Reckless Revenge: Book Four (Spellbound 4) (14 page)

The night of the Blood Rose Circle coven meeting, I’d dressed in all black: turtleneck, jeans, and my low-top Converse. I even pulled a black knit cap over my hair. As I gazed at myself in the mirror, I smirked. I totally looked all I’m-off-to-rob-a-bank, but since this was my first outing as a spy, I hadn’t been sure what to wear.

I kept glancing at the clock. It was past five o’clock. Trent should’ve been here by now. After, yanking on a black hoodie, I texted him for the thirteenth time.

Me:
Where are you? Need 2 go.

Too nervous to eat dinner, I waited another ten minutes, and then stubbornly left without him. Something must’ve held him up. I could’ve called Ariana, but part of me just wanted to get this over with alone, like I’d first intended to do.

The trip was short and I parked behind a blue Miata. The heavy scent of pine and earth filled the air. Treetops bent like court couriers, waving back and forth, and the moon barely cast enough light to view the water. Trees clustered, thick and shadowy, dripping with black trunks and slimy bark. I neared the edge of the woods, and stopped. A thick mist billowed above the ground, muffling sounds and painting everything in a milky white gauze.

Almost everything.

A dozen women stepped into view, each wearing long black robes and carrying candles, like an ominous secret society. They were reciting something in low voices like a deep, pulsing beat, ancient as well as magickal, as the chant hummed across the lake.

As I traipsed through the spiky weeds, I caught sight of them standing around a picnic table in the clearing. The rustic tabletop was covered with candles that shimmered with supernatural light and a bottle of red wine beside a fancy goblet.

Was this some kind of sacrificial ritual?

I paused, uncertain. Hunching over, I touched the trunk of a pine to steady myself. The bark felt icy beneath my already chilled fingers.

Get out now. Run and never look back.

But I came here for a reason, so I crouched in the underbrush, only five feet from the circle. Now I had a clear view of the witches.

A figure stepped forward. It was my mom—Lauren—her auburn hair slicked back and her makeup flawless under the hood. One of her hands weaved a luminous magickal pattern in the air as she spoke. “We gather tonight to celebrate the solstice and show our respect to our coven, our sisters, and Mother Nature.”

Everyone placed their candle on the table. My mom lifted the jeweled goblet from the picnic table and raised the glass to her lips. She handed it to the witch on her right. They each took a drink and passed the chalice around.

Mom faced the other witches and her voice took on a magical singsong quality, intensified by the wind that swirled her body. “Hear me, Mother Nature! Please honor us and bless our circle in thy name! We offer you our devotion on this solstice!”

The coven joined hands and chanted again in a low murmur. I recognized most of the members. Even the Sheriff’s wife was there. The only person missing was Ariana’s mom because her parents had ditched her after receiving a hefty insurance claim. So not cool.

The women untangled their fingers, and Ariana’s aunt, Cadence Thornburgh, stepped forward to address the coven. She was a plump woman with a wealth of dark hair and fierce brown eyes. “Now our first order of business is to elect—”

“That can wait,” Mom interrupted. “I know most of you want to atone for your past mistakes, but we need to discuss the
cambion
. He needs someone to mentor him.”

“The main issue of tonight’s meeting should be to select another High Priestess,” Cadence said, standing opposite my mom. “Instead, you want to discuss the case of one inbred human?”

“We can’t get involved, Lauren,” Mei Lau-Witheridge said, the mayor’s wife and Brittany’s mother. She shook her head, black hair whipping her in the face. For a rather petite Asian woman, she had a commanding voice. “We already risked exposing ourselves at Maxwell Donovan’s mansion to help Shiloh vanquish Esael.”

“Mei, we had no choice. Shiloh needed our help,” Mom countered. “And we started out as White Witches, suppressing evil, remember?”

“Of course! But this is different,” Cadence implored and puffed out her ample chest like a rooster. “Are you seriously asking us to help him?”

The others remained quiet and sober. Mammoth trees stood guard around the small clearing.

Mom opened her mouth to speak, but Mei cut her off. “Preposterous! He’s an unholy abomination. Which I suspect happened after we summoned that Nocturne demon. The damn trickster.” Mei fixed her hard stare on Darrah, who squirmed uncomfortably. “Esael must’ve seduced that poor, lonely woman. Then he impregnated her.”

