The Brotherhood of the Snake (Return of the Ancients Book 2) (4 page)

“Just me?” Jareth cocked a brow. “You’ll have no reason to stay here, either, Rafael. Our mission will be complete.”

My heart skipped at that.

I didn’t want Rafael to go, but I couldn’t let myself think about it right now. I had to focus on the matters at hand.

And that was the Tulpa.

How did one
catch
those things anyway?

I shuddered, recalling its attempt to convert me into the pure emotion of fear. Would I be able to defend myself if I actually found it?

That thought made me think of a horrific new one. Swallowing, I whispered hoarsely, “What do I do if it suddenly shows up again … and you’re not around?”

A light touch on my shoulder startled me.

Rafael had moved closer to me.

“I won’t leave you alone,” he promised in a soft murmur. “I’ll be there.”

His gray eyes were beautiful, his lashes dark, and the eye makeup made him even more mysteriously attractive, even if it was half smeared over his face at the moment.

My stomach rolled a little, and I found that unsettling. Stepping away, I forced my attention back on the Tulpa.

“But what am I going to do?” I asked. “You can’t be with me 24/7.”

Rafael paused at that and hesitated, visibly puzzled. “24/7?”

In spite of it all, I couldn’t help a small smile. For fairies, they were actually pretty good at understanding slang, but they still tripped up occasionally. “Twenty-four hours, seven days a week,” I explained, my voice shaking only a little.

Understanding dawned in his eyes, and he nodded crisply. “Ah, yes.”

Barely hesitating, he gently placed a long finger on Ajax’s head.

Ajax tensed.

I knew what Rafael was going to say, even before he said it.

Apparently, Ajax did too, because he began to whimper.

“Until we find a better solution, Ajax will remain by your side at all times,” Rafael announced. “He’ll be able to sense if the Tulpa is nearby or if the Mesmers appear. He can notify us immediately.”

The Doberman flattened his ears, and his whimpering turned into an actual whine, one that reeked of torture and pain.

Jareth laughed.

Rafael’s eyes narrowed in faint disapproval, but he bowed at me, insisting, “Ajax is greatly honored to be of assistance.”

“That’s not what I heard him say!” Jareth chortled.

I expelled a breath.

I really didn’t want Ajax near me either, but I was desperate, and I certainly didn’t want to face the Tulpa alone again.

“Thank you, Ajax,” I said reluctantly even as a part of me wondered how I could get him to like me. “I hope you don’t mind too much.”

“Oh, he minds,” Jareth delighted in telling me and then began translating merrily. “He said he’d much rather chew off his—”

“Ajax is young, still a pup.” Rafael cut him short. “His childish reaction to such an unexpected request must be understood and forgiven.”

Looking at the massively muscled Doberman standing next to me with his superior and aloof attitude, I didn’t see how anyone could think he was still a puppy, but I smiled and nodded all the same.

Ajax lifted his lip a fraction of an inch, and we eyed each other guardedly.

“If you need us, Sydney, simply wish us to come.” Rafael’s hand lightly touched the golden Fae bracelet still circling my wrist.

As his fingers brushed against my skin, I jerked back instinctively.

To my horror, I felt my cheeks flaming a bright red.

What was wrong with me? Why was I so hypersensitive?

“The bracelet will sense your thoughts and call us.” Rafael was still talking. “We’ll come immediately.”

I took a deep breath, desperately thinking of the Tulpa to calm my churning emotions. It worked. I felt scared again. I wasn’t sure that was better.

Meanwhile, Ajax had apparently decided that I wasn’t worth his time. Stretching himself out on the floor, he settled in as if preparing to take a nap and gave a long, loud yawn.

I looked down his throat at his rows of teeth, wondering if he was truly yawning or giving me some subtle hint, but then a new, Tulpa-related thought popped in my head.

“What if we’re both asleep when it comes back?” I asked with a sense of growing alarm. “What if we can’t call you in time?”

Jareth rolled his eyes and laughed a distinctly unpleasant, mocking sound. “Do you think we’re relying on
you
to find this thing, Sydney?”

I was exhausted, and my temper flared. “Why are you such an unhappy jerk, Jareth?” I retorted defensively.

His head snapped back.

