Hold Tight (The Embrace Series)

by Cherie Colyer

  “I am not an object up for auction to the highest bidder,” I spat either to his face or to thin air. It was impossible to tell.

  “You don’t want to upset me further than I am, or you won’t be the only Riley I claim as my own.”

  Fear paralyzed me. “You wouldn’t.”

  Long fingers wrapped around my biceps, pinning my arms to my side. Reed materialized, tugging me upward so that I was on my toes, my ear inches from his mouth. “A better question would be, have I already? Stop fighting and come with me.” He inhaled but instantly choked.

  As he gagged out a cough, his nails dug into my flesh, and I yelped in pain—moments before feeling weightless. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Kaylee’s body likewise become ethereal. Then we were both standing behind Isaac, with Josh at our backs. I went to attack Reed, but Isaac held his arm out.

  Reed vanished again. His cough seemed to reverberate around the room.

  “If you lay one finger on my brother or father, so help me, I’ll kill you myself. That’s a—”

  I was about to say promise, but my lips sealed, and I knew that was Isaac’s doing.

  “You found a way to guard her essence,” Reed said when the coughing ceased. Awe dripped from his words. He even had the gall to clap. “Bravo. Does the spell ground her to the here and now too or just protect her from being fuel?” A pause. “She tastes like fresh strawberries. Did you know that?”

  “You bastard!” I yelled, relieved to be able to speak again. I lunged toward Reed, but between Isaac’s arm still blocking my path and Josh and Kaylee holding me back, I didn’t get far. Isaac’s powers sizzled visibly from his entire body, and his usual spearmint and vanilla had a heavy metallic tang to it. I was pretty sure he was as raving mad as I was to find out Reed had been feeding off my essence.

  “Be very careful what you do next,” Reed warned telepathically, and then the room grew a few degrees warmer. His piney scent vanished, and the knot in my stomach loosened just enough to let me know he had left, for now.

  After hiding any evidence that we’d been at my house and not in school, we went to Isaac’s. His parents wouldn’t be home until later. Plus, his room was the only place we had that was intruder-proof.

  “You know, life used to be so much simpler before you embraced your powers,” Josh gibed, picking up a Rubik’s Cube from Isaac’s dresser and twisting one side. “No spiteful ex-friends, no worrying about hexes, and no pissed-off faeries.”

  I grabbed the cube from him. “Ha, ha. And it was Emma’s going Dark Side that pushed me to search out my powers.”

  “I know.” Josh rubbed his hands together. “So what do we do now?”

  I plopped down on the bed with enough force to send Kaylee toppling over on the mattress next to me. I looked at her. “Sorry.” There was only one solution I could think of to keep my family and friends safe. “It’s my fault Reed’s here. Maybe I should stop fighting him. Make a deal. You know, I’ll go with him if he lets me come back and visit.”

  “Hell no!” Isaac snapped at the same time Kaylee said, “You’re not going anywhere with that nut job.”

  “Are you crazy?” Josh added.

  Kaylee righted herself. “Get that thought out of your head.”

  “We’ll find another way to get rid of him,” Isaac said. He sat on his dresser flicking his fingers, sending strings of visible energy soaring through the air. The whitish-gray wisps faded before they hit anything.

  I pulled my knees to my chest and hugged them, rocking back and forth on the bed. “He threatened to hurt Chase and Dad.”

  Isaac pushed off his perch, slid behind me, and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me against his chest. I sank into him.

  “We aren’t going to let that happen,” he assured me, but I knew he couldn’t guarantee their safety.

  Josh lowered himself onto the sphere chair and, resting his head back, stared at the old-fashioned chandelier. “Dude, you going to tell us the real reason Reed’s so pissed off at you? You already told us you and Heather were broken up when she summoned him, so skip the bullshit about liking the same girl.”

  Isaac rested his chin on my head. “I may have implied that I would burn his kingdom to ashes if he didn’t take his ass home.”

  “You want to elaborate on that?” Josh asked.

  Isaac sighed. “When Heather realized she was in over her head, she asked for my help. She’d really pissed him off, and he was determined to teach her a lesson.”

