“And what could be more important than pleasing me? Pray tell.”
“Revenge,” I said, then told her of my brother and what he’d done to me.
“Hmm, a worthy human cause, I suppose,” she said when I finished telling her how Faris had stolen Cala from me.
She paced back and forth, considering. Meanwhile, I dug my fingers inside the supple dirt beneath me and picked up two handfuls. I stared at the dirt, acting as if I’d never seen anything like it before.
“What is the matter with you?!” Akeelah slapped my hands to one side and sent dirt flying everywhere.
I blinked repeatedly and let my eyes wander over the trees before shaking my head in answer, hoping that, by now, all ideas of further torture seemed gratuitous.
Jumping to my feet, I made a big show of shaking myself and clearing my mind. I even used a bit of magic to present a cleaner, less disheveled appearance. This seemed to have the desired effect because she nodded in approval.
“So,” she said, dragging the word, “how long do you think this little scheme of yours will take?”
“Not too long, I promise. I just have to find him and then . . .” An involuntary smile stretched my lips at the thought of finding Faris and exerting my vengeance. It seemed that when it came my brother I was as mad a Akeelah.
“And how will you find him? Do you know the taste of his magic?”
“No, but, in this day and age, there are ways.”
“Hmm, yes.” She turned on her heel, looking at me over her shoulder. “I am not too adept in these new ways. I find them tiresome.”
Akeelah’s funnel cloud began twisting at her feet, slowly climbing up her long legs.
“I leave you, then,” she said. “Don’t take too long. Patience is not one of my virtues. Anger, on the other hand, is my very essence. I am sure you’ve noticed.”
The funnel cloud rose and rose until it swallowed Akeelah’s head and her shape was nothing but a blur. Abruptly, she disappeared, and all the debris she’d stirred fell back to the ground, leaving a cloud of dust in its wake.
For a long moment, I stood there in shock, disbelieving the quiet and peace that surrounded me.
I was free and, for the first time, I had a real chance to find Faris, to make my mortal enemy pay.
I could not wait.
7
My search didn’t take long. These days, miracles always make the news, and there was a particular one that caught my attention. An old woman cured from terminal cancer nineteen years ago. There were even medical records to show the veracity of the claim, unlike all the other “miracles” that I looked into by doing a quick, magical perusal of news and medical databases the world over.
Invisible, I floated outside a place called Jardin Noir, an exotic plant nursery. The man who owned the place, an Arthur Iris, was the neighbor of the miracle patient. Moreover, he’d had a daughter, one who also happened to be blessed.
The nursery sat across from a large wooded area, languishing under the relentless August sun, even as it made its retreat behind the trees.
Slowly, I moved over the mesh canopy that covered the open space. Below, shelves stacked with plants and tools were arranged in aisles.
I allowed my magic to spread and detected four people inside the nursery. A man working with a shovel in the back field. Another one, an older individual, stacking ceramic pots against the back wall of a small shed. A woman—a customer, I presumed—examining aloe plants. And a girl, impatiently tapping her fingernail at the cash register.
However, it was a different kind of presence that drew my attention, an energy that reverberated in the air like static electricity, like a storm waiting to happen.
I followed its pull, its stale taste.
It led me into a small prefabricated building. I floated inside through the vents in the air conditioner and took shape before a large rectangular footlocker that sat on the floor next to a tall file cabinet.
I laid a shaking hand on the box.
“Faris,” my brother’s name escaped through my lips. Even though I didn’t know his magic, I knew it was him. There was a righteous feel to the energy, a proud quality that transported me to my childhood years and all those times I felt lesser than him simply because I was younger.
My hand curled into a fist. I wanted to pound on the box and destroy it, but that would have accomplished nothing. The stone was indestructible. Besides, my plans for Faris had changed.
I stood, smiling.
The fact that I could sense Faris’s magic meant his release was impending. His current master was to die soon. Tonight even.
What perfect timing!
At least I wouldn’t have to kill anyone to free my traitorous brother. I didn’t want the blood of another innocent on my hands. I had never killed anyone for my own benefit, and I wanted to keep things that way in the hopes that, one day, it would help me redeem myself.
I left the office the way I had come in. Outside nothing had changed. The old man—Faris’s master, I decided—was still stacking pots. I moved closer in his direction, turning the corner around a small shed. A man in his early seventies stood in front of a metal shelf, wiping his balding head with a red handkerchief. His face was red and his breathing ragged. I honed in on his heart rate. It was fast, but also weak. His sharp blue eyes opened and closed slowly. They were full of wisdom and kindness.
Pushing the guilt away, I left him there and told myself that his impending death wasn’t my fault. It was his time to depart and not my job to intervene.
Instead, I turned my attention to the young woman. She was watering a group of potted herbs, throwing glances over her shoulder at the one remaining customer. She seemed annoyed, probably because it was closing time and the patron was encroaching on her free time.
The girl shut the hose off and returned to her spot behind the cash register. She was slender with raven dark hair and spellbinding green eyes. She wasn’t exactly beautiful, not like my Cala, but there was something attractive about her, and it was more than just her eyes. Maybe it was the way she carried herself or the slightly sad shape of her lips that suggested a deep-thinking nature. I imagined that getting to know her would be hard but worth it.
Who was she?
I got closer. There was a small purse under the counter. I perused its contents liberally. Her license said her name was Marielle Iris.
Iris!
Could it be?
There was a phone in her purse. It didn’t take me long to figure out exactly who she was and how she would fit into my plans. In her emails to Arthur Iris, she called him “Grandpa.” They bantered back and forth. She mothered him, tried to get him to take it easy and stop being so stubborn. They loved each other, depended on each other.
I pulled back, realizing there would be no redemption for me. Not if I let her grandfather die. Not if I played the games I planned to play with her.
I had always been a fool. I believed in happy endings and justice. I thought everyone would get what they deserved, that The Creator, God, Wise Lord, whatever, would keep score and make sure sinners reaped what they sowed.
Except that’s not the way it works. Everyone must look out for themselves and must keep their own score. I had kept mine and knew exactly what it would take for Faris to repay the debt he’d incurred.
This girl was Faris’s next master and—beyond any of my imaginings—she was perfect for the job. It seemed that finally things were aligning in my favor and, for once, Faris would learn how it felt to be at a disadvantage.
The last customer left. Marielle breathed a sigh of relief, grabbed a set of keys and headed toward the front gate.
I gathered a ball of air around me and infused it with a good chill. Dismissing all my qualms, I hurled it at Marielle, startling her and sending a shiver up her spine.
The games had begun.
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Exclusive Readers' Group
Other books by Ingrid Seymour
Young Adult
One Wish Away
Two Hearts Asunder
Three Words Promised
Keeper
Ignite The Shadows
Eclipse The Flame
Shatter The Darkness
New Adult
The Guys Are Props Club
Girls Are Players
Published by PenDreams
Covers designed by Tara O’Shea
Manufactured in the United States of America
Copyright © 2017 by Ingrid Seymour
All rights reserved. No parts of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any
means without permission in writing from the author, except for inclusions of brief
quotations in a review.
This is a work of fiction. All persons, locales, organizations, and incidents are
products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to
actual persons, places, or events is purely coincidental.
Contents
Box Set Cover
One Wish Away Cover
One Wish Away Title Page
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Two Hearts Asunder Cover
Two Hearts Asunder Title Page
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Epilogue
Three Words Promised Cover
Three Words Promised Title Page
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Forever Cover
Forever Title Page
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Faris Cover
Faris Title Page
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Zet Cover
Zet Title Page
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Contact
Copyright
Contents