Charmed

by Jessica Sorensen

  He chuckles. “Okay.”

  Shaking my head, I start to look back at the book. But my phone dings, distracting me.

  I dig it out of my pocket, then blow out a relieved breath. “Well, I might have some good news.”

  His gaze skates to me “Really?”

  I nod, swiping my finger across the screen. "While we were out of signal, I got a message from Thad."

  “Put it on speaker,” Jax tells me as I push play.

  I do what he says and place the phone on the console. Moments later, Thad’s voice flows from the speaker.

  “Hey, Alana. Just returning your call.” He gives a brief pause. “Look, all I can say about this thing with Dash is that you don’t need to worry about him. He’s okay.”

  "Thank Gods," Jax mumbles, releasing a loud exhale.

  “He wants to meet up with you and Jax as soon as he can so he can explain some things, but he needs to lay low for a while,” Thad continues. "I'll be in touch with you for him. Until then, you need to be careful. Stay clear of the academy, Vivianne, and Jax’s and Dash’s father. Dash says they can’t be trusted, no matter what you think.”

  The line clicks as the message ends.

  I pick up my phone and put it into my pocket, trying to measure up Jax’s reaction.

  He grips the steering wheel. “Why would Dash not want me to get in touch with my father? I know he doesn’t like him, but still…” Moonlight flickers in his eyes as we cross over into the human world again, the purple sky shifting to a starry midnight blue.

  “Maybe he knows something you don’t,” I suggest with caution. “I mean, clearly, he knows stuff about Vivianne.”

  “Yeah, but what exactly does he know about Vivianne?” His forehead crinkles in deep thought. Then his brow furrows as his phone rings. He reaches into his pocket and fishes it out.

  Worry stirs inside me as I see father flash across the screen.

  “Are you going to answer it?” I ask. If he does, I just might decide to try and run.

  He hesitates before returning his phone to his pocket.

  Silence skips by, and I let out a slow breath.

  “That doesn’t mean I don’t trust my father,” Jax says. “I’m just being careful… With the leader of the Electi possibly being a shapeshifter and all these creatures allying together, I just… I’m just being cautious.” He says the latter more to himself.

  “Cautious is good,” I assure him.

  He shrugs, growing quiet as he fixes his attention on the road.

  And I focus on the Scrawl of Secrets, opening it all the way. “Why do you think the princess said I wasn’t a creature?” I turn to the first page, but it’s blank. “And why do you think she said she couldn’t keep me because you’re bonded to me.”

  “She was probably worried I’d shift is she tried to keep you. And then she’d have a werewolf running around in her town.” He scratches at his forehead, tearing his gaze off the road, and looking at me. “As for the other part, I’m not sure. But the answer should be in that.” He nods at the Scrawl of Secrets.

  “Hopefully.” I turn to the next page, but it's blank too. I frown, fanning through the pages, which are all blank. I'm about to say something when a piece of paper falls out of it. “What’s this?” I pick it up and unfold it. Words are scribbled across it. “It’s a letter to you from Ollie.”

  Jax doesn’t seem that surprised. “What’s it say?”

  “Jax,” I start to read. “If you’re reading this, then it means you got the Scrawl of Secrets from the princess. You should know that she stole it from me after torturing me for hours. I didn't tell her anything, but she did have a foreseer dive into my mind, and she discovered why I was looking for the book. She also found a way to block my powers. I’m not sure how, though. She also knew about Alana before she captured me, so please be careful. Word is getting around about her, which means you're both in a lot of danger. You need to lay low for a while. I know you'll probably want to come looking for me after you read this note, but please don't. I'm headed back into Hushing Forest. I can’t tell you why just yet, but it’s for a good reason. But I am okay for now. When I can, I’ll be in touch. Ollie.”

  As soon as I finish reading the note, it lights on fire and withers into ash.

  “He spelled the note,” I state the obvious. “So at least we know we’re the only ones who read it.”

  “I assumed as much.” Jax scratches at his brow. “But why would he go back into the forest after he got the Scrawl of Secrets? Unless the princess made him. But again, why?”

  "I'm not sure, but didn't it sound like he already had read through this book when he wrote the note and figured out what I am?"

  “Yeah, it did.” Jax glances at the book. “Maybe he went into the forest to protect what he discovered about you. I mean, I know the princess made it sound like he was doing something for her, but pixie’s lie, so…”

  “Yeah, I know. But why would he risk the dangers of the forest again just because he found out what I am? I mean, what’s so important about me that needs to be kept a secret so badly?” Right as I say it, the pages of the book magically start to flip.

  “It’s charmed with magic,” Jax explains as I gape at the book. "You asked the question, and now it's going to show you the answer.”

  “Just like that?”

  “Pretty much.”

  My pulse quickens as the pages slow to a stop, and ink magically appears on it.

  This is it.

  This is my answer.

  Of course, once I read the answer, part of me wishes I could go back to not knowing.

  "What does it say?" Jax asks after a beat of silence goes by.

