Page 34 (1/2)

"You can come do" Malachi looked up "No one will hurt you"

The people and anions, except for Sabina, who stared at us, too Snakes trailed over her bare feet, and one twined up her ankle

"Sabina!" Mal barked

She lifted the snakes into her hands, tossing several around her neck and over her shoulders before heading toward their enclosure

Mal started toward us I guess running wasn&039;t an option

Grace and I clih she did point it at the ground

He stopped in front of us, casting a quick, al to tellWe snuck in and watched"

"He kneere here," Grace said

"How?"

"He can change ain You think he isn&039;t aware of everything that goes on around hie theain"

"They&039;re shape-shifters?" Grace asked

"Of a kind"

"Maybe you should start at the beginning," I said

"Maybe I should" He swept out his hand in a "be esture "Let&039;s take this inside"

Moon His bed was ht inin the woods with the others

His clothes spilled out of drawers built beneath his bed A single table was covered with books and papers; the titles reminded me of the ones I&039;d found in Grace&039;s attic A lot on the paranoric, curses

"What are you?" I asked

"A Well, there really isn&039;t a word for it in English I can do things"

Grace leaned forward "Magic?"

"Yes"

"Why?"

"Because I&039;uess that was a stupid question, since we&039;d just seen half of thee from an animal into a person

"No Only the pure"

My eyes narrowed Tere lately

"Pure in ay?" I asked

"Pure Roadje"

"I&039;d think that would be pretty hard to do in this day and age"

"We aren&039;t exactly fro to hurt I rubbed my eyes and let Grace take over

"You tih "No I was born in 1754"

"Sure you were, pal"

His eyebrows lifted "You saw a grizzly become a man, but I couldn&039;t be born two hundred and fifty years ago?"

Grace bit her lip "Fine Whatever Go on"

"There was a chovhani, a witch, and she - " He glanced at me, frowned, then looked away "She loved me, but I could not love her back"

Had that been a hint? Did it ht have dreaician? A warlock? A sorcerer? I wasn&039;t up on the ter "other" and his people were shape-shifters How&039;s that for a good excuse not to commit?

"You pissed off a witch," Grace said "Nice job Let uess, she cursed your ass"

"And the rest of me, as well"

Grace&039;s lips twitched; I didn&039;t find any of this funny

"How is that possible?" I asked

"Easy enough," Grace ht spell and a little bit of power"

"A lot of power," Mal corrected "She had so much more than me"

"Should have told her what she wanted to hear," Grace said "Saved yourself centuries of trouble"

"I couldn&039;t tell her that I loved her if it wasn&039;t the truth"

Grace snorted "He&039;s definitely from a different century"

"Where is this witch?" I asked

"Dead"

"Yet you&039;re still alive"

He dipped his head, though his eyes had gone dark and haunted

Grace stared at him with a speculative expression "She cursed you to i?"

"Yes"

"And what about your people?"

"We were a kumpa&039;nia A caravan and a falanced at ain "Just to touch her was forbidden But she was beautiful, and I eak"

"Sounds like you were hurimace and a smile "She made them jel&039;sutho&039;edrin, companion animals, bound to me They cannot leave me, ever, and neither can I leave them" His words and er he spoke of the past "If it wouldn&039;t have been for ic, I would have been completely alone, without human coe theic can only hold them in human form for a few days at a time"

"They take turns," I said

"Yes"

"How did they become different animals?" Grace asked "I&039;d think it would be easier to curse theave them a choice of which animal they wanted to becoarth and Moses, brothers and twins Many husbands and wives, like Molly and Jared, chose the saar you called Mary?"

" &039;Molly&039; is an Irish nicknalish fored "Some do, to remind both themselves and the others that they are two natured"

As if anyone would forget

"Where&039;s your horse?"