The Inner Circle, Book 3 of the Glass Wall ( A YA Urban Fantasy Romance ) (8 page)

He
was
watching me. He was looking
directly our way.

“What is he doing out there?” I asked
breathlessly.

“He knows they’ll never leave him without a
shred of protection,” Jareth grumbled. “That’s probably why he’s
wandering around out there. He wants to make sure you’re safe.”

A thrill ran down my spine at that.

And then Jareth turned on me suddenly, and I
jumped, accidentally hitting Jerry’s cage with my elbow. It struck
the mirror hanging on the wall and knocked it off its nail.

It would have smashed if Jareth hadn’t
instinctively caught it as it fell.

“Good catch,” I said with an uneasy laugh.
“Now you won’t have seven years bad luck for breaking a mirror. Or
I won’t.” I added, as I’d been the root cause.

But Jareth didn’t laugh at my pitiful attempt
of a joke. His face was pale and strained.

“Breaking my mirror would be like dying,” he
finally said. “It would be like giving up my soul, what I really
am, everything I’ve ever had and all of my dreams.”

It sounded worse than bad luck. “Sorry,” I
said, “Bad joke.”

He shuddered.

There was a stilted silence.

And then he suddenly said, “I’m hungry.”

And with that, he strode out of my room and
headed for the kitchen.

I followed.

Jareth began to hum as he rifled through the
kitchen cabinets in search of a snack.

I decided to get directly to the point. “So,
what are you going to do next?” I asked him. “What are you going to
do about Rafael and the Inner Circle?”

He scowled a little but helped himself to a
couple of potato chips. Deciding he didn’t like them, he moved to
the refrigerator.

“And what about all of those Mesmers? There
must’ve been a couple of dozen of them tonight,” I continued,
closing the potato chip bag and putting it away. “What if they all
come here at once?”

Jareth took out some milk and opening it up,
sniffed it before drinking it right out of the carton.

“And do you know what they’re all up to—” I
began.

“Just drink,” he scowled, thrusting the milk
carton into my face. “You’re noisy tonight. You’re giving me a
headache.”

I scowled at him.

He gave me a crooked grin in response. “I
guess I’m not good company right now,” he said.

“Are you ever?” I couldn’t resist asking, but
I wasn’t really mad at him.

With a mocking lift of his brow, he laughed.
“You called me, didn’t you? I came.”

“True enough,” I admitted. “But I just wanted
to get some ideas before you left me in the lurch again.”

Jareth swung his leg over a stool and sat
down heavily. “This is a matter for the Fae, Sydney,” he said in a
sincere tone. “They have to know the truth. And they have to know
what the Inner Circle is up to. I’ve already informed the Fae that
should know. There are others working on these problems right now.
Not something for you to worry about.”

“And just what is the Inner Circle up to?” I
asked stubbornly, leaning against the countertop.

He sent me an exasperated look.

But then, we heard Al’s truck pull into the
driveway.

“I’ll take you to work tomorrow,” Jareth
offered. “We can talk more then.”

And before I could even respond, he
disappeared.

I heaved a sigh, wishing
I
could
disappear any time I felt like it.

Betty and Al arrived and after bidding me
goodnight, went straight to bed.

A few minutes later, Grace came in. I watched
her stumble tiredly down the hall.

And then I knew there was no way to avoid it.
I had to go back to my room. With a deep breath, I trudged down the
hall.

Tigger was still snoring.

Looking out my bedroom window with the
night-vision goggles, I could still see Rafael standing there with
Ajax on the edge of the greenbelt.

And even though it wasn’t supposed to, it
made me feel safer. But then after crawling into bed, I still
covered my head with the blankets.

The night passed, again in fits and starts.
And I rose at dawn, relieved the ordeal was finally over.

Al was already in the kitchen. I could hear
him singing as he helped Betty make some toast and coffee. And as I
stumbled to the table rubbing my tired eyes, I heard Betty say,
“And why would the government care about my doings?”

“Maybe it was those Alarming Clocks you
bought, Mom,” Grace snorted from the hallway. “The ones that fly
off the dresser when they go off? Maybe they were
really
spy
devices.”

Betty just sent her a fond smile, but Al’s
expression was deadly serious as he eyed the microwave hanging over
the stove.