  I looked over my shoulder at him. “She planned on trapping him here. Reed said he doesn’t take kindly to humans who threaten him.”

  “Yeah, I found out about her diabolical plan around day four. She was selfish and petty, but that didn’t mean she deserved to lose her family. I spent six days trying to get the jump on Dellis. I couldn’t shove his ass back through the door Heather had opened, and he couldn’t pull her to the other side because she hadn’t eaten anything he’d offered her. But I did manage to find the door she’d created. Did I tell you my grandfather had a spell for eternal fire?”

  Josh let out a low whistle.

  “What’s that?” Kaylee’s gaze traveled from Josh to Isaac.

  “It’s dark magic,” Josh replied. “When cast, the flames never die. They devour everything in their path.”

  I gasped. “Were you really going to set his realm on fire?”

  Isaac gave me a squeeze that was the equivalent of Yes and I’m sorry all in one. “I had bet Dellis wouldn’t take the chance that I was bluffing, and I was right. He agreed to return home, and in turn I promised never to harm a faerie of his court.”

  “He can’t yank Madison through the door, can he?” Kaylee asked. “I mean, the unity spell prevents that, right?”

  Isaac’s silence was answer enough. The unity spell had bound my aura to Isaac, preventing Reed from being able to drain me of it, but it wouldn’t stop him from dragging me kicking and screaming to his world. Josh was the one who spoke up.

  “We think the only reason he hasn’t done just that is because Madison hasn’t consumed enough of their food.”

  I only half-listened as they continued to discuss the ways of the faerie world. I’d had enough miserable news for one day.

  When four o’clock rolled around, I asked Isaac to take me home. The first thing he did when we got there was cast an intention ward on my room. Anyone who planned to harm or trick me wouldn’t be able to enter. He had wanted to cast the spell on the entire house, but living with a six-year-old who thought it was fun to jump out of closets or steal French fries off other people’s plates would have meant we’d vanquished Chase from his own home.

  Isaac offered to stay until my dad got home, but discovering Reed had stolen some of my aura had left me feeling violated. I just wanted to take a shower. Besides, I’d gotten the impression that Brea wanted to help me, and I was sure she wouldn’t show up as long as Isaac was around.

  I stayed under the hot water until my fingers resembled prunes and the spray ran cold. Dad and Chase got home a few minutes before six. To avoid having to leave the safety of my room, I told them I wasn’t feeling well. In reality, I was afraid Reed would return. I wasn’t sure how much more of his mind tricks I could stand before I caved and drank an entire flask of the clear blue liquid just to silence the ache that accompanied his visits.

  At one point, I swore I was being watched and nearly leaped out of my skin when Chase screamed, “Boo!” and attempted to jump into my room—only to hit an invisible wall and ricochet backward, landing on his butt in the hall instead. Bursting into laughter, I rushed to help him up.

  “Are you okay?”

  He looked straight ahead of him into my room. “What was that?”

  You slammed into a magical barrier. “You hit the doorframe.” I pulled him to his feet.

  He swiped a hand through the open doorway. I couldn’t help but smile knowing that, thanks to Isaac’s ward, Chase had only been blocked from entering my room if he planned on playing
a prank on me.

  He shrugged and said, “Dad wants to know if we can eat your tacos.”

  “Go for it.”

  “Thanks!” He scrambled down the stairs. “Dad, she said yes!”

  I worked on homework, still hoping Brea would show up. In the meantime, Reed’s sad ballad managed to worm its way into my head. I couldn’t sense him, though, so I was pretty sure I was still alone. Stuffing my earbuds into my ears, I cranked my favorite playlist and drowned out the depressing melody.

  Little did I know things were about to become much worse.

  Chapter 19

  Crash

  Saturday, Dad sat at the kitchen table with his eyes half-closed. The small television in the corner aired the morning news, but the volume was too low to hear what the pert reporter in a way-too-pink suit had to say. Dad still had on the sweats and T-shirt he’d slept in.

  “No work today?” I asked, surprised to see him clutching a cup of coffee instead of his thermos. I opened the fridge and grabbed the orange juice.

