little button lock on my bedroom door, and I concentrated on the image of that button being pressed by an invisible hand.
The lullaby was nearing its end, and I was having to sneak a breath every few notes. I don’t even want to know what I sounded like. I’m sure it wasn’t pretty, between the sour notes and the gasps for air. It was bad enough now that even the magic seemed to be losing interest. I could feel it receding, the air becoming easier to breathe, the prickling starting to subside.
Still, I kept staring at my door, willing it to lock itself with the power that was left in the room. But nothing happened, and moments later, when the lullaby came to an end, I was alone in my room once more.
* * *
I tried two more times to call the magic during the remaining days of my captivity, and the result was the same. Lots of magic in the air, and nothing to show for it. I was so frustrated I could scream.
When Monday finally rolled around, I was so ready to escape my cave that I wished Kimber and I had scheduled our spa visit for first thing in the morning. Unfortunately, our appointment wasn’t until one o’clock, which made for what felt like the longest morning in the history of the universe.
The Erlking was still hanging around Avalon, so I still had to take two guards with me whenever I left the safe house. I’d assumed that my second guard for this outing would be Lachlan—and that Finn would do some kind of hocus-pocus to confirm it was really him before letting me near him—but it turned out I was wrong.
My dad showed up promptly at noon, carrying a to-go bag that smelled heavenly. He smiled at my surprise.
“I’m sure Lachlan is a perfectly capable second guard,” he told me, “but I have the luxury of having some free time for once, so I thought I’d fill in for him. You don’t mind, do you?”
He made the question sound casual, but there was something almost … tentative to his manner. Was he worried I’d hold a grudge over him grounding me? It was true that living with my mom had meant I’d had practically zero experience with true parental authority, but though I hadn’t exactly enjoyed being grounded, there was something so normal and ordinary about it that I found it hard to resent him. At least not for that.
I shrugged, wondering if my gesture looked any more genuinely casual than his. “Fine with me. What have you brought?”
Dad held up the takeout bag for display. “Lunch from Lachlan’s bakery. I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I brought a selection.”
We were in the guardroom, and Finn was stationed across the room from us—as far away as he could get, so we could have an illusion of privacy. Dad didn’t spare the Knight a glance as he gestured for me to precede him into my suite.
I was doing my best to accept the fact that my dad was a snob. The Fae are extremely class-conscious, and even though Knights were the sword arm of Faerie, they were treated almost like servants. I doubted I’d have any luck bringing my dad’s attitude into the twenty-first century—the Fae take being set in their ways to a new level—but I couldn’t help trying.
“Did you bring anything for Finn?” I asked my dad, standing my ground.
Dad arched one eyebrow at me, then turned his attention to Finn. “Have you had lunch yet?”
Finn blinked in surprise. To tell you the truth, I was kinda surprised myself. I’d been sure Dad would stick his nose in the air at my suggestion. Maybe I could bring him into the twenty-first century after all.
“I have already eaten,” Finn said, shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot. The color that rose to his cheeks screamed that he was lying.
“No, you haven’t!” I said. “I’m sure Dad’s got enough food in there for three people.” I slanted a look at my dad, whose face was completely impassive. “Maybe even four, based on the size of that bag.”
The color in Finn’s cheeks darkened, and he bowed his head slightly. “Go
The lullaby was nearing its end, and I was having to sneak a breath every few notes. I don’t even want to know what I sounded like. I’m sure it wasn’t pretty, between the sour notes and the gasps for air. It was bad enough now that even the magic seemed to be losing interest. I could feel it receding, the air becoming easier to breathe, the prickling starting to subside.
Still, I kept staring at my door, willing it to lock itself with the power that was left in the room. But nothing happened, and moments later, when the lullaby came to an end, I was alone in my room once more.
* * *
I tried two more times to call the magic during the remaining days of my captivity, and the result was the same. Lots of magic in the air, and nothing to show for it. I was so frustrated I could scream.
When Monday finally rolled around, I was so ready to escape my cave that I wished Kimber and I had scheduled our spa visit for first thing in the morning. Unfortunately, our appointment wasn’t until one o’clock, which made for what felt like the longest morning in the history of the universe.
The Erlking was still hanging around Avalon, so I still had to take two guards with me whenever I left the safe house. I’d assumed that my second guard for this outing would be Lachlan—and that Finn would do some kind of hocus-pocus to confirm it was really him before letting me near him—but it turned out I was wrong.
My dad showed up promptly at noon, carrying a to-go bag that smelled heavenly. He smiled at my surprise.
“I’m sure Lachlan is a perfectly capable second guard,” he told me, “but I have the luxury of having some free time for once, so I thought I’d fill in for him. You don’t mind, do you?”
He made the question sound casual, but there was something almost … tentative to his manner. Was he worried I’d hold a grudge over him grounding me? It was true that living with my mom had meant I’d had practically zero experience with true parental authority, but though I hadn’t exactly enjoyed being grounded, there was something so normal and ordinary about it that I found it hard to resent him. At least not for that.
I shrugged, wondering if my gesture looked any more genuinely casual than his. “Fine with me. What have you brought?”
Dad held up the takeout bag for display. “Lunch from Lachlan’s bakery. I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I brought a selection.”
We were in the guardroom, and Finn was stationed across the room from us—as far away as he could get, so we could have an illusion of privacy. Dad didn’t spare the Knight a glance as he gestured for me to precede him into my suite.
I was doing my best to accept the fact that my dad was a snob. The Fae are extremely class-conscious, and even though Knights were the sword arm of Faerie, they were treated almost like servants. I doubted I’d have any luck bringing my dad’s attitude into the twenty-first century—the Fae take being set in their ways to a new level—but I couldn’t help trying.
“Did you bring anything for Finn?” I asked my dad, standing my ground.
Dad arched one eyebrow at me, then turned his attention to Finn. “Have you had lunch yet?”
Finn blinked in surprise. To tell you the truth, I was kinda surprised myself. I’d been sure Dad would stick his nose in the air at my suggestion. Maybe I could bring him into the twenty-first century after all.
“I have already eaten,” Finn said, shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot. The color that rose to his cheeks screamed that he was lying.
“No, you haven’t!” I said. “I’m sure Dad’s got enough food in there for three people.” I slanted a look at my dad, whose face was completely impassive. “Maybe even four, based on the size of that bag.”
The color in Finn’s cheeks darkened, and he bowed his head slightly. “Go
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