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Mina was supposed to meet Brody by his locker after school, and as soon as the bell rang she practically skipped down the hall toward hih hand on her elbow stopped her

"What do you think you’re doing?" She turned and wasn’t the least bit surprised to see Jared on the other end of her elbow "Let go of hter

"Come with me and I’ll tell you what you want to know"

"Why?" He was silent "I can’t," she said, happy to blow hi

It was the wrong thing to say to hierously "You don’t knoho you’re dealing with here I was going to help you, tell you information to help you stay alive, but it seems you’ve picked your model boyfriend over your life" He dropped her elbow and strode away

Mina waited ten seconds, thinking through her options, and then chased after Jared into the parking lot Heher because he was already astride a black erous, just like Jared hi out an extra helmet to her "You kneould corily "You could have at least letso he doesn’t worry"

Jared shook his head "This is a one-ti soon" He juhed and really wished she had a cell phone to text Brody that she wasn’t in danger

But as soon as Jared peeled out of the parking lot and sped along the road, Mina had to rethink her last thought, gripping onto Jared’s waist so she wouldn’t fly off the bike Maybe she was

Chapter 16

Jared sped along the interstate and fifteenup to Emerald Lake He turned off theit on the seat Turning, he held out his hand for Mina’s hel here?" Mina asked, pulling off her backpack

"Practicing," Jared answered

"Practicing what?"

"How to stay alive"

Mina thought he was joking, but one look at Jared’s set face and she knew that he wasn’t joking "Okay Why now?" she had to ask

"Why not now? Do you have anything else planned?" Mina started to open her mouth but Jared cut her off "I do, so it’s now or never"

Annoyed, Mina followed Jared out to the water’s edge He stopped by a tree and broke off a short branch frolow

Mina’s eyes opened wide and she stared in awe She already figured out that he was Fae, but watching him mold and shape a branch with poas certainly ily beautiful His eyes closed in concentration, it was al with the branch

This was real ic, she realized, beautiful and pure Mina s boy fro with power The rush of it took her breath away, long enough for her to forget, for a moment, that she didn’t entirely trust hinized the shape he wasthe branch into It was a weapon, a wooden sword,than any of Charlie’s The beautiful moment passed as Mina realized her mistake She was miles froe boy who had powers and had just morphed a tree into a sword Jared never told her exactly whose side he was on Once the wooden blades stopped glowing, she snapped out of her reverie and took a step away from him

Jared just looked at her, eyebrows raised, and handed her the sword

"What’s this for?" she asked, worrying over the answer