, and I was stuck in the creepy section of the cemetery with the faerie I was supposed to avoid and half-dozen shadows that hadn’t been scared away by the supernatural fight. To add to my list of growing problems, now that I wasn’t battling Reed, it was all I could do to keep from trembling with a mix of want and dread.

Reed waited patiently for my answer.

“You’ve proven your magic is stronger than ours. Now, please, defrost him—” I pointed a quivering finger at Josh, then promptly shoved my hand in my pocket “—before it’s too late.”

“Is that a yes?”

I could barely think with Reed staring at me. His entire presence was mesmerizing. From his otherworldly looks to his intoxicating scent, all I wanted to do was give in.

“My family needs me,” I whispered, which was lame. My answer should have been Get lost.

I tried to warm the air, but Josh remained encased in ice.

Reed dropped his arm to his side. “Tell me this, at what point in your grand scheme to rid your world of me did you decide I was worth protecting?”

“I didn’t, but I wasn’t going to let a friend of mine risk his soul for me.” Yet by sparing Reed, I might have killed Josh, the guy who had been like a big brother to me.

“That right there is your downfall.” Reed paced closer, and I stumbled backward. Seemingly unfazed, he continued, “I will visit everyone you have ever loved, and they will meet the same fate as Witch Boy, starting with your father and brother. Then I will freeze this land, and I will make sure you are there to see it all.”

“Why are you doing this?”

He shrugged. “Isaac once threatened to ruin everything I loved. I’m merely doing to him what he failed to do to me.”

“If all you cared about was ruining his life, why pretend to be human? Why take a job with my father? Why not lure me to your realm before I realized what was happening?”

“I donned this appearance—” his body shimmered and transformed to the honey-blond-haired man whom I’d first met on my front porch “—to prove I could be adorable and gentlemanly, something my sister bet I couldn’t pull off, and the job with your father was to demonstrate how well I could blend in and make myself useful.”

“In the middle of ruining everyone’s lives, you’re playing Handyman’s Assistant to win a bet?”

“I do like to prove Rhoswen wrong, and my winning meant she couldn’t interfere in my business here.”

And I thought humans could be petty.

He held out his hand. “We can do this the easy way or, if you prefer, I can pop over to the movie theater and check in on your father and that spunky little brother of yours.” When my mouth fell open, he added, “Yes, I know where they are.”

I gritted my teeth. “Leave them out of this.”

He looked at his outstretched hand and then at me.

My gaze went to Josh. “Fix him first.”

“I can’t, but a kiss of summer will have him back to his old annoying self in seconds. Brea will take care of him as soon as we leave. I’m sure she didn’t go far.”

So am I. My eyes narrowed as I deciphered his words. “Like the flowers? He’s frozen in time, not frozen to death?”

“You spared my life. I spared his.”

“Josh, I promise Brea will fix you,” I said, not really knowing if he could hear me. With a heavy sigh, I placed my trembling fingers in Reed’s palm.

“You needn’t be afraid of me,” he said. With his free hand, he offered me his flask. “Drink.”

I bit my lips and shook my head. He hadn’t won, yet.

“It will make our travels more comfortable,” he warned.

I shook my head again and prayed we would head straight for the door before I changed my mind. He stuffed the flask into his back pocket and picked up his bow without letting go of my hand. “Do not say I didn’t warn you.”

Cold gripped me. A thousand needles stabbed at my veins as I gasped for air. I grabbed my neck with my free hand, choking. Death would have been more merciful than Reed’s magic. He stepped closer and snaked an arm around my waist.

“Next time, drink the wine,” he said, though his lips didn’t move.

There wasn’t going to be a next time if I had anything to say about it. But at the moment, I couldn’t say anything—I would have sworn Old Man Winter himself had reached down my throat and yanked my small intestine through my mouth. The cemetery vanished, and the next thing I knew we were standing in my kitchen.

I ran to the sink and threw up.

“We could have driven,” I said hoarsely, then vomited again.

“And give you time to call your boyfriend? No, thanks.”

While I rinsed my mouth out with water, Reed checked the house.

“We’re alone,” he said on returning.

I could have told him that. Dad and Chase were grabbing dinner after the movie, and Isaac and Kaylee were hanging out at her house waiting for Josh’s call, which wouldn’t come now that he was a human ice cube.

The pinecone centerpiece sat in the middle of the table, where it had been for days. The additional meadowsweet Kaylee had added while Josh and I were at the cemetery comingled a little too nicely with Reed’s woodsy scent. The aroma added lightheadedness to my nausea.

