Chapter 13

It took four days. Four days of waiting. Four days of pacing. The nerve I'd touched with Brady must have been a good one, because he hadn't shown himself since he left that night.

I didn't leave the hotel, too afraid of finding myself in some predicament that would make him change his mind about leaving me alone. So many classes missed. It felt like my new life was going on without me, but today, it would hopefully change.

Today, Owen was coming. He had the address. We'd spoken this morning when his flight landed. Any moment now, he'd be arriving, and at any second, so could Brady.

My nerves were a wreck. The suspense ate at me, pumping my adrenaline until I thought my heart would give way. Jittery and anxious, I walked back and forth across the hotel room floor, just like I'd been doing for the two hours since he'd called to tell me he was on his way.

When the knock finally came on the door, I almost screamed. Like a mad woman, I yanked it open.

Holy fuck.

Long dark hair, bright green eyes, a face only found in fantasy. "Owen?" This can't be him. It can't be. What are the fucking odds that he'd be this attractive? It wasn't fair. Or maybe it was fair. Very, very, fucking fair.

"Amelia," he greeted. "It's nice to put a face to the name. Can I come in? I have some things for you." His accent seemed more distinguished in person, obviously Scottish.

"Please." I stepped aside, feeling like an idiot for staring at him so long. "How do we start? He could show up at any minute."

Owen placed a bag down on the floor, and gave me a funny look. "Does he visit you often as a man?"

"Too often," I said. "Why? Is that odd?"

"It's all odd." He smirked. "I'm more concerned for whatever poor soul had his body stolen." He kneeled down and began to unzip the bag at his feet.

"He said it's his body. Something about being powerful." I watched him, waiting to see what he had, but he stopped unzipping and looked at me.

"Really? Do you think he's telling the truth?"

I took in his expression, the sudden seriousness in his tone. "Is that bad?" I asked reluctantly.

Owen gave me a long look. "It's more than I expected." He returned to the bag. Inside, was another bag, or more of a pouch. He carried it to the bed and dumped the contents out onto the floral comforter. Black smooth stones etched with symbols spilled out. All the same size and shape.

I eyed them warily. "What are those supposed to do?"

He picked one up and palmed it in his hand. "These are protection runes." He ran his thumb along the markings.

"Do we throw them at him?" I wasn't buying this. This is a bad idea. The worst idea. "That's just gonna piss him off."

Owen lips curved up into an amused smile. "You don't throw them. They're magic. Spelled. As long as you have them, he can't approach you. There is enough magic here to keep him at least five miles or more away."

I looked back at the little black rocks. "Really?"

Owen stepped forward and handed me one. "Yes. Really." He was still smiling.

I studied him, the first person I'd ever met that was like me. "How long did you deal with it? Your monster."

His head tilted. "Monster? You mean the Jinn?" His smile dimmed. "When I started dating, so I guess about fourteen was the first time." His voice grew grim, and he looked up at me. "You?"

"I was very small." I took a deep breath. "I thought it was a monster. The world thought I was crazy."

We stood in silence for a long moment, just looking at each other. It felt as if, by finding him, I'd found myself. "How did you know it was a Jinn?"

Owen took my hand in his and squeezed. "Someone helped me."

My chest lightened, and my eyes began to water. "Thank you."

Owen opened his mouth, but the only sound I heard was a pounding against the door that made me jump away from him.

Owen's eyes narrowed, and his mouth set into a grim line.

"Amelia!" Brady roared, then a loud bang hit the door. "Who's in there? I swear to god, if you touch her, I will take every organ out of you and–"

"I thought you said he couldn't come within five miles?"

Owen's eyes stayed glued to the door. "He shouldn't be able to."

The pounding ceased the moment I spoke, and it was obvious Brady had heard us.

"Sweetheart." Brady's voice was deadly calm. "Who is that?"

Why hasn't he come in? "He can't come closer?"

"No," Owen answered as he gathered the stones back into the pouch. "He's powerful, but not immune."

I took the pouch from his hand and approached the door.

"Amelia!" Brady roared again. "Stop."

