"I'll get you answers Sasha," she said. "Then we'll work on training you."

"So the blue sparks are my powers?"

Willow Bean nodded reluctantly. "It's hard to say without seeing for myself. Considering the circ.u.mstances we can't test it."

"So what now?"

Willow Bean clapped her hands together. "That part is easy," she said. "We'll get you somewhere safe and go after Nefar."

"What does that mean somewhere safe?"

"It means somewhere that Nefar can't find you," she said.

Sasha didn't want to let her panic consume her. She had her mother's help but she wasn't going to let it interfere with her burgeoning relationship with Evan. He probably couldn't go into hiding with her. She might have to pull a Willow Bean trick. A plan was already formulating in her head.

"What about the curse?" she asked.

"It's not something we have to worry about right now," Willow Bean said patting Sasha's hand. "As long as you wear the pendant, it's suppressed. Of course we'll have to go after Vania eventually if you want to be able to practice magic."

Willow Bean leaned toward her daughter and kissed her forehead. "I know the draw of magic is strong. It's a craving you have to control. Don't worry. I'll teach you that. I've been exercising that control for almost 20 years."

"Does that mean you don't use magic?"

"Well," she said coyly. "Not really."

Sasha was suspicious.

"You only use it if it makes you money?" Sasha said but her mother's attention was drawn away by voices in the hallway.

"Your father and Hannah are about to come in here."

"Ok, one last thing," Sasha said. "What's a mukoo?"

Willow Bean stood up and shivered in an exaggerated way. "It's an a.s.sa.s.sin. But don't worry. We're going to get him before he gets you."

Sasha nodded her agreement. While her mother was busy hunting Nefar, she was going to get the talisman.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN.

Sasha moaned in pain and felt bright white stars burn behind her eyelids. She couldn't open her eyes. The pain was too sharp, too strong, too much. Her stomach roiled and she turned on her side and retched into a bucket someone put beside her bed.

"Uhhh." She couldn't use her left side, it was paralyzed with agony.

"I think she's coming around," said a voice that might have been Evie's although she wasn't sure. The pain was inhibiting her ability to concentrate and she just wanted to pa.s.s out and heal while being unconscious. She didn't want to be awake and instead wanted drugs to put her out.

She knew she wasn't in the hospital but she didn't remember leaving. She couldn't recall if they'd travelled by car or ambulance.

"Have you decided if you are telling Martin about this?"

Sasha perked up when she heard mention of her father. Was he here?

"Daddy?" she croaked. Her lips were dry and cracked and in desperate need of moisture. She licked her lips but the saliva evaporated immediately. Sasha felt a straw poke her lips as someone fed it into her mouth. She sucked lightly and coughed as some of it went down her airway. Her hacking sent a fresh jolt of agony through her shoulder. She sobbed not caring if anyone saw her cry. She was a wreck and there was no point in hiding it.

"Prop her up so she can drink properly," her mother snapped the instruction. Sasha didn't need too much awareness to recognize her mother's voice. Willow Bean always made herself known.

"Do you need a pain pill honey?" Gigi said. Sasha cracked open her eyes and saw the blond beauty sitting on a chair beside her bed. Her hair covered half of her face as she leaned over Sasha's body to readjust the covers and plump the pillow.

"Drugs," Sasha moaned and felt her skin go clammy. She needed to stay alert but she felt the blackness creep in on the edges of her consciousness. She didn't know for how much longer she could hang on.

"Give her something," her mother said exasperated. She was impatient about something and Sasha didn't care about the drama. Her mother could figure it out without her.

"Wait," she barked. "Will it interfere?"

Sasha didn't know who her mother was talking to. "No," Evie said softly. "She doesn't have to be awake although it might help."

Willow Bean crouched over her daughter's body and shook her lightly on her good shoulder. "Stay with us Sasha," she said. "It will be over soon."

Sasha tried to sit up so that she could see what was going on. She'd managed to keep her eyes open for more than ten seconds. Her mother, Gigi and Evie were in Sasha's bedroom. There was a bowl of a foul smelling herb paste that Sasha hoped wasn't for her.

She wasn't wearing a shirt and instead sat in her bra and jeans. She figured her mother had undressed her and she wished she'd been able to do it herself.

