Not Your Average Happy Ending

by Chantele Sedgwick

  “He started it,” they said in unison. They glared at each other and I rolled my eyes. They really were acting like brothers. And it was getting ridiculous.

  “I need a drink,” I said and went into the other room, leaving them alone together. Maybe they’d accomplish something if I wasn’t sitting there glaring at both of them. Or maybe my plan would backfire and I’d end up watching a wrestling match.

  There was dead silence as I stood in the kitchen. I downed a whole bottle of water and took a deep breath before heading back toward the living room. I heard voices and hoped Ash and Dax were figuring something out. I paused at the door and listened.

  “I don’t understand why you’re even here,” Ash said. “You knew I was looking for you. And not because I wanted to hang out with you either. You’re an idiot for searching me out. You know exactly how I feel about you. What you did to Kendall–”

  “I never meant to hurt her.”

  The room went silent. I heard Ash take a breath. “I don’t believe you.”

  “Of course you don’t. You’ve hated me your whole life. Why start believing me now?”

  “That has nothing to do with this.”

  “Oh, really? Your grudge against me has nothing to do with you choosing not to believe me?”

  “You almost killed the girl I love,” Ash said. He sounded scary. A few napkins lifted off the counter in the kitchen, and I prayed he’d control his temper.

  “I told you. I didn’t mean to. Linkin told me he needed her necklace and I couldn’t just take it from her. The knife was supposed to scare her. I didn’t intend to actually use it.”

  “And yet somehow she ended up with a knife in her side.”

  “She ran into it herself!”

  “Right. Just like she magically fell asleep at her prom last year?”

  “That was different. Things have changed.”

  “You’ll never change.”

  “And how do you know that?”

  “Because I know you. I’ve known you almost my whole life. You’ve always been the same.”

  “And what if I’m not anymore?”

  “That’s not possible.”

  “Will you guys stop it?” I said, coming around the corner.

  They both quieted and stared at me.

  “Yes, I heard everything,” I said. I turned to Dax. “Ash asked you a question and you never answered.”

  “Which one?”

  “Why are you here?”

  He hesitated, looking vulnerable for once. “Because of Ellie.”

  “I thought you were using her to get to me?”

  “I was.”

  “And you actually care what happens to her now?”

  “Yes.” He avoided my eyes and I heard Ash let out an exasperated breath. “It’s true. I don’t want anything to happen to her. That’s why I need your help.”

  Ash laughed. “You almost killed my girlfriend and you expect my help?”

  Dax stared at him for a long time. “If you come with me, I’ll give you the knife I stabbed Kendall with. Then you can destroy it to save her life.”

  The muscles in Ash’s jaw tightened and his eyes narrowed. “How do I know you’re telling the truth?”

  Dax looked at me and then at Ash. “You’re going to have to trust me.”

  Chapter 23

  Ash

  I still couldn’t believe Dax was in the same room as me. The fact that he was still walking and not writhing on the ground was a miracle as well. I was having a really hard time fighting the urge to beat the crap out of him.

  “Ash, you ready?”

  I tried to keep my expression neutral as Dax spoke, but I’m pretty sure I failed by the way Kendall glared at me. She mouthed “be nice” and I looked away, not understanding how she could be so calm around the guy who almost killed her. I know it bothered her, but her thoughts were on Ellie alone, I was sure.

  “Ash?” Dax addressed me again and I glanced at him.

  “Sure.”

  “Please tell me there aren’t going to be any dragons this time,” Sam said.

  Instead of answering, Dax looked at me and rolled his eyes. I fought the urge to laugh, and focused on Kendall instead.

  “I still don’t know why I have to stay here,” she said. She was so cute when she pouted. I gave her a quick kiss and wrapped her in a hug, careful not to squeeze too hard in case I hurt her.

  “Because you’ll be safe here.”

  “I could help you.”

  Dax snorted and I shot him a glare.

  “You’ll help me more by staying here. I can’t worry about you and focus on saving Ellie at the same time.”

  “I know.”

  “Misty and Glade will be with you in case anything happens.”

