Warm morning light spread across her battered body while the chill of grief blanketed Halen's soul.

She turned away, bumping her head on the concrete stair. When she glanced up at the staircase, her breath hitched. Memories flooded her mind, never letting her forget she had left Asair and Natalie behind; how she had searched for Dax and found him by the pond; how instead of fighting, she had shoved Dax in the water, dove in after him, and headed toward the open portal.

Coward, her thoughts screamed.

And she agreed. She had the water stone; she had more power than Asair or her sister, yet she was the one who ran. Her magick saved her from the clawing ocean, not strength. But now she was paying for having depended on her sparks to bring her home. She rubbed her throbbing head. Every cell ached as if she was splitting apart from the inside out. Her eyelids grew heavy at the thought of staying awake. Already, fever pinched her skin, nausea not far behind. This was the price of casting magick.

She groaned, staring at the steps, seeming miles high, but her salvation sat upstairs in her mom's medicine cabinet. At least she hoped the coral and bone elixir was still there.

Rising, her damp clothes clung to her body; the sand crumbling off like a winter molt. Leaning against the wall for support, she lifted her foot onto the first stair. Her silver birthmark glittered in the sun beaming from the skylights. The reflected rays bounced along the walls, almost beautiful if it weren't for the gruesome reminder that she was permanently tied to the douchebag in the garage.

Her stomach roiled with the thought. Slapping her hand over her mouth, she sprinted, reaching the spare bathroom before hurling. She swiped her mouth clean with the hand towel and ran the tap, sipping the cool water from the faucet. She met her battered reflection. "Who the hell are you?" The words croaked from her throat.

Sand matted her hair, scratches lined her face, and a purple bruise formed along her jaw where Dax's head had rammed into her. Her shirt was stained not from her blood, but her sister's. She clutched the sides of the sink as the image of an arrow stuck fast in

Natalie's back haunted her thoughts. She inhaled a deep breath through her nose and out through her mouth, keeping the next wave of vomit at bay.

She crossed the hall and into her mom's bedroom. As she passed her bed, the vanilla scent of her perfume hit Halen like the death blow in a knockout fight. She gasped, choking back the tears, as she made her way to the on-suite bathroom. When she pried open the cabinet, she spotted a single vial of elixir on the shelf. Not enough coral and bone to cast much magick, but enough to stabilize her nerves until she figured out her next step.

She tilted back the vial; the sticky sweet concoction passed her lips, slipping down her throat, and her flesh warmed with sparks trailing along her arms. She peeled off her clothes and placed them in the hamper. Ripped and bloodstained, they were past cleaning, but the habit made her feel a little less out of control.

Shivering, she flicked on the tub faucet. While the basin filled, she searched the drawers for more vials her mom may have stashed away. Finding nothing, she slipped on her robe and headed into the bedroom. Her breath hitched. Everything was as she had left it; her teacup beside the bed, her book downturned and opened to the last page she'd read.

She perched on the edge of the bed, grabbing her mom's pillow up in her arms. Halen buried her face in the plush down while sorrow tore at her broken heart like a starved beast.

"Mom, I'm so sorry," she screamed into the pillow. She rubbed her cheek across the soft cotton. "I messed everything up."

Tarius lives, her mom's voice whispered past her ear. You must stay strong.

"Mom?" Halen stood. "Are you there?" Her heart slammed in her chest. "Mom!"

A chain of little beeps drew her attention to the desk. Her mom's laptop illuminated with a picture of their smiling faces. They stood beneath the shade of an oak tree, clover at their feet. The sun poked through the canopy of leaves, highlighting her mom's deep auburn hair with coppery speckles. Halen grasped the sides of the laptop, wanting desperately to transport to that moment, to have her mom close, hold her, and never let her go. She never should have left her in that hotel room surrounded by the Hunters. But she hadn't meant to leave. "Dax." She hissed between gritted teeth. Dax had scooped her in his arms and dived through the portal. Her death was his fault, too.

Halen scrolled through the last photo album they had made together, a montage of cities where they had lived. Beside the album, a folder labeled Our Special Places tugged her curiosity. "What's this?" Had her mom started an album on her own? When she clicked on the folder, a single image filled the screen. The foreboding sculpture sparked her magick at once. The onyx angel marked the entrance to their rocky garden, a monument to her father. Its black gaze peered toward the ocean set on the spot where Huron had battled the waves.

