The Inner Circle (Return of the Ancients Book 3) Read Online Free

didn’t wake up.
    Instead, I closed my eyes and concentrated on slowly breathing in and out.
    I was scared. Afraid.
    But I couldn’t let myself dwell on that, because I knew that it only made the Brotherhood stronger and cemented their control over me.
    I slammed the faucet off.
    Rafael.
    I couldn’t understand it. Why hadn’t I seen any signs of this evil side before? Had I been that blind? Or love-struck?
    I didn’t want to think about him. It hurt too much.
    I should have known I would never have a fairy tale romance, and I didn’t even want to acknowledge the bitter humor of that thought.
    Instead, I forced myself to think of the road ahead of me.
    What was I supposed to do now? The mutant tulpa was in the hands of the bad guys.
    And what about that gnome on the porch? The one that had turned into the man with the black top hat. He’d apparently been trying to warn me of the danger inside the house.
    I shivered.
    Was that gnome still there?
    I didn’t have the guts to look.
    Not yet.
    Hearing the sound of a car, I ran to the window to see Al’s yellow pickup truck with the oversized wheels zoom up the driveway.
    With relief, I watched his shiny bald head get out of the cab.
    Al.
    All at once, I felt safe.
    I ran to the kitchen to see him standing there in his army fatigues and black boots. He was scratching his head, and there were two lines carved between his eyebrows.
    “What happened, kiddo?” he asked, pointing to the missing door between the kitchen and garage.
    I was such a bundle of tense, knotted nerves that I had a hard time replying at first. Finally, I moved my lips in what I hoped could pass for a smile.
    “I dunno,” I lied. “I came home and it was missing.”
    I was rescued from his piercing blue eyes by Betty joining us from the living room, absently sipping a mug of tea.
    “What happened, Betty?” Al asked, turning to her.
    “I fell asleep,” she said, drawing her brows together in faint confusion. “I swear the day just flew by!”
    Al’s frown deepened. “And the door?” he asked curiously.
    “Door?” Betty repeated.
    He pointed.
    “Oh, what happened to the door?” she gasped. The tea splashed out of her mug.
    Al’s face flooded with concern. His gaze locked onto me for several long moments before he turned back to Betty and kissed the top of her head.
    “Go take a nap, Betty,” he suggested. “You’re just tired. Maybe you’re coming down with a cold. I’ll fix this door right up. Tigger probably did it.”
    “Oh, Tigger! Where is he?” Betty asked, nearly dropping her mug. “I swear, this has been such a strange day!”
    She continued to chatter as Al gently guided her from the kitchen and down the hall.
    I stayed where I was. I wasn’t sure what to do. And I sure couldn’t see how Al possibly thought Tigger had done anything to the door. The old brindled bloodhound exhausted himself just walking from the living room to the kitchen.
    Al returned.  His blue eyes zeroed in on mine as he said, “Your Alien Time-Catcher watch is blinking again, kiddo.”

Chapter Two – The Secret of Fluoride
    I looked down at the plastic digital watch that Al had given me for my birthday. The blue light was blinking, signaling that another alien Time Event had occurred. I didn’t have the heart or the energy to lie.
    So I didn’t say anything.
    Al stared at me a moment. “Maybe we should send it back to Jack,” he said. “I’m not sure that thing’s working.”
    Still silent, I hit the reset button. I’d assumed Al’s friend, Jack, hadn’t really known what he was doing because he sounded a little kooky, and he was just a janitor at an Air Force base.
    How arrogant I’d been.
    Both of his devices had worked flawlessly.
    Al clearly knew I was hiding something, but he didn’t press me for explanations. Instead, he walked toward the garage, pausing along the way to give me a reassuring pat on the head.
    “We’ll figure this mystery out, kiddo,” he said. “There’s