“Let’s go,” he said.

I grabbed a pen and paper off the counter. “I don’t want my dad worrying about me.” I nervously rubbed my hemp bracelet against my wrist. “And Isaac and Kaylee, they deserve to know where I am.”

“You have one minute.”

I took a seat at the table and blew out a breath, sending my dark bangs flying. I wrote Dad at the top of the notepad. Reed turned toward the window and drew an imaginary arch through the air. The space between him and the wall shimmered, creating a four-by-two-foot oval void.

The door.

It was what I’d been waiting for. I grabbed the meadowsweet from the centerpiece, muttered the words Josh had taught me, and threw it at Reed’s feet like one throws dice across a table. With a little help from my powers, the sprigs settled on the floor around Reed and the door. One last push of power aligned them in a circle.

Or more precisely, a faerie ring.

“Gotcha,” I said.

Reed’s eyes turned as dark as a blizzard. He banged soundlessly on the invisible wall of his prison.

“Isaac warned Josh that he wouldn’t be able to win in a battle of his magic against yours.” I twirled the pen between my fingers as I spoke. “But Isaac couldn’t help summon Brea to use her as leverage because of that promise he’d made you. So after our last attempt to trick you, I knew we had to get you to let your guard down.”

Reed’s handsome features twisted in fury.

“No more games,” I said. “You walk through the door and lead whatever life you want in your realm. Stay here and you’ll eventually starve, because I’m not letting you out of that ring.”

The front door opened. I peered down the hallway.

“Are we good?” I asked Kaylee.

She glanced over her shoulder at Brea and Isaac and said, “Yeah, we’re good.”

“Rhoswen?” Reed asked. “How could you side with these humans?”

“I did no such thing, Dellis.” She boosted herself up on the counter. “This one”—she indicated to Kaylee with a bob of her head—“summoned me shortly after you freed me.”

“Part of Plan A,” I explained. “If you managed to rescue Brea, then Kaylee would detain her elsewhere.” Josh had called Kaylee through our bond. His message, “I love you,” was code for “Summer faerie on the loose.”

“Rhoswen, free me!”

Isaac and Josh positioned themselves in between her and Reed.

She looked past them. “Dellis, some battles are best not fought. This is one of them. If you were thinking straight, you would agree with me.”

Reed’s glare fell on Isaac, who raised his hands in front of him and said, “I was very hospitable, even insisted the faerie ring be made around a cozy chair. I didn’t harm or threaten her in any way.”

“Reed was just saying goodbye,” I said.

A guttural growl escaped his lips. With one last look at the meadowsweet on the floor, he said, “We will meet again.”

I met his ice-cold glare. “If that’s true, then I hope it’s as friends and not enemies.”

“Brea, are you coming?” he asked.

“In a moment.” She hopped off the counter and faced me. “Isaac said it was you who had insisted on finding a way to, how did he phrase it?” She tapped a finger to her lips. “Oh yes, ‘shove Reed’s ass back through the door without killing him.’”

I twitched a shoulder. “I consider you a friend. I didn’t think you’d feel the same if we slaughtered your brother. Besides, the last thing we wanted to do was ignite a war between our people.”

Brea smiled at her brother. “Will you not admit now that she is different from the other?”

Reed punched the barrier, turned, and stormed through the door. For a fraction of a second, I could see tall trees capped in snow and a violet-blue sky. Then the shimmering, out-of-focus doorway returned.

Brea sighed. “He’ll probably spend the winter stewing over losing this fight.”

Kaylee looked around the kitchen. “Where’s Josh?”

“About him…” I scrunched my nose. “Brea, I know you don’t owe me, but Reed did that trick of his with the ice, and it takes a kiss of summer…I’d be in your debt if you would, you know, defrost him.”

“Defrost?” Kaylee choked on the word.

Brea shook her head. “I warned him about upsetting my brother.”

“You did, and I’m sorry for earlier.”

Her hands went to her hips. “He owes me an apology too.”

“Well, if you were to pop over to the cemetery, I’m sure he’d agree.”

“I think I will.” She disappeared.

“He froze Josh?” Kaylee asked, horrified.

I put an arm around her shoulder. “Like a Popsicle, but it’s temporary. He’ll be good as new as soon as Brea gets there.”

Isaac gave me a hug, lifting me off my feet and twirling me around. “You did it!”

