“Yes, and for good reason.”
Aleeya’s voice spoke in my head. Get Ash out of here and find Linkin’s host. It can’t be far. It should be a human in golden chains. I’ll make the chains visible if I can. If not, I’m not sure what to do.
I nodded as she backed away. “If you want a fair fight, fight me,” she said to Linkin.
“You’re weak, Aleeya. You haven’t used your magic in years.”
She swirled her finger around in the air, causing little bits of fire to twirl around it. “I’ll manage.” In one swift motion, the fire doubled in size and she launched it at Linkin’s face. He let out a horrible scream as the fire burned his eyes. I looked away, ignoring the smell of singed hair and flesh and focused on Ash who lay on the ground at my feet.
“Ash? Can you hear me?”
A small nod, but nothing more. I knelt next to him and gasped as I noticed his shirt. It was practically melted to his skin.
“His side is hurt as well,” Dax said. “He was scratched by a banshee.”
Not wasting time, I pulled the bottom of his shirt up, revealing jagged claw marks along his waist. I placed my hands over the wound and felt warmth under my fingertips. Ash groaned. “Help me,” I said, pulling at his shirt, but careful not to move the part that was seared to his skin.
Dax got him into a sitting position. From what I could see, Ash’s whole shoulder was black and bloody from a nasty burn. I did the same thing to that injury and as soon as the magic left me, Ash’s eyes flew open.
“Kendall?”
I threw myself into his arms and kissed every inch of his face. “You’re okay,” I said, tears sliding down my cheeks.
“You’re okay. I thought you were…” He swallowed and pulled me into a fierce hug. “You’re okay,” he said, over and over. “When I saw the building collapse…”
“I’m fine. Your mom got us out.”
“Guys, we’ve got to go. Aleeya isn’t going to be able to keep this up for very long.”
“What?” Ash looked over and gasped as he saw his mother and father, locked in a battle between light and dark. Aleeya was holding her own, but Dax was right. We had to find Linkin’s host before Aleeya got too tired.
I helped Ash to his feet and we headed toward the woods. “Your mom said the host would be in here somewhere. She said she’d make the chains glow.” We looked around, seeing nothing in the darkness. No chains, no host, nothing.
“There’s nothing here,” Ash said.
“It has to be here,” I said. I started getting discouraged, until Sam yelled out. “There!”
We looked in the direction he was pointing and saw a small golden chain. It glowed along the forest floor, and led into a grove of trees a few yards up the path. Ash grabbed my hand and pulled me along.
When we reached the clearing, Ash pulled the bushes back. I sucked in a breath as the face of an older man appeared behind the bushes. His hands were bound in golden shackles, and chains were wrapped around him and the tree. There was no way he could move. The man’s eyes swirled black and gold, but he looked vacant. He was a human, but…not. I couldn’t explain it. I could feel magic pulsing off of him, but I wasn’t really sure if it was actually coming from him.
“Oh...my…” Ash trailed off.
“Who is he?” I asked.
Ash stared at the man before diving into action, pulling off the chains bound around his body as fast as he could. He took the man into his arms and attempted to get the shackles off, but to no avail. They wouldn’t budge.
I could tell Ash knew the man. I saw it in his eyes. “Who is he, Ash?”
Ash took a deep breath and looked up at me. “His name is Paul Summerland.” He cleared his throat, and with misty eyes, he sighed. “He’s my father.”
Chapter 37
Ash
“What?” My friends voices echoed through the trees.
Kendall spoke next, as she put a hand on my arm. “I thought Linkin was—”
“He is. He’s my biological father. This is my dad. He raised me until…until he disappeared one night.” My voice shook and I lowered my head. “The night Logan found me and took me to the Academy.” I smiled and touched his hand. “I remember everything about him, even though I was so young. I don’t know how that’s even possible, but I can. Just like I could remember my mom.” My lips trembled and I tried to keep my emotions under control. “He took care of me. He loved me.”
“Did he and your mother…” Kendall trailed off.
“No. My mom left me in his care to protect me from Linkin. They weren’t together. But Logan said he knew about our world. He said he was a good man. Which I know he was. I thought he was dead this whole time. Linkin must have taken him as his host the night my mother disappeared.”
“Oh, Ash. I’m so sorry,” Kendall said. “What can we do?”
I shook my head. “Nothing. The only way to kill Linkin is to kill…” I couldn’t say it. I couldn’t even think it.
“Kill his host,” Kendall said.
“That’s not fair,” Sam said. “You just got him back.” I frowned. Sam still didn’t know his own father was gone. I couldn’t tell him. Not yet.
“I don’t have another choice.” I stared at my dad, hoping there was a little spark of life still in him. All I could see was darkness. There was nothing. Not even a glimmer of hope that I could save him. “He’s already gone,” I said.
“How do we destroy the chain?” Dax asked.
“Magic,” I muttered. “What else?”
“What a decision you have to make.”
