Read Online The Inner Circle (Return of the Ancients Book 3) by Carmen Caine, Madison Adler - Free Book Online Page B

pat on the cheek. “I was tired and I simply fell asleep.”
    Taking a seat next to Al’s chair, I waited until he sat down and then seized the opportunity. Leaning close so only he could hear, I suggested, “Maybe we should build some Faraday cages. They would prevent microwave mind-control, wouldn’t they?”
    Al frowned at me a moment, as if trying to recall something, and then his blue eyes brightened. “Faraday cages,” he repeated, stroking his chin. “Now that’s a brilliant idea, kiddo. You’ve been doing some research, haven’t you?”
    “Yeah,” I said, shrugging and trying my best to appear casual.
    To my relief, I heard the slam of a car door. Glad to escape Al’s shrewd gaze, I headed for the door, but Grace beat me to it.
    And as Al began to sing aloud one of Jareth’s more popular songs—a sign that I had come to learn to mean that he was spinning up some eccentric scheme—Jareth himself strutted through the doorway, wearing an outlandish black outfit of shredded leather and chains that suited him well.
    He paused at the door, listening to Al sing, and then recognizing his own song, he began to grin.
    Al was halfway finished before he noticed the rock star slouching against the door. With a wink, he stopped singing.
    Jareth began to clap. “Maybe we should do a duet,” he drawled by way of greeting.
    Al gave a great guffaw. “Just have your agent call mine, Jareth,” he said, pointing to Betty before kissing her on the cheek.
    “Oh, I’m your agent now?” Betty laughed, but her gaze had zeroed in on Jareth. “Your black eye really healed fast there.”
    For the briefest of moments, Jareth appeared puzzled, but then he pointed to his face and with a theatrical whisper uttered one word, “Makeup.”
    Betty’s eyes lit with understanding, and she laughed.
    Grabbing my Bean There, Baked That T-shirt, I gave everyone a hurried goodbye and shoved Jareth through the front door. And if Betty and Al thought it strange for a rock star to be driving me to work, they didn’t give any hint of it.
    “Ashamed of me?” Jareth asked with an openly cynical smile as he escorted me to Rafael’s Bentley.
    “Al’s pretty sharp,” I said, sliding into the car’s leather passenger seat. “He just might figure out who you really are, and as your friend, it’s my duty to protect you.”
    “What’s this?” Jareth asked in mock astonishment. “Friend? Am I growing on you, Sydney?”
    “Don’t get too cocky,” was all I said.
    But a slow smile curled his lip all the same.
    “Do you always have to work at this grueling hour?” he asked as he pulled out into the street. “It’s almost ten o’ clock.”
    “You’re lazy,” I said with a long yawn.
    He eyed me then, openly cynical, but he didn’t say anything. And then he was flying down the road, zooming through cars, causing road rage, and offending pedestrians.
    Through a break in the trees, I could see the distant white peak of Mount Rainier. I watched the houses race by. Jareth was an insane driver. I wondered how many tickets he had racked up.
    Suddenly, an image flashed through my mind. “Marquis’ ring,” I said, abruptly recalling it.
    Jareth gave a noncommittal grunt. “Ring?”
    “Is it unique?” I asked.
    He grew silent and seemed annoyed. “You noticed that in the Hall of Mirrors, did you?”
    I raised a brow and turned on him. “So, you knew it was Marquis the whole time?”
    “No,” he shook his head. “I’d never seen it before a few days ago. I don’t know what it means. Maybe it is a symbol of the Inner Circle.”
    “The Inner Circle,” I said, absently biting my nails. “We’ve got to stop them, you know. We’ve got to get ahold of that evil tulpa and destroy it. We can’t just keep living our lives like nothing is happening.”
    He looked at me with rank irritation. “That is a Fae matter, as is the tulpa. You needn’t involve yourself.”
    “Are you really going to tell me that?” I rolled my eyes.