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She shook her head. “I don’t think it’s just a scar. Something’s wrong. I saw Sam’s dad heal you. You shouldn’t be feeling any more pain.” She stood. “I have to try to find Ash. He’ll know what to do.”

  I grabbed her arm. “No!”

  “Kendall—”

  “No, Misty. He already has so much on his mind. I don’t want him to worry about me any more than he usually does.”

  “He won’t. It would make me feel better if he knew. He might know what to do.”

  “He’ll freak out.”

  “No he won’t.”

  I stared at her. “You know he will.”

  Her shoulders sagged, defeated. “I know. I just don’t want something to be wrong with you.”

  “I’ll be fine. If it happens again, I’ll tell him. Fair enough?”

  She nodded, but still looked concerned.

  “Let’s go do something. I need to take my mind off things.” I grabbed the bag of chips and Misty followed me up to my room.

  I didn’t want to think about my side anymore. It scared me more than Misty knew. A huge part of me wanted her to find Ash and tell him everything that had happened, but I couldn’t ask her do that. Not yet. I missed him and hoped he was okay.

  Chapter 9

  Ash

  My head hurt. I knew that much. And my shoulder. I groaned and tried to move, but my wrists and ankles were tied with something.

  What the heck happened? One second we were in the forest and now we were in some…cave? It was dark enough to be a cave. The wall I was leaning against was hard. And it smelled like rocks. Or dirt I guess. The musty, old dirt smell you’d breathe in on a hike or something. Not that I hiked that often.

  I shifted and closed my eyes as pain shot through my shoulder. Awesome. I was injured, not to mention starving and cold. I had no idea where I was, but I could hear someone snoring next to me. And since I’d lived with him for three years, I knew it was Sam.

  “Sam?”

  A snort, some rustling and more snoring.

  “Sam, wake up.”

  He groaned and kicked me in the shin.

  “Ouch!” I kicked him back the best I could, seeing as how my ankles were tied together.

  He coughed and I think he rolled over. “Ash?”

  “Yes, it’s me.”

  “Where are we?”

  I squinted in the dark and saw him leaning against the wall next to me. “I don’t know, but I’m pretty sure we’re in trouble.”

  “You think? Did you see that guy go all crazy with the smoke? I’m ninety-nine percent sure he was a djinn.”

  “I’m positive he was. He’s my…father.” I didn’t want to admit it. I never planned on admitting it. Ever. But it was the truth.

  He whistled. “Dude. That sucks.”

  “Tell me about it.”

  “When you said your old man was a djinn, I expected him to be blue and see-through with a golden magic lamp. Like a Disney movie or something.”

  Right. Although I’d take that over a real djinn any day. “Smoky, dark and crap your pants scary is more like it. Best family reunion ever.” I looked around, attempting to ignore my shoulder.

  “Sounds like a party.”

  “Maybe we can teleport out of here,” I said. I concentrated on Kendall, but couldn’t see anything. Only darkness. “I think the ropes are cursed. I’ve never had a problem teleporting before.” My fairy magic should have worked, but when I tried to use it, it felt like it evaporated into nothing before it reached the rope. Maybe if I could somehow start a fire…

  “Great. More awesome news.” He shifted and let out a groan. “Can I just tell you how bad my shoulders are killing me right now? Stupid banshee.”

  “I know. She was brutal.” I muttered a small spell and sparks flew out of my fingertips and hit the cave wall. A few ashes fell on my bare arms. “Well, that didn’t work.” I brought my wrists to my lips and attempted to bite the restraints. My teeth went right through it. “What the…?” It felt like rope, but smelled like smoke.

  Sam snapped his fingers and a small light shimmered in front of us. “See how awesome I am? I did that with my hands tied.”

  “Yes, you’re amazing,” I said, not in the mood for joking around. “Why don’t you use your magic to get us out of here?”

  His eyes widened as he got a good look at me. “Wow. You look like crap.”

  “You don’t look much better,” I said. My shoulder was killing me. And having my hands tied in front of me wasn’t helping the pain. I lifted my hands toward my face and frowned. The restraints were made of smoke. No wonder I couldn’t bite through them or light them on fire. There was nothing solid about them. It was weird though. They felt solid and heavy.

