Not Your Average Happy Ending

by Chantele Sedgwick

  “Oh. Have fun,” I said. I pulled a toaster pastry out of the cupboard and sat down across from her. I broke off the four corners and set them on the table before taking a bite.

  “You’re just like you’re dad, you know that?” I raised an eyebrow and she gestured to my toaster pastry. “He hated the corners too.”

  I smiled. I’d already forgotten some of the little things he used to do.

  “Kendall, about Jason. I wanted to talk to you about him.”

  Oh, no.

  “We’ve been dating for two months now. I want you and Ellie to meet him.”

  “Mom—”

  “Please, just listen. I know you miss your dad. I do too. More than I can say.” She took a deep breath. “But I need to move on. He’s not coming back and you girls need a father.”

  “I already have a father.”

  She sighed. “You know what I mean.”

  I stood, my pastry forgotten. “I’ll meet him, if it will make you happy, but that doesn’t mean anything.”

  She nodded, but I didn’t miss the moisture in her eyes.

  “I think I’m going to go back to bed. I don’t feel good this morning.” I headed back upstairs, stopping only for a second by Ellie’s door. Hearing nothing—I went to my room and locked myself in.

  After the mess of a morning I had, I hoped Ash would be here soon.

  Chapter 21

  Ash

  I appeared in Kendall’s room the second I got off work. “Where is she?” I asked.

  Kendall’s worried expression met mine. “She left a few minutes ago.” I turned to leave and she grabbed my arm. “Don’t go looking for her. It will only make things worse.”

  “I have to talk to her about this. She’s not safe. You’re not safe.”

  “It can wait.”

  “Dax is dangerous, Kendall. I can’t just—”

  “Ash.” She slid her hand down my arm and squeezed my hand. “She’ll be back soon. Let her cool off. We both had a rough morning. Once she thinks about it for a bit, she’ll come home and talk to me. She always does.”

  I sighed and pulled her into a hug. I knew she was worried. She was good at making it seem like everything was fine when it wasn’t. “This is all my fault. I never should have given you that necklace.”

  “Don’t say that. You didn’t know it was going to cause problems.”

  “I should have.”

  “Ash, look at me.”

  I met her eyes and shivered as she placed a hand on my cheek. “It’s not your fault. Please don’t beat yourself up about this. Again.”

  “But what if something happens to you?” I blinked, trying to push the thought of losing her out of my head.

  “I thought we were talking about Ellie?”

  “I was. But he’s using Ellie to get to you. I know he is.”

  “I’ll be fine. Right now I’m only worried about her. You’ve seen her. How crappy she looks lately. Kind of matches me, right?”

  I frowned. “That’s not funny. How are you feeling today?”

  She shrugged. “Been better.”

  “Is your scar any worse?”

  She bit her lip.

  “Kendall.”

  “It’s fine.”

  I folded my arms and stared at her. “Show me.”

  She hesitated for a second before lifting the side of her shirt up. I sucked in a breath at the sight of it.

  Angry black lines covered almost her entire stomach. I reached out, tracing one that went all the way around her waist and across her lower back. They looked like the twisted branches of a dead tree. “Son of a djinn.” I cringed after I said it, since I was in fact a son of a djinn. “Does it hurt?”

  “No.”

  Her voice shook when she said it. She was a horrible liar.

  “You need to lie down. Get some rest.”

  “I’m fine, Ash.”

  “No. Lie down and relax. I’ve got to find Dax, Kendall. I won’t let you…” I swallowed. I couldn’t even say it.

  “I told you. I’m fine.”

  “You’re getting worse.”

  Her chin quivered. “I know.” She cleared her throat, attempting to stop any emotion from showing. “Can you hand me my phone?”

  I grabbed it off the nightstand and handed it to her. She moved her finger around the screen for a minute or two and threw it on the bed. “I just want to make sure I don’t miss a text from Ellie. I don’t know why she’d text me, since she’s mad at me, but you never know.”

