Soothing, or so people said.

He hated the water.

So why was he sitting here, on Cara's rock again?

"Any word?" a familiar voice said from behind Duncan.

He'd been staring out at the water, trying to wrap his mind around what happened. He still wasn't sure.

Hell, he didn't think he'd ever really understand. How could a scream be that powerful? Did they build over time when not released? Or were they always that powerful? And why had the desert taken her like that? Had she done that, or had that come from some element he didn't know about?

And where was she? What happened to her?

He'd tried everything he could think of. Even consulted the books while waiting for a release from the Healer's Ward. Nothing had any explanation for what happened. Or if it ever happened before.

Surely, something like that would have records. Cara couldn't be the first banshee that had ever happened to.

Yet there was nothing.

Figured.

He would still be in the desert looking for Cara, but there was no sign of her. He'd hardly been coherent when Reese found him lying on a sand dune, and they'd rushed him to a healer. How long it took between when he blacked out to when he was found, he wasn't sure exactly.

Just that the sandstorm was gone. So was the cabana.

All of it had been erased, swallowed by the desert.

And so, it seemed, had Cara.

He glanced over his shoulder. Reese stood there, dripping with water. His wings were fully extended and he flapped them out, blocking all the sunlight around Duncan.

Seemed fitting.

Duncan's head throbbed, and while he knew a good cup of Fairy Tea would fix the injuries, but he didn't want to drink it. He wanted the wounds. The scars.

A remembrance of Cara-like the tea itself. He didn't know if he ever wanted to drink any of that stuff again. Ever. Just the smell of it would make him think of Cara.

Always.

Reese stepped closer and took a seat on the rock.

It was right where Cara would sit. Duncan hadn't been able to bring himself to take her spot. Seeing Reese sit there, he wanted to punch him. Clobber him. Something. Yet he didn't have the energy.

The frustration that filled his heart warred with the anger in his soul. He'd lost Cara.

Lost her.

Every moment he tried to make himself cling to the hope that she was out there, and someone would find her, but he knew better.

He couldn't feel her. Different than how he couldn't find her in the Merrow Kingdom. At least then he'd had a vague sense that she was still alive.

This was worse. It wasn't that. That whole touch of her soul seemed gone.

Made him angry. So angry.

He should have held on.

He should have- "The merrow are fine." Reese's words broke into Duncan's barrage of thoughts. Of course, he'd been having them nonstop, so he wasn't going over anything new.

"Evidently, Norton had planted several bombs. Not as destructive as what the banshee-"

"Cara," Duncan snapped. She wasn't just a banshee. She was Cara. And now she was gone.

"Sorry. What Cara could have done, but they might have killed the royal family. Hence, Cara's scream."

Duncan clenched his fists. "He made a Catch-22." He'd like to pummel Norton. For about a year.

That was the least he'd torture that heathen, trying to use Cara like that.

Reese nodded. "He might have succeeded, if you hadn't found her too. The merrow managed to diffuse the bombs before they went off, and they all returned to their homes, everyone with the happies now."

Like Duncan gave a shit right now. All he wanted to know was that Cara had been found. And that Norton paid for his crimes.

"He been executed?"

"They're taking him to the Knights Templar because he had other mythical partners. They'll find out who and then carry out execution."

Duncan nodded. He'd worked with the immortal humans before when fairies teamed up with other mythicals. They were decent guys.

But he wouldn't want to piss one off.

"O'Leary's looking for you."

Duncan sighed. "I know." The last thing he wanted to do was deal with his boss. He didn't want to deal with anything right now.

How could the world turn so horrible in a little over a day?

"We have FID combing the desert looking. There's no sign of her," Reese said softly.

"I know," Duncan said. The hope in his heart diminished by the hour.

"Has anyone talked to her family?" Reese asked.

Duncan shook his head. "I'll do it."

Chapter Sixteen.

Did I fly?

When the scream released, it pulled Cara away from Duncan and whirled her around. At least, that was what she thought. So jumbled, she wasn't sure what it was. Or maybe it was just a dream...

It felt like the scream's force held her aloft like a sonic blast. It hurled her through the air, stirred all the sand, and carried her away.

