The Inner Circle, Book 3 of the Glass Wall ( A YA Urban Fantasy Romance ) by Carmen Caine, Madison Adler

hairless, slithering Mesmers. There must have
been at least two dozen.
    He sped down the street, weaving effortlessly
through the slower moving cars. Several times, we slid on ice, but
he was in complete control of the car.
    He looked mysterious in the light of the
dashboard with his blond hair wildly framing his face, and the line
of his jaw, hard. He was an enigma. Forbidden. Tempting.
    I could hardly believe I thought that.
    Annoyed at myself, I scowled and said, “And
why are you running from your buddies?”
    Anger made his jaw lock even tighter.
    I mentally kicked myself. That was hardly the
way to convince him that I was on his side.
    “I’m not your enemy,” he said, glaring at me
a little.
    “Really?” The words tumbled out of my mouth
before I could clamp my lips together. “So, letting Blondie almost
kill Betty means we’re still friends?” I bit my tongue. I would
have to maintain control if I was going to make real progress in
spying.
    “She’s fine now, isn’t she? No lasting harm
was done,” he said coolly, but I could hear the undercurrent of
silent anger running through his words.
    “Thanks to Jareth!” I couldn’t resist
pointing out.
    With a dramatic lift of an eyebrow, he said,
“Ah yes, Jareth saved the day.” The note of sarcasm was heavy in
his voice.
    In an instant, hot anger bubbled, and I just
threw caution to the wind. “So, you with the Mesmers and the Inner
Circle is just a misunderstanding? Some kind of joke?” I asked
outraged. “I’m laughing really hard inside.”
    “I’m very pleased to have amused you,” he
answered in such a calm tone that I immediately wanted to slap
him.
    “Stop the car,” I demanded.
    After a hard stare, he relented and pulling
into a gas station parking lot, turned off the ignition.
    “What happened to Betty wasn’t funny,” I
snapped. I knew my temper had gotten the better of me, but I was
too emotional to care.
    My hand flew to the door handle, but Rafael
jerked me back.
    “It’s not safe out there for you right now,”
he said, raising his chin as if daring me to challenge him.
    Of course, I did. “And what’s the problem?
Can’t you just tell your Mesmer minions to leave me alone?”
    Emotion flashed across his face as he held
onto my wrist in a viselike grip. “I’d rather not have to keep
rescuing you. They want you, you know.”
    I knew I should play my cards right. Here was
a chance to get real information. But at the moment, I just stared
hotly into his angry but handsome face and focused solely on my
feelings of betrayal.
    “I thought you were nice,” I said, my voice
raw with emotion.
    Rafael let go of my wrist at once. “Maybe you
aren’t seeing what you should, Sydney,” he replied softly.
    The tone of his voice alone threatened to
melt my resistance, and I could see secrets hidden in the depths of
his gray eyes. But I wasn’t sure I could really trust my judgment
at the moment.
    “And how do I know that what I should see
isn’t just what I want to see?” I asked, locking gazes with
him.
    “What is it that you want to see?” he asked
me then.
    Suddenly, the conversation took an entirely
different turn. Or I should say, situation. We quit talking
altogether and just stared into each other’s eyes.
    How could he be bad? I just couldn’t believe
it. His actions just now were anything but bad. And as
leader of the Inner Circle, he may have said some things, but he’d
saved me twice so far. And no one had seriously been hurt. Not yet,
anyway.
    And then his face was only several inches
away from mine, and I could feel his breath on my lips.
    "I should remain as I am, neither friend nor
foe,” Rafael whispered. There was a deep, enduring sadness in his
face.
    “Why?” I asked desperately. “Why can’t you be
my friend?”
    He moved even closer. “Is that what you want?
For me to be your … friend?”
    And then his lips touched mine. Lightly, at
first. But at the first touch, I forgot everything