The beast watched the string like a hypnotized cat-and like a cat, his claws came out, his eyes narrowed, ready to pounce any second.

Cara curled into a ball in the bottom of the bubble and tried to pull her foot free.

It wouldn't budge.

"Stop this," Cara said.

Malik glanced at her, a smirk on his face. "As you wish."

The bubble disappeared, and she dropped to the ground in front of the beast again, but this time, on her feet.

Both the beast and the blue djinn were eyeing her. She wasn't sure who was more dangerous looking, either. So she bolted.

It didn't take a genius to figure out that running was probably both her best choice in the moment, and the worst thing she could have done.

Because they both took off, the beast on her first, flinging her into the ground.

"I needs...I needs... So pure!" He licked the back of her knee as his slithered toward her feet again.

But Malik wasn't far behind. "That is enough. I think this little one has been through plenty this day." Magic swirled around his hands and moved over to Sarsour. Malik pulled his hands together, and the magic started to wrap around the red djinn. Malik squeezed the beast into a ball, held it aloft for a moment, then punted it across the desert. It flew so far Cara never saw it hit the ground.

Then she glanced at him. "You did that on purpose."

"Yes. I love drop-kicking palis djinn. They're like silly little pets."

"He was sucking on my feet." She remained face down in the sand, so that the worst the djinn saw was her butt. At least she kept some semblance of dignity. Not that he hadn't already seen everything.

Ugh, could she just bury herself in the sand?

"That is how he draws out your energy. Like a vampire, but not so bloody."

"Well, thank you for running him off. Now, can you help me?"

"I don't know, can I?"

"You're a djinn, right, like a genie? Don't you have to grant my wishes?"

He smirked. "Only if you control my bottle. And I see no bottle in your hand."

It felt like she tried to deal with the devil-that twinkle in his eye looked quite menacing-but what choice did Cara have? She rolled over, covering herself with her arms. "I need to... Well, I need clothing."

"Ahh, but your tan will be most lovely if you remain naked." His gaze ran over her.

"Listen, I have to get out of here. I don't know where I am. Will you help me?"

"Perhaps. For a price."

Maybe the sun was beating her brain in, because the next words out of her mouth sealed her fate. "Whatever you want, I'll do it. Please, just help me."

Malik raised his black eyebrow. "Be careful, young one. You of all people should know we djinn cannot be trusted."

"And why me of all people?" How did he know who, or what she was?

"You are a mythical-a banshee." He sniffed the air, then gazed at her again. "And merrow. An interesting bloodline you have there, child. Why would such a water-oriented mythical be lost in the desert?" A sinister grin spread over his face. "You should know better."

An eerie feeling swept over Cara. "What choice do I have?"

"Therein lies the question. What choice would you have?" His smug look reminded her of a confident god or goddess who saw everyone's cards at the poker table.

Unfortunately, Cara saw none.

Chapter Seventeen.

Monday evening "I'm sorry," Duncan said as he escorted Cara's mother Sally back to her husband, Frank. She climbed into her husband's embrace and shook.

Frank stroked his wife's back, his own tears pouring over his face. He turned his gaze to Duncan.

"I don't understand. Norton kidnapped her, and the scream got stuck inside. And now she's gone? What exactly did you mean by that?" Frank asked.

"She had lost her voice with a scream inside her, ready to explode. She finally was able to release it, and the result was a sandstorm of such magnitude I'd never seen before. It pulled her into it and disappeared." He hated himself for bringing this news to the family.

"So she could be out there somewhere?" Frank asked.

"We have FID looking for her now."

Sally stopped for a moment, and turned to look at Duncan, her brows drawn together. "What do you mean she lost her voice with a scream inside? That's not possible."

"I witnessed it." Duncan took a step toward them. "If I knew more I would tell you."

"You were there?" Frank asked. "If she was that close to...to..." He choked on the words. "You should have been out of harm's way."

"I would not leave her alone," Duncan said.

Frank nodded as Sally cried harder.

In the door burst a young woman, similar in build to Cara, and he realized she was Cara's sister, Janelle. Blonde like her dad, but otherwise had the same eyes and build as Cara.

"What? What's going on, Mom?" Janelle took one look at Duncan, then at her parents, then back at Duncan.

"What did you do?" she screamed and charged Duncan.

He caught her, and Janelle pummeled his chest, screaming obscenities at him. If he ever needed any proof that her family was not that fond of him, this was it.

Duncan held her at bay, only so she didn't harm herself as she swung at him.

