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

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.”

Chapter Five – A Secret Weapon

    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