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"A green girl in the woods just kissedwith the world?"

Ash stared at him, and to Jared’s amazement a look of stunned joy shone in his eyes "You woke the woods?"

"God damn it," said Jared, and punched Ash in the face

Ash fell back, grabbing the banister to support himself Jared wheeled away and the doors of the library hit the walls Inside, his mother sat by an erate like ainst the mantel exactly between the on," Jared de about the lakes I knohat you did to Kami’s mother I want to knohat kind of monsters you people are"

Aunt Lillian broke up the tableau, rising to her feet and walking toward him with a click of heels She raised a hand, and Jared heard the doors of Aurimere close behind him Aunt Lillian smiled

"We’re sorcerers," she said She reached up and laid her hand against his cheek, nails sharp against his skin "And so are you"

Chapter Twenty-Four

Ours Is Hungry Magic

"So, now I knohat kind of monster I am, what does that mean?" Jared asked He pulled away from Aunt Lillian’s hand and stalked toward theBlack clouds were still blotting out the sun "Did I do this?"

"I think so," said Aunt Lillian "That’s what sorcerers do, bend the natural world to their will You caused the storm last week We could feel it in the rain We wondered if the one who created the stor"

Breath felt stolen froirl," he rasped He turned and looked at his family Ash was at the door now, blood on his mouth Jared’s whole family watched him back in silence

"I didn’t," Jared repeated, louder "Why would I?"

"Sometimes a sorcerer makes mistakes," Aunt Lillian said "We’re sorcerers That means we need sources That’s what this toas built for, for sorcerers to be safe"

We neither drown nor burn, said Kami in his mind, as if this made sense to her They used to drown and burn witches

"Sorry-in-the-Vale was designed for sorcerers to live in and feed off the woods, the ani us, in a place that does not change" Aunt Lillian looked at Jared, her gaze intent but reh his skin to the blood in his veins "Yousick this year, when the summer dies When you always did before The cities ht at Kami This is ridiculous

Kami said, Stay calm, I want to know more

"I’m not a timid woodland creature," Jared snapped "I don’t need to be kept on a nature preserve"

"We’re notthis up to upset you, son," Uncle Rob said "None of us chose to be e are We just live with it"

"We didn’t even know if you would be a sorcerer," said Ash fro carefully; nobody had mentioned his cut mouth "Your father wasn’t"

Jared’s eyesin the air between theht of his father’s blood as the poison in his veins, violence and fury But his mother’s blood was poison too Jared could not help but think of the two bloods e terrible brew they had made

Outside the , storm clouds boiled

"We are not the only sorcerers in Sorry-in-the-Vale," said Aunt Lillian, and Jared thought of Henry Thornton’s pale face in London, sick with the city "We’re the founders, the leaders And we are the ones who have intermarried, so more of our children are sorcerers We can’t knohich of the descendants of sorcerers in this town have power We don’t knohich is the one killing for it"

"You weren’t searching," Jared stated, "because you thought it was ic," said Aunt Lillian "There’s power to be taken from life From the woods, fros, to focus or strengthen a spell We can take power froh we don’t do that anyained froh it lasts a very short time You wouldn’t be the first sorcerer to think death was the only road to power and try for the greatest power bya human sacrifice All the Lynburns used to do it The town used to let them Every year, the sorcerers would take a death from the town to use as a source, and in return the town prospered But we stopped accepting sacrifices before I was born"

Jared thought of Nicola lying dead Nobody had stopped a sorcerer fro with that word, "sacrifices": from Uncle Rob’s kind eyes to Aunt Lillian’s cold ones, to Ash with blood still glea on his mouth This den of monsters was his family "Why didn’t anyone tell me?" he whispered

His mother had not moved from her position beside the fireplace and Uncle Rob Her hands were folded in her lap and she did not even turn to look at him as she spoke, her voice very calm "I did tell you," she said "I told you that you killed your father"