“I did,” I replied with a smile, letting him hold me. “And I needed this.”

Chapter 29

Payment Due

Brea went home shortly after she and Josh returned. Isaac and I sealed the door before we cleaned up the meadowsweet. And, as he said he would, Caden stopped by exactly twelve hours from the last time I’d seen him. He only came into the house as far as the foyer.

“You haven’t undone the damage from eating their food,” he said with a frown.

His hand held my chin as he examined my eyes. Out of my peripheral vision, I could see Isaac’s fingers clenched in fists as he pretended it didn’t bother him that Caden stood so close to me. He couldn’t hide the hint of steel that was his jealousy, though.

“I feel better now that Reed’s gone,” I said. “And the longer he’s away, the stronger I’ll get.”

Caden released my chin. “It’s a temporary fix, until he returns.”

“He won’t,” I insisted. “We closed the door, and Isaac’s going to lock the Fae book away someplace safe.”

“Very well.” Caden opened the front door.

I grabbed his arm, ignoring Isaac, whose mouth had fallen open. “I thought you were going to collect on the debt I owe. Wasn’t that the point of the deadline?”

“I wanted you ready for when I need you.” Caden smiled. “If you’d like to continue our conversation, I haven’t eaten yet. I’d still love to hear how Emma screwed up so badly she ended up in the psych ward.”

Energy sizzled between Isaac’s fingertips. That story was not one to be told any time soon—and definitely not over dinner with another guy.

“You need to stop goading Isaac.” I let go of Caden’s arm.

He leaned in and whispered, “Where’s the fun in that?” With a wink, he left.

Kaylee came up next to me and watched Caden walk to his car. “After everything that’s happened today, it’s a good thing you don’t have to do a demon’s dirty work too.”

“He knows exactly what he’s going to have me do. He’s stalling.” I gave a fleeting glance to Isaac, now brooding on the couch. “I’d like to get whatever it is over with before they end up fighting again.”

One wonderfully uneventful week later, the school gym had been transformed into a winter wonderland for the dance. Bright blue spotlights helped set the mood. White and indigo balloon pillars had been erected next to the deejay’s table, glistening snowflakes hung from the ceiling, and fake snow dusted the floor and bleachers. The dance committee had really outdone themselves, and the packed room proved the students appreciated their efforts.

“You really do look amazing,” Isaac said for the sixth time. His gaze traveled from the tiny floral bobby pins in my hair, over my crimson silk dress, and down to my black heels. “The red lipstick is a nice touch.”

“Thanks.” I adjusted his black tie and kissed him. He wore a dark tailored suit and a deep red shirt. “You’re quite dashing yourself.”

“Why, thank you.”

An upbeat song ended, and a soft guitar solo drifted out of tall speakers. Several guys on the dance floor wrapped their arms around their dates’ waists, holding them close as they turned in slow circles. Small groups of students who’d gone stag made their way to the bleachers and refreshments.

Isaac tilted his head to the side. “Shall we dance?”

“I thought you didn’t know how.” When he flashed a smirk, I asked, “Did you do a little hocus-pocus”—I wiggled my fingers—“on your shoes?”

“There’s only one way to find out.” He held out his arm.

We joined Josh and Kaylee, Mark and Sarah, and several of our classmates on the dance floor. I had been right about the black dress Kaylee wore: Josh couldn’t keep his hands off her. Right now they were on her hips.

Isaac held me close, his breath warm against my cheek. His thumb gently rubbed the silk ribbon on the back of my dress as we swayed to a slow song. When it reached the last notes, he slid his hand to the small of my back, spun us once in a circle, and then lowered me gracefully into a dip.

“I’ll have you know, those moves were without the aid of witchcraft.” He pulled me up, the grin on his face telling me he was pleased with his dancing abilities. “My parents taught me the basics,” he confessed. “I can slow dance, do a simple box step, and am now awesome at the Chicken Dance.”

“Really?” I giggled, but I was honored that he’d spent the time to learn a few steps just to take me to a school dance. “I want to see you flap your arms and wiggle your butt.”

“You laugh, but if the deejay plays the song, I’m ready.”

“Oh! It’s so on!” I took a step toward the deejay. “I’m going to place a request.”

Isaac grabbed my arm, tugging me close to him and nuzzling my ear with his nose. “Or we could enjoy the slow songs he’s playing.”

“If you insist,” I said with an exaggerated sigh, but the truth was, I hated the Chicken Dance.

