I blink at her. “No?”
She presses her lips together. “She was my best friend for nearly twenty years. She was turned just before her fortieth birthday, by her boyfriend. They wanted a life together that was longer than hers allowed, so he turned her.”
“But it’s illegal,” I say.
Evelyn nods. “And he was jailed for it. I don’t know, though. I think they were hoping Brandy would transition easily and no one would ever know. But she didn’t. In fact, she killed a few people, so it caught up to her.”
I swallow hard, thinking about the peopleI’vekilled. They’re the entire reason I haven’t gone to the police about Foxx. Too afraid I would be arrested even though I was turned against my will.
Turns out, that was the right thing to do, since Foxx is wiping the police’s memory. I would have been locked away if they knew I was a newborn. Some of them never get out.
“Look at him,” Evelyn says, smiling at Aster as he runs across the field holding a paintbrush. His hair and face are splattered in red paint. “Looks like he ran through a candy cane machine.”
I grin.
“Reminds me so much of Evan at that age.”
“Oh, yeah?”
She laughs. “Oh, hon. I have so many pictures from when—” She trails off, her smile fading. “Anyway, I’m supposed to be making lunch.”
The front door opens and Evan waves at me. “Jer, come here! You need to see this.”
I drag my feet as I follow him outside, guilt weighing heavy on my chest. Evelyn might never get those photos back, and it’s entirely my fault. Her home was destroyed because of me. So they could find me.
But at least now we know why.
I need to learn this gift so I can use it. Evan’s right. It’s our only chance to stop Foxx once and for all.
“Check it out,” Evan says, pointing at the trees. “They’re building platforms for you to jump onto. And Rowen and Ivy have come up with a point system for each target. They’re working on an obstacle course so you can learn how to jump and throw fireballs at the same time. Pretty cool, huh? Red was thinking we can work on portals too. Really help you zero in on your landing zones.”
I wish I could share his enthusiasm, but honestly, it just feels pretty damn crushing. I have so much to learn, and not enough time. “Yeah, I guess.”
He furrows his brows. “What do you mean, you guess? I think it’s awesome.”
“It would be if I knew what I was doing. But I don’t. I don’t have a clue where to start.”
He turns to me. “You’ll figure it out.”
“Howwill I figure it out when I don’t even know how to start the fire?”
“I don’t know. How did you do it last night?”
I hold my hands out. “Last night was pure luck. I literally don’t know how to do any of this.”
Red approaches us, arms crossed. “I might be able to help.”
I close my eyes, already exhausted. “I don’t see how. You’re not a phoenix.”
“No, but I am a mage,” he says. “Give me your hand.”
I turn it over, then Red points a finger at the center of my palm. “Think of this like an outlet. In order for your energy—or fire, in your case—to come out of you, you need to open the outlet.”
“That’s what I’m saying,” I growl. “I don’t know how.”
“Relax,” hesays. “It’s the only way I can describe it. You need to relax to let it flow from you. Like this.” He turns his hand over, and a moment later, a white light illuminates his palm, like a flashlight had been lit from the other side.
Evan and I both stare at him in disbelief. He runs around here as a wolf so often, it’s easy to forget he has mage powers.
