The Binding Stone (The Djinn Series) Read Online Free PDF

least, if he does know, he doesn’t comment.
    “The
lake is beautiful,” I say, watching it whiz by. “I’ve never lived near water.”
    “You
like water?” he asks.
    “Yes.
It soothes me.” I watch the line of deep blue sail by, finding the rhythm of
the car’s vibrations combined with the cadence of Jered’s heartbeat lull me
into a trance-like state. It is possibly the most peaceful I’ve felt since
putting on the cursed necklace.
    “Here
we are,” he says far too soon, pulling up to a rundown building. Shingles on
the roof are missing, and graffiti decorates the moss-covered bricks. The
entire neighborhood reeks of neglect, with brown, patched lawns and cracked
sidewalks. My body vibrates with the thrum of the bass from some distant car’s
speakers.
    I
frown. “What is this place?”
    “Good
question,” Gabe says, shutting the door behind him and shoving his hands in his
pockets, protecting his wallet.
    “Soup
kitchen,” Jered says. He looks positively ecstatic at the thought. “It’s still
a month or so until the holidays, and people don’t usually notice that others
are hungry until that time of year.”
    “You
want me to feed them?” I ask, indicating two vagrants, now shuffling about the
outside of the building, layered in tattered clothes and jackets.
    “Just
put a fully cooked gourmet meal in the kitchen, enough for anyone who might
stop by for the rest of the day. And leave some extra food in the cupboards.”
He smiles at me, eyes so full of hope and possibility. I bite back my own
thoughts and fulfill his command.
    “Anything
else?” I ask.
    “Leave
clean clothes and blankets for all those staying at the shelter. And
toiletries. And maybe some cash.”
    “They’ll
just use it to buy drugs and shit.” We both glare at Gabe, and he clamps his
mouth shut.
    “Just
enough to buy them a hot meal somewhere else too. They can make their own
decision what to do with it,” Jered says. “Or, can you make it so it, like,
disappears if they try to buy something harmful with it like booze or drugs?
You know, just in case.”
    I
wonder why he hasn’t asked me for enough money so that his mother would no
longer have to work. I don’t want to ask it in front of Gabe, though, so I nod
and do as he commands.
    “Can
we go now?” Gabe asks.
    “Yes.
Let’s go home,” Jered says. I wave an arm, and we are in his room.
    “My
car–” he starts, whipping around.
    “Is
in the garage. I don’t know why you won’t let me give you something better.” I
can at least say this.
    “I
didn’t mean for you to bring us here. I meant I’d drive us back,” Jered says.
    “Jer,
you gave her a command. You said ‘let’s go home,’ and she brought us back.
Don’t say it if you don’t mean it.” I nod at Gabe in approval for once. He
grins.
    “You
two are ganging up on me. Well, it isn’t going to work.” Jered takes out his
homework and settles in at his desk.
    Gabe
shakes his shaggy head and settles down on the floor with his phone.
    “Jered,
why do you never use my magic for yourself?” I ask, unable to hold it in any
longer. He stops his work, and Gabe pauses the game he has started to look up.
    “Good
question,” Gabe agrees.
    Jered
shoots him an angry glance before turning back to me. Those eyes make my
stomach squirm. They do not belong on his face. They do not belong in my life.
I focus on his hands instead.
    “I’m
afraid,” he says simply, and drops his pen on the notebook he’s started working
in. It hasn’t escaped my attention that he’s stopped using pencils when I’m
around.
    “Afraid?”
I ask. I feel as though I’ve woken in an alternate reality. One in which humans
no longer follow a logical path.
    “I’ve
seen movies, read books, where stuff like this happens, and it never turns out
the way you expect,” Jered says.
    “I
don’t understand,” I say.
    “I
think he means he’s afraid you’ll twist his wishes so that the exact opposite
will happen,” Gabe