Shadowspell

“He has been a person of power all his long life,” Finn continued. “Working as a bodyguard, I’m intimately familiar with how hard it is for someone who’s not used to being in danger to adjust. Protecting himself is second nature to your father, and he has trouble understanding that it isn’t to you.”

I blinked at Finn in confusion, not sure where he was going with this. I’d been expecting a lecture, but that didn’t seem to be what I was getting.

“What are you trying to tell me?” I asked.

“I guess I’m trying to prepare you for his reaction and make sure you see his point of view. I understand that you’re going to make mistakes. I’ve guarded too many people over too many years not to expect it. But he’s not going to understand that, at least not right away. That’s why I’m not going to tell your father about last night’s adventure. Just remember that he’s trying to keep you safe, even if he goes about it in ways you don’t like.”

I don’t think I’d ever heard Finn string that many words together all at once. It almost made me want to do as he said and cut Dad some slack. But if Dad came down here and started shouting at me, I knew I wouldn’t be able to help getting mad right back.

*   *   *

It was several hours before I had to face my dad and his anger. He apparently had some kind of an in with the police, and he’d hung around while they’d questioned the imposter.

It turned out the imposter was an underworld mercenary who was officially a citizen of Avalon but had enough Fae blood in him that he spent much of his time in Faerie. He’d been hired by my aunt Grace to kidnap me.

Grace had given him some kind of spelled amulet that would have allowed him to knock Finn out, and he’d been waiting for the perfect opportunity to use it. Then he would have grabbed me and dragged me into Faerie, where he’d turn me over to Grace. That would have sucked big-time, since Grace wanted to use me as a weapon to kill Titania and snatch the Seelie throne. Also, she hates my guts—and the feeling is mutual.

Lucky for me, the mercenary was intimidated by Finn and had trouble working up the nerve to attack. Also lucky for me that the Erlking had happened along and had revealed him as an imposter. Why the Erlking had done that was a mystery, especially if he’d been sent here to kill me. I hoped I never got a chance to hear him explain.

Lachlan was fine, thank goodness. The imposter had used another of Grace’s spells to bind the troll, leaving him paralyzed and helpless in his apartment. The police were able to cast a counterspell that freed him.

I tried to convince Dad it was a case of “all’s well that ends well,” but he didn’t buy it. He grounded me for a week. I’d never been grounded before in my life, and this was now the second time since I’d come to Avalon.

There was a part of me that wanted to push, to once again threaten to leave Avalon as soon as I turned eighteen if my dad insisted on doing this to me. I managed to shout that part of me down. For one thing, if I kept using the threat, it would lose its power. For another, I had to reluctantly admit that I kinda sorta deserved it.

*   *   *

Knowing I had it coming didn’t make the week that followed any easier to endure. Dad had me under such a severe lockdown that I couldn’t even have my sparring sessions with Keane. Never in a million years would I have guessed that I’d miss them, but I did. If for no other reason than because they helped pass the time.

Well, okay, there was another reason, too. Most of the time, Keane got on my nerves in a big way, but it was nice to hang out with someone my own age. Yes, technically he was two years older, but he was a lot closer to my age than, say, Finn, who was my only company during my captivity. Even Dad stayed away, which I thought was rubbing it in.

I managed to talk to Kimber every day, and I think that was the only thing that kept me sane. We made plans to go to a spa for manicures as soon as I was free to leave my safe house. I’d never had a manicure in my life. When I was living with Mom, we were always strapped for money, and I couldn’t afford luxuries like that. Not to mention that I hadn’t had girlfriends to go with. It was a small thing, but the prospect helped me tolerate my punishment.

Not quite so pleasant were the phone calls from Ethan. After seeing him at Kimber’s party with that redhead, I really wasn’t interested in talking to him, so when his name popped up on caller ID, I didn’t answer. The first couple of times, he hung up without leaving a message. But then he started asking me to call him back. I even picked up the phone to do it once or twice, but never got so far as to dial his number. What did I have to say to him? I worried that I’d come off sounding like a jealous girlfriend, even though we weren’t dating. And I would probably die of humiliation if I actually started to cry.

But Ethan isn’t the kind of guy who takes no for an answer. When the phone rang on Wednesday and the caller ID said it was Kimber, I picked up without a moment’s hesitation. But just because the call was coming from Kimber’s phone didn’t mean she was the one making it.

“You haven’t called me back,” Ethan said as soon as I answered.

I bit my tongue to keep myself from groaning. If I had any sense, I’d hang up on him and then unplug my phone. Of course, we’d already established that I was a little short on sense.

“News flash,” I said. “If I don’t call you back, it means I don’t want to talk to you.” Hang up, Dana, I told myself. But I didn’t listen.