  “It smells like camping. And I have this funny feeling that I’m going to be the one roasting over the fire instead of a marshmallow.”

  “Djinn’s aren’t cannibals, Sam. Don’t be an idiot.”

  “Just trying to keep the mood light. Even though we’re pretty much screwed.” He shrugged and squeezed his eyes shut like he was in pain. His shoulders looked pretty bad. They were still bleeding. Not as bad as before, but there was still fresh blood on his clothes where Gizelle had attacked him.

  “No need to joke around. We’re not going to die. We’re going to be fine.”

  “Sure we are. Because everyone knows exactly where we are and they’re coming to save us.”

  I ignored him and attempted to plan an escape. With my injured shoulder, I wasn’t sure I could do much. And why was my father or whoever he was just letting us sit here?

  An idea popped into my head. A stupid one, but at least it was something. “Scoot over here,” I said.

  Sam raised an eyebrow, but maneuvered himself over until he was right next to me. “What’s the plan?”

  “If we can stand up, maybe we can hop out of here.”

  “Seriously? Is that the only plan? I’m not a freaking bunny.”

  “Would you like me to turn you into one?”

  “Now that would be ridiculous.”

  “Focus, Sam. I’m trying to get us out of here.” I turned my body so our backs were against each other. My feet and hands were bound so tight I’d have to use him for leverage to stand. “Okay. On the count of three, stand up with me.”

  He sighed. “Okay.”

  “One, two, three.” We stood, slow and steady. My shoulder screamed in pain as it pressed against Sam’s and I hoped I wouldn’t pass out or something.

  Once we were on our feet, Sam wobbled. “Sorry. I think my body is protesting the blood loss right about now. Maybe we should hurry.”

  “Just stay awake,” I said. I wanted to run out of the cave, but there was no way we could do it with our ankles still bound. I stood there, thinking of ways to get rid of the smoke, when it hit me.

  My stupid djinn gift was wind. Even though I couldn’t teleport, maybe, just maybe, my djinn magic would work against my father’s.

  Sam leaned against me and I sucked in a breath as his bony back pressed harder into my shoulder.

  “Hold on, Sam. Let me get you out of this.” I focused on the wind. Just a little bit. I smiled as I felt a cool breeze flow through the cave and snake around my body. “Yes,” I whispered. I guided it toward my wrists, letting the wind blow between the smoke and my skin.

  “Ash?”

  “Just hold on,” I said.

  The wind blew stronger. It pulled against the smoke, tearing it away from my ankles and wrists. I nearly fell over from the force of it, and had to lean against the wall to keep my balance.

  In seconds it was over and the smoke disappeared, freeing us.

  “Holy crap, Ash. That was wicked.”

  “Being half djinn can be a good thing. Sometimes.” I glanced around and saw a tiny pin prick of light down the tunnel. “Let’s get out of here.”

  I started toward the light and heard Sam cry out behind me. He tripped and hit the rocky floor with a crunch. I ran over to him and wrapped his arm a
round my good shoulder. “I swear to you, if you keel over or something, I’ll bring you back and kill you myself. You’re not leaving me out here alone.”

  “Wasn’t planning on it,” he said. His breathing was shallow. I wondered if Gizelle’s claws really did have poison in them.

  We hobbled down the tunnel until we reached the mouth of the cave. And to my surprise, someone waited for us.

  “Hello, Ash. Nice to see you again.”

  My eyes widened as Shenelle, the ex-head fairy godmother from the Academy of Magical Beings leaned against the edge of the cave. Her hair was darker. Black from what I could tell. Not her usual colorful choices like pink or purple. Her face looked different as well. Older.

  I glared at Shenelle and felt my magic flare at my fingertips. The last time I’d seen her was at the Academy. She’d told me Dax was my brother and I had a djinn for a father. Best. Day. Ever. Not to mention she hit my mentor, Logan, with the Sleeping Death spell when she was aiming for me. I still couldn’t forgive myself for that.

  “I’m impressed how easily you got out of your bindings. You’re so much like your father. It’s amazing, really.” She smiled. “So resourceful. And powerful.”