  Of course she’d be more worried about Ellie than herself. She was always so selfless. “Did she say where she was going when she left?” I asked.

  “No. She didn’t even say goodbye. She could be at a friend’s house or she could have gone to visit my mom at work. I doubt it though. She hates hospitals just as much as I do.”

  “We’ll stay here until she gets back then.”

  She grabbed my hand again. “Thanks.”

  “Do you want to grab a pizza or something?”

  “I’m not very hungry.”

  I frowned. Was she not eating either? “I can make you something.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “Are you kidding me? You can’t even cook a grilled cheese sandwich without burning it.”

  Blast. She was right. “I can have Sam come over.” I smiled at the look on her face. “Sam’s a great cook. Really. You’d never know because he’d never admit it. He’s like one of those fancy chefs on the Food Network.”

  “I’d like to see that.”

  “Perfect. I’ll go get him.”

  ***

  Kendall, Sam, Misty and I sat in the kitchen a few hours later, chowing down on pasta and some kind of funky salad. I didn’t really pay attention when Sam was making it and telling us the ingredients. It was food. That’s all I cared about.

  “Where’s Glade tonight?” Kendall asked.

  “He doesn’t eat…well…human food,” I said.

  Sam snorted. “Nope. Definitely not human food. Humans on the other hand…” I shot him a look and he smiled. “Just be glad he’s not here during dinner.”

  “You’re not saying he’d eat me, are you?” she asked, her eyes wide.

  “Of course not,” I said. “Sam’s joking around.” I shot him a glare. If she knew everything about dragons she’d never go near Glade again.

  He shrugged. “Sort of.”

  I glanced at Kendall again. She’d hardly touched anything on her plate, which worried me. She liked food almost as much as I did. She caught my stare and gave me a small smile before taking a tiny bite of noodles. “This is really good, Sam. Ash was right. You’re a great cook.”

  He puffed up his chest and smiled. “Thank you.”

  “Where did you learn to cook like this?” Misty asked. She had been quiet most of the evening, but her eyes had hardly left Sam. I wish they’d stop being stupid and get together already. I knew Sam was practically in love with her, since he never stopped talking about her.

  “A chef never reveals his secrets,” Sam said.

  “Oh, give me a break,” I said, laughing. I finished off my plate and put my dish in the sink. It was nice not worrying about anything for a moment. We all needed a good laugh.

  “I think it’s the boys turn to clean up the dishes,” Kendall said. “What do you think Misty?”

  She nodded. “Sounds good to me.”

  “Not a problem,” I said, waving my hand. The water in the sink turned on and the scrubber came to life. When the dishes had been scrubbed, the dishwasher opened and all the dishes and silverware flew inside. I looked over at Kendall and grinned.

  “Not even fair,” she said. “I should have said no magic.”

  “That’s no fun,” I said.

  “You big cheater.”

  “It’s not cheating if there aren’t any rules.”

  Kendall laughed and pulled out her phone again. I’m sure she was checking to see if Ellie had texted her. She frowned and stuck it back in her pocket.
/>   The doorbell rang then and Kendall started to get up.

  “I’ll get it,” I said, and headed to the front door. I practically lived at their house anyway. I put on my best smile as I pulled the door open. I was not prepared for who was on the other side.

  “Hello, Ash.”

  Dax’s face was smudged with dirt and his clothes were filthy. He looked like he had just finished running one of those races where you trudge through piles of mud.

  After my initial shock wore off, I was able to speak. “What are you doing here?” I sounded in control, but inside I was ready to snap.

  His golden eyes met mine and he let out a huge sigh. “I need your help.”

  “You want my help?” My body shook with rage. Like I was going to help a loser like him.

  He must have noticed my shaking because he backed away, his hands up. “Ash, calm down. Just let me—”

  I didn’t calm down. I took a step forward and punched him in the face. It was probably a stupid thing to do, but I just reacted. He dropped to the ground as blood poured out of his nose. I picked him up by the front of his shirt. “Ash, wait!” he cried. I clenched my jaw and made a fist again. I swore to myself I’d kill him if I ever got the chance. This was my chance. But I needed something first. The one thing that could save Kendall’s life. “Where’s the knife you son of a djinn? Give it to me.”