Sasha didn't remember much after her mother and Evan left the hospital. She thought she was healing fine although that could have been the pain pills talking. She'd had minor surgery and didn't seem in great jeopardy so she was curious about what Evie was going to do. Sasha thought she was recovering and was confused as to what Evie was doing. She wanted to ask questions but her mouth felt so dry and her head was fuzzy. Her eyes drooped closed again and her mother shook her awake.

Evie leaned over Sasha and spoke quietly into her ear. "I'm going to put this elixir on your shoulder. It might burn for a minute but hold still. Ok?"

Sasha nodded slightly and squeezed her eyes shut. She preferred not to watch her own torture. She could feel Evie's hands on her shoulder as she peeled off the bandages. She felt a light sting as the paste was applied to her wound and the smell made gag.

"We should have used that Vick's vapor rub to ward off the stench," her mother sighed deeply as if she didn't want to be in the room and had better things to do.

Curiosity got the best of Sasha when she felt a tugging at her shoulder and she opened her eyes. There was a yellow glow around Evie's hands that were on Sasha's wound. She could see the skin knitting itself back together and felt a pull as the skin and tissue sewed itself together. Instead of being gross and b.l.o.o.d.y, her skin was smooth, no hole in sight. The procedure concluded quickly and when she was done, Evie leaned back and smiled.

"Thanks," Sasha said with heartfelt feeling. She was grateful to her mother's friend for shortening the time it was going to take to heal. Sasha could still feel an ache in her shoulder but the sharp pains that made her moan and beg for drugs were gone.

Sasha leaned toward Evie with her good arm and gave her a hug and peck on the cheek. "You must be very popular," Sasha said.

Evie tilted her head to one side. "Why do you say that?"

Sasha frowned. "I'm not sure what powers anyone else has but yours are the best."

Evie patted her good shoulder and rose from her chair. She crossed the room and left through the door with a small wave. Gigi followed Evie blowing a kiss to Sasha from the doorway. Her mother was last.

"Get some rest," Willow Bean said. "We'll talk tomorrow about where you're going."

"Mother I don't want to leave," she begged. "I have a life. I have the track team, school, my friends."

Willow Bean frowned and looked impatient, her fingers tapping against the wood around the doorway.

"It's only for a few days Sasha," she said. "Don't be so dramatic. Everything will be the same when you get back."

At first Sasha incorporated the sound of rocks. .h.i.tting her bedroom window into her dream. She sat up suddenly when the noise persisted. She pulled back the covers and flicked the blind off the window an inch and peered outside. No one had come to her bedroom window after midnight before. She wasn't a sneak out of the house in the middle of the night kind of girl. When she saw it was Evan she yanked the blind up, unlocked the window and pushed it open.

She wore a tank top and underwear and was slightly self conscious about her nakedness. She hopped back into bed while Evan shut the window and sat on the edge of the bed. She pulled the covers up to her chest and leaned against the pillows. She rolled to her side to make room for Evan if he chose to lie beside her.

"How are you?" he whispered.

"Mmm," she sighed. "Better now that you're here."

She could see Evan smile and his teeth glowed white in the dim light. He leaned over her and kissed her feather soft on her lips. She leaned up wanting more but he pulled away fast.

"I don't want your parents catching me here," he said. He rubbed the forearm of her good arm.

"How's the wound?"

She pulled the strap of her tank top away to show him the puckered skin where the bullet hole used to be. The skin was tightly stretched as if she'd had a facelift on her shoulder and pale but otherwise unmarked.

"Wow," he said admiringly. "Can I touch it?"

She nodded and he reached out with his hand and caressed her wound. She felt his fingers tracing the shape of the bullet hole but there was no pain. Her smile grew wider.

"I am pain free."

Evan shook his head in disbelief. "How?"

Sasha motioned her head toward the door. "Mom's friend Evie is a healer. Oh. I have so much to tell you."

She recounted the story her mother told her in the hospital about Tysseland, Queen Vania and the pendant.

"What about the curse?"

Sasha groaned in frustration and Evan thought he'd hurt her and yanked away his hand. Sasha laughed and replaced his hand on her shoulder. She liked the warmth of his touch and the way her caressed her wound. She wasn't in pain but his attention made her feel better.

She told him of her mother's plan to whisk her away to a secret hiding place so that she could deal with Nefar and his henchmen.

"There is no plan to get rid of the curse," she said.

"I'm surprised. You'd think she'd take this opportunity to confront her mother about what she's done."

