page13 (1/2)

Cassidy flopped on her back This was getting worse and worse Then she struggled upright again “Family?”

“Mother, father, brother—and your cousin Aaron”

“Mother Night”

“Andhas a price, and scaring the shit out of thatphysically is only the first part of the payment There were so many anted to express an opinion about what you did, they ended up drawing straws The two short straws get to yell at you” Karla called in a sift Teneach of them is allowed to voice his full opinion of what you did”

“Who?”

“Ranon and Gray drew the short straws However, I’ll warn you now that I don’t think your father is going to hold back his thoughts on theCraft, Karla floated a ns of finally waking up, I made this tonic for you”

Cassidy leaned back against the headboard and took the

“You’ll have the re, you face your family and court And Lucivar”

Cassidy took a sip of the tonic and fought the desire to gulp it down Her body craved whatever was in this brew Craved it as much as the land had craved the connection with her

She took another sip, then reone dark “Gray Is he all right? He must have been upset when Ifell”

A strange look came into Karla’s eyes “You woke up more than the land, Cassidy Much more”

Ranon cautiously approached the vegetable garden He didn’t want to deal with Lucivar’s thunderous te restraint—or the worry he saw in Lord Burle’s eyes And even though the boardinghouse’s grounds gave hiht alone with the witch who had brought Cassidy’s fah, but she had stayed inside with Cassidy Surreal SaDiablo was a long step past scary as far as he and all the other rounds—and the village

Going down on one knee, he reached out to brush a fingertip over the leaves of one little plant A strong, healthy plant growing vigorously now All the plants in the garden were growing vigorously now—had started groithin hours of Cassidy’s collapse

Gray had noticed the blood soaked into the ground, but the cuts on Cassidy’s palht Cassidy had lost enough blood to account for losing consciousness Andnothing Shira or the Queens knew could explain what had drained Cassidy’s Rose Jewel to such a dangerous level so quickly

If there had been some kind of attack, why hadn’t she called for help? And how could she have been attacked when he and the others had been standing right there? Gray was the first to realize so, had snatched her up and run into the boardinghouse But they still didn’t knohat had happened—or why

Shira wouldn’t talk about the vision she’d seen, wouldn’t confirht have cost theive them hope since Lia

Was this his fault somehow? Had he failed in his duties? Ho?

Ranon felt the other presence, picked up the psychic scent, and kneas about to join him