Her Wild Magic by Karen Benjamin Read Free Book Online Page B

well.”
    “Yeah, I care,” Caleb admitted, amazed at how little reluctance he felt in saying the words. “And the little hellion is smart enough to use that to her advantage.”
    “Does she know of the prophesy?”
    “Only the bare bones. I’ve been afraid to tell her everything.”
    “Tell her. Whether she becomes the mage slayer of legend is yet to be seen.”
    “You know the seers have never been wrong. I fear if I tell her the whole of it she’ll panic and run.”
    “If she is still at your side after learning what you are, she is not faint of heart. I think you underestimate her.”
    “You may be right, but although I don’t like giving her half truths, it’s a risk I’m not willing to take right now. Max has never had a normal life, and because of it, she craves normalcy. But once I claim her, a normal life is the one thing she will never have.”
    “Unfortunate, but if the prophesy is to be believed, she will have little say in the matter.”
    “She has a choice in this, Stefan. I won’t allow the Alliance to use her, prophecy or not.”
    “You will claim her, because you must, and because destiny will not be denied. As for the Alliance, it uses us all, my friend. Never doubt it.” Stefan’s image began to waver, his body becoming transparent as he took his leave. “The Alliance is ruthless in its protection of Rephaims and mankind alike. My life, your life, all is expendable in the protection of Earth’s sentient life forms. In this, they do not waver. They do not hesitate. It is why we serve them. I as an assassin, you as their enforcer.”
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

 
     
     
Chapter Six
     
     
     
    Max sat on the bathroom floor, back to the door and knees drawn protectively against her chest. She’d dressed hastily, and with nothing left to do, she kept replaying the last twenty-four hours in her mind. No matter how she looked at it, things didn’t look good. Worse yet, with every passing second, she was certain Caleb was in great danger. Why the thought of Caleb in danger should bother her so much was something she didn’t want to think about, but she knew she couldn’t cower in the bathroom any longer. Not when there was a chance she might be able to help him.
    Fearing the worst, Max unlocked the bathroom door and searched the cabin for something she could use as a weapon. She found a gun in the drawer of the bedside table and gasped in alarm. Had the idiot gone out without his gun? Sure, he was meeting a friend, but didn’t he know enemies often masqueraded as friends? Did he think just because he was twice the size of everyone else he couldn’t be taken down?
    Max knew different. On more than one occasion she’d faced a bully at school who dwarfed her in size. Each time she’d managed to hold her own because her small stature made people underestimate her, but mostly because she made up in cunning what she lacked in size.
    Max picked up the gun and examined it, making sure she kept the barrel pointed downward. She’d never touched a weapon of any kind before, but she’d seen enough movies to figure out how to check the chamber for bullets. It was loaded, with the safety on. Good thing too, because it was one big ass gun, and she felt uncomfortable just holding it. If she had to put bullets in it, she’d have tossed it back in the drawer.
    Instead, she pulled on a windbreaker she found in the closet, tucked the gun in the pocket, and slipped quietly out the door. Once outside, she felt a tug—a mental push—to return to the cabin, but recognized it as the protective wards Caleb had warned her about. She pushed easily through them and, with a full moon to light her way, moved at a steady clip up the hill behind the cabin. Caleb was up there somewhere, facing danger, and she intended to help him whether he wanted it or not.
    She’d gone less than a mile when she sensed someone following her. She ducked behind a tree, and less than a minute later, a tall, hooded