"That would require returning to Tysseland and from what everyone is saying, my mother doesn't want to go back. I think she's hoping the fight can happen on her own turf."

"Is the queen coming here?"

"Not that I've heard."

Evan picked up Sasha's hand and stroked the skin with his thumb. She felt tingles down to her toes and smiled as her heart pounded in her ears. She was surprised Evan couldn't hear it because it blocked out all sound in her head. She tried to calm herself and chalked up her intense reaction to his touch to the trauma of the shooting. It was nice to know someone cared about her other than her parents.

"What are you going to do?" he said quietly as he shifted closer to her the side of his hip touching hers.

"Can we talk about this later?" she asked antic.i.p.ating a kiss, wanting a kiss so badly she could already feel his lips.

"Are we going to hide out together or are we going to break this curse?"

Dumbfounded, Sasha was speechless. He was going to hide out with her? She felt a thrill course through her body envisioning the two of them wrapped in each other's arms in front of a roaring fire in a secluded cabin. That would be amazing. She closed her eyes not wanting to lose the vision but Evan nudged her with his hip and dragged her back to reality.

"So?"

She sighed deeply at the loss of her fantasy. d.a.m.n. She loved the daydream more than reality. She smiled at the idea of making it reality.

"I really like the idea of being alone with you in some faraway place," she said with a sly smile remembering the adoring feelings generated by her fantasy. "I guess we can do that in Tysseland as much as in Hill Country and get something done at the same time. I'm being too sensible aren't I?"

Evan shook his head. "I think sensibility is s.e.xy."

Sasha shivered and felt goose b.u.mps rise on his arms even though she wasn't cold. Evan's stare drilled into her eyes with a level of seriousness she hadn't felt before. She couldn't pull her eyes off him and felt the urge to rip off his shirt and touch bare flesh. She needed to feel his desire for her to know it was real. She needed confirmation that it wasn't all in her head. She wanted more and didn't know how to express it.

Evan leaned close, she could smell the pine of his soap and musky sweat as if he'd run here instead of driven. His lips hovered over hers and she wanted to pull him to her. He resisted touching her and put his weight on his arms. He was driving her crazy and she loved it. She didn't want this moment to end even though she was desperate for him to kiss her.

"Kiss me," she demanded. Evan smiled at her order and leaned closer yet still not touching her. "Please," she begged and he chuckled as if he enjoyed torturing her. He probably did.

Sasha's hand trailed over Evan's back thigh, flirted on his b.u.t.tock and slipped under his t-shirt to explore the skin she'd desperately wanted to touch. Evan closed his eyes and arched his back as his lips parted slightly.

His skin was hot as if he had a fever. Sweat beaded on Sasha's forehead as she antic.i.p.ated the kiss. Evan took his time and seemed to enjoy her touch. He trembled as if his arms were going to collapse and he was going to fall on top of her. She wanted him to, she wanted to feel his weight crushing her.

Evan eased down on top of her keeping his weight on his right hand and lying on his side. He tossed a leg over hers and pulled her to him. She could feel his hard chest and the beating of his heart thump against her hand. She leaned her forehead against his heart and tried to match her breathing to his. She loved touching Evan. His body was hard in the right places making him perfect.

Evan caught her hands in his and brought them over her head. He bent his head and kissed the sensitive spot on her neck that sent tremors down her back. She felt safe and desired, something she wasn't sure she'd ever experience or at least not before she left high school. His lips on her neck felt amazing. She squirmed with desire and craved his hands on her body.

Evan finally sought her lips and devoured her mouth like it was dessert he'd been antic.i.p.ating all evening. She opened herself to him like a flower breathing in the rays of the sun and loved the response she got in return. Evan grabbed her to him and increased the intensity of his lips.

Lost in her desire Sasha didn't hear the footsteps coming down the hall but Evan did. He pulled back suddenly leaving Sasha's lips cold. He put his lips beside her ear.

"Someone's coming," he whispered. "Talk to you tomorrow."

He kissed her softly on her lips goodbye and climbed out the window. Sasha fell back into her pillow disappointed, her body suddenly cold and empty. Her door creaked open and her father's head appeared around the side of the door. She pretended to be asleep and didn't respond when he called out to her.

"Are you asleep?" he said into the room. She kept her eyes shut and he closed the door when she said nothing.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.