Free The Lost Lyken by C.A. Salo Page B

Alchemist?”
    “Yes.”
    “Then why didn’t you teach me how to control any of it? Why didn’t you ever tell me and why did my real mom just give me up?”
    Grandma sighed. “Your mother, my daughter…her name is Kisha. I didn’t know she was seeing your father for she hid it well. She knew the troubles of being with a human and she did so anyway to spite her clan, her culture, and me. She was a troublesome girl, always in trouble. Not just any trouble, but disastrous trouble. If she could find someone to join her then she did and didn’t look back with any kind of conscience. I don’t mean to sound cruel, but I’m going to give it to you like it happened. Right before you were born, she told me of your father and of you on the way. She told me the midwives had already been notified that when she gave birth they were to destroy the Halfling growing inside her, for she wanted no half-human baby in her life.”
    Kasey sat back, eyes wide as Evan laid a hand on her thigh. “She wanted me dead?”
    “She is a cruel creature, Kasey. She only thinks of herself and what others can do for her enjoyment. I don’t know where I went wrong with that child. She had a good life, a loving family—maybe the death of her father is what drove her over the edge, I don’t know, but I wasn’t going to leave you to the future she wanted for you. I knew the midwives and told them to bring you to me, I found out who your father was and well…here we are.”
    “Do you…so you know where she is?”
    “No, child…”
    “That’s not entirely true,” Evan said as he sat forward.
    “What?” Kasey gasped as she turned his way.
    “Winn and I had a run in with her a few days ago.”
    “What?” Kasey was glad the rest of her family echoed her question, which meant they were not hiding that from her amongst everything else. “What do you mean you had a run in with her, Evan?”
    Evan met her gaze. “The night we—well…” clearing his throat, “The night Winn called and needed me to go help her out.”
    “Yeah?”
    “The day of the fair when we were outside waiting for our fried dough, I spotted a woman with silver hair glaring at us. At first I thought she was just an Other Kin who’d shown up, but I couldn’t catch her scent from where we stood.”
    Kasey glanced to the right. “You had Winn go after her, didn’t you?”
    “She gave me a real uncomfortable feeling.”
    “What happened?” Grandma asked.
    “We caught up with her a few days ago. She warned me to stay away from Kasey. I didn’t know until that night who she was, I caught her scent right before she attacked me.”
    “What?” Kasey yelled. Jumping off the couch she stared down at him. “She went after you, silver claws and all?” Hands in the air she made a clawing action as he nodded his head. “My God, Evan, what were you thinking going up against someone who could kill you? Why didn’t you just back down or something?” Her voice rose but she didn’t care. “And Winn, what does she have to do with all this, she knows you’re a Lyken?”
    Evan smiled as he took her hands within his own. “Yes, Winn knows. We’ve been friends for a very long time, and it’s not the first time I’ve been up against something that could kill me, hence the scars on my chest.”
    “I don’t care! Why, why is she back and going after Evan?” Kasey whipped around to look at her grandmother.
    “I don’t know, child, but I can guarantee that it’s for no good.”
    “Evan, what are we going to do?” Kasey asked as he drew her down to his lap.
    “We live, sweetheart. There’s always someone out there who wants a piece of me because of who I am.”
    “Then where in the hell are your bodyguards or whatever?”
    Evan chuckled. “I do pretty well on my own. Besides, I put in a call to my brother before coming here. He knows what’s going on.”
    “So what if you don’t call for like a month, he won’t check up on you?” Kasey snorted. “Well,