Continuing to vent, I fished in my pocket for the protection rune Rafael had given me and thrust it into Jareth’s face. “And just for the record, I still don’t trust
you
! Rafael's the one I trust. He’s the strong, cool, and handsome one!”

A surprised silence greeted my statement.

It took me a moment to realize what I’d just blurted.

And though I hadn’t thought it possible, I blushed an even deeper scarlet than before.

I couldn’t look at Rafael.

It was time I got out of there. Straightening my shoulders, I cleared my throat and made up my mind. “Well, I’m ready. Let’s get this over with.”

I hadn’t wanted to leave the safety of their presence before. Now, I wanted to get away as fast as I could.

Holding my head high, I marched to the door. Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw Rafael folding his arms and settling back as if to watch me.

I stifled a snort.

Clearly, he was accustomed to girls behaving foolishly around him. No one that handsome could be used to anything else.

Arriving at the front door, I yanked it open, but as I stood on the threshold, I remembered the Mesmers.

But before I could even form the words, Jareth’s sardonic voice whispered over my shoulder. “Leave the Mesmers to me, Sydney. They won’t be interested in you, anyway, so you’ve nothing to fear.”

I whirled.

There was no way that could be a coincidence. “You can read my mind, can’t you!” It wasn’t a question. It was an accusation. He’d told me before that mind-reading was impossible, but I could no longer believe that.

With an exaggerated eye roll, Jareth stooped to place his nose an inch away from mine. “What’s it going to take to be rid of you, Sydney? Go! Shoo! Be gone! Get out of here!” He began waving his hands dismissively at me.

I stepped back, briefly considering pulling the door shut in his face, but as Rafael stepped into view, I decided to leave.

I was too chicken to look at the expression on his face.

Diving off the porch, I was halfway across the street before Ajax caught up with me, and as I plodded through Al and Betty’s front yard, I noticed he went out of his way to direct more than a couple of sneers my way, maneuvering to make sure that I’d see every one of them.

“I get it, Ajax,” I growled, pushing the front door open.

It wasn’t until I stood inside the brightly painted blue house that I wondered if Al and Betty would object to his presence. But it turned out that I didn’t even have time to stress out about it.

“Oh, are you babysitting Ajax, honey?” Betty called from the kitchen the moment I arrived.

“Yeah, just for a bit.” I cleared my throat, scrabbling for words. “Rafael had to … help his parents. It won’t be for long. He hoped you wouldn’t mind.”

“Not at all!” Betty’s voice smiled. “That dog is so beautiful! I wouldn’t mind keeping him forever, only Tigger would get jealous.”

Ajax apparently understood English very well, because he straightened proudly and bestowed a haughty, regal nod of clear agreement in the direction of the kitchen.

I rolled my eyes.

“Tigger's quite the looker, too,” Al’s voice differed from behind Betty’s Ebay boxes.

I was tempted to roll my eyes again, but this time in humor.

Betty came out of the kitchen, tucking her mousy-brown hair behind her ears and holding a kitchen towel in her hand. Her brown eyes widened a little as she took in my appearance, reminding me all at once that I was still dressed in the green Fae tunic with Rafael’s dramatic, sequined makeup painted all over my face.

“Sydney let Rafael take her to a masquerade ball, Mom.” Grace wandered aimlessly into the room wearing pink sweats. Her pitch-black hair was pulled back into her trademark tight ponytail and her brown eyes sparkled with interest as she held out a pair of fuzzy UFO-shaped slippers with flashlights embedded in the toes. “Check out these ‘USS Enterprising Slippers’, Sydney! Mom said we could each have a pair!” With a grin, she tossed them at me.

I caught the slippers, hugging them to my chest, and found myself suddenly smiling.

I was so happy to be back, hearing their voices once again. And for the first time in my life, I felt I was home.

It felt odd. But I knew I could get used to it.

“Al’s running to the store real quick,” Betty said, wiping her hands on the towel. “Would you mind going with him, Sydney? I want to try some of those new Paunchy Poodle Pills on Tigger. The vet told me they really help dogs lose weight, and I saw an ad that they’re at the pet store now.”

I followed her gaze to Tigger snoozing in the hall.

