“Well, you two are powerful enough,” Maxton reminds us. “I’m basically useless.”
East rests his chin on my shoulder and says to him, “You don’t start either. There will be no pity parties allowed in this room. Only brilliant ideas and positivity.” He gives a short pause. “And threesomes. Threesomes are always allowed.”
I sigh. “And he’s back.”
“And I bet you’re blushing.” He hooks his finger underneath my chin and angles my head toward him. Then a grin curls at his lips. “Yep, there’s those pink cheeks that I love.”
Only East could find humor in situations like this one. Not that I’m complaining. While he may be embarrassing the pixies out of me, I do feel slightly more relaxed. Maxton, however, is blushing worse than I am.
“No threesomes,” I say to East.
East juts out his lip, mischief sparkling in his eyes. “Now that’s no fun. And you’re breaking Maxon’s heart.”
“I so am not,” I tell him then look at Maxon, hoping he’ll help me out with this.
He’s staring at me intensely, and when our gazes collide, he hastily looks away, scratching at the back of his neck and not agreeing with me. I smash my lips together, unsure of what to say. Silence stretches between us, and Maxton’s gaze dances toward me again then away.
Can you say awkward?
East laughs, totally pleased with himself. But the noise deflates.
“We need a plan,” he says with a heavy sigh. “No, what we need is a lot of power so we can just spell our way in there and get them out because that’s clearly the easiest way...” He trails off. “Shit, I think I have an idea.”
“What is it?” I ask, crossing my fingers it’s a good one.
He carries my gaze. “Our rebellion collection. There’s a ton of power in those objects. If we extract some of that magic, we can do a spell powerful enough to freeze time. Then we can get in and out of that basement without Penelope even realizing.”
I’ve never felt more relieved in my life. And determined.
“Well, what’re we waiting for. Let’s go.” I stride for the door, but again East captures my arm.
“As much as I appreciate your eagerness, sweetheart,” he says, towing me back toward him. “We need to be careful going back to the vehicle since we have no clue who’s helping Penelope.”
“We also should be positive that they’re even in the basement of this hotel,” Maxton adds, straightening his stance. “Before we do the spell.”
“That’s a good idea,” East agrees. “So we’ll start with continuing with our first plan of getting the security ball and finding out if they’re in there. Then we’ll make a plan to get us safely back to the vehicle so we can start on the spell.”
“Can we do all of that in five moons?” I wonder warily.
“We’ll have to,” East says, his fierce gaze colliding with mine.
While he doesn’t say the words aloud, I get his meaning.
We don’t have a choice. Either we do this in five moons, or else Asher and Arrow will end up being tortured to death.
Arrow
One minute Asher and I are in a bar talking to a vampire that supposedly knows a reader, and the next, I’m opening my eyes. I’m not sure what happened, how I blacked out. All I know is that I feel groggy, which means magic was probably more than likely involved.
“What the hell happened?” I mutter as I sit up only to realize that I’m in a cage.
A fucking cage. Again. My master used to keep me in cages all the time unless he was giving me orders.
I look around, taking in my surroundings as the loudness of wherever encompasses me. The metal cage I’m in is dangling from the ceiling in a room crammed with paranormal creatures. Lights flash blindingly and cast across the room, revealing another cage dangling from the ceiling where Asher is sitting and staring down at the mob below us.
When eyes find mine, he swallows hard.
“What happened?” I ask, but my words get swallowed up by the music.
He must read my lips, though, because he shakes his head and mouths, “I have no idea.”
Then his gaze lowers to the crowd again, and fear flickers in his eyes.
When I track his gaze, I discover why.
Standing in the middle of the crowd is Penelope, East’s old master.
She’s grinning at Asher and me, and when she speaks, somehow her voice silences the music. “Hello, my new pets.”
My chest tightens for several different reasons, one being that she’s here. And the other being that I don’t know where Harlynn, East, or Max are. Did she capture them too? Why did she capture us at all? What does she want?
“Let us go!” Asher growls out, kneeling up and gripping the bars of the cage.
Penelope smirks as she makes her way across the floor toward us. “I will once I get what I want.” She stops below him and reaches up to brush her fingers along the bottom of his cage. “Until then, I’m going to have fun with you.” Her smirk broadens. “A hybrid demon cyborg and a hybrid demon genie would make excellent guards, don’t you think?” She turns to walk away with a huge smile on her face.
My heart thunders in my chest, a solid beat of metal clicking against flesh. She’s going to put demon blood inside us just like she did with East.
“What do you want?” Asher calls after her.
She glances over her shoulder, a pleased smile touches her lips as if she was hoping he’d ask that. “I want what every other powerful creature wants right now—a beautiful shadowed soul. And the creature that gets their hands on her first wins the game.”
She’s talking about Harlynn.
I tremble, not in fear but with rage.
But she doesn’t have her yet. Why, though? Why take us instead of Harlynn?
Unless she can’t just take her?
Please let that be it.
“What game?” Asher bites out, his eyes funneling with smoke.