I whirled around at Linkin’s voice, pulling Kendall behind me. I knew he’d been fighting my mom, so that meant—
“She doesn’t give up easily, does she? She’ll do anything to protect you.”
I stared at my mother, who floated a few feet off the ground, trapped in a whirlwind of smoke.
“Mom.”
Linkin smiled. “Because I’m a nice guy, I’ll make you a deal.”
Sam snorted.
“You can save one of them. The mother who abandoned you when you were young to keep herself safe? Or the ‘father’ who fought with every ounce of his pitiful human strength to keep me from taking you.”
I glanced at my mom and back at my dad. “He’s already gone,” I said as I looked at Paul. “You’ve destroyed him.”
“I can return him to his normal state.”
“How is that even possible?”
He shrugged. “Just know that it is. But, either way you choose, one of them will be lost to you. I need a host, Ash. I must be bound to someone at all times. You know this already.”
It was an impossible choice. Either way I lost someone I loved. And was he right? Did my mom really abandon me to protect herself? I thought about that. My life could have been so much different if she would have kept me around. But then Shenelle trapped her in that stupid necklace. Would I have been trapped as well? Or would Shenelle have killed me instead?
“I’m waiting,” he said.
Even though it broke my heart, I knew my dad was gone. His loving eyes, his happy smile. He wasn’t there. Part of his soul had been broken down and sucked dry by dark magic. It was too late to save him. I knew it, Linkin knew it, though he made it seem like he’d be able to be normal again. I knew he was lying.
“Goodbye, father,” I said.
Linkin blinked. “What?”
Everything went in slow motion as I gathered enough magic to break the chain. The wind pushed Linkin back, so he couldn’t interfere and my fairy magic cut through the chain so smoothly, I wondered if I could have just broken it with my bare hands.
The moment the chain broke, the darkness left Paul’s eyes. The blue eyes I remembered looked at me, not with confusion, but with love. He lifted a hand and touched my cheek. “Ash,” he said. Before I could answer, he closed his eyes and disappeared in a twinkle of light.
I looked back at Linkin who knelt on the ground, fear evident in his eyes. “No.” Bla
ck dust flew out of his chest and he groaned. Smoke gathered around him as he shrank smaller and smaller, his screams echoing in my ears. Kendall wrapped her arms around me and buried her face in my chest. I held her as wind and fire blew through the trees, forming a cyclone around Linkin. The golden chain, which linked him to his host turned to dust. His body absorbed the fire and the sky turned normal again. In one last burst of bright light, he disappeared.
I hugged Kendall tight and heaved a sigh of relief.
It was over.
Epilogue
Kendall
Homecoming. The one dance I said I’d never go to. The anniversary of my dad’s death. I was surprised Ash even remembered. Well, not really I guess. He knew everything.
I looked over at him and rested my head on his shoulder as the limo driver pulled up to the school. Knots were in my stomach and I took a deep breath to calm my emotions.
“Don’t worry, beautiful. I’m with you.” He squeezed my hand and kissed my temple. “Let’s just have fun tonight, okay?”
“Okay,” I said.
With everything that had happened over the past few weeks, I really wanted this night to be perfect. I was with Ash, I was back to normal, sort of, and was wearing a killer dress if I did say so myself. Red and sleeveless, a skirt that poofed out from the waist and a pair of red heels. Ash had bought me a beautiful diamond necklace and promised it wasn’t enchanted this time.
I was nervous. The last time I’d been to a dance, things turned out…well…not so good. So, this time? I was going to try to savor every moment.
The limo door opened and Ash took my hand to help me out. He bowed and gave me a little wink. “My lady,” he said.
“Stop,” I said, laughing. A blush crept to my cheeks and I was sure my face matched my red dress. Ash definitely knew how to make an entrance. And that wasn’t a good thing. I knew everyone was looking at us.
“Will you two hurry up?” Sam whined. “I want to get Misty out on the dance floor and show her my moves.”
“And do what? You can’t dance,” she said.
“Says who?” He helped her out and grabbed her hand, twirling her around. She’d have fallen on her face if Ash wouldn’t have caught her.
“Told you,” she said. “Either way, I’m excited. It’s my first human dance!” She clapped her hands together and Ash and Sam shot each other a look.
“You get excited way too easy,” Sam said.
Ash nodded. “Sam’s right. Dances are overrated.”
“Hey!” I said, slapping his chest. “They can be fun. Especially when you come with the right person.”
He looked down and squeezed my hand. “True.”
“It’s too bad Glade couldn’t come. I kind of got used to having him around.”
Ash laughed. “He’d have no idea what to do at a dance.”
“Oh, come on. From what I’ve seen, dragons are pretty graceful.”
He laughed again and shook his head. “Whatever you say.”
My eyes went back to the limo as Ellie and Dax climbed out. I still wasn’t sure about him dating my sister, but he’d definitely proven himself as a good guy. For now at least. Either way, I’d be keeping my eye on him.
