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

barbaric.”
    Jareth merely shifted his stance, looking
more formidable by the moment.
    And then Rafael froze. Tilting his head to
one side, he glanced up at Jareth. “I need your help,” he said
suddenly.
    Jareth looked at him in surprise and assumed
a surly expression. “You have nerve.”
    Rafael merely shrugged. “Perhaps. But now, I
simply need your help.” Getting out of the car, he tossed the keys
over the top to Jareth.
    Jareth caught them with a deft twist of his
wrist.
    “Take the Bentley,” Rafael said, leaning down
to lock gazes with me. “It’ll help you outrun the Mesmers. They’re
coming.”
    And then without even waiting for a response,
Rafael spun on his heel and disappeared into the night.
    Jareth didn’t need to be told twice.
Apparently, he knew that Rafael was speaking the truth. Slamming
the car into gear, he jammed his foot on the gas pedal, and we flew
into the street.
    I was too apprehensive to speak and spent my
time searching the dark shadows of the night flying by us for any
sign of glowing Mesmer eyes.
    But I didn’t see anything.
    And soon enough, we were pulling into Al and
Betty’s driveway.
    “How can this place be safe?” I asked,
casting a skeptical eye over the brightly painted blue house. “They
got in before.”
    “They can’t now,” Jareth said with an
arrogant shrug. “Not without killing me first. And they so
desperately want me alive right now.”
    “Really?” I blinked in surprise.
    He snorted at me and opened his mouth to make
some sarcastic comment when his gaze strayed to the cup holder. “Do
you see that, Sydney?” His eyes widened in disbelief, and he
grabbed my hand.
    I looked at the cup holder. “It looks like a
normal cup holder—” I began.
    Waving me impatiently aside, he reached into
it, pulled out a black protection rune, and held it up.
    I stared at it a moment. It was shiny and
new, and it looked just like the one he’d given me. “I don’t get
it,” I said.
    Jareth’s expression was impenetrable. “It’s
the rune I gave Rafael. He still trusts me. It’s still
working.”
    It was thought-provoking, but I wasn’t
exactly sure what it meant. I was on the fence where Rafael was
concerned.
    Flipping the rune in his fingers, Jareth
tucked it away and then looked over at me. “You’re safe here. Get
out. Run along now. I’ve got some business.”
    Scowling at him, I got out.
    He was already moving the car before I closed
the door, and then pulling away, he zoomed down the street. He
didn’t look back, but he must have known I was watching him because
he waved a lazy hand out of the window.
    My scowl deepened. “You’re such a brat,” I
muttered as I watched him go. And then feeling alone, I stepped
into the house.
    I met Al and Betty in the kitchen, bundling
into their coats. Apparently, they’d been invited to a Christmas
party and asked me if I cared to join them.
    “No, thanks,” I said. I wasn’t really in the
mood.
    “Are you sure you’ll be ok by yourself?”
Betty asked in concern.
    “Of course!” I replied. After all, I’d been
by myself for most of my entire life. And then I spied Tigger
snoring in front of the refrigerator. “And I’m not really by
myself,” I said, hooking my thumb in the bloodhound’s
direction.
    They left a few minutes after that, promising
to be home in a couple of hours.
    And then I heard Al’s truck leaving, and I
was alone … in a quiet house.
    A too quiet house.
    The only sounds were Tigger’s heavy breathing
mingled with the ticking of the kitchen clock.
    In less than five minutes, I regretted my
decision.
    It’s only a few hours before they’re back,
Sydney , I told myself. And you can call Jareth if there’s a
problem.
    Not that he’d come , I amended
sarcastically.
    Time slowed to a crawl.
    I turned all the lights on in the house and
moved to the family room to watch TV, trying to pretend I wasn’t
nervous. But after a few minutes, I decided it wasn’t worth lying
to myself.