  “Get out of my way.”

  “What he said,” Sam muttered.

  She looked at Sam and smiled. “I don’t think Mr. Ellwater is going anywhere. He looks like he’s in pretty bad shape at the moment.”

  “I need to get him to a healer.”

  “I can heal him,” she said.

  Like she’d do something nice for us. “You won’t.”

  She chuckled. “Probably not. I’ve never cared much for Sam and I don’t need him anyway. I can, however, heal your shoulder. Does it hurt much? I can see the pain in your eyes. It’s amazing you’re even holding Sam up. I’m sure it’s almost unbearable.”

  I tried to ignore the pain, but the second she talked about my shoulder, it throbbed worse than before. My jaw clenched as I glared at her. I could handle pain if it meant saving my friend. “I don’t need anything from you.”

  “Oh, I really think you do. You’re starting to lose control of your magic, aren’t you Ash? It feels good to have so much power doesn’t it? Linkin and I can teach you how to control it. I told you you’d seek us out.”

  Linkin? Who was Linkin? “Thanks, but no thanks. I can figure it out on my own. And I didn’t seek you out. I’m looking for someone else.”

  “And who would you be looking for around here?”

  “Dax. You wouldn’t happen to know where he is, would you? I know him and my father are pals.”

  Her gaze sharpened and she frowned. “Why would you be looking for Dax? Any particular reason?”

  “Oh, I have a very good reason. He tried to kill my girlfriend.”

  “What are you planning on doing to him when you find him?”

  “That’s none of your business.”

  “Oh, it is, Ash Summerland. I know everything that goes on around here. Especially things that involve him.”

  I was getting tired of the conversation. I didn’t owe her anything. And why did she suddenly care about Dax so much? “This has been fun and all, and it’s been…awesome seeing you again, but it’s time for us to go.”

  “You think you can just walk out of here?”

  I stared her down and flexed my fingers, feeling the magic pulse through my veins, waiting to be released. “You know how powerful I am, Shenelle, since you’re the one who reminded me all the time at the Academy. Would you like me to show you again? I remember tying you to a chair the last time we were together.”

  “Which I escaped in seconds.”

  “Why don’t I show you what I can do now? Or are you afraid of me still?” I knew I was pushing her, probably too much, but I couldn’t help it. I was still so angry about her betrayal and what she did to Logan.

  She pulled her wand from thin air and instead of pointing it at me, she pointed it at Sam. “Try me.”

  My heart raced. If she hurt Sam, it would be my fault. I couldn’t let that happen. Just when I was about to push him out of the way, someone else spoke.

  “Shenelle, that’s enough. We don’t want to threaten them. Yet. We just want to talk.”

  I frowned as my father stepped into the cave. A trail of smoke flitted out behind him, and I could have sworn I saw someone or something standing in its midst.

  “Hello, Ash. I’m Linkin. I’ve wanted to meet you for quite some time. Shenelle has told me a lot about you. Most of it good, some of it…well, what can you expect from a djinn, right?”

  “Half. Half djinn,” I corrected.

  He smiled. “Yes. Of course.” He searched me over. “I’m sure you know by now that I’m your—”

  “Let us go,” I said. I didn’t want to hear him say the word “father.” My body shook and it took all of my strength to hold my magic in.

  He frowned. “Not the greeting I was hoping for. We have a lot to catch up on, son.”

  “Don’t call me that. I’m not your son. And we aren’t catching up on anything.” I raised my hand, my shoulder still throbbing and shot a streak of light toward his chest. He rolled his eyes and raised a hand to deflect it.

  “I really don’t want to hurt you, Ash. I just want to talk. Maybe get to know each other a little better.”

  “No thanks.” I looked at my hand and wondered how he deflected my magic so easy. How was he so powerful?

  He sighed. “Look. I understand how you feel. The father you never knew all of a sudden showing up and wanting to be a part of your life. I get it. But we could learn so much from each other. If you would just give me a chance.”

  I chuckled. “You’re a djinn. You crave power. You don’t care about getting to know me. I can see it in your eyes.”

