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Ash ducked his head in abashed assent, and Kauess I can understand that too," she conceded

"We both had a lot of things we had to hold back," Ash said "But noe don’t"

He was gorgeous and sweet, and his sudden reawakening of interest in her wasa paranoid freak or having a perfectly reasonable reaction to the world goingYou do realize we have a murderer to catch"

"That’s what I wanted to talk to you about"

"That was not the i," Kami said slowly Unless Ash had been about to confess that he had soirl detectives Maybe he’d read Nancy Drew at an ie

"I think you should cut the connection between you and Jared," Ash said

Kaently on the surface of the nearest desk, Holly’s, as if it was breakable "Oh?" she said

So that hat all this was about

"Haven’t you considered," Ash asked softly, "that you are not safe?"

"Why would I be less safe than anyone else?" Kami returned defensively, but even before Ash replied, she knew Nobody had tried to take her, nobody had wielded a knife to sacrifice her for power But somebody had tried to push her, tried to eliminate her Somebody else knew about her and Jared’s connection and did not want a Lynburn to have such power

"This sorcerer doesn’t want anyone else to have power," Ash said, echoing her thoughts "Why should anyone else have power? Why should you, when the sorcerer is the one killing for it? If they kill you, they kill Jared Source and sorcerer, taken out with one blow"

So that was Jared’s excuse for staying connected gone, Kaht He wouldn’t like that He already didn’t like it She could feel his anger and his fear for her, chilling her own blood

"Working out a ress," she said, her voice shaky in her own ears

Ash’s expression cracked Beneath the broken surface of his calm, Kami saw emotions more desperate than she’d ever suspected Ash felt He dropped his gaze back to the ress," he said in a low voice "I want you safe And as long as you’re his source, you’re not safe"

"And I’m sure pure chivalrous concern for her safety is your only reason for wanting the connection cut" Jared sneered from the doorway

Kami did not knohy she was surprised Naturally Jared would skip out of class to go after Ash for this He was standing in the doorway bristling, hair going in all directions He looked as if he’d run all the way there

Ash stood up Kami saw Jared’s eyes flicker, felt his ripple of suspicion, and knew he’d seen both the fact that Ash was sitting at Kami’s desk and the map

"What do you mean by that?" Ash asked in a soft voice He did not rise to Jared’s challenge, his tone staying level It gave hinity that hts Their feelings tangled together She felt his fury flaher and tried to keep control "Uncle Rob told ht," he said "People who are suitable to be sources are rare Interesting that you’re so anxious to free Kami up"

"You think I want to use her for power?" Ash deree with my father He says that sorcerers who use sources are no better than leeches He says they’re pathetic And weak"

"Weak?" Jared tilted his head "Really?"

Now that Ka, she could feel hi on her for balance, but with his ht pressure The map rolled up in front of Ash, and then lifted and laid itself at Ka there like a carpet

Ash’s ht on Kalass full of pens tipped over with a clink and all the pens rolled out Then a box of paper clips turned over Pens and paper clips spread out,and colored pattern below Ash’s spread palms

Kami had only seen Jared, whoic She had felt wonder with Jared and fear with Rosalind She did not kno she felt seeing Ash do it Disturbed, perhaps, seeing the world be so manifestly different from the way she had always believed it was She was not sure she could trust Ash’s ic any more than she was sure she could trust Ash But she wanted to

Ashtheers The threat was clear

"You’re not the only one who’s a sorcerer, cousin"

Kami took a step closer to Jared Hisas a hand held out to catch hers It was the only way she knew that he registered herat Ash

One of the paper clips unfolded colittering strip of wire It ht flash in the air and across Ash’s face It left behind a dark streak of blood, welling froainst his cheek, and Ash flinched back

"No," said Jared "But I’m the only one with a source"

Ka herdistance She lifted a rejecting hand, and map, paper clips, and pens all hit the wall She took threefor the door, and threw a furious look back at Jared "You er"

PART VI