Arkadia (Halfway House Series Book 1) Read Online Free Page A

defenseless. I am not the snatch and grab kind of girl, and you damn well know that.” Arkadia was angry, really angry. All Sebastian could do was grunt softly in reply, “As soon as you’re able to breathe again, you will take me home. Grunt if you understand.”
    “Humph,” Seb grunted back, taking lots of little sips of air.
    Arkadia got out of the car and sat on the hood, not wanting to be in the car with Sebastian any longer then she had to. All she really wanted was for someone to “see” her. Arkadia wanted someone whose eyes lit up when they saw her, someone who loved her, cared for her, protected her, and would never ever EVER let her go. She wanted her Prince Charming. Arkadia thought maybe she could hurry this along a little bit. Glancing back at Seb, she saw he was slowly beginning to breathe a little deeper, and not listening to her inner warning bells, Arkadia began to cast a spell.
     
    “Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty,
    Bring to me the full of heart,
    Find the love of my Prince Charming,
    So, that we shall never part.”
     
    Feeling a sudden gust of air, Arkadia wrapped her arms around herself, feeling very uncomfortable in her own skin. She got up, wandered back to the car, and slid down into her seat, glancing over at Sebastian to see how much longer it was going to be before they left. Her eyes widened as she looked around, Sebastian wasn’t there. “Now where did he go? If he is strong enough to walk, he can drive and I’m outta here.” She looked through the windshield to see where he had gone.
    “CROOOOOAAKK.” Arkadia cast her eyes down to the frog sitting on the driver’s chair, her blood running instantly ice cold.
    “Ooohhhhhhh, fooook me!”
     

Chapter Five
     
    “Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit!” Arkadia was in full panic mode. She glanced over again at this slimy green frog sitting on the driver’s seat, her blood icy cold running through her veins, and whispered, “Seb … bas … tian?”
    “Crooooak,” was his only reply.
    “Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit!” Arkadia went back to chanting to herself.
    “What have I done? Oh shit, oh bugger, ooohhhhhhhh what have I done? The Mayor’s son! He was a slimy beast, granted, but a frog? People are going to notice.” Arkadia was talking to herself, very quickly, as the panic button was repeatedly being slammed in her brain. She briefly contemplated relocating the frog, eeerrrr Sebastian, into a local swamp and leaving town on the next train to nowhere, but as he was the Mayor’s son, she came to the conclusion that it wasn’t a viable option, and she wasn’t fond of prison orange as her daily color choice.
    “Crooooak.” Arkadia looked again at Sebastian.
    “I am soooo sorry, Seb, I really didn’t mean to turn you into a frog.” She took a deep breath. “Okay. What’s done is done, now how to fix it, or perhaps a case of who?”
    Arkadia knew there was only one person she could turn to, one person who knew about her abilities and would be able to help her. It was the last person on earth she wanted to ask for help from, well, maybe not the LAST, the last maybe would have been Sebastian’s father, can you imagine it? “Good evening, Mr. Coulter, I am sorry but it appears I have turned your son into a frog. Can you help me turn him back?” A soft chuckle escaped Arkadia’s lips as she imagined Mr. Coulter’s head turning red and exploding right in front of her. Shaking her head, she stopped day dreaming and regained her focus on the problem at hand. There was only one person, one solitary person who could help …ELOISE.
    The drive home was rough to say the least, as Arkadia didn’t have her license yet. She basically knew how to drive, but knowing and doing are two different things. So four stalls, eight bunny hops, and a couple of screeched tires later, she ended up, by the grace of goddess, at her driveway. Glancing over at the green frog happily sitting on the dashboard, she whispered with her mind,