One peek through the peephole confirmed Owen's statement. Brady was down the hallway now, his jaw clenched, muscles stiff, hands balled into fists at his sides.

His head turned as if he could see me, glowing red eyes like two flames ready to burn the door down. "How can I protect you?" he growled.

"I don't need protection," I said. "You can't come near me." It wasn't spoken loud, but somehow, Brady heard me.

He rolled his shoulders, the muscles bulging and straining as he did, then he took a deep breath. "You make this very difficult," he murmured. "I'm done being patient." Then, he disappeared.

I stared through the hole long after he'd gone, his words replaying through my mind on a loop. I'm done being patient. I'm done being patient. It didn't sound good. I turned to Owen. He was watching me, a knowing in his eyes. "I think we pissed him off," I said, my voice small.

"Of course we did." Owen stepped forward and placed a hand against my shoulder. "He can't control you now. They do that, use their magic to manipulate our minds. You're very strong to remain so clear headed against something so powerful."

A sense of pride filled me at his compliment. I'd never thought of myself as strong. I was the coward, the girl afraid of everything, but when Owen said it, the way he said it, I believed him.

"I'm afraid we may need some help though," he added, turning back to his bag and pulling a cell phone from it. He took a seat in one of the chairs at the table, and began tapping away at the screen.

"What are you doing?" I asked as I took the seat across from him.

"I'm contacting a friend." He finished typing and turned to face me. "I'm not strong enough to get rid of your Jinn."

My heart stuttered, but I held my breath. "But?"

He smiled softly. "I have a friend who can help."

I nodded. "How long will that take?" I'm going to die. He's going to kill me. What was I thinking? Rocks? Fucking rocks?

"Don't worry. He can't come near you. I'll leave the stones here."

"Wait?" My heart jumped. "You're leaving?"

Owen took my hand again. "I'm afraid so, but I'll be close by. I need to do some things to prepare."

"What about you? If you leave the stones, can he get you?" My eyes widened as panic set in. "He's killed people."

Owen's lips parted. "He's killed? Who? When?"

"A boy from my school." I pushed the memory down and didn't elaborate. Just the mention of him sent a wave of nausea through me, and I didn't want to think about it.

Owen made a noise. "We'll fix it, Amelia." His hand squeezed mine. "Don't worry about me." He pulled away and lifted the arm of his shirt, revealing a tribal tattoo across his shoulder. "This is a rune, like the ones on the stones. It will keep me safe."

Reluctantly, I watched him stand and grab his bag. "Keep the stones with you at all times," he said seriously. "I'll come back." He turned to me as he adjusted the pack on his back. "Don't forget the stones." His look was grave. "If he gets to you, I won't be able to get you back."

I swallowed hard and nodded. "I won't. Where are you going? Can I just come with you?"

"I wish you could," he said. "But it's too attached to you. I can't risk it following us." He touched my hair and looked down at me. "I'll secure a safe place and take you there until this is over. I'm sorry, but I didn't expect this." The way he said it, the way his eyes met mine, made me feel like I was missing something. "Take care," he said gruffly before he turned towards the door.

I watched him leave, then grabbed the pouch with both hands, gripping it.

It didn't take long before a tap sounded against the door. "Amelia," Brady said, calmer, coaxing. "I know you don't understand any of this, but I'd never hurt you. I need you to believe that."

"Go away."

A long pause. "I can't protect you if I can't be near you."

I didn't respond. Something inside me was pulling, like gravity, unnatural. I remembered what Owen said about them manipulating us. "Stop doing that. It won't work."

"I'm not doing anything, sweetheart. I can't." His voice was soft, almost forlorn. "Whatever you're feeling now is your soul's way of telling you this is wrong. It's wrong, Amelia. I'm not the enemy."

"If you aren't doing anything, then how do you even know what I'm feeling?" I snapped. "Go away. I'm done with this. I won. In your face, Brady."

"This isn't a game!" he roared as he once again hit the door.

"It's always been a game!" I yelled back. "The only difference now is, I've got all the cards!"

He roared again, an inhuman sound that turned my blood cold, then dead silence filled the air.

He'd gone. I knew it.

But he'd be back.

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