"You big jerk! What did you do to her?" Janelle cried, a fist heading for his face, but missed, instead tagging his shoulder.

"He didn't do anything," Frank said, coming over and peeling Janelle off Duncan. Janelle turned to her dad and fell into him as she cried.

"Cara's missing. She had a scream that almost killed her. When it came out, she disappeared in a sandstorm, and they can't find her." He glanced at Duncan. "That about cover it?"

Duncan nodded as the family huddled together, holding one another. He felt like the most horrible person ever to walk the world-having to tell a family that this happened.

He almost wished that Cara was dead. At least then, he'd have more definitive answers for them.

Okay, not really, but the not knowing-that was worse.

Way worse. Again, Duncan went over everything that he could, and still respected Cara's privacy, to tell them the details of what happened.

Janelle listened, wiping away her tears. "You were there with her?"

"Yes."

"But how did she get the scream out? It should have killed her," Janelle said. "What did you do to her?"

"Fairy Tea," he said.

Janelle tipped her head, eyebrow raised and arms crossed. "Fairy Tea?"

"Fairy. Tea." He was not about to go into detail about what they were doing when she was drinking the tea. That he would keep to himself. The last thing her family needed to know about their daughter was that she was dying, and he was making love to her...

Would that make him sound like someone who loved their daughter, or would it make him into a monster in their eyes?

He wouldn't put that thought into their heads, regardless.

"But she could still be out there," Sally said as she wiped tears from her eyes.

"We will not stop looking for her. She must be out there somewhere," Frank added.

Janelle nodded. "I can help look. I could go-"

"It's the desert," Duncan said. "You don't have wings."

"Well, I have to do something! She's my sister!" She stepped toward him. Even with her tiny stature, she didn't seem the slightest bit intimidated by Duncan.

"There is nothing you can do," Duncan said.

"I'm sure there's something," she said and turned to her parents. "I'll go to her house. See if she's appeared there. Dad, you go to The Portal, just in case she comes through. Those Portals open everywhere for banshees. If she released her scream, she might be able to channel one to get her back here. Mom, you stay here. You can keep an eye on her favorite spot out there on the shore. Just in case she shows up there."

Sally nodded. "I know just the place."

"You cannot be sure where she will show up," Duncan said.

Janelle put her hands on her hips. "You should know this, fairy, like all magic, banshee power draws from what we know-our home and our connections. If she can find a way back, she's going to come to what she knows first."

"If..." Duncan said, more to himself than them.

"No ifs," Janelle said. "She is coming back. She will be found."

Duncan didn't believe her. Just because Janelle didn't see it... "You can't be sure."

"Actually, I can be," Janelle said as she pressed her hand on her chest. "No scream."

Duncan blinked.

Tears welled in her eyes as she spoke. "I don't have a scream. And if I don't have a scream, then there's no death coming. So she's out there. Alive. And she's not dying. So I'm going to do everything I can to find her."

For the briefest second, Duncan felt Janelle's determination and her faith.

He hoped he still had some in him.

Chapter Eighteen.

Tuesday morning Exhaustion overwhelmed Duncan, but he still stood straight, arms over his chest as he waited for his boss, O'Leary, to speak to him.

He'd been combing the desert for hours after talking to Cara's parents. Using magic, he'd projected the path of the sandstorm that scooped her up and followed it all across the desert. He flew low enough at some points to drag his fingers in the sand and looked for some sign of Cara.

He found where she'd landed, the energy of the scream still marked the ground, but there was no more trail.

Other FID, including Reese, had looked, but no one could come up with anything. The magic swirling around the desert was enough that even a human would notice, if anyone happened to be nearby. Fortunately, the regular hundred and ten plus degrees of the desert kept most humans out of the area for extended periods of time.

Duncan had felt the resonating energy, both from Cara's scream-even after a full day since its release-and from the magic the other FID had used to try and find her. He tracked the magic all over, flying so low over the dunes it took a good hour in a shower cleaning off all the sand, though he was pretty sure it still was lodged in places.

Duncan had hoped, with his telepathy, he'd be able to find Cara. Their connection had been so strong for most of her life, he'd thought he'd be able to get a glimmer of her somewhere. That his connection would be better.

Yet it had been fruitless.

He hadn't wanted to quit; he would still be out there looking for Cara if O'Leary hadn't demanded him to come in for a debriefing.

So now he stood in the office, waiting for his boss to acknowledge him.

Finally, O'Leary met his gaze. "Quite a clusterfuck you find yourself in, Molar."