Ice spread through my stomach. Whoever or whatever they were discussing sounded bad. Real bad.

“We don’t know that for sure,” Darrah said. Her eyes were as flat as weathered stone.

“Ha!” Mom said, sounding powerful and completely in control. “You might as well have made a bargain with the Devil.”

“But we were able to vanquish Esael,” the sheriff’s wife, Latasia Boyd, muttered on Mom’s left. She had a slight build and black ringlets graced her shoulders. Her steely gaze fell upon each member. “Which means we can annihilate the cambion, too.”

“Exactly! Thank you, Latasia.” Darrah spoke sharply.

“But he’s not a full-fledged demon…” Mom paused, then added calmly and distinctly, “He’s still partially human, and soon he’ll need our support.”

My heart jumped into my throat. Comprehension hit me in the gut like a cannon ball. Was the coven talking about…Trent?

No. No. No.
My mind refused to believe it.

“Well, the cambion won’t get it.
He’s evil!
” Mei’s face flushed with indignation. “Wickedness is in his blood, and soon he will possess vast demonic powers, if he doesn’t already. He must be dealt with before he accepts the throne!” Her tone was quiet, but laced with dangerous power that flowed through the air.

From the nervous glances of the other witches, they must’ve sensed it, too. The dense fingers of fog weaved through the maze of trees and slithered around my ankles.

Several of the women nodded in agreement with Mei. They were all talking at once. Voices loud and shrill. Auras flashed above their heads like storm clouds.

Mom gazed around the circle. “Ladies, please!” Her composed tone contrasted noticeably with Mei’s passion and wrath. “Some of you made a mistake
once
by consorting with a demon. And was it worth it?”

My mom’s voice, heavy with intensity and magick, hushed the group. Silence reigned. Heads hung down in shame.

Mom lowered her arms. “I thought not. Now what we need to do is—”

“Nothing. We do nothing,” Cadence said. “His father will
know
it was us. How can we go against him without consequences?”

“Mei’s right,” Latasia Boyd agreed, tapping a long nail on her chin. “Perhaps we could make it look like an accident…”

My pulse raced. All their faces rushed together and I had to force myself to breathe. Were they actually plotting to kill Trent? This meeting
wasn’t
about the lycans or the murders. It was all about vanquishing a demon boy.

Mom sighed. “No more bloodshed. We have to intervene. It’s the right thing to do. If Esael is behind this blasphemous act, the embodiment of everything we were
sworn
to fight, then we must restore the balance, but only if we join forces.” She titled her head. “Maybe we could try to bind the cambion’s darker magick.”

Mei waved her hand at the others. A huge solitaire diamond on her ring finger flashed in the moonlight as cold and exquisite as her voice. “That’s what you keep saying. Except I don’t think you’ve managed to convince yourself of his great potential for evil. No spell is going to cleanse him of
that
.”

“Lauren has a point,” Cadence said. “We should at least
try
to right our past wrongs. We owe it to people of this community. We could start by helping the boy.”

“And we can’t blame him for our wrong doing,” Mom replied.

“No one is blaming him! But we just need to vanquish him and soon,” Darrah said, hostility vibrating in her voice. “Before his powers fully emerge and he becomes the next crown prince of the Underworld.”

“And why should anyone listen to you, Darrah?
You
corrupted the coven.” Mom glared at her younger sister, and then composing herself, she took a deep breath, then regarded the other witches. “Do you not understand the deep wrongness of your heinous acts?”

Darrah opened her mouth to defend herself, but she was silenced by another voice.

“We can’t kill him,” Latasia said, wilting beneath her peers’ scrutiny. “We are more to blame than Esael…”

Mei snorted. “Don’t act so righteous. Did you forget Esael took your daughter, Latasia? Sucked out her soul, so your husband could further his career?”

Latasia seemed to shrink even further into herself. “Certainly not.”

As Mei scrutinized the other woman, her lips tilted into a cruel smile. “Then shut the hell up.”

Latasia cringed and tears lined her eyes. Cadence clucked her tongue. Darrah grinned.

“Enough!
Everyone
knew what they were sacrificing when they got into bed with that demon,” Mom replied. “Do I need to go on?”

“Even you,” Darrah mumbled, then yawned as if bored.

“But he tricked us,” Latasia exclaimed, her lips turning downward.