We kissed as we moved with the other people dancing. His lips lingered on mine just long enough to steal my breath away and raise my pulse.

“This is nice,” I commented, resting my head on his shoulder.

Sarah and Mark were to my right, and Josh and Kaylee weren’t far behind Isaac. I had just made a mental note to get a picture taken of the six of us when I felt a light tap on my arm. Caden stood to my left wearing a burgundy dress shirt and black pants under his coat. Isaac and I immediately stopped dancing.

“I need to borrow you for a little while,” Caden said over the music.

“Now? Are you serious?” I asked.

Isaac’s fingers laced through mine, sending a reassuring trickle of power through me that let me know he’d be happy to tell Caden to get lost.

“Contracts are tricky things,” Caden replied. “I can’t collect early, and if I collect too late, other demons will think I’ve gone weak. They’ll try to take over my territory.”

I held Isaac’s hand as if he were an anchor. “Caden, I didn’t spend an afternoon doing my hair and makeup to go on demon-duty.”

“I don’t think twelve more hours is going to hurt your reputation as an evil dick,” Isaac said to him.

“Says the do-gooder witch,” Caden shot back. He looked at me. “You’ll barely be gone thirty minutes.” When I didn’t move, he added, “The deal was no questions asked.”

“Well, I didn’t think you’d pick the most inconvenient time to collect,” I grumbled and turned to face Isaac. “I have to go.” Rising to my tiptoes, I kissed him, letting my lips remain on his longer than I normally did when I knew we were being watched. “I promise I’ll hurry.”

I followed Caden, checking over my shoulder before exiting the gym. Josh and Kaylee had joined Isaac at the edge of the dance floor.

I’ll be right back, I mouthed.

Caden led me to the parking lot. I wrapped my arms around my body in an attempt to block the frigid breeze, but it was no use.

“We’re driving?” I asked. I had expected him to snap his fingers or blink and we’d be transported to wherever it was we were going.

“It’s not far from here.” He shrugged out of his coat and held it up for me to put on. Too cold to argue, I slipped my arms through the sleeves. It smelled like a bonfire, but this time I didn’t ask why. Now that I knew what he was, I suspected he’d tell me he’d just come from hell.

He opened the passenger door for me.

“This trip better not ruin my dress,” I said as I slid into the seat.

It took me a couple minutes to work up the nerve to ask him what he expected me to do.

“Nothing that will taint your soul.” He turned right onto the main road.

We wove through a posh neighborhood and pulled into the driveway of a sprawling, dark brick two-story house. We got out, and I followed Caden through the back gates onto a large stone patio. We peered through a bay window into a gourmet kitchen. A woman in her early thirties sat at the table with two young children. From the looks of it, she was helping the girl with homework while the toddler alternated between coloring on a large sheet of paper and pushing his toy truck around the table. I glanced around. Past the patio furniture were an in-ground pool and a stainless steel outdoor kitchen.

“What? Did the husband sell his soul to be able to afford this place?”

“No. The father and daughter were in a bad car accident. The back passenger door took the brunt of the impact.” He looked at me. “The girl was in critical condition. The mother made the deal.”

My heart lodged in my throat. “Oh no!” I held a hand up. “I am not helping you take that woman away from her family.” I turned on my heels. “You’re on your own.”

“If you walk away, you’ll void your contract.”

I kept my eyes locked on the gate. It wasn’t fair that he asked this of me.

“Your brother will die, and the woman in that house will still pay her debt.” He stood behind me now and continued in a low voice. “She came to me, Madison. She knew the price.”

Turning to meet his gaze, I said, “You want me to help you take the soul of a woman who made the same deal I tried to make?”

“And had you been able to make it, I would have come for your soul when your years were up.”

I glanced back at the house. “How many did she get?”

“Five.”

“How old is her little girl?”

“Nine.” He moved a ringlet of hair from in front of my eyes. “You can think me a monster, but I don’t seek out souls. They come to me, and because of the deal she made, her daughter will grow up to be an adult.”

I stared at the family, biting my bottom lip. The little girl set her pencil down, a proud grin stamped across her face. The mom smiled back and pointed to the paper. I guessed she was telling her to do the next problem.

“Need I remind you, you promised your date you wouldn’t be long? Promised,” he said again, stressing the word. “Your brother doesn’t have to die, but that woman’s time is up if you keep our deal or not. Eventually, she will leave the house, and I will be there. If she resists too long, hell will sick the hounds on her. You’re sparing her that torment.”

