On the other side of the road, Soren and Dr. Chissaud shared a glance. Some unspoken agreement passed between them, and their faces hardened with determination. Then, as one, they stepped forward together.

"I said stay back!" Theo shouted, and fired the gun in the air. The sound made me start and it rang painfully in my ears. Soren and Chissaud froze.

"Ari, get in the car."

My uncle's voice was cold and sharp, and I started to obey. But the voice in my head had gained a little strength, and a flicker of resistance flared to life. With an effort, I stopped and turned back. It felt like I was moving underwater, or trying to run in a dream.

"Soren." My voice was a whisper. I took a deliberate step towards him, away from the car, and then another.

"Ari, STOP!"

Theo's voice ripped through the fragile threads of my will, and I halted.

"You will not speak," he commanded, each word hitting me like a blow. "You will obey me without question. Now get in the fucking car!"

I stumbled back, but even under the assault of his words, something in me refused to give in completely. The warring impulses left me frozen in place and, unable to move either forward or back, I fell heavily to my knees.

"What have you done to him, you sick fuck?" Soren demanded angrily. He moved towards me, and Theo aimed the gun in his direction. I tried to call out, to warn him, but I couldn't speak.

The gun went off, the bullet sparking on the pavement at Soren's feet.

"One more step, and the next one goes through your head, you hybrid freak," Theo spat.

He moved to the driver's side door and opened it, all the while keeping the gun trained on Soren.

I struggled to rise, but could not.

"What's wrong with him?" Soren asked with forced calm, looking at Chissaud.

"He's charmed," she said. "Some kind of amulet, by the look of it. Theo's using it to control him somehow."

"Ari?" Soren called, eyes wide and uncertain. "Ari—the amulet you're wearing—can you take it off?"

I looked down at myself, but saw only the fabric of my shirt.

"He can't see it," Chissaud said.

Theo was shaking Rodriguez, trying to wake him. The other man moaned and shifted, mumbling something incoherent.

"Move over, you worthless shit," Theo ordered, trying to shove him to the other seat. "For your sake, the engine had better start. Damn it, Ari—get up!"

As though pulled by strings, I rose to my feet.

"Ari, don't!" Soren called. "Don't listen to him. You're wearing an amulet, and he's using it to control you. Even if you can't see it, you can feel it, can't you? Find it, and take it off! Please!"

"You shut up!" Theo roared, waving the gun wildly as he continued to shove at Rodriguez.

Soren's words reached me as though from a great distance, but at last I understood what he'd said. My hand felt weighted with lead as I lifted it to my chest, fingers seeking a target I couldn't see.

They touched on something cold and hard, a small disk resting right above my heart.

"No!" Theo shouted. "Don't take it off! It's keeping the spell in check, don't you remember? If you take it off, the spell will complete itself and you'll be lost!"

He succeeded in getting Rodriguez to the passenger side at last, and now came towards me. He gripped my arm with bruising strength, but my other hand closed firmly around the amulet.

"That's not true," Dr. Chissaud called, taking a step closer. Theo swung the gun around on her and she stopped, but didn't flinch. "Take it off, Ari. Let the spell complete. It wants you to own it. Make it yours."

"Don't listen to them!" Theo pulled me hard, yanking me towards the door. "They're lying."

"Ari," Soren pleaded. "Trust me if you can. And if not, then trust yourself."

It was difficult to think through the fog that clouded my mind and dampened my senses, but the small part of myself that was still my own was strengthened by his words. I closed my eyes and pulled hard on the object in my hand.

The silver chain around my neck snapped under the strain, and I let the amulet drop to the ground.

"You stupid fool," Uncle Theo snarled.

And then several things happened at once.

My senses rushed back, crystal clear and so sharp it hurt. The numbness gone, my heart lurched with fear as Theo aimed the gun at Soren and squeezed the trigger. At the same time, a bundle of black feathers fell from the sky and struck his hand, knocking it aside. The gun went off, and he dropped it with a yell of surprise as a familiar shape swooped around his head in a flurry of beating wings and scratching claws.

Soren sprinted towards us, and Theo yelped in alarm and scrambled to the front of the SUV, dove inside, and slammed the door. The engine sputtered and turned over before struggling to life, and he pulled away with a screech of metal on metal and a spray of gravel from the side of the road. Seconds later, he was out of sight.

I'd been knocked down in the confusion and skinned my hands on the asphalt and gravel, but strong arms lifted me and set me on my feet.

"Ari," Soren gasped, hands on either side of my face. "Are you hurt?"

"No," I said, equally breathless. "Are you?" He had a cut over his brow and blood trickled down the side of his face.

He shook his head. "Nothing serious." His eyes searched mine. "Are you...yourself?"

I nodded.

"Thank God." The dark blue of his eyes seemed to lighten with relief, and then his lips were on mine, and he kissed me.

When I didn't respond, he pulled back, stricken. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I shouldn't have..."

I searched his eyes, caught between hurt and hope. "What about your leof?" I asked quietly.

His brow creased in confusion. "My...leof?"

"You said you thought you'd met them, and then last night I overheard you...I thought you'd gone to find her."

He frowned, but then his expression cleared and the corner of his mouth quirked up. "I went to find Chissaud," he said gently, stroking the side of my face and running his thumb over my lips. "As for my leof—if it's anyone, it's you, Ari. Only you."

Warmth washed over me from head to toe, but I still hesitated, uncertain. "But I'm..."

"I know what you are," he said. "And I don't want you to be anything more, or less, or different. I know it's too soon, but—" he swallowed, "I love you."

I looked up at him. His expression was unguarded; open and anxious for my reply. Unable to help myself, I smiled, and when he leaned in again to brush his lips over mine, I kissed him back.

Dr. Chissaud cleared her throat.

Breaking apart, we both turned to look at her. The crow perched on her shoulder, and she watched us with a mix of amusement and exasperation.

"Are you two quite finished?" she asked. "Because we are literally not out of the woods yet, and I think it would be better not to stick around here too long."