Mei quirked a brow. “And that makes it all right?”

Darrah shook her head. “No, it doesn’t. But the remorse we showed afterward does.”

“Oh, please!” Mei bitterly laughed. “What remorse? You practically put the rope around Catarina Donovan’s neck! Let’s kill the boy and be done with it.”

Mom whirled in her direction. “You’re such a hypocrite, Mei!” Stepping into the center of the circle, her intent gaze traveled around the other witches. “We
must
atone for any past evil deeds. Not do more harm.”

My heart skipped a distressed beat. This was seriously some messed up crap. I had my hands full just dealing with the lycans and planning my revenge. I did not have time to deal with additional supernatural shenanigans.

A few women shifted on their feet and some of the witches averted their gaze.

“Why bother?” Mei slammed her fist on the picnic-table, the goblet jumped and red liquid sloshed onto the ground. “The cambion is the offspring of pure evil! Can’t you see that, Lauren? Or are you only defending him because of your daughter?”

Say what? I gasped, and then clamped a hand over my mouth. I half-expected someone to yell,
“Surprise, you’re linked to all this crap!”

Mom frowned and shook her head, her hood slipping all the way to her slim shoulders. “Shiloh has nothing to do with this. Having evil powers does not
evil
make!” Her shoulders stiffened. “I can’t believe you are so narrow-minded. It is still a matter of
choice
. Free will. And I’m telling you that we need to give the boy our support before it’s too late.”

“What we need to do,” Mei replied in a menacing tone, “is find a way to discreetly dispose of him. Before the cambion becomes stronger and decides to join the Nocturne as their prince against the Forsaken. It’ll start a war!”

“We can’t go around killing innocents,” Mom said, exasperation seeping into her tone.

“I’m not sure we can save him,” Latasia replied, her voice whisper thin. The witches closest to her directed their gazes at the sheriff’s wife.

“What do you mean?” Mom asked.

“The last time it took the entire coven and Shiloh’s talents to vanquish Esael,” Latasia explained. “If the cambion reaches adulthood, he will have more powers than any paranormal in history. And I’m not utterly convinced he can simply be vanquished.”

“All the more reason to try,” Mei stated firmly.

Darrah’s gaze narrowed. Her expression tight. Lips puckered. “Or we could always align ourselves with that ultimate power,” she muttered to herself.

“All the more reason
not
to harm him,” Mom exclaimed, gritting her teeth. “If he’s so powerful, what will he do when someone tries to kill him?”

“My point exactly,” Mei shot back.

Latasia motioned for her to be quiet and nodded at my mom to continue.

“Killing Esael was a good thing, but what will happen if the cambion feels threatened? Or his life is in danger?” Mom’s head slowly swiveled to meet each pair of eyes. “Let’s not abandon him. Let’s nominate someone to help him channel those powers for good, and when the time is right, we can encourage him to make the appropriate choices. He could be a powerful ally. And with the proper guidance, there won’t be any more of the demonic fiascoes we’ve already endured.”

“I suppose,” Latasia said, raising her voice so that it carried across the space. “If everyone continues to ostracize the boy and tell him he’s evil, sooner or later he’ll start to believe it. Then our fears will turn into a self-fulfilling prophecy.”

Darrah tilted her head and her hard gaze skewered Mei. “If we attempt to hurt him, this could mean war between us and the Nocturne. We must tread carefully.”

Most faces were blank, their owners undecided. A few expressions turned downright hostile, clearly telegraphing their thoughts that the cambion would become a menace. Others seemed ready to yield to my mom’s point of view.

Was Trent the target of the Blood Red Circle? And if they were after him, who else might be? And who else knew that Trent had been branded by a demon? A swell of protectiveness bloomed in my chest. Nobody was going to hurt my boyfriend. Not even this evil coven.

“It’s obvious we’re not going to agree on the matter tonight,” Mom said after several silent minutes. “Therefore, we shall suspend the decision and discuss the case again on the next solstice, after we have all had some time to deliberate. And now on to the next issue on our agenda…”

I tuned out Mom’s speech until her voice was a distant buzz. The raven cawed loudly from a tree above my head. It swooped downward and flew straight at me.

What the hell?

I stumbled, fell forward through the bushes, and yelped. My heart completely seized. The entire coven was staring, their mouths agape. I scrabbled to my feet and dusted myself off.