“Of course it’s going to be okay,” she replies, flashing me a tight smile. “I told you. Anyone that tries to hurt you will have to go through me first. We’re simply playing Neva’s game because it’s the most convenient option for now.”
There’s a darker edge to the end of that sentence, which makes me wonder what exactly my aunt has planned if the coven’s leader pushes her too hard. Just like everyone else in my new life, I don’t really know a lot about her. Well, I do know one thing—she’s not a woman to be underestimated. I’m starting to think it’s a Volkov trait.
∞∞∞
I try to swallow the fear that crawls up my throat at the sight of a familiar rock, still smeared with my blood, and a vast line of nothingness that used to be a countless amount of trees. Two crowds gather at the site where Connor and I fought for our lives—one side glaring and snarling, whereas the other stands cold and aloof. At the head of each crowd stands Neva and Connor, her face pinched with annoyance while his is calm and bland.
I’m both shocked and relieved to see him here, though how he got here before us, I have no idea. When my aunt said we were summoned by the coven, I expected some old building with a tribunal or something. Not the place where I murdered a man.
Do they know the truth? That it was me and not Connor?
Flashes of that night dance before my eyes. The wild look in the Alpha’s gaze. The sound of the gun going off. Connor bleeding.
Mildred touches my shoulder, startling me out of my thoughts. “You’re not in trouble,” she murmurs, almost like she can read my thoughts, “but we do have the humans to think about. Not to worry, I have everything handled. They can’t punish you.”
“Punish me? I thought you said I wasn’t in trouble?” I question, but she’s already out of the car.
“We’re here, as promised,” Mildred announces coolly, her head high and shoulders back, somehow walking in perfect strides over the uneven terrain in high heels.
Quickly, I scramble out after her, doing my best to look as unaffected as she does, but I’m pretty sure it’s not working. When I make eye contact with Connor, surprise flashes in his gaze, before his entire face goes completely blank. Explains why he didn’t say anything earlier about whatever the hell this is. He didn’t expect me to be here…but did he know my aunt would be?
Before I can even consider walking over to him to find out what’s going on, he subtly shakes his head. I don’t know what it means, but I decide to stay close to my aunt’s side, worried that I’ll make things worse for him.
The skies are now a deep grey with the scent of rain in the air, and I hunch into my red hoodie, wishing I still had Donovan’s jacket to warm me against the cold.
More snarling occurs as we approach, though some stop to look at me hard. They’re shifters, but unlike Rand and the few wolves at school, not very many of them look happy to see me. Standing behind Connor are identical twins who appear a few years older than him. They’re as tall and lean as he is with dark hair and amber eyes that cause me to shiver under their stares. One watches me closely, while the other’s gaze occasionally flicks to Connor.
Connor hinted before that he wasn’t well liked among the other wolves—a side effect of his father marking him an outcast because he refused to give up his friends. It was also made apparent that shifters weren’t huge fans of witches, and Sam made it clear Connor hadn’t hidden his growing attachment to me. Except now.
I take a closer look at the shifter crowd and realize I don’t recognize anyone. Sam, Rand, and the other shifters from school aren’t in attendance. He came without backup.
“Now we can get this over with,” Neva declares, her distaste for the shifters evident in her body language. “As it was the fault of the witches that caused damage to your lands, it falls to us to repair it.”
Connor nods, not bothering to look at me or in any way acknowledge that I’m the witch in question. It doesn’t stop everyone else from looking at me.
“Mildred Volkov of the Volkov Coven, you have agreed to pay reparations,” Neva calls out, and my heart stops.
“What does she mean?” I whisper harshly, grabbing her arm.
“It’s going to be okay, my darling,” she replies with a soft smile that makes everything in me feel sick, “but I need you to stay here. Please, don’t intervene.” She pats my hand, gently extracts herself from my grasp, and walks forward between the crowds. Over her shoulder, almost like an afterthought, she adds, “I may be a little tired after, but I promise, I’ll be fine.”
I’m starting to realize the crowd behind Neva is comprised of members of the coven dressed in what looks like ceremonial robes. They surround my aunt, removing her blouse and skirt, and replace her garments with a red robe, her pale skin glowing against the rich fabric.
I stand alone, apart from both groups, watching in horror as my aunt drops to her knees, chin upturned and regal. Neva approaches, along with two robed women. The women gently take my aunt’s wrists, while the coven leader stands over her with a sharp silver dagger in her hand.
The shifters growl and snarl at the weapon, pacing back and forth behind an invisible line that starts behind their new Alpha, but none dare to pass it. For now, they follow Connor’s command.
“Do you freely give of your life’s blood to repair damages done?” Neva questions, her voice carrying over the clearing.
“I do,” Mildred answers just as clearly.
“No!” I scream, running toward them, only to be grabbed by two robed men. Their hands on me, even on my sleeves, makes my stomach turn, and I fight all the harder against them. “Let me go! Get away from her! They’re fucking trees. What the hell is wrong with you?”
For the first time, Connor’s cold cracks, and he snarls, “Let her go.”
The warning is low and dark with violence, terrifying the men so badly they immediately release me, and I sprint the last few feet, shoving the women away from my aunt.
“Stay away,” I shout, and the sweet sound of familiar winds whip through the trees.
