Inherited Magic by Jennifer Mccullah Page B

is a gift some people with strong magic possess.”
    “Right. Some do possess this
ability,” Cain said.
    “What if she sealed the hole up
with her mind? That would fall into the realm of physical manipulation. Could
she do that?” Vinnie asked.
    “I don’t think I have that type of
ability, do I?” Allison asked her grandmother, remembering how she willed the
pool ball to move last weekend.
    “If I had trained you from the time
you were little, maybe you could have,” she said.
    “So, why didn’t you train me?”
    “The BC senses magic. If I had
nurtured those abilities at an early age, they would have found you sooner. I wanted
to keep you safe for as long as I could.”
    “So how did they find me now?”
    “The same reason you began having
visions, you turned sixteen. It is an old rite of passage in our family.
Sixteen is the age in which children become adults. Their physical and
spiritual maturation is supposed to be complete by this milestone. At this
time, all their magical powers come to the surface. You are supposed to learn
everything about your family history and magic during your adolescence. Your
childhood is the time set aside to learn about different herbs, potions and
incantations. It is when your family elders are supposed to prepare you, so
that you can receive and utilize your gifts at sixteen.”
    Allison felt heat rise in her face.
She knew her grandmother wanted the best for her, but now she was in this
situation unprepared. If Ruby had done the right thing while she was growing
up, everything would be so much different. She opened her mouth to say
something when Dru released a vicious howl, followed by continuous growling.
Everyone looked out the windows to see the man, Jackson, approaching the RV.
    Allison gasped. Until this point,
nothing had been 100 percent real to her. It was all abstract until she saw his
curious face in real life.
    “Are you sure he can’t see us or
feel the RV?” Allison asked.
    “Positive,” Ruby said.
    He approached, walking with a
powerful and confident gait. His strange eyes were even more piercing in real
life. He stopped, close to where their RV rested.
    “Miss Taylor, I was looking forward
to making your acquaintance,” he called out to Allison, who held her breath
while he addressed her. She could not take her eyes off him.
    “I know you must be scared and
confused, but let me assure you, I mean you no harm.” He continued in an
English tenor that was both eloquent and musical.
    No one spoke a word inside the RV.
    “You see, you are something of a
marvel. Cain, your father, was not supposed to impregnate your mother or start
a life with her, but that is what he did. With the blood of the BC, it is amazing
you have any natural abilities at all; it is even more amazing how powerful
your magic is. I understand that you do not trust me, as I was the one who
killed your mother. However, you must realize that was Cain’s fault. He
abandoned our original plan. He fell victim to his own emotions and could not
finish his task, so I was forced to do it for him.”
    The cold, callous way in which
Jackson referred to killing her mother caused Allison to feel a blind fury. It
was a stronger rage than anything she had ever felt. Angry tears obstructed her
vision; her head ached with the quickening of her pulse. 
    “Don’t you talk about her!” she
yelled at the glass. The moment she yelled, several lights within the RV blew.
    She was not thinking of anything
else except his blood. Allison wanted him to suffer, to die for his actions.
She raced for the door, intent on ending his life.  If not for Cain’s quick
reaction, she would have made it outside. Cain restrained Allison who fought
and struggled to reach the door handle.
    “There will be time for revenge,”
Cain said.
    Allison glanced back at Jackson
through the window.
    Jackson’s eyes flickered with
delight, “Ooh, mommy is a touchy subject.”
    Her anger was replaced by fear at
his apparent