  “Chase isn’t feeling well. I want to take him to the walk-in clinic when it opens at nine. Caden and Reed are in charge until I get there.”

  “Reed still works for you?” I slammed the refrigerator door shut with more force than I’d meant to. The condiments inside rattled.

  His brow furrowed. “Ah, yeah. The doctor’s office is a couple weeks away from done. Don’t tell me you have something against Reed now.”

  Just that he wasn’t human. My mouth opened, but no words came out.

  Dad sighed. “Look, Madison, if it were up to you I wouldn’t have hired Caden, and he not only knows the difference between a drywall screw and a wood screw, he knows how to run electricity. I don’t have to contract that piece out to someone else. How about you leave the workmen to me?”

  “But Reed doesn’t need the job,” I protested. “He’s only here to—” I stopped before I said too much.

  “To what, Madison? Become an independent young man? To show his family he can make it on his own?”

  “Is that what he told you?” Still upset I couldn’t exactly inform Dad that Reed was a faerie prince who snatched unsuspecting humans from their lives, I decided to change the subject. “What’s wrong with Chase?”

  “Fever, sore throat. It’s not too bad,” he called as I hurried out of the kitchen.

  Chase lay curled in a ball on the family room couch, hugging a floppy stuffed golden retriever and watching morning cartoons. I felt his forehead. “Hey, sport. Dad says you aren’t feeling good.”

  Chase shook his head. He looked very small on the big couch.

  I tossed a blanket over him. “Want me to get you anything?”

  He pointed to a juice pouch on the coffee table.

  After picking it up and seeing it was still full, I handed it to him.

  “Thanks.”

  “You’re welcome.” I ruffled his hair. “Call me if you need anything else.”

  “Okay.” He continued to watch his show.

  “The flu’s been going around,” Dad said when I rejoined him in the kitchen. He got up and grabbed a bottle of Tylenol from the cabinet above the sink. His sluggish movements made me notice how pale his complexion was.

  “You look as if you could see the doctor too,” I commented.

  He shook his head. “Chase ended up in my bed last night. I’m just tired.”

  “How about I take him to the clinic and you get a couple hours of sleep?” I offered.

  He glanced longingly at the ceiling. “Are you sure?”

  “Yeah. It’s no problem.” I’d planned on spending the morning brother-sitting anyway. It really didn’t matter if I did it at home or at the doctor’s office.

  “Madison, I don’t know what I’d do without you.” Dad patted my shoulder and headed upstairs. “Thanks.”

  I quickly changed out of my shorts and tank top and into jeans and a long-sleeved T-shirt. I let Chase keep on his Scooby-Doo pajamas, mainly because he was moving so slowly we would have never gotten out the door if I made him change. To hurry him along, I helped him stuff his feet into his snow boots and tugged on his jacket.

  “Buckle up.” I started the engine on Dad’s truck. “And keep your hat on,” I said before he could rip it off his head.

  We were on the main road when I heard rustling next to me. I glanced at Chase and saw him pop something into his mouth.

  “What’re you eating?” I asked, switching lanes to get from behind a minivan. At least the Prius now ahead of us was driving the speed limit.

  “Candy. It helps my throat. Want one?”

  “Sure.” In the rush to get out of the house, I’d forgotten about the glass of juice I’d poured myself.

  Chase pulled a handful of candies from his jacket pocket. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a few fall into his lap. “You can have the one with girl cooties.”

  “Girl cooties?” I repeated with a chuckle.

  “Yeah, Haley said boys shouldn’t eat things wrapped in pink.”

  “You and your friends have the silliest rules.” I glanced next to me and then did a double-take. Chase held one of Reed’s candies in his outstretched hand.

  “Where’d you get that?” I shrieked and caused our truck to veer into oncoming traffic. I jerked the wheel to the right, steering us back into our lane.

  “The guy that works for Daddy gave it to me.”

  “Reed?” I asked, my mind working in slow motion.

  “Yeah.”

  Then, like a key in a lock, it clicked. Reed gave Chase faerie food, but why? To steal my brother away from this world as well or for leverage to ensure I’d go quietly instead? I would, too, because there was no way I’d let anything happen to Chase.

