Page 127 of Ensnared

“So I shouldn’t ask for a light saber?” Sammy looks disappointed.

“You can ask for whatever you want, as long as you don’t get upset if he can’t make you one,” I say. “And do not, under any circumstance, hit Gordon with anything.”

“He says you stabbed him,” Sammy says.

“She did,” Coral says, skipping through the door. “With an umbrella.”

“No,” I say. “With a stick.” I poke Axel in the chest. “I stabbed him with an umbrella.”

“But not here.” He catches my hand and drags it up, pressing my fingers against his throat.

That makes my heart race. I drag my fingers down, but they slide across the ridge of his chest in the process, the pronounced muscles a stark contrast to the soft skin of his throat.

I swallow and force my eyes upward toward his.

His eyes are light, almost dancing. “Today, we’re all moving to Iceland, and once we get settled there, your sister and I have some training to do.” Axel’s grin is practically evil.

“About what?” Coral asks.

“The nature of our bond and how it works,” he says, his eyes still not leaving mine.

“But you’re not bonded anymore,” Coral says. “Actually, we’ve been talking and we aren’t sure why you still come around all the time.”

Axel’s eyes whip toward mine with mild concern.

“It’s because we were bonded,” I say. “And now we’re not, and so he’s the perfect person to study it with.” Please, please buy that super lame explanation.

“But what could Liz teach you?” Coral asks, her tone a little terse. “No offense, Liz, but you aren’t really good at anything but fighting, and I think he’s better than you at that.”

“As a sister, I feel like I should teach you this. If you have to say ‘no offense,’ then you’re probably saying something offensive. You’d be better off keeping your mouth shut,” I say. “And as a matter of fact, I did teach him something already.” But then I realize what it was—kissing—and I clam up.

“What was it you taught me again?” Axel asks. “I must have forgotten.” He taps his mouth with his finger. “Why don’t you remind me?”

Before I can say a single word, the bright sunlight streaming through the window dims, like something has moved in front of the sun. Then there’s a crack of something that sounds almost like lightning, if lightning struck a thousand times in the same place. It feels like the entire world shrinks down, and then expands back out.

My brain feels battered, and I drop my face in my hands. “What was that?”

Axel’s already leapt from my bed and he’s running out the door.

“What’s wrong?” I shout.

Stay put, and keep the kids with you.

How can he still not know me at all? I spring from the bed, pointing inside my room as I race to follow Axel.

“I know,” Coral says. “Find Gideon and stay put.”

I’m sprinting faster than I ever have, and I’m still falling behind. I’m not wearing my outfit, and I don’t have my blades, but I know Azar’s already shifting. I can sense it. I sprint up the stairs, not even slowing down to breathe. I’m just bursting through the doorway to Azar’s level when I see him, poised to launch.

“Wait,” I shout. “We can’t be apart, remember?”

Other than the day he introduced me to all the dragons, Azar has never cared a fig for what I’m wearing. He’s never even seemed to notice it. But in this moment, he scans me from head to toe, and he droops.

I’m wearing a pair of jeans and a Metallica shirt. Is that so embarrassing?

You should stay.

But I can sense that he’s unsure. He probably has some indication, however dim, of what’s happening, but I have no clue. I don’t want to hear a story, or worse, be stuck here while he’s in danger.