  He held up his hands. “I don’t have it!”

  “I swear to you, if you don’t tell me where it is, I’ll kill you myself.”

  His dark eyes widened and I felt satisfaction from the fear he obviously felt. The tables had turned. He knew I would hurt him. I could see it in his eyes. “I swear, I don’t have it.”

  “Stop!”

  I turned around, still hanging onto Dax’s shirt, surprised to see Kendall standing between Sam and Misty. They both had their hands up like they were going to shoot spells at me.

  “Put him down,” Kendall said, slowly.

  I stared at her. Was she really asking me to let him go? After all he’d done? He didn’t deserve to go free just like that.

  “Ash,” she said, more forceful this time. “Put. Him. Down.”

  That’s when I noticed the mini tornado that had wrapped around Dax’s body and was holding him off the ground in front of me. I thought it was just my strength, but I knew I wasn’t that strong to hold him up by his shirt for that long. I calmed my emotions and he floated back to the ground, his shirt still clutched in my hand. I stared at him, amazed at the resemblance between us. I never noticed it before.

  “Ash.” Kendall whispered. “Let him go.”

  “I. Can’t.” The rage kept hold of me. I couldn’t let him go. I couldn’t.

  “Ash.” She touched my shoulder. “Your eyes are changing.”

  For a moment, all I wanted to do was hurt him. To make him feel pain like Kendall did. But after seeing the way she was looking at me, I knew I’d never do that. She looked like she was afraid. Not of Dax, but of me. And I never wanted her to look at me like that again. I let go of Dax and he stumbled backward into the wall.

  Kendall grabbed my hand. Her nails dug into my skin, but I ignored it. She was scared and I wasn’t going to let anything happen to her. I wanted her to know I could control my power. I wouldn’t lose control like that again.

  “What do you want?” I asked, trying to keep my emotions in check. I could still feel my magic swirling inside of me, but I wouldn’t release it.

  Dax sniffed and wiped his bleeding nose with his sleeve. “I told you. I need your help. You’re not the first person I would have chosen for the task, but I thought you’d be the best, since it has to do with you.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “It’s about Ellie.” His eyes widened and he backed into the wall again as I took a step forward.

  “What about her?”

  He glanced at Kendall and hesitated. “She’s in trouble.”

  “What?” Kendall let go of my hand and got right into Dax’s face. “Where is she? Where is my sister?”

  I didn’t want to admit it, but Dax didn’t look like his usual self. He actually looked concerned.

  “Where is she?” Kendall yelled.

  He hesitated and glanced at me. “With Linkin.”

  Chapter 22

  Kendall

  I was having a panic attack. Again. Ash knelt next to me as I took deep breaths and tried to get myself under control. I hadn’t had a panic attack since the night Ash threw Cameron in the pool a few months ago. I thought I’d gotten over them. Apparently, I was wrong.

  “It’s okay, Kendall. Breathe.” Ash rubbed circles around my back, just like that night.

  “I’m okay,” I squeaked.

  No one said anything as I regained my composure and was able to take a breath without gasping for air. Ash helped me to my feet and I wiped the rest of my tears away. I turned to Dax, who still stood in the same place. His nose was still bleeding from Ash’s fist, but he didn’t seem to be bothered by it. All he did was stare at me with a curious expression.

  It was unsettling. He looked an awful lot like Ash. I don’t know why I hadn’t noticed before. I’d only ever seen him when it was dark. I didn’t like it.

  Ash looked at Dax and let out an annoyed breath. “Sam, get him a towel or something.”

  “Right-o,” Sam said. He disappeared into the kitchen and came back with a stack of napkins. He threw them in Dax’s face.

  “Thanks. And thanks for the warm welcome, Ash,” Dax muttered.