“The game the rulers declared a moon cycle ago,” she informs him. “She’s the last shadowed soul, which means whoever gets their hands on her will be the most powerful ruler in all of the worlds.” She steps toward us. “The problem is, there are rules, one being that us rulers ourselves can’t touch her. So, we’ve had to turn to other resources.” Her smile widens as she glances at Asher and me. “Lucky for me, I just happened to stumble across her at your party and saw the way she looked at the three of you. It’s her weakness, you know. And not just because of the curse.” She gathers her dress, preparing to leave. “Love will be her downfall, either from the curse or from her own sacrifice. If I have my way, it’ll be the latter.” With that, she walks away, leaving her words echoing around us.
“She’s using us to lure Harlynn here,” I say to Asher over the music. “She can’t touch her unless she hands herself over.”
“I know,” he replies with worry in his eyes. “East won’t allow her to give herself up, though.”
“I know.” I sit down in the cage and get comfortable.
Because I’m going to be here for a very long time. And while part of me is terrified of that, the other part of me is okay with it.
I realize that in that moment—that I’m okay with being a prisoner again just as long as Harlynn is safe.
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.
For information: jessicasorensen.com
Also by Jessica Sorensen
Capturing Magic:
Chasing Wishes
Chasing Magic
Chasing Promises
Chasing Secrets
Untitled (coming soon)
Guardian Academy Series:
Entranced
Entangled
Enchanted
Entice
The Forest of Shadow and Bones
Charmed
Untitl
ed (coming soon)
Monster Academy for the Magical:
Monster Academy for the Magical
Monster Academy for the Magical: The Deadly Four
Monster Academy for the Magical: The Monster Trial
Monster Academy for the Magical: The Monster Clique
Untitled (coming soon)
Harlynn’s Mystery Investigations:
Sugar Cookies & Zombie Secrets
Untitled (coming soon)
The Sunnyvale Mysteries:
The Year of Secrets & Cupcakes
The Year of Lies & Cotton Candy
The Year of Truths & Sugar Cookies
Untitled (coming soon)
Signed with a Kiss: The Alexis Files (Honeyton Alexis):
Accepting the Deal
Untitled (coming soon)
The Zhara Files (Zhara Honetyon):
Discovering Benton
The Start of a Road Trip (coming soon)
The Coincidence Mysteries:
The Evermore
Untitled (coming soon)
The Secret Star Grove Mysteries:
The Interrupted Road Trip
Untitled (coming soon)
The Mysteries of Star Grove:
Heat
Untitled (coming soon)
Rebels & Misfits:
Rules of a Rebels & a Shy Girl
Untitled (coming soon)
Rebels & Misfits Detectives:
Spies, Lies, & Cupcakes
Untitled (coming soon)
A Pact Between the Forgotten:
The Art of Being Friends
The Rules of Being Friends (coming soon)
Lexi Ashford Series:
The Diary of Lexi Ashford
The Diary of Lexi Ashford: The Agreement
Untitled (coming soon)
Enchanted Chaos Series:
Enchanted Chaos
Charmed Chaos
Entangled Chaos
Untitled (coming soon)
The Curse of Hallows Hill Series:
Breathing Lies
Shadowed Whisperers
Untitled (coming soon)
My Cursed Superhero Life:
Cursed
Untitled (coming soon)
Chasing the Harlyton Sisters Series:
Chasing Hadley
Falling for Hadley
Holding onto Hadley
Untitled (coming soon)
Tangled Realms:
Forever Violet
Untitled (coming soon)
Curse of the Vampire Queen:
Tempting Raven
Enchanting Raven
Alluring Raven
Untitled (coming soon)
The Unraveling Mysteries Series:
Unraveling You
Raveling You
Awakening You
Untitled (coming soon)
Unexpected Series:
The Unexpected Complications of Revenge
Untitled (coming soon)
Shadow Cove Series:
What Lies in the Darkness
What Lies in the Dark
Untitled (coming soon)
Mystic Willow Bay Series:
The Secret Life of a Witch
Broken Magic
Stolen Kisses
One Wild, Crazy, Zombie Night
Magical Whispers & the Undead
Untitled (coming soon)
Standalones:
The Forgotten Girl
The Fareland Society:
The Opposite of Ordinary
Untitled (coming soon)
Broken City Series:
Nameless
Forsaken
Oblivion
The Coincidence Series:
The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden
The Redemption of Callie and Kayden
The Destiny of Violet and Luke
The Probability of Violet and Luke
The Certainty of Violet and Luke
The Resolution of Callie and Kayden
Seth & Greyson
The Secret Series:
The Prelude of Ella and Micha
The Secret of Ella and Micha
The Forever of Ella and Micha
The Temptation of Lila and Ethan
The Ever After of Ella and Micha
Lila and Ethan: Forever and Always
Ella and Micha: Infinitely and Always
The Shattered Promises Series:
Shattered Promises
Fractured Souls
Unbroken
Broken Visions
Scattered Ashes
Breaking Nova Series:
Breaking Nova
Saving Quinton
Delilah: The Making of Red
Nova and Quinton: No Regrets
Tristan: Finding Hope
Wreck Me
Ruin Me
The Fallen Star Series:
The Fallen Star
The Underworld
The Vision
The Promise
The Lost Soul
The Evanescence
The Mist of Stars (untitled)
The Darkness Falls Series:
Darkness Falls
Darkness Breaks
Darkness Fades
The Death Collectors Series (NA and YA):
Ember X and Ember
Cinder X and Cinder
Spark X and Spark
Unbeautiful Series:
Unbeautiful
Untamed