Banishing the Dark (The Arcadia Bell series) Read Online Free

said, dodging the Lab’s tongue while Lon grabbed her purple collar to keep her from jumping on the bed.
    “Do you know who I am?”
    “Aren’t you the kid who mows the lawn?”
    A whimper buzzed from the back of his throat.
    “Kidding,” I said. “Do I get a hug or what?”
    His shoulders dropped, and a toothy grin spread. “I knew you’d be okay,” he said as he pounced on the bed and his skinny arms curled around me.
    “For the love of God, don’t crush her,” Lon warned.
    I didn’t mind. Unlike his father, Jupe was never one to have problems expressing feelings. His hair smelled pleasantly of chamomile and coconut oil, and when he finally released me, I pushed his frizzy curls off his forehead and studied him. “Missed your face,” I murmured.
    “Missed you so much .” He looked as if he might be on the verge of getting too emotional. Just for a second. Then he reeled himself back in and smiled. “I told everyone a thousand times you’d be fine—right, Dad?”
    “ ‘Everyone’ and ‘a thousand’ aren’t exaggerations,” Lon confirmed.
    “Man, your halo looks so much better today.”
    Did it? I wondered just how bad it had looked before and if Jupe had seen me at my worst. But even if he had, I guess he wasn’t scarred for life, because he seemed to be his normal high-energy, bright-eyed, Motormouth self. He plopped down next to me on top of the covers and lounged against the headboard.
    “Let me just say, I never want to step inside a hospital again.”
    “That makes two of us.”
    “God, I’m glad you’re home. I have so much to tell you.”
    No doubt.
    “Do you remember everything now?” Jupe asked, looking at his father for some sort of confirmation.
    “Mostly,” I answered.
    “Do you remember . . . ?” He trailed off and gave me a probing look, long lashes fluttering nervously as he searched my face. “Remember our fight?”
    My mind jumped back to the last time I remembered seeing him. The afternoon I’d been trapped by Dare. I’d confessed my real identity to Kar Yee and Jupe. Kar Yee had left angry. Jupe had stayed, interrogating me, until he found out I was planning to go to Florida alone. He didn’t take it well. And he let something slip that he shouldn’t have.
    Lon had bought me an engagement ring.
    “Oh, crap,” Jupe muttered, reading my face.
    And judging from the way Lon shifted uncomfortably, Jupe must have told his father that he’d spilled the beans about the ring. My cheeks heated. Lon and I never had a chance to talk about it. I remembered that he’d given me plane tickets for Christmas, had wanted to take me to the French Alps. Pretty romantic for someone like Lon. Add on a ring, and you had a big step for two people who hadn’t been able to say “I love you” for the first several months of their relationship.
    Our French Alps sex vacation was certainly nothappening anytime soon. But did he still want to give me the ring? And did I want it?
    “One thing at a time,” Lon said quietly.
    I nodded and buried awkward feelings while Jupe quickly changed the subject. “Hey, like, you should be sleeping or something.”
    “I’ve slept more than enough over the last month,” I assured him.
    “No, I mean, it’s day. You’re supposed to be sleeping in the daytime. That’s what Priya says. Your mom uses moon energy to tap into you. I asked him if they had the same moon in the Æthyr, and he said they had three moons. Can you believe it? Three! So I asked him if your mom could use their moon energy or ours, and he said ours.”
    I stared at Jupe for a moment. Then Lon.
    “He’s been summoning Priya,” Lon said.
    “So I gather.” I looked at Jupe. “How are you two getting along?”
    “Someone needs to tell that guy to put a shirt on,” Jupe said. “Plus he’s kind of a dick.”
    “That’s my guardian you’re talking about, you know.”
    Jupe backpedaled. “It’s just that he’s so serious all the time. I don’t think he knows how