Page 4 (1/1)

I gasped as a sudden realization shot throughlike a human What would a witch do? I knew thathi to his brain until a defibrillator could be used His heart needed to be restarted with a shock of electricity

The ht shot downI hadn’t consciously cohts and taken over for me The bolt shot into the man’s body, and for an instant, his eyes flashed open, full of astonishround, and as I tried to pull my hands away, it followed net Then the link broke at last, and he dropped to the ground, his eyes fluttering shut for the last tirew sick The part of his chest where the energy had entered hi tunnel had been blasted through the space that once held his heart

What had I done? I clawed at the sandy soil, scraping away the residue that clung toonly in short gasps that couldn’t fill s Hands reached out from behind me and held my shoulders A calm, feminine voice spoke to me "It’s okay, baby It’s okay But you have to coet you away from here" I had never heard that voice before, but I had known it allht I felt like the world had fallen away beneath ed corpse I had created My head turned slowly, knowing that once I laid eyes on her, nothing would ever be the sareen eyes A face so very much like my own

"Ma its way between the walls of amazement and disbelief

"Yes, baby It’s ht pressing on my mind "It’s uided h the scrub-filled ravine that separated the powderthe nearby businesses A li by its side jolted to attention, then opened the car’s door Together, my mother and he eased me into the air-conditioned cocoon, and then lass separated us from the driver’s area, and even blacker s, nearly onyx, protected us fro, but I had no idea where ere going Frankly, I didn’t care I held on to htly it must have hurt Her face held my eyes It seemed so much like a mirror of my own, except that it held a couple decades more of experience, of sadness

"I know you an to h the haze "And," she said as her eyes caressed s I need to say to you But we don’t have tied to extricate her right hand froh my hair "I didn’t want you to find out like this I didn’t want to just fall into your world, but I tracked you down at the powder et a look at you" She pulled ainst my cheek "If only I’d arrived a few moments earlier, I could have helped, but I discovered you too late The old gentleht, and I couldn’t bring myself to leave you there"

"But how could you?" I asked "I mean, how could you have left me before? Left Maisie?" I pulled back froyou had died?"

"I had no choice," she said "She wouldn’t letbefore she plotted against you"

My ht nod confirht "But why?"

"I’ll tell you I’ll tell you everything Only not right now I’ve waited all your life to have a chance to explain things to you, and it isn’t a story that can be rushed" She reached forward and pulled ain I felt intoxicated by her scent--it reached all the way through the years and brought o of everything and just let o for now," she whispered "But I’ll be near, and we’ll talk soon Very soon I promise"

"No," I looked up to her, my heart in my throat "No, you have to come home," I pleaded "Come home now We have to tell Iris and Ellen and Oliver that you’re still alive They are going to be so--"

Her body tensed and her eyes narrowed, s at their corners "No," a barbed refusal tore from her lips She drew a breath, forced her shoulders to relax "No," she said ently, but then patted my hand "They can’t know I’ve returned Not yet"

"But they have to" My words died in the air as the look on her face told me more than I wanted to know

Her eyes had turned downcast and distant, as if she were reliving an unpleasant memory A tremble danced at the corner of her ain control of the tic "Oh, they know, irl My sisters know very well that I’m alive" Her voice broke, and she cleared her throat "I’m not sure what they have told Oliver, but your aunts, they know" She leaned in and pinned aze "Iris and Ellen took you and Maisie fro"

"I cannot believe they would do so with my mother "Why would they?"

"The same reason Ginny stole your power and worked to turn your twin against you--yes, I know all about it The line Ginny justified all of her cri she coaccomplices"

I shookabout

She continued "You think you know them, but you don’t Not really You only know the side they have allowed you to see If they realize you knowif they learn I am back, I fear for your safety" I started to protest that they would never do anything to hurt me, but she held up her hand to stop , and they alill Deep down you know that, or you wouldn’t be sneaking around with the old root doctor trying to find out what the line has done with Maisie My sisters will not think twice about alerting the united families if they find out you know about me The other anchors already have it in for you sihter If they learn that I have ainst you I fear theyon you"

She waited until her warning had fully registered Now that I was an anchor, a binding wouldn’t merely strip me of my powers It would leave etative state--the power of the line would consuTell no one If you do, ill lose each other again, and this time it will be forever"