  “Spit it out!” I demanded, knocking the candy from his hand. It was bad enough he’d already eaten some of the chocolates. Chase bent forward as much as the seatbelt would allow him and reached for what had fallen on the floor. “I’m serious, Chase! Spit it out!”

  I looked from the road—barely registering the Prius going through a yellow light—to Chase chewing faster. Tears filled his eyes, and his cheeks were blotchy red. I felt bad yelling at him, but I didn’t want him finishing what was in his mouth. I put my free hand under his chin. “Now, Chase!”

  A horn blared, bringing my attention back to the road and the red light at the intersection in front of me. I slammed on the brakes, but we couldn’t stop quickly enough. The horn grew louder, but I didn’t know where it came from and I didn’t have time to react. My brain registered the deafening BOOM a split second before my head hit the window next to me. The airbags exploded, and shards of glass hit my face. Tires screeched as we were knocked sideways. The world swam in front of me before our pickup truck came to a stop. Something wet and warm dripped down the side of my face. I tried to turn my head to see my brother, but I couldn’t move.

  “Chase?” I grunted. Through blurred vision, I saw a man run in front of us. The hood of Dad’s truck was bent at an odd angle. Steam rose from the engine.

  “Chase,” I repeated with a groan.

  But he didn’t answer. I groped next to me, feeling the center console and then Chase’s limp hand.

  “Chase!”

  My door creaked open.

  “Are you okay?” came a guy’s voice from my left.

  I blinked a few times. My vision cleared a little. I shifted a millimeter. A blinding pang shot down my neck and into my right arm.

  “Don’t move,” the guy instructed.

  “My brother,” I managed to say.

  The guy carefully leaned over me. When his expression went blank, I tried again to turn my head to the side to see Chase for myself, but the guy put a hand on my shoulder. “Stay still, Miss. An ambulance is on its way.”

  Everything around me swirled in a haze of grays. Squeezing my eyes shut, I focused on my powers. Maybe I could have pushed them out and avoided the accident if I’d seen what hit us in the first place. But I hadn’t, so all I could
do now was will them to steady my mind and ease the pain that surged through my entire body, begging them to fix me so I could check on Chase.

  Pull it together, I silently repeated to myself. The sound of sirens grew louder. Chase needs you.

  My powers failed me, though, and I slipped into darkness.

  Chapter 20

  On Death’s Bed

  I woke in a sterile white room with ungodly bright fluorescent lights making it hard for my eyelids to stay open. I grunted, pushing out powers I didn’t mean to, just when I didn’t want to. The energy caused the bulbs above me to spark and burn out with a slight hiss.

  Kaylee stood next to me, hands over her mouth, and eyes red as if she’d been crying. I wasn’t sure if she’d been there the whole time or if she’d been close by and rushed over when she realized I was awake. She let out a breathless, “Thank goodness!”

  I pressed my palm to my temple and hit the soft cotton of a bandage. “I feel like I’ve been run over by a steamroller.”

  She patted my leg through the thin cream blanket. “You’ve been unconscious for close to two days.”

  “Two days?” I took a good look around me, my whereabouts quickly sinking in. The hazy memory of driving Chase to the doctor’s office came back to me. The throbbing in my head made it difficult to remember anything past Chase having the candy.

  “How did I get here?” I pushed myself into a sitting position. “And where’s Chase?”

  “He’s in a room down the hall.”

  The echo of a horn rang in my ears, and the deafening sound of metal slamming into metal and glass flying everywhere brought the accident back in a horrifying rush.

  “I’ve got to get to Chase.” I attempted to throw the covers off me, but the sheet got tangled around the tubes strung from a clear bag of liquid to an IV in my arm. The room swayed, forcing me to grab the bedrail.

  Kaylee placed her hands on my shoulders. “Madison, you’re not ready to get up.”

  “I’m fine.” Or I was fine just as long as I didn’t make any sudden movements.

  Kaylee tightened her grip on my forearm. “Josh,” she said with urgency but no louder than she’d spoken to me. His name echoed in my thoughts, which told me she’d used our connection to call him.