  I swallow hard, my throat feeling very dry. “It says I used to be a guardian, but that changed. Now I’m…” I can barely breathe as I silently finish reading the rest of what the book is showing me.

  Once I’m done, I slam the book shut, wanting to throw it out the damn window.

  “What is it?” he asks with concern. When I make no effort to answer, he stops the car. Then he unbuckles his seatbelt, cups my cheeks, and forces me to look at him. “Tell me. I need to know.”

  I shake my head, fighting back the urge to scream. “It says I’m… That I’m a little bit of all the creatures that are linked to death. That I am death. That I’m not quite a creature because I’m not just a creature. I multiple ones… That I was created to become a weapon.”

  I can’t believe this.

  This isn’t real.

  This can’t be happening.

  Jax visibly pales. “Did it say who created you or why?”

  I shake my head. “No, but…” I can’t get the words to pass across my lips, but I can tell by Jax’s expression that he’s thinking the same thing as me.

  That creating creatures are a specialty of one particular group.

  “Jax, do you think that somehow the… Electi created me?” I finally push the words from my lips.

  I want nothing more than for him to say no.

  To lie to me.

  But the healing wounds on our palms remind me that he can’t.

  “Maybe,” he answers quietly.

  It feels like every ounce of oxygen is ripped from my lungs. “But how?” I choke out. “Wouldn’t I be able to remember something like that happening?”

  He gives a very reluctant pause. “Memories can be tampered with.”

  “I know, but…” I growl in frustration and toss the book onto the backseat. “My parents would’ve told me if something like that happened to me.” I know they would have.

  He grows hesitant again. "Maybe they didn't know about it. I mean, I didn't know Pinkie possessed me until after it happened. And even now, I can't remember any of it.”

  True, but still… “The book could be lying.” I’m starting to panic. “Maybe the pixie princess did something to it. I mean, she said it was a copy of the Scrawl of Secrets, so maybe it doesn’t work right.”

  Pity fills in his eyes. �
�Maybe.” But I can tell he doesn’t think I’m right.

  And honestly, deep down, I don't think I am either. From what I’ve experienced from my powers, from what I’ve seen in visions, everything connected to this new me is centered around death.

  “But death really isn’t a creature,” I point out. “So if the book is right, what does that make me exactly? Or am I just nothing.”

  Jax shakes his head. “Alana, you’re still you.”

  “No, I’m not. This… I can’t.”

  “Hey.” He cups my face again. “I know you’re freaking out, but everything’s going to be okay. Will figure this out.”

  “And how are we gonna do that?” I question. “That book was supposed to be our answer.”

  “Well, it kind of was,” he says. “Or at least it’s the starting point that leads to an answer.”

  “Yeah, I guess so,” I mutter.

  He offers me a sympathetic look before tucking a strand of my hair behind my ear. I should chew his butt out for the move, but my mind is racing so swiftly I can barely process anything.

  This can’t be happening. I’m Alana Avery, a guardian and that’s it. I wasn’t some experiment for the Electi. If I were, I'd know. If I were, I wouldn't be walking around in the world. I'd be their prisoner.

  “So where is it leading us to now?” I ask as Jax drives forward and pulls out onto the highway.

  “I think we should talk to your parents.” He casts me a sidelong glance. “And see what they know. But I don’t think it’s safe to talk over the phone.”

  He’s right. My phone has been bugged before. By Vivianne.

  I nod, sinking into silence, fearing the end of the path we’re headed down. Fearing my future. Fearing myself.

  “Are you afraid of me?” I abruptly sputter. “I mean, the book says I was created by creatures linked to death.”

  Jax turns his head toward me, and I hold my breath as I wait for the truth to come out, knowing he has to be honest with me.

  "No, I'm not," he says, and my heart rate settles the slightest bit. "I know we don't know much about what's going on, but I do know that you’re not dangerous. I've seen way too much goodness in you."

  I smile, but it’s a bit forced. While I can be a good person sometimes, I’ve also seen myself do some terrible things. Like in the vision of the future where I painted the world in blood.

  Painted it in death.

  But I keep all those thoughts to myself for now and try to focus on doing something simple, focus on taking my next breath.

  And that’s the best thing you can do for right now. My grandpa’s voice suddenly fills my head.

  I straighten in the seat. “Grandpa?” I don’t mean to say it aloud. The words just sort of slip out.

  Jax’s gaze snaps in my direction. “What?”

  “I can hear him in my head again,” I tell Jax then wait to hear from my grandpa again.

  “I don’t have much time before I fade again,” he says. “So I need to make this quick. Death is coming, Alana. I've seen it with my own eyes. It'll start with you, and it'll end with you. But you can control the outcome. You can control death. It's why you can still talk to me, why you can see the death of others. Your abilities may seem like a curse, but they don’t have to be.”

  “How?” I beg for an answer.

  “The dagger. The answer is in the dagger. The dagger is what will either destroy you or save you. You just need to be ready.” His voice starts to fade. “I’m so sorry for what you’re about to learn.”

