I opened my mouth to tell her ‘ditto’, but she disappeared through a portal before I had the chance.
“What the—”
Aidan’s laughter cut me off. “I pity the boy she sinks her claws into. That one’s as resourceful as she is cunning.”
“Where did she go?” Rhys asked, sounding every bit as dumbfounded as I felt.
“I’m betting that the magic that escaped when Hagan died powered up the talisman she returned from Faerie with. The one that launched us into the back seat of your SUV.”
“The SUV that’s currently in the parking lot of that sketchy-ass motel,” I pointed out. “Pretty sure that’s a long walk from here…”
At my random observation, Maddy began to laugh—like really laugh. And even though it bordered on hysterical at times, it never quite went there.
But damn, was it infectious.
I soon found my shoulders bouncing with the release I needed, and the boys weren’t far behind. Even the mini-wolf joined in.
“We should really get out of here,” Maddy said, trying hard to get it together.
“Where to?” Rhys asked.
Maddy looked at me, and I let out a breath. “I don’t want to go home—I’m not ready to deal with all of that yet.” I managed to hold back the swell of emotions inside. I hadn’t really grieved my father’s death yet, and I was way too exhausted to tackle that right then and there.
“We can go to my place, if we can get there somehow...” She looked to Rhys and Aidan and smiled. “You’re welcome to come, too.”
Anxiety spiked through me, and I turned to Aidan. He was a prince of Faerie—one who’d killed the king. I was pretty sure returning wasn’t really an option for him.
The sad look in his eyes said I was right.
“I go where you go, little witch,” he said, forcing a smile.
“I suppose I can accept those terms.”
He looped his arm around my shoulders, and I leaned into him. Maddy did the same with Rhys.
“I will stay here until your family returns to regain its power,” Wolfy said to Rhys, sitting near where the front steps had once been. “Then we can restore your legacy.”
“Can’t you come with us?” Maddy asked, sadness tainting her question.
“I will see you when he returns,” Wolfy said, jerking his head toward Rhys. “It will take both of you to fix all that has been broken.”
Her lips pressed to a thin line as she nodded. Then she dropped down and hugged him fiercely, tears welling in her eyes.
“We’ll be back soon, okay? And we’ll help however we can.”
The wolfling smiled in that goofy canine way, and Maddy’s shoulders relaxed.
“Let’s get going,” Aidan said, looking at the sky. “It’s gonna be a long walk if the rain starts again.”
“Ugh…not that again,” I groaned, and the others laughed yet again.
It continued that way for our whole walk into town.
***
ONE WEEK LATER
“This stunt didn’t end so well last time, Cece…”
Maddy’s dubious expression was duly noted but not convincing enough for me to rethink the plan. Besides, what was the worst that could happen? It wasn’t like we could get sent to Wadsworth again.
“Well, last time you weren’t some all-powerful malum /dragon badass, and I wasn’t an empath on steroids,” I said as we rolled up to the convenience store. “We didn’t have two hot guys escorting us, either.” I looked over my shoulder to where Aidan and Rhys walked behind us, arguing over what beer to get, who was buying, and essentially anything else they could think of to disagree about. We might have survived our time at the reformatory, but I wasn't sure we’d survive them. They were like bickering old ladies who needed a nap.
“Aidan has a point, Rhys. He should probably buy since he can just glamour himself to look old as dirt.”
“Sexy dirt, though,” Aidan said as he walked up beside me.
I couldn’t really argue that.
“Then I'm choosing the brand,” Rhys called as he ran ahead to the door. Aidan wasn’t far behind.
Maddy and I chuckled to ourselves as we stood outside, watching them through the massive windows.
“You think they’re ever going to get along?” she asked, smiling as she watched Rhys hold a six-pack high enough above Aidan’s head that he couldn’t reach. I quickly turned away so I wouldn't see what my boyfriend would do to him for it.
Plausible deniability and all…
“I think it doesn’t matter, and do you know why?” She turned to face me, myriad unspoken reasons etched into her brow. “Because,” I continued, “we’re happy.”
