Page 67 of Gemini Hunted
I’m trained for this stuff.
“Everything okay here?” Zara asks cautiously, holding my fallen amethyst between two fingers like she’s afraid it’ll burn her.
“Uh huh.” I nod so vigorously a curl springs free from my pigtail and dangles over my eye.
Zara studies the chunk of amethyst she’s gripping. “Then I’m guessing you want this back. Right?”
“Um, yeah, thanks. We’re almost ready for the incantation.” I tuck that wayward spiral of carroty curl behind my slightly pointed ear, pluck the amethyst from my friend’s fingers, and position it at the pentacle’s north corner, right at the spot I’ve carefully marked with my compass.
I’m about to ask for the grimoire Neo’s been poring over when a shrill, ear-splittingscreech!lances through the skylight.
Geez Louise, that’s awful.
That sound practically makes my ears bleed.
I know what it is. That piercing nails-on-chalkboard scream is the cry of a hunting dragon.
NotMax.
But that acid-breathing green monstrosity who answers to the Dark Fae King.
I swear every hair on my body stands on end.
As the secret heir to the Seelie Queen, I’ve lived my life in perpetual dread of the Dark Fae King. He’s been my personal bogeyman for a really long time. Even though we never actually met (since I’ve been hiding from him) until today. I know Ash says he’s safe and all. But hearing and believing are two really different things.
I’ve been mourning Ash… and hiding from Zephyr… for years.
“Take it easy. That’s only Xhevith,” Zara tells me gently, referring to the screeching dragon. Probably because they alljust saw me flinch at the sound. “He’s just sounding off. He’s actually a big softie.”
I gape at her. That dragon is asoftie?
“I happen to know Avalon dragons are carnivorous,” I mutter. “The Dark Fae unleashed them to hunt down the Seelie and eat us in the bad old days. It’s in the lore. But whatever.”
Zara actually giggles, like the thought of a Fae-eating dragon is funny. (This is one of the reasons her enemies call her the Mad Queen. I mean, her inappropriate laughter.)
When everyone else in the room is peeing their pants in terror, Zara Gemini laughs.
“Xhev won’t hurt you—and neither will his rider, I promise.” My friend’s gorgeous face softens and glows. “What went down with Zephyr and Ash after the, uh, abduction… it isn’t what you thought, Mallory. Those two are, like, crazy in love. They really are. They’re sweet together.”
Honestly, it’s all I can manage not to roll my eyes.
I’m not letting Ash, at least, wiggle off the hook so easily. Not after all the crap his disappearance put me and our whole family through.
“Your Unseelie, he’s a killer,oui?” Jae tells Zara. His honey-gold eyes burn with violence. “If he even looks at Mallory any way she doesn’t like, he’ll answer to my wolf.”
Zara’s saved from having to reply tothatwhen an airborne Vasili zips into our huddled circle, combat boots sparkling with violet glitter. The Academy bully alights in our midst with a vicious glare.
“Dear fuck. Why on earth are you all standing around?” Vasili tidies his windblown mane with an irritable flick of his punk-rock hand. “Team Zara isn’t doing particularly well out there, just in case anyone happens to be wondering. That AIB kill squad isextremelywell trained. They’re using the tree cover to particularly inspired effect.”
“What does that mean?” I ask timidly.
The Academy bully immobilizes me with his basilisk stare, like he’s literally turning me to stone. “ItmeansMaxim can’t flame in the forest without incinerating half the island. And Hislah-dee-dahRadiance isn’t having any discernible effect from the air either.”
“Ah,merde,” Jae groans.
“I’d give us another three minutes… if I’m being generous. Then that pack of cackling hyenas will be gnawing our bones,” Vasili snaps. “Sohurry.”
My heartbeat leaps and bounds like a terrified rabbit.