"What? This isn't a special place. He's not even dead." Halen shook the sparks from her fingertips, which rose so easily with the thought of her father. "I don't understand. Mom, if you're there, please show me."

The patter of water slapping the tile floor answered instead. "Oh no!" Jumping up, she ran into the bathroom and flicked the faucet off. A crash boomed from downstairs. Sparks electrified across her chest. Had she forgotten to set the alarm? She tightened the belt along her robe as she tiptoed into the hall.

"Hello?" She peered down the stairs.

Thump thump thump.

She slapped her hand over her mouth to stifle her scream.

Another thump and then a low howl carried from the garage. Was Dax awake?

She ran down the stairs two at a time. At the door, she pressed her ear against the cool metal. The crash of glass shattering on concrete stole her breath. She jumped back, her heart beating wild against her chest. Would Dax harm her? Or would he leave and find the Tari? If he took off, she wouldn't have his marrow. Magick would be out of the question, and she might need a hell of a lot to find Asair and her sister. She couldn't let him escape.

Slowly, she cracked open the door, her other hand pressed against the air, preparing to strike when the door jammed. Her pulse raced as something brushed her feet. She swung downward, ready to unleash her sparks. She stopped midair.

A calico cat peered up and meowed.

"Spinnaker! What the heck are you doing here?"

He purred, nuzzling her ankles with the top of his head.

"You stupid cat." She scooped him up. "I almost fried you." As if sensing the truth of her words, he wriggled from her arms. She pushed back the door, only to find Dax blocking the way. Spinnaker licked the ocean salt from his forehead.

"Did I let you in?"

Spinnaker meowed.

"Come on, then." She opened the side door, the cool morning air slipping inside. "Go on, before your mom comes searching for you." The last thing she needed was her neighbor nosing around.

Spinnaker protested, rolling on the garage floor.

Halen sighed, picking him up. "Sorry, buddy, but your mom will freak if you're missing." She tossed him outside and secured the deadbolt. Leaning with her back against the door, she stared at the unconscious boy. His damp clothes clung to his body, his skin flecked with goosebumps. "I guess I better take you inside."

Tired, the thought of moving him with magick crossed her mind, but with only one bottle of elixir to her name, she needed to conserve. "Come on, you big lump." Lifting Dax under his arms, she dragged him into the living room and switched on the gas fireplace.

Though the flames cast a soft glow over his listless body, his lips remained a purplish-blue hue. She winced, thinking how his kiss had once ignited a fire beneath her skin, laced through her magick, and held on tightly like strangling reigns. So many lies had passed through those lips. Sparks swelled with her anger. "I'm not wasting my magick on you." She pumped her fists, releasing the energy.

In her opinion, he didn't deserve comfort either, but she had to keep him alive. So, instead of letting him freeze, she stripped off his wet clothes and covered him with a blanket. Her gaze drifted to his matching birthmark, the silver sparkling on his skin. If she stayed close to him, would the bond capture her heart as Asair had warned? She feared loving Dax. She feared killing him. But most of all, his control over her power terrified her the most. And what it might take to break the bond—death.

Trailing her fingers across the swirl at his shoulder, the silver rippled beneath his skin. She flinched back as the silver transformed into a single circle. Her arm burned with fiery pain. Crying out, she grasped her shoulder. Craning her neck, she witnessed the silver beneath her skin mimic Dax's mark. "What the hell?" She touched the newly formed circle.

She peeked beneath the blanket. His birthmark along his lower arm remained unchanged. A sick feeling twisted her gut as a horrible thought crept into her mind. What if there wasn't a way to set Dax free? What if they were bound forever?

No. She shook the horrible thought away. There had to be a way out. She wouldn't live with the fear of this monster lurking along the seam of her soul, manipulating her magick.

Her thoughts raced with a new idea. She charged through the living room and into the kitchen. She flung open the knife drawer. The steel blades glistened like the silvery curse beneath her skin.

Choosing the sharpest one, she ran the tip along her forearm. With her shaking fist, she poked at the little starburst pattern, wedging the blade below the inner swirl. Crimson washed over the Guardian stain, reminding her of the river of blood that plagued her thoughts—the boy and stag, waiting. Dax would gladly deliver her to Tarius. She wouldn't let him try. She winced as she dug the blade farther.

This is not the way, her mom's soft voice whispered at her back.

She dropped the knife at once. Grabbing the dishtowel, she applied pressure to the wound. What did it matter? One little spot wouldn't make a difference; she would have to cut off her entire arm if she wanted to be free.

