“Only my pride, Brody Carmichael.” Nan laughed and tried to squirm out of his grip.

Brody leaned forward and gently placed her feet on the ground, holding Nan’s arm as he tried to steady her. She had a large bruise on the side of her face and a few scratches had torn through her shirt.

The minute Nan tried to move on her own, she started to fall, and she instantly turned back to Brody for support. His strong arm wrapped around her waist, and he didn’t let her go.

“He saved me, Mina.” Nan touched the bruise on her cheek.

“Not really,” Brody confessed. “Right before those wolves attacked me, I saw some sort of beast dragging Nan into the school. I wasn’t sure if she’d still be there, but—when we were freed—I needed to be sure.”

“That horrible bear took me into the school, but then the building started to come down around us.”

“I found her in the hallway outside the cafeteria. The bear was dead, killed in the collapse. Nan was trapped under a steel beam.”

“I thought I was going to die, but once Brody found me, he wouldn’t even leave to get help. He just started lifting the debris off until he could pull me out from under the beam—a regular knight in shining armor.” Nan beamed at Brody.

Mina knew that look. She’d seen it plenty of times on her best friend’s face. Smitten. And for some reason, Mina didn’t feel a pang of jealousy. Her best friend would never intentionally try and fall for Brody. In fact, Nan tried to stay as far away from him as she could, but they were friends. It seemed like, if Mina let it, and without the Story pushing them, they might become more on their own. Without Brody being lured to fall for her.

Brody blushed at Nan’s comments and met Mina’s eyes, swallowing nervously. Mina just smiled and gave a slight nod in understanding.

Who was she to try and stand in the way of love, especially when it could happen between the two people she cared about most? Besides, she’d just agreed to sacrifice her happily ever after, so theirs might be possible.

The dark cloud of her soon-coming demise loomed over her, and she couldn’t help but feel sad.

Ever noticed and came over. “Do you want me to dump him in the nearest lake?”

Mina chuckled. “No, I think this is their happy ending that I’ve been too selfish to see. They deserve each other. I think they could be happy, if I just stepped out of the way.”

“You can’t really be serious.” Ever groaned.

“No, I think I am,” Mina admitted. “I think I’ve been taking away his choice and making him like me, and I’ve done terrible things to them on accident. I see that now. I’m not a nice person, Ever.”

“That’s bull. You are about the sappiest and nicest person I know. You can be a bit lame at times, but you’re always nice. It’s why I love hating you.” Ever turned and gave her a goofy grin.

Mina wasn’t so sure, she could feel that darkness from down inside her, the jealousy that would sometimes surface. She’d used it to manipulate Fae power and the Story to get what she wanted. She even let it turn her into the evil queen during one quest. It had been so easy, since she had a bit of siren deep within her.

Understanding why the Fae power came to her so easily did give her some relief. Finding out that her mother was Fae in her own right was a little disconcerting. What it meant, though, was that she really had belonged in the choosing ceremony among the others. She was Fae.

“Ever, we’ve got to talk. Is there anything we can do to keep Teague from hearing us?”

Ever thought for a minute while Mina’s mind swirled with plans and questions.

She nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, I got it. We’ll take care of it back at the house.”

“There’s something I have to do first,” Mina said. “Before I head back to the house.” She went around to the back of Brody’s SUV and opened the hatch. Ever helped her get her bike out and onto the pavement. “Can you make sure Charlie gets back safe? And you may have to stop at the store for supplies, since we never made it there.”

“What kind of supplies are you after?” Ever asked.

“I need to get Charlie far away from here.”

Ever didn’t say anything. She just nodded her head and took the money out of Mina’s hand.

“What? You’re not disagreeing with me?”

“No, I agree with you one hundred percent, which is why you didn’t get a sarcastic reply. I’m assuming you need supplies for two people.”

Mina looked hard at Ever, willing her to understand. “Yes. I’m going to ask someone to take him.”

“And I can trust you not to get killed while on this errand?”

“Yeah, I think I’m safe for now. Teague won’t come for me yet.”

“But you think he’s coming?”

“I know he is.”

Chapter 10

Mina slipped away on her bike while Ever distracted the group. Ever would make sure they all made it back to the house.

According to her watch, Mina only had eleven hours until Teague would come for her, so she needed to use the hours left to take care of business. And by business, she meant her friends—her only family.

From the school, Mina rode her bike to the nearest bus stop. She took a moment to latch the bike onto the bus’s front bike rack and rode a half mile to the Country Club—where the ball had been held the night Teague attacked. Mina got her bike and rode up the sidewalk.

The gate was closed.

She parked beside the brick wall and walked around until she found a spot in the hedge she could squeeze through. Jogging up the grassy hill, she thought again how beautiful the Country Club was. It looked as lovely this evening as it had a few nights earlier.

Mina looked for the balcony she and Brody had stood on to watch the fireworks. There were a couple, but Mina found the balcony that overlooked the river. She pulled out her laser pointer and searched the bushes below it.

She wanted to kick herself for not bringing a flashlight. Even though she still had a few hours of daylight, the shadows had lengthened, and the brush under this balcony was square in the dark. Brody’s class ring couldn’t have rolled too far away. She hoped beyond hope that the laser would reflect off the big stone in the top of the ring. But that would be too easy, wouldn’t it?

The bushes were scratching her arms up, and she was getting angry. She didn’t have time for this. She wanted to do something great for her friends, and the bushes were getting in her way! Her hands tingled, and she shoved at the bush again in frustration.

The bush started to part—she jumped back. It was moving.

“What the?” The bush’s branches pull themselves away from her and shifted out of her way. She shined her laser pointer into the newly cleared area.

And then she saw it. A glint reflected back at her.

The ring! Wedged under the bush. There was no way she would have found it if the bush hadn’t moved.

She didn’t want to spend time pondering the whys anymore. She grabbed the class ring and ran down the lawn.

The ring rested safely in her pocket as she pedaled to the bus stop. She only had to get home now. The bus would drop her off about two miles from her house, and she’d be home free.

***

The rain gods must hate her. She didn’t know what she’d done to deserve this, but as soon as the bus dropped her off, it started to pour.