“But microwaves
are
dangerous, Betty,”
he insisted. “Jack swears they can be used as mind-control devices.
It might explain your missing time.”

“I can explain my missing time, honey,” she
said, reaching up to give him a pat on the cheek. “I was tired and
I simply fell asleep.”

Taking a seat next to Al’s chair, I waited
until he sat down and then seized the opportunity. Leaning close so
only he could hear, I suggested, “Maybe we should build some
Faraday cages. They would prevent microwave mind-control, wouldn’t
they?”

Al frowned at me a moment, as if trying to
recall something, and then his blue eyes brightened. “Faraday
cages,” he repeated, stroking his chin. “Now that’s a brilliant
idea, kiddo. You’ve been doing some research, haven’t you?”

“Yeah,” I said, shrugging and trying my best
to appear casual.

To my relief, I heard the slam of a car door.
Glad to escape Al’s shrewd gaze, I headed for the door, but Grace
beat me to it.

And as Al began to sing aloud one of Jareth’s
more popular songs—a sign that I had come to learn to mean that he
was spinning up some eccentric scheme—Jareth himself strutted
through the doorway, wearing an outlandish black outfit of shredded
leather and chains that suited him well.

He paused at the door, listening to Al sing,
and then recognizing his own song, he began to grin.

Al was halfway finished before he noticed the
rock star slouching against the door. With a wink, he stopped
singing.

Jareth began to clap. “Maybe we should do a
duet,” he drawled by way of greeting.

Al gave a great guffaw. “Just have your agent
call mine, Jareth,” he said, pointing to Betty and then kissing her
on the cheek.

“Oh, I’m your agent now?” Betty laughed, but
her gaze had zeroed in on Jareth. “Your black eye really healed
fast there.”

For the briefest of moments, Jareth appeared
puzzled, but then he pointed to his face and with a theatrical
whisper uttered one word, “Makeup.”

Betty’s eyes lit with understanding, and she
laughed.

Grabbing my
Bean There, Baked That
T-shirt, I gave everyone a hurried goodbye and shoved Jareth
through the front door. And if Betty and Al thought it strange for
a rock star to be driving me to work, they didn’t give any hint of
it.

“Ashamed of me?” Jareth asked with an openly
cynical smile as he escorted me to Rafael’s Bentley.

“Al’s pretty sharp,” I said, sliding into the
car’s leather passenger seat. “He just might figure out who you
really are, and as your friend, it’s my duty to protect you.”

“What’s this?” Jareth asked in mock
astonishment. “Friend? Am I growing on you, Sydney?”

“Don’t get too cocky,” was all I said.

But a slow smile curled his lip all the
same.

“Do you always have to work at this grueling
hour?” he asked as he pulled out into the street. “It’s almost ten
o’ clock.”

“You’re lazy,” I said with a long yawn.

He eyed me then, openly cynical, but he
didn’t say anything. And then he was flying down the road, zooming
through cars, causing road rage, and offending pedestrians.

Through a break in the trees, I could see the
distant white peak of Mount Rainier. And then I watched the houses
race by. Jareth was an insane driver. I wondered how many tickets
he had racked up.

Suddenly, an image flashed through my mind.
“Marquis’ ring,” I said, abruptly recalling it.

Jareth gave a noncommittal grunt. “Ring?”

“Is it unique?” I asked.

He grew silent and seemed annoyed. “You
noticed that in the Hall of Mirrors, did you?”

I raised a brow and turned on him. “So, you
knew it was Marquis the whole time?”

“No,” he shook his head. “I’d never seen it
before a few days ago. I don’t know what it means. Maybe it is a
symbol of the Inner Circle.”

“The Inner Circle,” I said, absently biting
my nails. “We’ve got to stop them, you know. We’ve got to get ahold
of that evil tulpa and destroy it. We can’t just keep living our
lives like nothing is happening.”

He looked at me with rank irritation. “That
is a Fae matter, as is the tulpa. You needn’t involve
yourself.”

“Are you really going to tell me that?” I
rolled my eyes. “I’m involved whether I want to be or not. And I’ve
got to find a way to get rid of that thing before it slips past you
guys and eats me.”

He shot me a cunning look as we pulled up to
the back of the coffee shop.