“You look amazing in that tux,” Ellie said, fixing his tie. “My friends are going to love you.”
Dax stared at her. “I don’t know about this.”
She slid her hand through his arm and let it rest in the crook of his elbow. “You’ll be fine. Just pretend like you’re enjoying yourself and no one will suspect a thing.”
“I’ve never really been able to blend in,” he said.
“Oh, you’ll blend in,” Ash said. “Dark and brooding teenager? You pull that one off pretty well.”
He shot Ash a dark look.
“Ash is right. Just hold my hand and relax. And if you’re worried about dancing, I’ll lead.” She smiled and pulled him inside. He looked back with a horrified expression on his face before they disappeared through the doors.
“I still don’t—”
“They’ll be fine, Ash. He’s obviously trying to change.”
“He’s still a djinn.”
“Half,” I corrected. “And he just lost his mother. I really think he’s trying. Have you seen the way he looks at Ellie?”
Ash grunted. “That’s what worries me.”
I smiled as we walked inside. I loved how he worried about Ellie as much as I did.
A slow song played as we walked inside and Ash immediately led me over to the dance floor. I lost sight of Misty and Sam as he twirled me around and into his arms.
“Remember the last time we danced like this?” he asked. “I still remember your dress. Blue and silver. It reminded me of the night sky.” He stepped away from me, still holding my hand. “I’m thinking I like red now though. You look amazing.”
“Thank you for coming that night. I think that’s when I realized I was falling for you.”
“What? It wasn’t the first time you met me?” He laughed. “You probably thought I was crazy.”
“I did. I still do.”
He chuckled. “Well, I am half fairy/half djinn. Nothing crazier than that.”
“I know. You’re pretty awesome though.” I had a thought. “What ever happened to your wings?”
He shrugged. “You’ll never know.”
“No, seriously. Do you still have them?”
“I decided to keep them around for a while. I’m kind of getting used to them.”
“Good,” I said. “I love them.”
“I’m pretty sure I’d turn a few heads if I ever went swimming with you.”
“You’d scar people for life.”
“True story.”
I laughed as he pulled me close again. His hands slid around my waist, pulling me even closer. “I love you,” he whispered.
I’d never get used to hearing that, and I’d never get tired of it either. “I love you, too.” I rested my head on his chest as we swayed to the music, each lost in the moment.
I thought back on the last year, remembering the accident that took my dad from me. The day I met Ash and his ridiculous claims that he was my fairy godmother. So much had changed since then. I was truly happy now. I was where I wanted to be. I had the perfect boyfriend, great friends, my sister was back to normal and love from my mom. Sure we’d almost died multiple times to get to this point, but now that everything was back to normal, things were better than before.
I was in love with an amazing guy. And he loved me back.
I don’t know what the future held for me and Ash, Sam and Misty, Ellie and Dax, or even my mom and her new boyfriend. All I knew, is they deserved to be happy. Just like I did. And I was. Really, truly, happy.
Acknowledgements
I’ve always heard writing a sequel is really hard, but for some reason this story flowed better than the first book. I’m so grateful for the ladies at CMP for allowing me to continue Ash and Kendall’s fairy-tale. Thank you so very much for loving my story and giving me a chance. To my editor, Kerri Nelson, who took the time to make my book shine. I couldn’t have gotten this book out there without you.
I’d like to thank my husband David, for his patience, love and endless support. Also, my kidlets, Caden, Kinley, Brooklyn and Beckam. Without you four, I never would have written my stories down. My parents, siblings, in-laws, extended family, and all of my friends who have supported my dream. Thank you.
A huge shout-out to my darling, amazing critique partners, Katie Dodge and Ruth Josse. Thank you for reading everything I send you, even if it’s total crap. Thank you for your wisdom and most of all, your friendship. I love you guys more than words can say.
Thanks to my readers, Jessie Humphries, Abby Fowers, Jolene Perry, Chakell Wardleigh, Chaleese Leishman, Cheri Wardleigh and Angie Cothran. Your feedback was amazing and helped more than you’ll ever know.
To my fabulous writing group gals, Peggy Eddleman, Jessie Humphries, Erin Summerill, Ruth Josse, Katie Dodge
, Donna Nolan, Kim Krey, Julie Donaldson, Jeigh Meredith and Sandy Ponton. Thank you all for keeping me sane and helping me back up when I get knocked down. You are all amazing ladies and I am so blessed to have you in my life.
Thank you to all my other writing friends, blogging buddies and readers. And a very special thanks to Monique and the students at T. H. Bell Junior High who loved my first book so much. Thank you for all of your support and kindness. I love all of you.
Bio
Chantele Sedgwick is a young adult author, harpist, and major book nerd. She loves happy endings, Kit Kats, and (judging by her bookshelves) buying way too many books. She is the author of Not Your Average Fairy Tale and Not Your Average Happy Ending and Love, Lucas. She resides in Utah, with her husband and four children.
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