“Don’t make it sound like I’m a hero.” I closed my eyes and rubbed my hands over my hips. “What do I have to do?”

Caden was beside me. I hoped he felt winter’s nip through his dress shirt. “She had a witch cast a spell on the house.”

Smart woman, but not smart enough.

“Sorry,” I said flippantly, “I didn’t squeeze my pocket-sized book on wards into this dress.”

He handed me a slip of paper. “I need you to cancel the protection keeping me out and to get rid of the devil’s shoestring above the patio doors and in those pots. It’s the plant with the wide leaves.” He pointed to the large terracotta planters flanking the entrance.

“It’s dead.”

“Doesn’t matter. It still keeps out evil, and as charming as I know you find me, I’m a demon and therefore in the evil category.”

I bit back my sarcastic comment.

“Need I remind you again what happens if you break our deal?”

I shook my head and swiped at a tear that rolled down my cheek. “You’re not going to stroll in there in front of her kids, are you?”

“No. I’ll drive you back to the dance, which—” he glanced at the time on his cell phone “—if you hurry, will be within thirty minutes, and then I’ll come back. She’ll tuck the little ones in bed. Her family will think she passed in her sleep.”

I glanced at the paper. “This sucks.”

“What were you expecting I’d need your help with?”

“I don’t know.” I had been trying not to think about it. “You have a crappy job.”

He shrugged. “Hell has worse.”

I watched the mother with her children a moment longer. My heart broke knowing the boy and girl would be growing up with only a dad and that this family would never know just how far the woman had gone to give her daughter a second chance.

“You still suck,” I said.

With the exception of the Latin words that Caden had to pronounce first, the counterspell was simple enough. Casting it put the bitter taste of copper in my mouth, but I couldn’t find any positive emotions to help me fuel my powers. With the protection ward removed, the devil’s shoestring was the last obstacle standing between Caden and the woman.

I held a trembling hand out, hating myself at that moment and sorry I had learned how to summon things. Had I still been working on mastering the spell, the mom inside the house would have had at least one more day with her children. I glanced at Caden. He gave a nod.

With a heavy heart, I said, “Devil’s shoestring.”

When the cold, dried plant touched my skin, I torched it in blue flames.

I couldn’t stand to look at the woman a moment longer. “Can we go now?” I turned away from the family inside the house.

We drove in silence back to school.

Before stepping out of his car, I said, “Make sure the father is there before you…you know. The kids are too young to be home alone.” I handed him back his coat.

“I will.”

I jogged up the walk, the soft click click click of my heels lost in the noise coming from the gym as soon as I opened the doors. Isaac spotted me first and hurried over. Kaylee and Josh joined us and huddled close.

Isaac took my hands in his and looked me up and down. “What did you have to do?”

“Remove the protection on a building,” I replied. I couldn’t bring myself to say I’d helped take a mother away from her family.

Isaac studied me a moment. “That’s it?”

“Yeah, I’m his personal locksmith.”

“That’s not bad, right?” Josh asked.

I shrugged.

Kaylee rubbed my arm. “Want to talk about it?”

Sarah rushed over, saving me from having to answer. A few blond locks had escaped her elegant ponytail. Her cheeks were flushed from dancing.

“Why are you guys hiding in a corner, frowning like this is a funeral?” she shouted over the pop song blaring through the gym.

“We were just taking a break,” Kaylee replied.

“Well, break’s over.” Sarah grabbed my and Kaylee’s wrists. “Mark refuses to dance to anything with a beat, so I need you guys.”

I glanced at Isaac, who raised his shoulders as if to say, What do you want me to do?

Sarah dragged Kaylee and me through the crowded floor to where a group of our friends danced. We were jostled by people shimmying to the music. The song was too fast to slow dance and too slow to fast dance. I slid my feet a few inches left then right and swung my arms, but I couldn’t find my rhythm. I tried smiling, hoping the simple gesture would lift my spirits.

“I’m going sit this next one out,” I yelled so Sarah and Kaylee could hear me.

“Me too,” Kaylee said loudly.

Sarah frowned but shouted okay.

I headed toward the bleachers where Isaac and Josh were talking, but Kaylee stopped me. “Ladies’ room.”

I nodded.

Kaylee didn’t go to the restrooms near the gym, though. Instead she led us to the benches outside the coaches’ office.

She sat. “Okay, spill. And don’t you dare say it’s nothing, because you haven’t been the same since you got back.”