  He frowned, the gold in his eyes glowing. “I underestimated you, as Shenelle did months ago.” He twirled a cloud of smoke around his finger. “I can see that we aren’t going to get that father/son chat after all, so this is what I’ll do instead. All I want is the necklace. If you give me the necklace, I’ll leave you alone. I swear it.”

  The necklace. That’s what this was about? I wonder what my mother did to the necklace to make it so valuable. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  He arched an eyebrow and a wicked smile appeared on his lips. “Oh, come now, Ash. The one you’ve had since childhood. The same necklace your human friend wears around her pretty neck.”

  I stiffened. He’d obviously seen Kendall. Maybe he was the one who sent Dax to kill her. “You leave her out of this. She has nothing to do with us.”

  “Oh, Kendall. The girl of his dreams,” Shenelle said in a high annoying voice. She laughed and rolled her eyes. “Pathetic what love can do to a person isn’t it?”

  He glanced at Shenelle and back at me. “Yes. Her. I need that necklace.”

  “I don’t think so. Not unless you tell me why it’s so important.”

  His golden eyes glowed as he frowned. “It belongs to me.”

  “No. It doesn’t. And neither do I.” I pulled Sam to the edge of the cave, focused on Kendall’s face and willed myself to her. The last thing I saw before Sam passed out on me was Linkin reaching for us as we disappeared.

  Chapter 10

  Kendall

  A crash sounded upstairs making Misty and I jump.

  “What was that?” I asked, getting to my feet. No one else was home, so it was either someone breaking into my room, or…

  What else would it be? Maybe it was Ash? I started toward the stairs.

  “Wait.” Misty grabbed my arm and pulled me to a stop. “It could be Shenelle. Or Dax, even.” Misty grimaced. “Let me check it out first. Ash would kill me if something happened to you.”

  “But what about you?”

  “I have magic on my side. I can at least defend myself. You can’t.” She pushed past me and went up the stairs, one at a time. Her hands were up like a shield in front of her face.

  “Be c
areful.”

  She nodded and disappeared at the top of the stairs. I held my breath as a door to my room creaked open. Misty let out a shriek, making my blood run cold. “Ash? What happened?”

  Ash was back? I took the stairs two at a time and rounded the corner to my room, shocked at the scene before me.

  Ash and Sam were in a heap on the floor. They looked exhausted. Not to mention filthy. Sam was bleeding and unconscious. Ash smiled when he saw me, but pain was evident on his face. He clutched his shoulder and winced when I wrapped my arms around him.

  “Ash, what…?”

  “I’m fine,” he said. “Nothing I can’t handle.” He smiled, though I could tell it was forced.

  “You’re hurt.”

  “Just a scratch.”

  I was pretty sure it wasn’t just a scratch, since he couldn’t hide the pain in his eyes. “Stop being an idiot and tell me what happened.”

  He sighed. “My shoulder is either dislocated or broken. I’m fine though. I’m more worried about Sam right now.” He looked at Misty. “We need to get him to his dad. I’m pretty sure he’s been poisoned.”

  “What?” I asked. “How?”

  “We…uh…sort of got attacked by a banshee.”

  My jaw dropped. A banshee? There were banshees too? The thought sounded ridiculous. Although, I was dating a fairy, so I guess it wasn’t that ridiculous. I glanced at Misty, not surprised to see tears streaming down her face. She still cared about Sam. A lot. Even if she denied it.

  Sam opened his eyes then and smiled at Misty. “Your hair’s different.” He twisted a strand of her dark hair around his finger. “You smell like pancakes.”

  Misty looked frazzled for a second before looking back to Ash. “Pancakes?”

  Ash shrugged and closed his eyes as if it hurt him.

  Sam glanced around the room. “Wow. Lots of pink in here. Are we in the fairy court?”

  “I think he’s delirious,” Misty said. “What do you need me to do?”

  Ash stood. “I can’t teleport him and myself again. I need your help.”

  Misty nodded and she and Ash got Sam to his feet. Sam groaned and then chuckled to himself, leaning onto Ash for support. “Guess what, guys? Ash banished a banshee. Ha! Get it? Banished? A banshee?”