  “That’s comforting.”

  What was that supposed to mean? “They’ll keep you safe if Linkin sends someone back here for you.”

  “Oh. Okay.”

  “Will you just say goodbye already?” Sam asked. “We’re always waiting on you.” I couldn’t help but notice the way his eyes met Misty’s. He gave her a small smile, before walking out the front door.

  “I’ll be back soon,” I said. My fingers slipped through Kendall’s once again. I never planned on being away from her so much. I hated it.

  “Be safe,” she said.

  ***

  A few minutes later, we were in a forest. It was already creepy, but since the sun was setting, it made it ten times worse.

  “This way,” Dax said. He led us through a bunch of trees and deeper into the Dark Forest.

  “Yep. Looks familiar.” I recognized the clearing where we had our run-in with the dragons. I glanced at Sam and noticed him looking around, his arms folded.

  “What fun memories we had here,” he said. “Dinner with dragons. I’m glad they never got to eat.”

  “Not one of our finest moments, I agree,” I said.

  Dax stopped and looked around, pushing the hair out of his eyes. There was a large opening in an outcrop of rock in front of us.

  “Great. Another cave,” Sam said. “I swear I’m having déjà vu.”

  “You and me both, Sam.”

  Dax rubbed his hands together. “Stay here.”

  “What?”

  “I’m going to make sure they have Ellie first. If not, you can go back to Kendall’s and we’ll figure out what to do next.”

  “Wait. You don’t know if they actually have her.”

  He let out an annoyed breath. “I’m pretty sure they have her. The problem is, I think Linkin knows I…” He hesitated. “Care about her.”

  “You? Care about someone? That’s funny.”

  He glared at me. “If that’s the case, it makes things a little more complicated.” He glanced around, looking nervous. “Just stay here. I’ll go see what’s going on.” He strolled to the mouth of the cave and disappeared.

  Something wasn’t right. Why would he leave us out in the open? I grabbed Sam’s arm and pulled him into some bushes. “I have a bad feeling about this.”

  “Me too. I just didn’t want to sound like a wimp, so I didn’t say anything.”

  Shenelle and Dax came outside then, speaking in hushed voices. I wasn’t usually one to notice outfits, but Shenelle was wearing all black. It was strange to see her in that color, since she usually wore crazy colorful clothes.

  Sam leaned over. “Since when did Shenelle go Goth?”

  I didn’t answer, just kept my eye on Dax. Even though I could hear their voices, I couldn’t understand what they were saying. After a few minutes, Shenelle backed away, shaking her head. Dax took a step toward her, looking frustrated. Then a second later, Shenelle smiled and looked straight at the bushes we were hiding in.

  “I knew he’d give us away,” I said as I grabbed Sam’s arm. “Move!”

  “Oh, crap,” Sam said, just as black smoke burst out of the cave and snaked its way across the ground toward us.

  I dove out of the way, feeling it whoosh
by my head. “Nice try,” I muttered, getting to my feet.

  I should have kept my mouth shut. Another burst of smoke flew at me and I cursed as it wrapped around my wrists and ankles, making me fall flat on my face into the dirt.

  “Well, so much for a surprise attack,” Sam mumbled. “I think I twisted my ankle. You can call me a wimp now.”

  My body shook with rage as I was lifted up by an invisible force. I glanced at Sam as we floated toward the cave, both of us powerless. Again. Powerless against a psycho fairy, a power hungry djinn, and a wannabe daddy’s boy.

  Dax stood to the side as we approached, his arms folded. He looked totally relaxed. I wanted to punch him in the face again. Too bad my arms were pinned to my sides or I would have knocked his teeth out when I passed.

  Shenelle looked pissed. She had her wand out and made us stop about a foot in front of her. “Linkin. They came. Just like Dax said they would.”

  Linkin stepped out of the cave, his long black robe and a bunch of smoke billowing around him. “Well done, son,” he said, glancing at Dax. “Now. Let’s have a chat with my oldest son.”

