The Witch Collector Part II Read Online Free PDF Page A

your parents had stolen something valuable from him, and that he had to get it back. He said you were caught in the middle and he was worried about you.” Brandon moved closer. “I knew the valuable thing was you ,” he said, and caressed the side of my face. “What is it, Bree?”
    Part of me burned with the need to tell him. But still, I hesitated. Miro said I should trust my instincts, and something was holding me back. I placed my hand over my heart, where my talisman should lie. “I’m not sure yet.”
    Brandon couldn’t hide his disappointment. “I followed my father here because I was worried for you. Something changed in him out at the Seaside training center.”
    “Black magic?” I whispered.
    Brandon flinched. “I think so.”
    My heart hammered in my chest. “Do you think he’s hurt my parents?”
    “I don’t know,” Brandon admitted. “It’s hard to think of my dad hurting anyone, but I feel really confused about what’s happening with him. I’ve looked all over the city today trying to find him. I had some leads. I tracked down an old friend of his who lives in a far suburb. He said my mother had returned to Chicago.” Brandon leaned back against the garage. I saw only pain in his clear, blue eyes.
    “Is that what you were doing today? Looking for her?”
    He nodded. “This friend had a photograph of her. She’s so beautiful. I always thought I had a clear picture of her in my mind’s eye, but I never did. Not anything accurate. It was like looking at a stranger.”
    I pressed closer to him. Brandon had never discussed his mother. She’d broken the oath with Gavin, and was off-limits, even for her son. “It can’t be a coincidence that she’s here,” I said. “Should we be looking for both of them?” My heart sank at the thought. Two powerful witches against the newly transitioned? What chance did we have?
    Brandon shrugged. “I guess it would make sense, but where do we start?”
    We fell into contemplative silence. When it was clear neither of us had any ideas, Brandon said, “I followed my father here, but he had a head start and is more familiar with the city than I am. I’m not sure where he is, or who he’s with.” He gestured toward Dobra’s building. “Who are you staying with? Are they friends of your parents? Are they protecting you?”
    I wasn’t sure how to answer that. If I said yes, then I’d involved them all. If I said no, then I had to admit to myself how vulnerable I was. I didn’t even know if I could trust Brandon’s kind, familiar face. Could I trust him based on what we had out in Oregon, or had he changed just as much as Gavin? He said he followed us across the country because he was worried, but what if that wasn’t true? Could he share my entire life and then betray me so easily? I hoped not.
    “They’re just people I met,” I said, watching his eyes.
    He slid his hands in mine. “Then come with me. My father is very powerful. You and I will be safer together. We’ll also find your parents faster if we work as a team.”
    Would we?
    “When you get your magic, I can help you. Let me show you.”
    Brandon stood and slid his hand inside his shirt, grasping what could only be a talisman. I held my breath, preparing myself.
    A light flickered between us, a disembodied candle flicking in the wind. “You have your father’s gift,” I marveled, smiling at him. “I thought maybe you were a tracker. How did you find me? A special spell?”
    The light extinguished. Brandon looked down the alley behind me, his features contorting with fear. “Demon,” he said in a fierce whisper. “Run, Breeda.”
    He grabbed at my hand, but my feet stayed rooted in place. The darkness in the alley lifted and I covered my eyes, blinded by the shock of sun on snow.
    “Can’t make up your mind?”
    Gavin’s voice made me jump. My sled teetered on the brim of the steep hill and I shoved my gloved hands in the snow, unwilling to take it over the edge. “It