Free Fatal Charm by Linda Joy Singleton Page B

that bird doing?” Mrs. DeMarco cried, shading her eyes from the sinking sun as she looked up.
    “I don’t know, maybe looking for food. But it’s odd to see a wild bird in this neighborhood,” Josh said with surprise as he gazed up at the circling bird. “Looks like a hawk.”
    “A falcon,” I corrected.
    Horse’s barking increased as Dagger sailed lower and lower, stirring the chilly air around me. The bird shrieked in some avian language I didn’t understand, then he swooped down near my face.
    “Watch out, Sabine!” Josh shouted, reaching to shield me.
    “It’s all right. He won’t hurt me.”
    “You can’t be sure with wild animals.”
    “I’m safe … honestly.”
    “He’s coming at you again! Get down!”
    Josh’s shout set off Horse, who barked and sprung high, knocking against the table, sending plates and glasses tumbling to the ground. Mrs. DeMarco screamed as iced tea splashed in her face.
    I moved away and the bird followed me. He swished his wings and squawked, as if trying to tell me something. Although I couldn’t understand his squawks, I had a mental picture of a hand reaching in the air. While Josh struggled to get past his excited dog, I lifted my arm up and opened my palm toward the sky.
    Dagger’s sharp talons uncurled and a tiny object sailed down into my hand. I curled my fingers, capturing the object. The bird flew away with a final shrill cry.
    I glanced down at my palm—and saw a tiny glint of silver.
    The missing charm had been found.



Josh and his mother were so focused on the falcon dive-bombing in their backyard that they didn’t notice me slip the small charm into my jeans pocket.
    After Dagger flew away, things settled down, although it took a lot of talking to convince Josh that the bird wasn’t vicious and hadn’t attacked me and please do not call animal control.
    “Too many wild creatures have lost their natural habitat to urban overdevelopment,” I appealed to his idealist side. “The poor bird was probably confused and more afraid of us than we were of him.”
    “But he attacked you!” Josh argued.
    “No, he didn’t.”
    “He dove at you with his claws.”
    “But he never touched me. See, no scratches.”
    I showed him my unmarked arms. Still, Josh and his mother were so worried, and I felt guilty for misleading them. But I couldn’t tell the truth about Dagger without explaining Dominic’s unusual ability to communicate with animals.
    The whole time they were fussing over me, I was thinking about the tiny charm hidden in my pocket. My quick look hadn’t been enough to tell the shape, only that it was rounded, with a flat side surrounding a hole. Leave it to Dominic to add mystery to this amazing moment by having Dagger surprise me with the charm. I could hardly contain my excitement and nearly threw my arms around Josh and shouted, “We have the charm! At last, we have all the charms! Nona is going to be okay!”
    How agonizing to pretend like nothing had happened. For so long this elusive charm had seemed like an insurmountable wall blocking Nona from getting well. If only we had the fourth charm, I’d thought so often, dreaming of this miracle moment. And now the tiny charm of hope was tucked into my pocket.
    All because of Dominic.
    So was he waiting for me back at the farm or hidden beyond the fence? Was he watching me right now?
    Dangerous emotions tingled through me. I reached up to smooth my hair, wishing I’d taken time to touch up my makeup. It felt like weeks since I’d seen Dominic. I imagined him reaching out for me with that arrogant grin which teased and challenged and made me want to slap him … or kiss him.
    I took a moment to glance away as if admiring the garden, although there were few blooms in November. Taking a deep breath, I turned back to Josh, relieved that he couldn’t guess my betraying thoughts.
    Bad Sabine, I chastised myself. Don’t you dare break Josh’s heart. That would be wicked and a terrible way to