The red-brindled bloodhound only gained more weight with every diet Betty put him on. I wasn’t sure her endeavors were really helping.

But I said, “Sure, I’ll get ready real quick.” Glancing down at Ajax, I added, “And I’ll take Ajax with me. He’d probably like to check out the pet store.” I wasn’t about to go anywhere without him right now.

Heading to my room, I stepped over Tigger, watching as Ajax paused in front of the sleeping dog, his lips splitting into a wide, evil grin.

“Be nice, Ajax!” I warned with a glare. “Tigger’s a great guard dog, too.”

We both knew that was a lie.

Ajax shot me a look of what could only be astonishment that I’d ever say such a thing, but I was suddenly exhausted and just wanted to escape into my room.

Trudging down the hall, I opened my bedroom door and waited for him to prance through before closing and leaning against it thankfully.

For the first time since breaking the Glass Wall, I was finally alone.

Taking a deep breath, I let my eyes rove over the simple fuzzy tiger-print blanket covering my bed, the sunflower-shaped rug, and the yellow curtains framing the window facing the greenbelt of trees behind the house.

I was so happy to be back on Earth, back with my foster parents, Al and Betty, and their daughter, Grace.

And back with my mouse, Jerry, in his cage on the oak dresser.

The mirror hanging over the dresser caught my attention, and I blinked, startled at my own reflection. My black hair was a tangled mess, but in spite of what we’d gone through in Avalon, the dark eye shadow highlighting my green eyes and the mysterious patterns Rafael had painted on my face still looked fresh and untouched. The green Fae tunic shimmered around me, making me appear much taller than I actually was, and lent me a sense of style and grace that I normally didn’t possess.

I moved to lean against the dresser, absently combing my fingers through my hair, and I finally let my thoughts drift where they wanted to go.

Towards Rafael.

I’d never met anyone like him. He was fascinating. And handsome.

I cringed a little, recalling how I’d blurted exactly just that to his face, only moments ago.

I blushed again even though I knew it was pointless to relive the embarrassment again and again. It would only make me feel bad about myself.

I could do only one thing now, and that would be to move on.

And, of course, watch my mouth closer in the future.

However, before I could really move on, I had to think about Rafael just a bit more first. I had to. Otherwise, I couldn’t move on. It made some kind of strange logic to me, anyway.

I sighed.

It was funny that I was thinking about a guy so much.

After watching my mother boyfriend-hop year after year, I’d pretty much lost interest in having a boyfriend myself. I had absolutely zero interest in guys. Or at least I’d been telling myself that for quite some time, and I’d gotten pretty good at believing it.

I didn’t waste my time thinking about romance.

Yeah, I occasionally read and watched the popular teen romances like any other girl, the ones filled with snarky, sarcastic heroines falling in love with vampires and werewolves. In the first chapter, the girl would drool over how beautiful the guy was, and he was either horrifically rude to the point that any normal person would have punched him in the face, or else he would spend his entire time consumed with worry that he’d accidentally turn her into a tasty vampire or werewolf snack.

In chapter two, for no apparent reason, they would fall madly in love, get all kissy and decide that they’d just have to get married exactly right that instant. I’d always wondered why the authors left out the main part of the story—how they’d gotten to know each other.

After watching my mother in real life, I knew real relationships took time, time to build up trust.

It was time that I didn’t want to bother with. I knew I’d never live long enough in one place anyway.

I sighed again.

I'd never had to worry about it anyhow. Boys had never exactly beaten my door down. They'd never really noticed me. And I’d never really given them a second glance, either. My time was consumed with watching out for my mother, Maya, and helping her pick up the pieces after her latest deadbeat boyfriend would ride off into the sunset without her.

It was then that I recalled what Rafael and Jareth had talked about in the mirror.

What were they afraid would happen?

Were they afraid Rafael would fall in love with me?

I laughed aloud at the thought.

No one like Rafael would be interested in
me
.

He was intriguing, sophisticated, and strikingly handsome. I’d never thought that a guy could pull off wearing glitter and black eyeliner before, but incredibly, he did, and did it very well. And it didn’t hurt that his entire physique looked like it was sculpted out of marble.

No, a guy like that had his pick of girls, and I wouldn't even make the lineup.