The Witch Collector Part II Read Online Free PDF Page B

arrival, too. The rumor mill is working overtime, so it’s hard to tell what’s true beyond that,” she explained. “Okay, your turn. What’s his kid really doing here?”
    “He says he followed his father, to protect me. He’s my . . . boyfriend.” I knew how lame it sounded as it left my tongue. I hoped she could only dimly see the blush crawling up my face and neck.
    “Do you believe him?” was all she said.
    I thought about Brandon standing next to me in the alley, shyly presenting his newly acquired gift of light. His eyes were clear and blue and showed not even a shadow of falseness.
    “I think so.”
    Evie smiled wryly. “Good enough for now,” she said, rising with outstretched hands. “Let’s bring you to my shop until we find a more suitable place to stay.”
    I thought of spending the night trapped inside her shop with a demon. No way. “Brandon will come back to get me,” I insisted, staying put. “I can sleep here until he does.”
    She crouched beside me. “When you gave me this address, I did some asking around. These are not people you want to associate with. I know you think they’re your friends, but I told you, you don’t have any friends. ”
    “I have to trust someone.”
    “Not these people,” Evie said.
    “They’ve been good to me.”
    She moved closer still, grabbing my chin so I had to look her in the eye. “I know your mother told you that being a witch was all sweetness and light, but that’s not true for most of us. We are as tempestuous as nature herself. Everything is heightened for a witch, and not just during the transition. Fear, anger, lust, greed—they’re all there and they cause big frickin’ problems, niece. Being a witch is about survival . They hid that from you in your hippie-witchy commune, but did you ever wonder how your parents kept bread on the table?”
    Thinking about it, it was ridiculous I’d never asked. Gavin provided everything we needed. Why hadn’t I ever questioned how we lived?
    She looked at me intently. “You never thought about it before, but you’re wondering now, aren’t you? Your mother destroyed our coven and took its future away. You.”
    “Me?”
    “There weren’t any Soledads left besides us. When Lupe got pregnant I figured we had a future. And then when you were born—”
    “I had no marks. I disappointed you.” Sadness brought emotion to my ravaged throat.
    Evie’s mouth pressed into a thin line. “No, that’s not it at all. I thought you were like me—different. I thought our line had simply moved on to better things. Your mother wanted to fix you. I never did.”
    That stung. My mom did fix things. She attacked problems with a ferocity my dad and I always admired but couldn’t replicate. Did she finally come up against something unsolvable with me? I couldn’t remember her ever giving up on even the simplest challenges. She worked at it, jabbed at it, beat it to the ground. Was that why she believed in Gavin, probably for way longer than she should?
    And . . . did everyone’s problems stem from me?
    I was so lost in thought I didn’t notice Evie until she bent over and hooked her strong arms underneath my body. With a grunt she lifted me to my feet.
    “We’re going to catch a cab back to my shop,” she said. “Come on. No sleeping outside on a stranger’s ceremony pit. You’ll get ashes stuck in your lungs.”
    “Seriously, Aunt Evie, I’m not going.” As best I could, I dug my bare feet into the hard soil.
    “I’m stronger than you, kid,” she muttered. “Cut it out.”
    “Is it really a good idea to leave that demon in the alley?” I said. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”
    Evie’s features hardened into an angry mask. She grabbed my arm again. “You are a Soledad,” she said forcefully. “You don’t belong here. I won’t take no for an answer.” Her grip tightened.
    I saw the shovel before she did.

Chapter 5
    T here wasn’t time to shout, or even think. I felt a rush—and the