Tears welled in her eyes and she wiped them away. The kitchen shifted in her focus. Her breath shallowed as an inexplicable force wound through her. She blinked, grasping the counter for support as the pull tugged her toward the boy on the other side of the door.

"What the hell?" She all but found her steps leading to Dax, even though she had wanted to stay in the kitchen.

His forehead beaded with fever, and a wave of chills spread along her skin. She pressed her damp head to her sleeve, noticing the heat of her cheeks. She glanced in the mirror, finding her skin, too, was flushed with fever. "This is so not happening."

She rushed to the kitchen, shoving her wrists beneath the cool tap water, but the fever spread. Her teeth chattered as she wet a dishcloth and filled a bowl with ice. Hurrying back to Dax, she draped the cloth across his head and placed the ice over his skin.

"Are you trying to kill us?" she asked but realized the answer was more complicated than that. If they were this connected, she had to make sure he lived.

She headed to the hall closet where her mom kept some of Huron's old clothing. When she brought the box down from the shelf, his salty scent filled the air. This had been a smell she had loved as a child; how it lingered in his hair and on her pillow long after he left after telling her stories about the sea. Now the brine turned her stomach.

As she carried the box to the living room, she wondered where her creep of a father might be lurking. With Tarius still locked away, it was only a matter of time before Huron came for the stone—before he sought revenge. It sickened her, knowing her father loved a demon more than his daughters. That he would sacrifice her for power.

Setting the box beside Dax, she dug through the clothes and found a long-sleeved blue cotton shirt, which would match his eyes perfectly if they ever opened. She tested his forehead once more. Sparks danced up her wrist to the crook of her elbow and she pulled back, hating the way the Guardian bond manipulated her magick.

She finished dressing him quickly, being careful to limit skin-to-skin contact. How the heck was she supposed to tend to Dax while searching for her sister and Asair? She couldn't just leave him behind, nor could she travel with him. The Guardian bond had screwed her royally.

A gust of wind pushed against the windows. She jumped when the patio door flew open with a whish of a breeze. Her magick flickered. Halen scanned the empty beach beyond, searching the shadows and between the waves. Her gaze drifted to the stone angel from her mother's pictures. Our Special Places. The album name tugged her curiosity once more. Drawn to the angel, she approached the open door. Winter winds whistled in her ears, warning her not to come outside, but her gut wound with a feeling there was something she needed to see.

Keeping a watchful eye on the beach, she made her way along the pebbled path to the angel. Standing before the onyx sculpture, shivers ran down her spine; its glazed stare stirring memories of the Hunter Lina transformed to stone. She crouched by the angel's feet, where she had spent many days sketching beneath the shadow of stone wings, mourning for a father who hadn't even died.

She caught the flickering sound of something catching in the wind; a piece of plastic tucked beneath the podium. The surrounding sand mounded on one side, revealing evidence of a recently dug hole. When she nudged the statue, it rocked in her grip. "Hmmm..." Pushing with both hands, the angel tipped, clipping its wing on the rocks as it fell. She yanked the corner of the plastic bag, freeing it from the sand. Her sparks tripped when she spread open the seal. Reaching inside, she pulled out a letter. A coffee ring stained the envelope, its contents weighted. The wind shoved against her, tossing sand in her eyes as if nature were fighting her for the contents. She tucked the envelope to her chest and ran back inside, slamming the door behind her.

Halen tore open the envelope, and a key dropped to her feet, pinging on the concrete. She picked it up, clutching the cool metal in her fist as she unfolded the letter. Scrawled on the page, she found her mom's handwriting, big in some places and then minuscule as she crammed in the last few words. I love you always.

Her hands shook as she read the letter in its entirety.

My dearest daughter,

If you're reading this, then everything went horribly wrong. You must be so scared. And I'm so sorry I can't be there with you. I know it may seem impossible, but you must stay strong. I want you to know that I chose this life. The decisions I made were mine. Whatever the consequences, they lie with me alone. A life of secrets catches up to you.

Listen to your heart. Don't follow blindly. Be brave.

The key is for Sarah Winters at the bank. She has everything you need.

I love you always,

Mom

Curiosity spun with fear as Halen opened her trembling hand, revealing the simple brass key. None of this made sense. Why go to so much trouble to hide this key? She couldn't share a secret like hers with just anyone. Who in the world was Sarah Winters?