Isaac nodded. “But you helped him, didn’t you? You can make the earth wands, can’tyou?”
Earthwands.
Griddish pulled his hand away and went back to whittling. “Too dangerous. Bad druids are everywhere now. If I make it for you, they’ll killme.”
Isaac growled. “Not if I kill themfirst.”
The elf threw his tools down and suddenly all of the lights in the backyard dimmed. When he turned back around in his seat, his face lookedvenomous.
“The last person to say that to me was the queen of Faery, and she died, so excuse me for not believing in you. Now go away and stop wasting my time!” The lights flickered and I took a step back. Homeboy was angry and I was starting to respect his three-foot stature. He might look small, but I had this sinking feeling he could dole out a can of whoop-ass, no problem. Logan’s hand clamped around mine, keeping me inplace.
“You’re an elf!” Logan growled. “Legend says that the elves were the queen’s mightiest warriors. Now here we come, ready to avenge your queen and kill the druid that ended her reign, and you won’t help?” Logan’s eyes went to lizard slits then and the elf’s gaze sharpened, all anger suddenly forgotten. He hopped off his stool, approaching Logan with wariness. He sniffed once. Thentwice.
His small delicate mouth formed an “O” as he stared at my mate with shocked reverence. “Skyborn,” he breathed. “My queen’s most cherished children.” He reached out as if he wanted to stroke Logan’s arm, and then thought better ofit.
“You shouldn’t be here. You should be in hiding. Please go!” he said quickly, and a sudden wind picked up, pushing us back.Holy mother.What was this little dude capableof?
Isaac suddenly slammed his staff down into the earth and all of the bulbs in the yard glowed a searing bluish-orange. “Your brother would be sickened with the way you cower! With the things you sell to the druids to makemoney.”
The elf lookedshocked.
Isaac nodded. “Yes, I know what you’vedone.”
I wanted to know too. But now didn’t seem like the time toask.
For a moment I thought Griddish might cry. His eyes became misty, but then his mouth turned upside down, eyebrows scrunched. “How dare you judge me? The world has gone to hell. I’m just trying to surviveit!”
A sudden whirling sound pulled my attention to the ten sharpened wooden arrows whizzing through the sky, coming our way. What the hell? Floating midair by some unseen force, the arrows came right forus.
“Out! You’re no longer welcome here,” he roared, in his booming voice, and this time Logan allowed me to pull him away and turn around, walking quickly for the back gate. Looking back over my shoulder, I saw Isaac standing there just staring a wooden arrow down as it spun in front of his face. “If you want a chance to redeem yourself and carry on your brother’s legacy, we’re going to sleep tonight in the bus out front. At first light, we leave. The girl is my apprentice. She needs an earth wand to anchor her powers, and help me defeat Ardan. You can either be part of the problem or the solution. Your choice.” And with that, Isaac yanked his staff from the ground and turned toleave.
I made it to the gate in record time, pulling it open to find Keegan standing there with shotgun in hand. “Everything all right? Quite a light show going on backthere.”
I just shook my head and blasted past him to get on the bus. I was feeling a hurricane of emotions. I hadn’t expected the elf to refuse to make the staff for me. What did this mean? Now we wouldn’t defeat Ardan? Isaac said my powers would rip me in two without an anchor, right? I didn’t know. And he might not have been a ten-foot-tall, razor-sharp-teethed monster, but he did have power. The flying arrows? The glowing and hovering glass orbs. I didn’t think we were going to be able to force him. I wasscrewed.
“It’s a lost cause. Let’s just go home. Everyone’s injured anyway,” I said the moment Isaac entered the bus withLogan.
The druid set down his staff and stretched out on the front seat. “Nothing is a lost cause. Mother Earth will convincehim.”
I groaned. Yeah the Earth had power—I’d felt it—but acting like she was going to mow a message into the elf’s lawn felt bonkers. But I couldn’t deny what I’d felt, what I’d seen when Isaac healed Dom. The Earth was something I didn’t understand but I wantedto.
A low growl behind me had my muscles clenching. I froze and slowly tilted my head over my shoulder. The dog I had saved was awake … and pissed. His cuts were crudely stapled, but clean and no longer bleeding. He was panting and looking at me with a mixture of fear and something else I couldn’tplace.
“Shh, it’s okay. We’re not going to hurt you,” I told him, and reached a hand slowly towardshim.
His growl deepened and his lipsbared.
“Stop!” Nadine yelled, and I retracted my hand. Turning to look at the tattooed shifter, she gave me a darklook.
“You can’t earn his trust that way. Not at first. You need to do it with food,” she told me. Keegan and Logan shared a look and I wondered if there was a story there. Hadn’t Logan said he’d met Nadine when she was scrounging forfood?
“Can you help me with him?” I asked her, and shenodded.
“Roxy took the scooter and went to grab burgers. She’ll be back any minute,” Nadinesaid.
I had been so preoccupied with that elf, I hadn’t even noticed Roxy was gone when we got on the bus. Isaac kept an electric scooter strapped to the back of the bus; she must have takenthat.
I peered to the back of the bus, where the four sets of bunk beds had been fashioned. One sleeping lump I recognized asDominic.