Stretching, he gave a loud, obnoxious
yawn.

But I cut him short.

Swallowing hard, I pointed to the rooftops. I
could still make them out, even in the light of day: bright glowing
eyes.

“They’re still here,” I said. “The
Mesmers.”

To my
surprise, Jareth got out of the car and shouted, “Enough of these
games! If you wish to speak, then come. But I’ll only do this
once.”

Immediately, one of the Mesmers broke away to
slink down the brick wall, head first.

It was Blondie.

He jumped onto the hood of the car. I could
hear his nails and spikes scratching the metal. It sounded like
someone dragging their fingernails over a chalkboard.

I winced.

“You have the blood of kings. You walk in the
bodies of our past,” Blondie addressed Jareth. “How is this
so?”

“I don’t have a clue,” Jareth replied, fixing
his mouth into an arrogant sneer. “Are we done?”

“Yet you carry the light of the Fae and dream
as a human,” Blondie continued in a deep, guttural tone. “We have
seen your dreams in our homelands.”

Jareth’s nostrils flared in contempt as he
smacked his hands together in a single loud clap. “I’m done here.
Nice talking to you, but it won’t be happening again.”

As he spun on his heel, Blondie leapt.

I don’t know why I did it. After all, Jareth
hardly needed my protection. But I bolted out of the car and ran
around to stand in front of him.

Blondie was crouched on the car roof, looking
ready to attack.

“Go away!” I ordered him fiercely even as I
felt the cold fingers of fear closing in on me. Jamming my fingers
into my sweatshirt pocket, I clenched Jareth’s protection rune
tightly in my fingers. The stone was almost too hot to touch, but I
didn’t exactly care about that right now.

Blondie tilted his head sideways and regarded
me with beady eyes.

One look and I began to panic. Recalling how
I’d broken away from him before by filling myself with thoughts of
love, I desperately summoned those thoughts.

“You do not know what true love is, foolish
human.” The Mesmer’s lips peeled back in an unholy grin. “You never
will.”

“Enough,” Jareth interrupted, shoving me
aside. “I’ll not let you harm her.”

“Humans are so easy to distract.” Blondie
gave an evil cackle. “So biddable to suggestion.”

“Be gone,” Jareth thundered. “And do not
bother Sydney again.”

Blondie didn’t appear too intimidated, though
he did inch back a little. “Is your existence here enough for you,
Jareth? Is it enough to simply see the human tulpas without tasting
them?” His tongue flicked out like a lizard.

“I’ve no desire for such things,” Jareth
replied angrily.

Blondie’s voice dropped into a low rumble of
a laugh. “You are putting up a valiant fight. But there is no
avoiding it. You will join us in the end. You are on the path
already.”

“I’ll listen no more.” Jareth spat the words
with such contempt that I thought Blondie just might attack him in
retaliation.

And then, somehow, Blondie was pushed off the
car, as if by unseen hands.

He rolled down the hood, making banging and
scratching noises, but right before he hit the pavement, he flipped
to land on his feet.

“Well done, lizardling.” Blondie laughed in
evil delight. “Accept your powers, use them and never forget that
you are one of us!” His deep voice carried clearly on the wind.

My mouth dropped open at the implication.
Could Jareth really move something with just his thoughts?

Unbidden, the memory of Halloween flashed
through my mind. It seemed so long ago; I’d just met him then. He’d
been angry and had seemingly made scissors flow through the air and
embed themselves into the carpet.

“I will no longer hear your voice,” Jareth
announced imperiously. “You are invisible to me.”

Blondie revealed his teeth in an overt
threat. “Then, if you do not join us, you are too dangerous. We
will take what is ours.” He let his gaze rove over Jareth from head
to toe, and I knew that he meant that they would take Jareth’s
body.

And then the back door of the coffee shop
opened, and Samantha poked her head out.

Catching sight of her, Blondie drew back with
a hiss.

“Is that mangy raccoon out there again,
Sydney?” Samantha asked briskly. “Should I get the broom?”

Blondie hesitated only a moment before
slithering under the car.

I was shocked. Samantha did have an
impressive temper, but I was astounded that even a Mesmer might
think so.

Taking heart, I grabbed Jareth’s sleeve and
hurriedly yanked him into the coffee shop.