I loved being whole. It was like everything I'd ever wanted to know and couldn't figure out was right there at the tip of my fingers waiting for me. Mind you, the incredible power I'd known the night the Wild showed up wasn't with me anymore. Mom figured it had to do with their power feeding mine. Personally I was just as happy to let that amount of magic go. My luck I'd stumble around the rest of my life doing horrible things every time I sneezed or lost my temper.Still, Mom and I were both thrilled with the full integration of my other two sides. I knew I'd be a while getting used to it, but the idea that I'd never be alone was pretty appealing.Surprise, surprise, Brad was suddenly interested in me again, now more than ever, but I was so done with his crap. It took me a few tries when I ran into him at Johnny's to figure out how to shut off his magic once and for all, but as soon as I did he left me alone.Perfect. That was all I wanted from him.I wished things could go so smo
Book Five: The Long LostI was out of bed and thundering down the stairs before I was awake enough to realize the person I felt in the back yard wasn't the one I had been waiting for.Panting, I pulled open the inside door, peering through the screen into the dark beyond. The motion activated light flickered to life, casting a ghostly glow over Sunny's smiling face."Hi, Syd."I pulled the door open, yawning as my disrupted sleep caught up to me. "Hey, Sunny. Come on in."She hesitated before gesturing for me to join her outside instead. A moment of nerves thrilled through me. Not that I didn't trust my uncle's undead girlfriend. It's just she'd not so long ago fallen under the control of the evil vamp who made her, betraying us all. Mind you, she'd redeemed herself over and over since then, but I still felt jumpy.The life I led, who could blame me?I think she must have sensed something was wrong because her hands dropped and her expression stilled to calm. Scowling internal
I was so distracted by my thoughts I stumbled into something huge and hairy at the bottom of the stairs. The lump grunted as I jerked back in instant fright. Glowing red eyes flashed from the darkness for a moment before the fire died in them."Galleytrot." I clutched at my T-shirt, heart pounding. "What are you doing?""Waiting for you." His growling voice always made me think of meadows and secrets kept, the thrum of wild places rippling through it. The hulking black dog of the Sidhe climbed to his feet from where he'd sprawled at the foot of the steps. His head was almost at level with my chest as he looked up at me.I scratched one of his ears before rubbing my hand over the top of his head where the softest fur was. "You have to stop following me."The man I'd once known as Jared, locked forever in the body of a magic dog, shook his head, heavy mane flowing. He pushed his flat, wet nose into my stomach gently. "I'll never stop," he said. "You rescued me, Syd, and I owe you my
There's something nasty about being woken abruptly twice in one sleep cycle. Not like I was given much of a choice the second time. Hard to ignore my entire house shaking violently while a wave pulse breaking the speed of sound forced its way upward, lifting my bed an inch or two from the ground before dropping it back to the floor along with everything else I owned.Galleytrot yelped in surprise and pain, pawing at his ears as the thunderous boom of the shockwave echoed back. I shook my head, rotating my jaw to try and clear away the resounding thrum of it still bouncing around inside my skull.I reached for Sassafras, but his silver body was absent. Panic took over as the shock of the event passed. I gasped for air, listening to the tinkle and thuds of the contents of the house fall back into place. The faint scent of smoke shattered the freeze holding me in one spot.I threw myself out of bed yet again, hurtling down the stairs, feet slipping from one to the next until they were
I stomped down the hallway, foul humor pushing ahead of me like a wave. My foot was already on the step when something caught my eye. I paused, noticed the back door was open and went to investigate.Dad sat on the bench just outside, looking off into the distance. My heart immediately softened. It wasn't his fault. I was sure Mom connived to keep all of this from me without him knowing. I eased my way out and took a seat next to him, pulling my knees up and hugging them in the warmth of the morning. The sky was super blue, not a cloud in sight, the air still. Perfect summer day.That made the whole thing all the worse. It should have been raining, thunder clouds and sad skies to match his weary sorrow. I could feel it from him, my demon connecting with him easily. Even though he didn't have access to his demon power any longer, the fundamental core of him was still there and it welcomed her even if he didn't."Hey, cupcake." He tried a smile. It hurt so much to see him like this. H
I'd never understood my mom's obsession with her '66 Mustang. The way she took care of it, had it detailed regularly. I was even pretty sure she'd spelled it to protect the paint and interior from damage. Come on. It was just a car.Until she and Dad one happy, sunny morning just a few weeks ago, handed me a jingling set of keys. Squealing in absolute excitement, I found myself staring down the grill of a brand new Cooper Mini. I didn't care it was the same car Mom's best friend Erica drove. Not one little bit. I loved my car immediately with a powerful sense of possession I'd never felt before.I refrained from hugging its cute bonnet only out of sheer willpower, sliding behind the leather-covered wheel into the black seats that seemed made for me. It had been the most incredible gift I'd ever received and I vowed as I turned the key for the first time I'd never let anything happen to her ever.Her. Yeah. I know.The only downside? The color. Mind you, I didn't for a moment let ev
Alison hurried off to her room with me in tow. I paused, seeing Rosetta watching us from a doorway, letting my friend go on without me. I approached the maid, my anger simmering, hating the way she looked at me and the fact she was still a part of my friend's life.Rosetta tried to escape, but I caught her arm as she spun to run down the hall. I guided her into the room from where she'd been spying and eased the door closed. The bedroom was lovely but empty, some kind of guest room for a whole football team from the size of it.I ignored my surroundings, focusing on the frightened yet defiant maid."Tell me," I said at my most menacing, "what has happened to the Chosen of the Light?" The last I knew they were busy tearing Demitrius apart. But having some more information on their current activities would be nice.Rosetta moaned softly, stricken. "We are no more." Tears gathered in her large dark eyes, true sorrow making her pathetic. I almost felt sorry for her. Almost. Maybe if he
I retreated to the basement for the remainder of the evening. It had been hard to find time to use the family pentagram with Dad hogging it all the time. I'd been forced to chalk one out on the floor of my bedroom or make one with string in the living room. Now that Mom had my dad confined to quarters after his little fireworks display, I had the whole space to myself.Everything seemed to come naturally lately. Without the constant threat of puking holding me back and the actually pleasant experience it was to open up to my magic, I still had moments of pure terror when my demon's power roared to life or when I felt Shaylee's magic touch me. It was all I could do to keep myself under control, to not shriek like a little girl in a haunted house at a carnival every time it happened.The trouble was I remembered how it felt when my demon took over. And while I knew we didn't have that kind of relationship anymore, it still wound me up."Magic is about the unconscious mind doing the bi