Magic Born by Caethes Faron Page A

perfectly, but it clearly knew who you were and sought you out. Any time I veered, an overwhelming sense of loss engulfed me. When I saw you for the first time, I’ve never been so attracted to another person in my entire life.”
    “Wait, so you’re basing this off of being attracted to me?” Anger and shock urged me to slam on the brakes, but that wouldn’t help anything. Besides, I couldn’t stop a small sense of satisfaction that someone found me attractive. What girl doesn’t like to hear that? “The appropriate response to attraction is asking someone out, not telling her she’s the daughter of a murdered mage and is now being hunted.”
    “You don’t get it.” Alex shook his head. “It’s not a normal attraction, believe me. It was magical in origin.” I understood his desire to set the record straight, but he didn’t have to be so vehement in his assertion that his attraction was unnatural. Yeah, I didn’t have guys banging down my door, but no need to sound like the idea of him being attracted to me was ludicrous. “Every part of me called out for you. Every instinct said to go to you. The talisman practically jumped off my chest toward you. And I’m not stupid. That night I met you wasn’t the first time I’d seen you. I made sure the talisman wanted you and that my feelings came from it before I showed up at your door.”
    Not a lot of wiggle room left for me in that story. Having a mother of magical origin I might be able to cope with, but the whole being hunted thing really had me wishing a mistake had been made. “Okay, so it’s me. Let’s just go with that. What is it the people who killed my mother want?”
    “I have no idea. They probably want to know what she had discovered, what sorts of new magic she practiced.”
    “So how did killing her achieve that?”
    “If there’s one thing I know about your mother, it’s that she didn’t like to share. She worked hard for her magical knowledge; she wouldn’t give it up to someone who asked.”
    “Even someone who threatened her life?”
    “Especially someone who threatened her life. My guess is whoever killed her might not have wanted her knowledge so much as they didn’t want her to have it.”
    “So why come after me? How would they even know I exist?”
    “Your birth was probably registered with the Magesterial Council, and if what she knew was dangerous, they wouldn’t want to run the risk of you knowing what it is.”
    “So why can’t I just explain to whoever it is that I’m not a mage and I don’t know what my mother was working on?”
    “But you are a mage, Kat. You can’t escape that. Besides, your mother was murdered. I may not know a lot about humans or mages and their behavior, but it’s my general understanding that murderers are not really open to rational argument.”
    The only thing keeping me awake was the fear that if I stopped, whoever had invaded my apartment would find me. If I could give back the necklace, I would. Any excitement or thrill it held had long since passed. All I could hope was that Casper would have answers for me. “So you believe that Casper knew my mom? Is it possible he’s working with the people who are trying to kill me?”
    “Anything is possible, but I don’t see a better option for us. The only safe place I can think for you is the Magesterial Council in Elustria, but I have no way to get you there. If Casper really is a mage, he’ll have a way to get back to Elustria. If he’s with the people who want you dead, then I don’t see a way to escape even if we didn’t go to him. He has your address, your credit card information, and he knew whose daughter you are. I wouldn’t know how to keep you safe from him.”
    There didn’t seem to be much more to discuss once we’d settled on our current path being the only option. Hours slipped by with nothing but the radio playing until the sun lit the sky with pinks and purples as we approached the Canadian border. Red brake