  “No, don’t go yet,” I beg, tears burning in my eyes. “Please.”

  But only silence fills my head.

  “What did he say?” Jax asks as he shifts gears.

  I blink the tears back, my heart aching in my chest. “He said the answers are in the dagger.”

  “The Dagger of Conspectu?” he asks and I nod. “You know where that is, right?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Okay, where is it?”

  “Just keep heading to my parent’s place.”

  “Okay.” He speeds up, flying down the road, and silence stretches between us again.

  My mind begins to flood with questions. Questions that I fear the answers to. I mean, I knew I was a rare creature, but this… Maybe being created by the Electi…

  I don’t know if I can handle this.

  “Everything’s going to be okay,” Jax abruptly says.

  I glance at him. “You can honestly say that after everything we’ve learned?”

  He nods then reaches over and squeezes my hand. Normally, I'd yank my hand away and give him a big lecture on touching me, especially while he’s bonded to me, but considering what happened…. How alone I feel right now…

  I hold onto his hand for dear life, crossing my fingers that what waits for me at the end of all of this isn't death.

  That I’m not death.

  That something good will come out of this.

  Right as I think it, my phone pings with an incoming message.

  When I read the message, I perk up a bit.

  Jayse: I found the sprite that bit you. Meet me at the Steel Iron Veil.

  “Jayse got the sprite that can cure me,” I announce, breathing in relief.

  Finally, a bit of good news.

  “Really?” Jax appears a bit surprised.

  I nod. “Yeah. He said to meet him at The Steel Iron Veil. Do you know where that is?”

  He frowns. “Yeah. It’s in vampire territory.”

  “Really?” I reread the message. “Why would he ask me to meet him there?”

  “Maybe it’s a trap,” he mumbles, cracking his window and letting in the cool night breeze.

  I shake my head. “Jayse wouldn’t set me up.”

  He gives me a pressing look. “He might not, but the vampire in him might.”

  I glare at him. “No, Jayse would never do that to me.”

  But after everything that’s happened, a bit of doubt weighs in my mind.

  “I’m gonna text him back and see if I can get some more info,” I tell Jax.

  “Just be careful about what you say,” Jax stresses. “Don’t give out our location.”

  I give him a salute and send Jayse a reply, latching onto the distraction.

  Me: Why do you want me to meet you there? Isn’t that in vampire territory?

  It takes him a moment to reply.

  Jayse: Yeah… Look, Alana. Something’s happened…

  The message ends there.

  So weird.

  Me: What’s going on?

  Me: Jayse?

  Me: Why won’t you answer me?

  After a couple of minutes tick by, I give up, fear pulsating through me.

  “We need to go there,” I inform Jax, putting my phone away. “I think Jayse is in trouble.”

  Jax shakes his head. “It’s way too dangerous for you to be in vampire territory right now.”

  “I don’t care about that.” I cross my arms. “Jayse is my best friend, and if he needs my help, I’m going.”

  Deep down, I know it’ll take more than a little speech to persuade Jax to do this. Well, at least with the old Jax it would. But the new one seems to listen to me more.

  “We’ll go there,” he finally says with heavy reluctance, making me wonder if this bond he has with me is forcing him to obey me. “But we need to be careful about it, okay? And we need to have a plan.”

  I nod, in total agreement with Jax. I just hope I’m wrong. That Jayse is okay. But a strange sensation is forming in the pit of my stomach, a sense of death stirring inside me… It has me worried.

  But I swallow hard, telling the sensation to shut the hell up. That death isn’t going to appear now. And for the moment, the feeling goes quiet. But who the hell knows how long that’ll last.

  Who the hell knows how long I can keep death quiet.

  About the Author

  Jessica Sorensen is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who lives in the snowy mountains of
Wyoming. When she’s not writing, she spends her time reading and hanging out with her family.

  Also by Jessica Sorensen

  Guardian Academy Series:

  Entranced

  Entangled

  Enchanted

  The Forest of Shadow & Bones

  Entice

  Charmed

  Untitled (coming soon)

  * * *

  Sunnyvale Series:

  The Year I Became Isabella Anders

  The Year of Falling in Love

  The Year of Second Chances

  The Year of Kai and Isa

  Untitled (coming soon)

  * * *

  Enchanted Chaos Series:

  Enchanted Chaos

  Shimmering Chaos

  Iridescent Chaos

  Untitled (coming soon)

  * * *

  Monster Academy for the Magical:

  Monster Academy for the Magical

  Untitled (coming soon)

  * * *

  Capturing Magic:

  Chasing Wishes

  Chasing Magic

  Untitled (coming soon)

  * * *

  Chasing the Harlyton Sisters Series:

  Chasing Hadley

  Falling for Hadley

  Holding onto Hadley

  Untitled (coming soon)

  * * *

  Cursed Hadley:

  Cursed Hadley

  Enchanting Hadley (coming soon)

  * * *

  Tangled Realms:

  Forever Violet: Everlasting Moonlight