  “I’m not your son,” I spat. So it was official. I was the older son. And Dax and I had different mothers. My life was so messed up.

  “On the contrary—”

  “No! I refuse to acknowledge you as my father. The only father I knew was Paul Summerland. And when he died, Logan raised me. You weren’t in my life at all.”

  Linkin laughed and looked behind him. He pulled on a golden chain and someone moved through the darkness. I couldn’t see who it was. “Your ‘father’ was nothing more than a weak human. I took care of him a long time ago. And Logan was weak, too. Being all noble and saving a boy who even he was scared of. How did he react when he found out what you were?”

  Rage filled my senses and, of course, the wind started blowing. Linkin smiled. “Here we go. Let your power free, Ash. Call on the darkness that’s in your heart. I know it’s there. I feel it too. Let it fuel your magic.” The wind blew harder, though I didn’t mean for it to happen. “You have no idea what you’re capable of, my son.” His golden eyes glowed and I looked away, focusing on something else instead.

  Kendall.

  Her beautiful face. Her hazel eyes. The way she put me in my place when she didn’t agree with something I was doing. The softness of her skin. Her laugh. And most of all, the way she said “I love you.”

  I began to relax and breathed hard through my nose. I wouldn’t let my power consume me. Not this time. It was what he wanted. He wanted it to control me. He wanted to control me.

  I focused on Sam and Misty. Laughing. Joking around. All of our crazy memories the past year.

  My breathing slowed and another image entered my mind. My mother. I couldn’t remember her face, but I knew she had light hair. And her skin glowed. Those were the only things that stuck out in my mind. I’d only been a child when she left me at the Academy after all.

  The wind stopped, my anger subsided slightly. I took a deep breath and turned my gaze on Linkin. The man who claimed to be my father and, for a split second, I saw fear in his eyes.

  It was gone just as fast.

  He took a step closer, inches from my face. “You will not win, Ash,” he whispered. “No matter how hard you try.”

  Shenelle caught my eye and nodded her head in Dax’s direction. I looked over to see Ellie standing next to Dax.

  “Ellie,” I said. “Are you okay?”

  She didn’t answer and showed no emotion, even though I swear she was looking straight at me.

  “What have you done to her?” I shouted. “Let her go!”

  Linkin laughed. “Tell your little girlfriend to give me her necklace and I’ll release her. Or join me. Choose one and I’ll let her go.”

  There was no way I’d be doing either one. “Ellie,” I said. “You’re going to be fine.”

  She didn’t hear me. At least I think she didn’t. She was in some kind of trance. My whole body tensed. I had to get free. Then I could get her out of here. I focused my djinn power on creating a small breeze between my wrists and the smoke that held me. If I could get out of the smoke, like I’d done once before in the cave, Sam and I could both use our power against Linkin. It wouldn’t even be close to a fair fight though, with Shenelle and Dax as well.

  “Make your choice.”

  “How about we talk about this in a civilized manner. Or would that be too hard for you?”

  He frowned and walked over to Ellie, his eyes narrowed and locked on mine. When he reached her, he pulled out a very black, very sharp looking dagger. I was certain it was the knife that stabbed Kendall. I could feel the magic pulsing from it. He moved the blade until it was pointed at Ellie’s heart.

  “The necklace, Ash. That’s all I’m asking.”

  I opened my mouth to protest.

  “Wait,” Dax said. He took a step forward and put his hand on Linkin’s arm. He pushed it back, away from Ellie’s body. He glanced at me for a split second before turning his gaze on Linkin. “This wasn’t part of the plan,” he said, his voice hard.

  “Plans change,” Linkin said.

  Dax didn’t move. “You said you wouldn’t hurt her. You swore you wouldn’t.”

  “I lied.” He stared him down and Dax shrank back a little, before standing up straight and stepping in front of her.

  “I won’t let you do this,” he said.

  Linkin raised an arm and a burst of smoke shoved him backward. “Learn your place, boy. Step back.”

  Dax frowned and backed away, but looked uneasy.

  Linkin turned to me again. “So, Ash. What will your choice be?”

