Boundary Crossed (Boundary Magic #1)(39)

Lily looked at me speculatively, then closed her eyes for a second, frowning in concentration. She opened her eyes and looked at me again, her face twisting into a puzzled expression. “Huh.” To me, she said, “Lex, your aura’s black.”

I looked at her blankly. “So?”

“I’ve never seen black before,” she said conversationally, as though she’d just learned I had a gold tooth or a giant mole on my back.

“She’s a black witch,” Hazel Pellar whispered.

Lily visibly paled, her warm brown skin turning momentarily sallow. “Well, that explains some things,” she said shakily. “Changes some things, too, I guess.”

“I don’t know what that means,” I said, trying to rein in my temper. I took a step closer to the two of them. “And I’m getting pretty goddamned sick of—”

I barely registered Hazel flicking her wrist before I went flying backward through the air, the back of my head striking my car with a dull thump.





Chapter 18



When I came to, I was lying on a sofa, my head pillowed on something that felt an awful lot like a bag of crushed ice. No, the pellets were too perfectly round. Definitely frozen peas. I glanced around and discovered I was in a living room, presumably at the Pellar house. From behind the sofa, I could hear voices arguing in hushed tones.

“. . . exactly what I’m saying,” came Hazel’s voice. “Black means death, Lily. That woman has death in her blood.”

“You’re actually scared of her?” Lily said incredulously. “My mother the great witch overlord is scared of a trainee?”

“You’re damned right I am,” the other woman snapped. “And don’t call me that.”

“Mom, she has no idea what she is. She obviously needs help, and by our own laws, we’re bound to aid another witch,” Lily argued.

“And even if we weren’t”—this from a third, male voice. Simon was here, too. When had he arrived?—“The order to train her comes directly from Maven. Our hands are tied.”

Hazel sighed audibly. “You don’t get it, kids. I know neither of you are great with auras, but hers isn’t just black. It’s . . . opaque. She has serious bloodlines.” There was actual awe in her voice, and I felt a chill race along my skin. Maybe it was just the frozen peas. “If what she told you is true, and she really doesn’t use her magic, then she is as close to a purebred as any witch I’ve ever seen.”

There was a long moment of loaded silence before Lily finally spoke. “You always said there were families who breed for magic,” she pointed out. “Maybe she comes from one of those.”

“She must. But the idea that a line of black witches could even survive that long, much less retain this much power . . .” She trailed off, and I could practically hear her shaking her head. “It’s terrifying, Lil. Whatever that young woman is, it’s terrifying.”

I glanced around the room, looking for an exit. I needed to get out of here. Fast. Judging by the fact that she’d thrown me eight feet through the air with a flick of her wrist, Hazel Pellar was powerful. And now she was calling me terrifying. I didn’t really understand what was going on, but I could see the writing on the wall.

I just couldn’t see a way out. The inside of the farmhouse was surprisingly modern, or maybe I had just subconsciously expected a lot of spiderwebs and a cauldron. But I was in a wide living room with a flat screen TV hanging on the wall, lavender canvas-covered furniture, and a lot of windows. But no external door.

Unfortunately, my movement made the bag behind my head crinkle. Suddenly Simon’s face popped into view over the back of the sofa. I gasped.

“Hey, Lex,” he said pleasantly. “Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you.”

I sat up, the back of my head aching. The living room had an open floor plan that connected into the kitchen, where I could see Lily and Hazel sitting at a long counter with ceramic mugs in front of them. “Where’s my bag?” I said brusquely. “I’ll get out of your hair.”

“Hang on,” Lily said, hopping off her stool. “You hit your head pretty hard. I think it’s just a bump, but I need to check you for a concussion.”

She grabbed a small but professional-looking medical kit off the counter and hurried into the living room. Hazel didn’t move from her seat.

“Mom?” Simon said in a sweet voice, as Lily went past him. “Isn’t there something you’d like to say to Lex?”

Hazel glared at her son. “Don’t patronize me, Simon Aleister Pellar.” Her gaze shifted toward me. “My children tell me you’re unaware of your abilities,” she said stiffly. “I apologize for throwing you. I just . . . reacted.”

“There, was that so hard?” Lily said teasingly. She had perched next to me on the sofa and was shining a dim flashlight into my eyes.

Hazel sighed, a bit of the hostility leaching out of her shoulders. “Don’t mind my kids. They got in trouble a hundred times for using that particular hex when they were in high school. They’re very much enjoying the turnabout.”

“Yeah, we are,” Lily said happily. She clicked off the little flashlight and held up one hand. “Your pupils are reacting fine. How many fingers do you see?”