“That’s it?”
“Yep. That’s it.”
A smile tugged at her lips. “I’m not going to lie; I kinda expected a long-winded Cece-style response.”
“I’m a changed woman now, Mads.” I feigned a serious face. “Prison changed me—”
“Shut up,” she said, unable to hide her amusement any longer. “We weren’t even in prison, technically.”
“Fine, Wadsworth changed me.” My expression sobered, for real this time, as I thought about all we’d been through—all we’d lost. “And it changed you, too—for the better. I’m so proud of you, Mads. Really. You’re pretty damn amazing.”
She threw her arm around my shoulder and pulled me into a hug. “So are you, Cece.”
“Well, this can’t be good,” Aidan said as he walked out to the parking lot. “This can’t be good at all.”
“What can’t be good?” Rhys asked as he followed him out. The second his eyes fell on us, he ground to a halt. “Nope. Not good. Hugging is rarely good—”
“Well, aren’t you two the poster children for sensitivity?” I said, wiping my tears on my sleeve. Aidan’s brows drew together when I turned to face them, clearly seeing that I’d been upset—or feeling it. He took a rushed step toward me, but I waved him off. “I’m fine. We’re fine. Everything’s fine.”
“That’s a lot of ‘fines’,” Rhys pointed out.
“It really is,” Maddy said. “You should probably dial it down a notch before they get more worried.”
“You should probably not say sappy shit to me ever again so we don’t have this problem in the future.”
She threw her head back and laughed at my kinda-threat. “Big words from the little empath,” she said, taunting me.
“You’re going down, clown.” The second those words left my mouth, she took off in a sprint with me right on her heels.
Our laughter filled the air, along with the shouts of our confused boyfriends. They didn’t know that this was the kind of stuff we’d always done before Wadsworth had turned our lives upside down. And it was exactly the kind of thing we needed to do to remind ourselves of who we’d once been—who we still could be, at least sometimes.
Because no matter what happened to us—no matter what chaos invaded our lives—we were sisters, first and foremost.
And no amount of magic could ever change that.
Amber Lynn Natusch
AMBER LYNN NATUSCH is the author of the bestselling Caged , as well as the Light and Shadow series with Shannon Morton. She was born and raised in Winnipeg, and speaks sarcasm fluently because of her Canadian roots. She loves to dance and sing in her kitchen—much to the detriment of those near her—but spends most of her time running a practice with her husband, raising two small children, and attempting to write when she can lock herself in the bathroom for ten minutes of peace and quiet.
She has many hidden talents, most of which should not be mentioned but include putting her foot in her mouth, acting inappropriately when nervous, swearing like a sailor when provoked, and not listening when she should. She’s obsessed with home renovation shows, should never be caffeinated, and loves snow. Amber has a deep-seated fear of clowns and deep water…especially clowns swimming in deep water.
Newsletter | Website | Goodreads | BookBub | Amazon
&n
bsp; More by Amber Lynn Natusch
The CAGED Series
A Complete 9-Book Series
The UNBORN Series
5-Book Series in Progress
A Caged Universe Series
The BLUE-EYED BOMB Series
5-Book Series in Progress
A Caged Universe Series
The FORCE OF NATURE Series
5-Book Series in Progress
Marty Mayberry
MARTY MAYBERRY writes young adult fiction and infuses it with suspense, romance, and a touch of humor. When she’s not dreaming up ways to mess with her character’s lives, she works as an RN/Clinical Documentation Specialist. She lives in New England with her husband, three children, three geriatric cats, and a spunky Yorkie pup who keeps her on her toes.
Marty is a member of YARWA and a PAN member of RWA, as well a four-year PitchWars mentor.
Newsletter | Website | Goodreads | BookBub | Amazon
More by Marty Mayberry
The CRYSTAL WING ACADEMY Series
A Complete 3-Book Series
The DARKWATER REFORMATORY Series
A Complete 3-Book Series
Rogue Reformatory: Breakout (Supernatural Misfits Academy Book 3) Page 21