  I stared at him. I was running out of time. We needed help. My thoughts turned to Kendall and I attempted to send her a warning with my mind. Hopefully it would work, because we were definitely in trouble.

  Chapter 24

  Kendall

  Misty and I sat at the kitchen table again. It was sort of our spot to chat and worry about the boys. Glade stood by the back sliding door, staring out into the yard. He seemed on edge tonight. Unusual for him. He was always so laid back. Never drawing attention to himself. I usually forgot he was even with us he was so quiet. Someone tapped on the door and Glade let Cornelius-the-horse-man in. He nodded and folded his arms as he silently spoke to Glade. Or at least that’s what I thought he was doing.

  “What do you think they’re doing right now?” I asked.

  Misty sighed. “I don’t want to know. When I know what they’re doing, it makes me even more worried.”

  “Yes. I guess you’re right.”

  I couldn’t help it though. My mind kept drifting back to Ash. I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong. The entire time Dax had been at my house, I thought something was off. I assumed it was just my reaction to seeing him again since he almost killed me, but I was wrong. I was sure he walked Ash and Sam right into a trap.

  What’s wrong? You looked troubled.

  Getting used to Glade’s voice in my head was not easy. He still scared the crap out of me every time. I looked over at him and he studied me with an unreadable expression.

  “Something’s wrong,” I said. “I don’t know how I know, but Ash is in trouble.”

  An image entered my mind then, of Sam bound in ropes and hanging in midair. I could see Ellie, her eyes lifeless and glazed over. I gasped and almost fell as my knees buckled, but Glade grabbed my arm to steady me. “I can see them! An older man who looks like Ash and a lady dressed in black. Ellie’s there too and Sam is tied up. It’s like I’m seeing things through Ash’s eyes.” I slid off the bar stool, still a little unsteady and looked him in the eye. “Glade. I need you to take me to him.”

  Misty was over to us in a flash. “What do you mean you can see them?”

  “I don’t know. An image just entered my mind and I could see what was going on. It was like I was there. We need to go. Now. Dax led them into a trap.”

  She frown
ed and shot a look at Glade before shaking her head.

  They didn’t believe me. I’d have to try something else. “Think about it, Misty. He doesn’t care about anything but himself.” I sucked in a breath as I had a thought. Dax wanted Ash out of the way to get to me. To get the necklace. He was going to walk Ash into a trap, come back with Linkin and take down my protectors, and kill me for the necklace. Maybe I was overreacting, which was becoming a common occurrence in my life, but it sort of made sense. And the fact that I could see what was happening, was a dead giveaway something was wrong. “The only thing Dax wants…is me.” I looked at Glade. “Take me to them. I can stop this right now.”

  “Kendall, what are you talking about?” Cornelius asked. “If they were in trouble, we’d know about it by now.”

  I ignored him. He had no idea who he was dealing with.

  “He’s right, Kendall. We’ve had this discussion before. I’m sure they’re fine,” Misty said.

  I was shaking my head before she even finished. “They aren’t fine. I saw them. Why would I make something like that up? And there is something I can do. Something that will make Dax and Linkin leave us alone.” I showed them the necklace. “I can give them this. This is what the whole thing is about. Linkin took Ellie because of it. He won’t leave Ash and I alone because he wants it.” I held it up, feeling the power pulse through my fingers. “This is all he wants. If I give it to him, he’ll leave us alone. I’ll get my sister back and you guys can have normal lives again without watching me all the time.”

  “We don’t want him to have it though,” Cornelius said. “That’s why we’re protecting you. We promised Ash that we’d keep you and the necklace safe.”

  I put my hands on my hips and stared him down. “Ash doesn’t even know what the necklace does. The only reason he’s keeping it from Linkin is because he has a grudge against him. And he thinks it’s magical or something.” I shook my head. “We don’t know exactly what it is.”

  “You can’t even take it off. Isn’t it stuck?” Misty asked.

  “Dax said I can take it off if I willingly give it to someone.”

  “How do you know he’s telling the truth?”