Desperately needing to tell someone, I lowered myself onto the cold wooden seat next to her and told her what I’d done. She was quiet for what seemed like forever.

“Hell would have collected her soul with or without you, and if you removing the ward spared her having hell hounds rip her apart—” Kaylee shuddered “—then, in a way, you did help her.”

My shoulders slumped forward. “Tell that to her family.”

“Madison, you couldn’t have saved her even if you wanted to. You know that, right?”

“I couldn’t save her, and I couldn’t save Natalie.”

She rested a hand on my leg. “But you did save Chase, and you made it so Reed can’t steal anyone else away from their loved ones.”

“Caden saved Chase,” I said, fidgeting with my rings. “And Reed wouldn’t have been here in the first place if I’d listened to Isaac.”

“If I remember correctly, Isaac didn’t come right out and say just how dangerous the Fae can be.”

I twitched a shoulder.

Kaylee sighed. “Nothing I say is going to make you feel better, is it?” She glanced over her shoulder toward the doors to the parking lot and then back at me. “Want to get out of here? We’ll pick up some chocolate peanut butter ice cream and make it a girls’ night. Eat junk food and watch bad movies until we forget our problems.” She reached into her purse and pulled out a set of keys I recognized as Josh’s. “I’ll drive.”

Her offer was tempting, but I couldn’t let Kaylee cut her evening short because of me, and I couldn’t ditch Isaac like that. Nor could I steal Josh’s car for a second time.

“That wouldn’t be fair to you or the guys.” I took the keys from her and dropped them back into her purse, determined to perk up for her sake. “For the rest of the night, I’m going to focus on positive things like Reed being gone, me surviving Caden’s task—which will hopefully mean he’ll leave me alone for a while—and us having dates waiting to sweep us off our feet.”

Kaylee narrowed her eyes. “Are you sure? Under the circumstances, Josh and Isaac will understand.”

Since I wasn’t ready to tell them everything I’d just told Kaylee, I was positive they wouldn’t take being ditched at a dance all that well—particularly since they’d come only because Kaylee and I had wanted to go.

“Kaylee, let’s keep this between us.” I bit my bottom lip and hoped she wouldn’t ask why.

“Sure.”

I heaved out a breath as if expelling all my negative emotions. I’d already put my friends through a lot. Now the least I could do was not ruin their Saturday night too.

“From this moment forward, I’m going to forget about Caden and everything bad that has happened in the past few weeks and focus on the future.” At least until tomorrow. I forced the corners of my mouth to turn upward.

“Yeah, we’re going to have to work on that smile.” Kaylee paused thoughtfully. “Can you say Chicken Dance?” A devilish smirk etched across her face as she stood. “I bet the deejay has the song.”

“You wouldn’t!” I jumped up to follow her.

“Isaac’s not the only person I’d like to see flap their arms.” She stopped long enough to demonstrate.

I hurried to keep up with her quick stride. “You heard us earlier?”

“Oh yeah, and I was sorry he stopped you from requesting it.”

Figured she’d remember my aversion to making a fool of myself.

We found the guys right where we’d left them, and I grabbed Isaac’s hand. “Hurry because Kaylee’s threatening to request the Chicken Dance if we don’t start to enjoy ourselves.”

My talk with Kaylee did help lift some of the burden of what I’d done from my shoulders. One of my favorite songs came on too. I raised my arms over my head and let the music fill me, relaxing my tense nerves. Isaac shuffled his feet, sighing in what sounded like relief when the deejay announced the next song would be a slow one and the last song of the night.

When my smile faltered, Kaylee tucked her hands in her armpits, flapped her elbows, and said, “I bet with a bewilderment spell I could get the deejay to play one more song.”

I couldn’t help but burst into laughter when she moved her head back and forth in a pecking motion. Thankfully, I escaped the gym without having to imitate poultry.

After the dance, Isaac drove me home and walked with me to the front porch. I peeked in the side window before opening the door. No glow of light coming from the family room meant Dad was upstairs asleep.

“Do you want to come in?” I asked.

“Won’t your dad mind?” He peered over my shoulder.

“He’s already in bed.”

“Then I’d love to.” He swept me off my feet and used his powers to close the front door. I stifled a giggle as he carried me into the family room.

“He’s still right upstairs,” I whispered when Isaac playfully dropped me on the couch.

He lay half next to me and half over me, his arms keeping his weight from crushing me. “Shall I put him in an enchanted sleep? Buy us time?”