  “You’re lucky I didn’t do more than that,” Ash said. I could feel the tension rolling off of both of them, and was worried another fight would break out. Or I’d pass out or something. I was lightheaded from crying and from the pain in my side that was getting worse by the second.

  “Let’s go sit down,” I said. “In here.”

  “Sam, Misty, be ready to attack if he tries anything,” Ash said. “Actually, go tell Glade and Cornelious what’s going on. I need to talk to Dax alone.”

  Sam hesitated. “Are you sure?” He eyed Dax with distaste and Misty wouldn’t even look at him.

  “I’ll be fine,” Ash said.

  I believed him. He was barely controlling his anger as it was. If Dax tried anything, I was sure he’d beat the crap out of him before he could lift a finger. Part of me was terrified he would, but another part of me wanted him to. After all, Dax deserved it. He almost killed me. And I was slowly dying because of him.

  I looked at Sam, who still stood where he was. He didn’t want to leave us. “Ash is right. Don’t worry about us. Just don’t be gone long,” I said.

  They both nodded and left without another word.

  We sat down on the couch and Dax sat across from us in the chair with a bunch of bloody napkins in his hand. Ash really got him good. I couldn’t help but smile.

  I was surprised Ash hadn’t brought up the night Dax stabbed me. I knew it was probably on both of their minds. Maybe he didn’t want to bring it up until we got some information out of him. Or maybe he didn’t want me to go into another panic attack from talking about it.

  “Feeling better?” Ash said, smirking.

  “No,” said Dax. “Thanks for asking though. I appreciate it.” He scowled at him and sniffed.

  I couldn’t wait any longer. I had to know what happened to Ellie. “Why does Linkin have my sister, and how do we get her back?”

  He glanced at me as he wiped the blood off of his face. “He has your sister because I wasn’t able to get the necklace from you. He figured you’d go after her and trade the necklace for her. At least, that’s what I think. He never told me he was going to take her.”

  “What does the necklace have to do with anything?” Ash said. “It’s driving me crazy.”

  Dax grunted. “Linkin just wants it. I don’t know why and I don’t really care. All I know is that it’s powerful or something and very important. He won’t stop until he has it.”

  “How can you not know wha
t it does?” Ash asked. “You’ve been training with him for months. You’d think he’d tell you a little about it before you tried to kill someone for it.”

  He flinched and glared at Ash. “If I remember right, it was your necklace in the first place. You’ve been around magic your whole life. How did you not notice it was enchanted?”

  Ash tensed. “Don’t even start with me. You have just as much magic as I do. We’re family. Remember?” I couldn’t help but notice how Ash spat the word family. It was sad really. Not knowing you had a brother and then finding out it was your nemesis years later.

  Dax smirked. “Family. Right. As for the necklace, I’m just saying…you’re supposed to be Mr. Know-It-All aren’t you? I’m surprised you didn’t figure it out.”

  “That’s it,” Ash said, getting to his feet. I pulled him back down.

  “Boys, please,” I said, rubbing a hand over my face. It was exhausting even being in the same room with them. I turned toward Dax again, ignoring Ash and his nasty temper. “What do I have to do to get my sister back?”

  He studied me and I shivered. I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to his being here than he was letting on. Why would he care if Ellie was gone? He was the one who was turning her into a monster. “We’ll have to give him the necklace.”

  “It won’t come off,” I said.

  “It will if you freely give it to someone.”

  Ash frowned. “How do you know that?”

  Dax shrugged. “Linkin told me.”

  “Funny. You made it pretty clear that he didn’t tell you anything about it and yet you know random facts like that.”

  “Well, I am his son.”

  “So am I,” Ash said, his voice laced with annoyance. “Unfortunately. He seems to have a grudge against me though. So does your mother.”

  “Leave my mom out of this. She has her own reasons to have a grudge against you.”

  “How so? What have I ever done to her?”

  He looked away. “Just drop it. I’m not giving you another reason to hit me.”

  “Fine,” Ash said between clenched teeth.

  I let out the breath I was holding. “We’d probably get a lot more done if you two would quit arguing about everything.”