Wendy"Alec!" I scream. "Get in!"More Silver Hunters emerge from the woods. It's like the entire island is infested with them.Releasing the man he has a hold of, Alec jumps into the boat. He turns away from me, wiping his face, but I see the blood there.I steer the boat away from the island, urging it to go faster. The Silver Hunters shout after us, but they're too late. Alec and I—and our little motorboat—are slipping away into the fog.It takes me a few moments to be able to breathe again. When I can, I look over at him. "You okay?" I ask.His expression is flat, almost like he doesn't know how to react. "I'll feel better soon."I nod. "That ... it speeds up your healing?"I hate that I can't even say what I just saw. I saw Alec tackle a man and drink his blood. Since it was a Silver Hunter, I don't feel sorry for the person, but I would be lying if I said I'm still not a little shook up.I'm also glad that Alec got what he needed, so there are a lot of emotions running
WendyAlec and I drive the motorboat to a small island nearby, where the lighthouse stands high up near the water. The fog that had been obscuring our vision has dissipated enough for us to make out the shape of the island, and we can see the light cutting through the night.We pull up closer to shore, and Alec ties off the boat. We make our way onto land, navigating rocks and looking around until we find a path leading up to the lighthouse.We walk along this path, my heart racing as I think about what my mother's voice said at the wishing well. Is this the door she was talking about?Or am I really going crazy? My mother is dead!But what if ... what if one of my abilities is being able to talk to ghosts?The thought sends shivers down my spine. I've never believed in ghosts before, but I can't deny the voice I heard at the wishing well. And if that's true, maybe my mother is trying to help me solve this mystery from beyond the grave.Alec looks over at me, sensing my unease
TyrTaking a deep breath, I lace my fingers behind my back and walk over to the window. The city sparkles below my high-rise apartment.I suppose it's what some might call a beautiful scene. I wouldn't know. Nothing brings me pleasure anymore. I won't be happy until I have one thing in particular.It's been five years since I haven't been able to focus on anything but the Golden Coin. At this point I eat, sleep, and breathe it.And I almost had it too.Or at least that's what I thought on the islands.Gritting my teeth, I turn away from the window and storm down the hallway. The apartment is really three. After buying them, I had walls knocked down and hallways connected. On top of that, I also had the whole place soundproofed as well as outfitted with some other important features.Taking a key from my pocket, I unlock a door at the very far end of the apartment. Entering the dark room, I flick on a light. In the cell installed in the wall, my prisoner sits on his cot.He do
WendyWhenever I've pictured my death, it always had something to do with lying in bed, old and feeble, my grandkids gathered around me. That, or I figured I'd go out in a car accident like both of my parents.I certainly didn't see myself leaping from a tower, holding the hand of a vampire, while people who want to kill us simply for existing nip at our heels.Alec seems so confident that we wouldn’t drop to our deaths. That, somehow, we would—what? Float into the sky?But here we are, plummeting. My stomach flies into my chest, and a scream rips from my throat. I grip Alec’s hand tighter, and it’s just like they say: my whole life flashes before my eyes.My fifth birthday party. Seeing the ocean for the first time.Reading in the tree in my backyard, the sounds of the neighborhood around me. Looking out the window and waiting for my dad to come home. Seeing the cop car pull up the driveway and knowing my life was about to change forever.The dark ground rushes up to meet u
WendyIce floods my veins, and my legs feel like lead. It's impossible to move them. One of the Silver Hunters whistles, and there's a responding whistle in another part of the woods."You thought you could get away, hm?" A Silver Hunter approaches, and though they all look the same under the helmets, I recognize the voice. He was one of the hunters who tried to stop me in the wishing well.Did they get the Golden Coin?My heart squeezes.If the coin is as powerful as Alec says, if it has the ability to grant immense power and wishes to whomever holds it, would the Silver Hunters even be out here looking for us? Wouldn't they be back at Hawthorn, making plans to fry bigger fish?I lick my lips and take a step back. Alec presses against my shoulder. "Stay back," he growls.The Silver Hunter looks at one of his buddies and chuckles. The hounds are straining at their leashes, several of the hunters using all their strength to hold them back."What are you going to do, boy?" The
TyrStopping at the faded brick alleyway between the art gallery and some pseudo-New Age shop full of pointless crystals and sticks of herbs, I breathe in deep and center myself.This is it. This should be the place.So, why isn't the gateway here?Frowning, I walk along the cobblestones and into a small courtyard. It's quiet, nothing but the gurgling of a fountain fills the air. Even the sounds of the city are muted here."Damn it," I hiss.Apparently, you can't trust the word of someone you met in an underground werewolf bar. The entrance to Dyad Marketplace should be here, right past the—Something glimmers in the bricks on the other side of the fountain. Something bright and shiny.Striding across the courtyard, I approach the bit of metal stuck in the wall. A grin breaks across my face."Perfect." Placing my fingers on the thin strip of metal—something that would appear completely innocuous and meaningless to any basic person walking by—I speak the incantation. "Aperta
WendyFlames lick the sky, and smoke chokes the air. I push through the haze, my eyes burning from the heat. All around me, the walls are on fire.“Wendy!”My heart lunches. That voice! It’s Brynn!“Brynn!” I whirl around, looking for the first friend I made at Hawthorn. I haven’t seen her since we split up when the Silver Hunters attacked the school, and since then, I’ve constantly been wondering if she’s okay. Or if she’s even alive."Where are you?" I yell."I’m here! Help!"I spin around again, and suddenly, I'm in the wishing well. The cool water dances, and at the very bottom of the well, the Golden Coin sparkles."Up here!" Brynn calls.I lean back and catch sight of her at the very top of the stairs. She clutches the railing and looks down at me, her eyes wide and panicked."Hold on!" I run up the stairs."Hurry! They're coming!"A looming figure appears behind her shoulder, and my breath catches in my throat. I want to scream, to warn her, but it's like my voice
HeatherSomething creaks nearby, and I stiffen, every muscle in my body going tight. It's like there's a hand around my lungs. I can't breathe. I can't move.I'm a coward. The lowest of the low.Biting my lip, I peer through the crack in the ceiling. Several Silver Hunters walk down the top floor hallway, their swords in hand.So, they're still patrolling the school.Are they ever going to leave? Or do they just live here now?Tears fill my eyes, and I shut them, wishing all of this would just go away. None of it seems real. None of it is fair.What did I ever do to deserve this? I was just sleeping in my bed, minding my own business ... and then came the explosions and the screams.I tried to go out my dorm window, but there were Silver Hunters in the courtyard. They would have seen me if I escaped that way.So, I did the only thing I could do. I hid.The attic crawl space, separate from the main attic, has always been my secret spot. The only way to get into it is through