“Isaac!”

“I’m kidding.” He ran a line of kisses over my collarbone.

As much as I loved being able to be close to Isaac, I wasn’t in the mood to make out. Not after the night I’d had. I shifted so that I was cradled in his arms instead. He didn’t ask why, although I think he knew there was more to the events with Caden than I’d let on, and I was thankful he didn’t push for answers. I’d tell him the truth, maybe tomorrow. Maybe in a week. Or sometime after that.

Until then, as promised to Kaylee, I wanted to remain focused on the here and now and not the past. Held tight in Isaac’s embrace, I felt safe, like the rest of the world couldn’t reach me. I clung to that feeling, needing it to help me accept the things I couldn’t change.

And tomorrow, when Isaac was gone and I was alone with my thoughts, I’d remember the things I did change and the people I did save. And never again would I cast without fully understanding the consequences.

No, that’s not a promise. After all, I am human.

Chapter 30

Life Goes On

A week had passed since the dance. I still hated myself for removing the ward from that woman’s house, even though I knew I couldn’t have saved her. She had helped her daughter cheat death and gave her a second chance at life. I knew she wouldn’t regret her decision, and I’d be lying if I said I regretted making the deal I had to save Chase.

Natalie hadn’t contacted Lauren again. I wondered if Natalie even remembered the people she’d left behind anymore. When Lauren’s texts to her went unanswered, she surmised it was because Natalie had ditched her cell phone. Kaylee and I wondered how long it would take for her disappointment to turn to anger.

We could only imagine what Natalie’s parents were going through, so to ease some of their pain, we cast a bewilderment spell on them. We didn’t take away their memories or convince them they were fine—no one is fine after a loss like that—but we did give them a boost of mental strength to help them move through each day, using our powers to convince them that Natalie would want them to live their lives.

“Maddie! Help me!”

Chase stood on the bright red platform at the park with his arms stretched above his head.

I leaped off the swinging bridge, landing next to him. “But the lava will get me!” I replied with mock horror.

“You’ll be protected!”

It was too cold to be outside without gloves and mittens, but Chase had begged me to take him to the park. “One last game of Hot Lava. Please!” he’d said, his little hands pressed together as if in prayer and his big hazel eyes staring up at me.

No way could he hold on to the monkey bars while wearing mittens, so I held his legs tighter than I normally would and helped him swing to the other side.

“He’s got a lot of energy,” someone said from behind me.

I turned to find Caden, his one hand holding a lit cigarette and the other in the pocket of his pea coat.

“This is a park.” I gave a pointed look at the cigarette. “There are children playing.”

“Always the do-gooder.” He bent down and snuffed it out, then flicked it into a nearby trash can.

I hopped onto the platform before Chase could tell me I was being burned alive. Caden followed.

I looked at my brother. “Chase, why don’t you go steer the boat. I’ll be right there.” Once Chase was through the yellow tube-bridge, I looked at Caden. “What do you want?”

He leaned against one of the posts. “To see how you’re doing.”

“You know, you’re killing the whole heartless-demon image I’ve had all my life by pretending you care.”

“Who said I’m pretending?”

I pulled the sleeves of my ski jacket as far over my hands as they would go. I really didn’t need a demon looking out for me, yet I didn’t want to say something to upset him and make him my enemy.

When I didn’t say anything, Caden added, “I know what I asked of you was difficult.”

“It was.” I tucked my hair behind my ear. I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of upsetting me. “But I’m dealing.”

“I see.” He pulled the collar of his coat up. “By playing outside in this freezing weather?”

“Do you even feel the cold?”

“Not really, but I know you do.”

I pointed with my chin to where Chase sat crossed-legged pretending to steer us through the sea of lava. “I promised him we’d come one last time before it snowed.”

Caden followed my gaze. “He’s lucky to have you.”

“Any sister would have done the same thing.”

“Offer to give up their life for their bratty little brother’s?” He raised an eyebrow. “You’d be surprised at just how wrong you are.”

Maybe, but maybe not. “So will you be leaving? For now?”

I hoped he would. Seeing him made it that much harder to put the past behind me.

He stuffed both hands into his coat pockets. “Your father’s short an employee already with Reed disappearing and all. I figured I’d continue to work with him until the doctor’s office is finished. Two, three weeks tops. And I have my real work here.”

“You still have to keep an eye on Ben.”

“That and people are always finding my crossroad.”

