The Inner Circle, Book 3 of the Glass Wall ( A YA Urban Fantasy Romance ) by Carmen Caine, Madison Adler

of the gazebos, I asked, “So what was that all about?
What were—”
    But I didn’t get anything else out as Ajax
leapt between us. Raising his fur, the Doberman bared his shiny
white teeth and snarled right at me.
    I took an involuntary step back.
    And then Rafael frowned. “What’s this?” His
voice turned cold and his expression grew distant all at once.
    “I don’t know,” I snapped, a bit shaken.
“He’s your dog.”
    Rafael’s jaw clenched tightly as he nodded at
Ajax. “He says you were fighting with Jareth in some … lovers’
quarrel.”
    I was surprised. The only word that escaped
my lips was “huh?”
    Obviously, Ajax didn’t want Rafael knowing
I’d spied on them. Apparently, even he had his own secrets. But I
didn’t appreciate his method of protecting his secrets. I reached
down and pinched his pointy little snout. Hard.
    He flattened his ears in response.
    “Ajax misunderstood,” I began, but Rafael cut
me off.
    “You shouldn’t wander around by yourself at
night,” he said curtly. “I’ll see you back home.”
    He didn’t wait for me to respond. He turned
on his heel and headed off through the darkness towards Al’s
house.
    I followed.
    Maybe it was something else, but I couldn’t
help but think that Rafael was jealous. He sure acted like it. It
was a thrilling thought for all that it implied. And even though I
knew I should really be pressing him for details about his dealings
with the Inner Circle and what they were doing with the mutant
tulpa, I suddenly had to let him know that I didn’t have any
romantic interest in Jareth.
    Skipping to catch up with him, I nearly slid
in the snow and grabbed his arm to anchor myself.
    “Ajax is crazy,” I said breathlessly as he
instinctively reached out to steady me. “Yes, I care for Jareth,
but you know, he’s like a brother to me.” I gave a little laugh and
added, “You know, like a really annoying obnoxious brother that
you’re stuck with. Maybe that looks like something else from a
dog’s point of view.”
    I wasn’t going to let Ajax off the hook. I
was going to give him a nice talking to at some point. But not now.
Not when I had Rafael’s full attention.
    His gray eyes bore into mine. I couldn’t tell
if he believed me or not.
    And then I did something that surprised even
me.
    Reaching up, I grabbed his head, and standing
on my tiptoes, pulled his lips to meet mine.
    It started as an awkward kiss. I didn’t have
much experience, but it didn’t really matter. With Rafael, I knew I
wasn’t being judged.
    He responded at once, and his lips parted to
meet mine with a sweet tenderness that stole my breath. I shivered
as a deep thrill surged down to each nerve ending.
    And then he pulled back, his lips hovering
millimeters from mine. “This won’t work,” he warned softly. “No,
this can’t happen, Sydney.”
    “Can’t?” I repeated. And then I
remembered.
    Of course. The Tree of Life thing. The fate
line that said if Rafael was to love me that he’d bring about the
destruction of the dimensions.
    I frowned.
    He was the only guy that I’d ever really had
an interest in. But there were so many cards stacked against us, I
really didn’t see how it could work either. After all, the fact
that he was a royal fairy prince from another dimension, embroiled
in some kind of conspiracy, was probably a game-ender anyway.
    Embittered, I turned away. “Forget it,” I
said. “Sorry.”
    “Sydney!” he called after me.
    But I just ignored him, and bursting out of
the greenbelt, took refuge in Al and Betty’s house. Waving at Betty
so she wouldn’t worry and putting the egg in the fridge, I escaped
to my room and peeled off my wet, muddy jeans and slipped into a
comfortable pair of sweats.
    I had to stay focused. I couldn’t let myself
think of Rafael. It was too painful.
    With grim determination, I focused on the
problems at hand.
    I watched the video of Melody several times
before making up my mind. I would show it to