Though where it took her or how long it lasted, she didn't know. Only that it stopped, and she was lying back in the hot sand.

And what the hell was happening to her feet-was a dog licking her?

The sun felt warm and soothing on her body, and even with her eyes closed, she turned her face toward the light, letting the warmth bathe her. So much nicer than the cold of the sea.

She felt warm.

Hot, even...

She crossed her arms and- Holy crap, she was naked.

In the middle of the desert. And there was that weird licking again. She twisted and pulled her legs away.

At least she tried to.

But her legs were held tight-as she blinked in the blinding sunlight, she saw a red blob near her feet.

It took a second, but it came into focus.

Cara screamed at the sight-what the hell was that thing? "Help! Let me go! Stop!"

Hey, she had a voice.

She'd marvel over that in a moment. Right now, she had a monster attacking her feet. Beyond the weirdness, it couldn't be good. She tried to pull herself away, but it held on. All she could make out was the torso, shoulders and head. The rest of the beast? She couldn't see it.

Was it burrowed in the sand?

Didn't matter. The upper part was ferocious enough, and it was- "Quit!" She tried to kick at it as a long, serpent-like tongue burst out of its mouth and licked the bottom of her foot. Eww! So gross!

"Stop it, now!" She tried to pull away and started flinging sand at the beast. Nothing fazed him. He continued licking her feet like some sicko with a fetish. With each lick, she felt woozier and woozier. Like he was sucking the life out of her.

No way. I am not dying now. Not after what I just went through...

Sitting up, she tried to reach for it, but it wouldn't let go, and was just too far away. If only she'd taken those yoga classes with her sister, she'd be able to reach her toes.

The creature made an eerie hissing noise that scraped across her eardrums and made her cover her ears.

"Stop it! Stop it!" The adrenaline rushed through her system, and it had to be the only thing holding her upright as she kicked as best she could with her legs. Though it was more like her knees trying to pummel the creature. And it wasn't working worth a shit.

A burst of wind made her shield her eyes from the flying sand.

"Tsk tsk, Sarsour," a male voice said. "You know better than this..."

Cara turned and in silhouette was a man. And wait. Was his skin blue?

What the hell?

"I needs it... I needs..." the beast said at her feet, and he yanked on Cara again, his tongue flicking out.

The blue man leaned over, and Cara realized what he was. Her breath caught-she'd never seen a live djinn before.

"You're a-"

He raised his eyebrow. "And so is he." He gestured at the beast at Cara's feet.

The one hanging on her feet was like no djinn she'd ever read about in school. Of course, there weren't a lot of genies on Avalon. As a matter of fact, they were those "textbook mythicals" she read about in school, ones that would likely never step foot on Avalon. Like yeti and chupacabra.

He grabbed Cara and yanked her into the air, as though she were a coffee cup, pulling her out of the beast-Sarsour's-grip, and tossed her over his shoulder.

As soon as he'd pulled her away, all her strength zapped from her body. She could barely think, only marvel at the fact she was on the shoulder of a bare-chested, blue skinned djinn.

Djinn...

Djinn...

How many different kinds were there?

She couldn't remember. She never paid much attention in school because she knew she'd be stuck on Avalon for life, so she'd never cared about mythical beings in other realms.

Stupid!

She'd kick herself if she wasn't in this bizarre predicament. She wracked her brain, trying to remember how many different kinds of djinn there were. And didn't colors mean something? Red, gold, blue, green?

She opened her mouth to speak, but couldn't make it work. Was this exhaustion or something else? Had she lost her voice again?

The beast on the ground hissed. "You can't have her, Malik! Sheee's mineeee! I needs! I needs!"

"You want her?" Malik said. "Take her."

"No," Cara cried out as she grabbed at the blue torso.

With a wave of Malik's blue hand, Cara rose into the air, and a bubble wrapped around her. At least, she thought it was a bubble until she realized her foot dangled out the bottom, wrapped in a string.

Malik waved the string in front of Sarsour.

Good god, he'd put her in a balloon. What kind of sick, twisted bastard does that?