“I don’t suppose you’d leave if I asked you to.”

He smiled and shook his head. “Hell would only send a replacement. Besides, it’s better to live near the demon you know.”

Unless the demon you know had set your boyfriend on fire and said boyfriend would like nothing more than to send said demon back to hell, but I didn’t say that out loud. Instead I said, “I’ve got to go,” and indicated with my shoulder to Chase.

“See you around,” Caden replied with a nod goodbye.

I half-waved and thought, God, I hope not. I knew I would, though. Eventually, he’d have another task for me. I swore I heard Caden stifle a chuckle as he walked away.

I crawled through the tube-bridge and joined my brother. “How’s the sea today?”

“It’s too windy for our ship.”

“It is?” It really wasn’t. Had it been blustery, we would have been at home drinking hot chocolate in front of a warm fire.

“Yeah, don’t you feel it?”

The breeze picked up, yanking my hood off. I looked at Chase in awe.

He smiled. “Told you!”

I put an arm around him, not commenting on the change in weather. If Chase had stirred the air, he didn’t realize it. But he would one day, and I still wasn’t sure how I’d handle a little brother with powers. For now, at least, I used mine to warm the air around us and peered into the horizon, glad we had a future to look forward to.

Acknowledgments

This is one of my favorite parts of publishing a novel, because I get to thank the people who I’ve been blessed to have in my life.

Vince, the person who hears most of my ramblings while I’m conjuring new stories yet never complains and often offers suggestions and guidance. Mom and Dad, whose belief in me never waivers. I couldn’t ask for better parents. Pam, whose advice and encouraging words are always appreciated and valued. Kyle, Cory, William, and Ethan, who may not know it but have contributed to many of my characters’ personality traits.

My readers, whose positive reviews and letters regarding Embrace encouraged me to write this sequel.

My phenomenal editor, Colleen Keough Wagner. This novel definitely wouldn’t be what it is without her vision, deep understanding of the characters, and keen eye for detail. She truly is amazing, and I’m honored to have been able to work with her on a second novel. My publicist, Traci Olsen, who managed to remain calm even when I wasn’t. I’m sure there were times I drove her crazy, but she never admitted it. Grateful thanks to Omnific Publishing and the entire HT Team.

Kym Brunner, Katie Sparks, Pippa Bayliss, and Veronica Rundell—my critique partners and good friends who have helped me through the different stages of writing the sequel. My SCBWI critique groups, whose comments on the earlier drafts were invaluable. I’m lucky to be surrounded by so many talented writers.

Special thanks to C.J. Cantilena, winner in the Vote to Win contest, and runner-ups Alexis Peplow and Dave Martinez for helping to name one of the new characters in Hold Tight. Their suggestions were selected out of the numerous entries, and then readers voted for their favorite. Thanks to everyone who participated in the event. You made it a lot of fun!

About the Author

Cherie believes there’s a little magic in everyone. She also believes in following her dreams and never giving up. Her books are proof of that.

Besides writing, Cherie enjoys spending time with family and friends, reading, the great outdoors, and she loves a challenge. While she has had many great experiences, what she finds most satisfying is seeing her children and stories grow into their own exciting and distinct entities.

Cherie lives in Illinois with her family. This is her second book for young adults. To learn more about Cherie and her novels, visit CherieColyer.com.

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Content

Hold Tight
The Embrace Series 2
by
Cherie Colyer

Chapter 1 Careful What You Wish For

Chapter 2 Impossible Kiss

Chapter 3 Playing with Magic

Chapter 4 Not Alone

Chapter 5 Delectable Treats

Chapter 6 Bonfire

Chapter 7 Missing

Chapter 8 Visited by a Princess

Chapter 9 Optimistic

Chapter 10 The Inquisition

Chapter 11 Kill Me Now

Chapter 12 Magic Lesson

Chapter 13 The Prince of Faeries

Chapter 14 Faerie-Proofing

Chapter 15 The Test

Chapter 16 Intruder

Chapter 17 Tethered

Chapter 18 The Plan

Chapter 19 Crash

Chapter 20 On Death’s Bed

Chapter 21 The Deal

Chapter 22 Miracles

Chapter 23 Confessions

Chapter 24 Jonesing

Chapter 25 Operation Detox

Chapter 26 Ultimatum

Chapter 27 Last Chance

Chapter 28 Plan B

Chapter 29 Payment Due

Chapter 30 Life Goes On

Acknowledgments

About the Author

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