TWELVE
AURORA
Checking Giafor curses wasn’t the direction Aurora had thought Lilly’s visit would take. She’d love to peek into Gia’s mind, see how she’d gone from denying magic had anything to do with her, to thinking magic had been harming her for years.
Maybe it wasn’t anything more than distrust of the unknown, assuming magic must be responsible for all that was wrong and unexplained in her life. Aurora would admit, up until now, she’d been too wrapped up in her own problems to focus on anything else. With Lilly here, Aurora wasn’t consumed by helplessness and could take a step back to consider Gia more thoroughly.
Was Gia’s distrustful nature all about magic and the shock of finding out ghosts and witches were real? Aurora couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to it.
Lilly took her time casting a ward over the condo to stop Trey from entering, at least without breaking the spell and alerting Lilly.
“There,” she said when the spell was finished. “That’ll be better than nothing, but you can’t stay cooped up here for long. What’s the plan?”
If only Aurora had one. “As much as I want to storm into the Thornfield compound and find my body, I need to know if Trey’s found me or if he’s after the Lockwoods.”
“He must have found you,” Lilly said, taking a look out the window to confirm he hadn’t left. “If Trey knows your soul is here, he may have followed Gia after sensing her magic. To check if she was heading out to find your body or help you in some way.”
Electric ice rippled through Aurora. “I hadn’t thought of that.”
“Of course not. You didn’t know I had magic,” Gia said from where she was curled into the corner of the couch.
Aurora had been pretty sure Gia possessed magic even if she hadn’t confirmed it, but she didn’t argue the point. Guilt for bringing this on her threatened to overshadow everything else. She faced Lilly. “If that’s the case, what’s Trey waiting around for? Why not break in and come after me?”
“He might not know how to capture you, and is keeping an eye in the meantime. Or perhaps he wants a better idea of what he’s up against. He doesn’t know who else is here with you, and if he knows Lockwood headquarters is across the street, he might think we’re all here.”
“Are coven headquarters listed in the witch registry?” Gia asked, tone dry.
Despite her growing unease, Aurora snorted in amusement. Gia’s lips twitched, and Aurora felt lighter. “There’s no registry.”
“You never know.” Gia shrugged. “So, how’d he find out where your headquarters are?”
“The Lockwoods’ association with the theater isn’t a secret in the magic community,” Lilly said, pausing at the door. “Which is why he could theoretically have a purpose for lurking other than Aurora. I’ll update everyone on what’s happening onthe off chance Trey is scoping us out while we’re between leaders.”
“I don’t want to say that would be ideal. It’s not, but…” Aurora deflated. She didn’t want the Thornfields to have their sights set on the Lockwoods. Not at all. Nothing good would come of it. But selfishly, it scared her less than her coven working out where she was and how to recapture her.
“I know,” Lilly said, full of understanding. “It would make retrieving your body easier, but it feels unlikely. I can’t imagine what the Thornfields would want with us.”
Aurora couldn’t either.
Gia’s brow pinched, studying Aurora. “So you’re saying, best-case scenario, your family thinks you…died?”
She nodded. Gia looked horrified, and there was something wrong with Aurora because Gia’s concern made her skin prickle.
Lilly opened the condo door, oblivious to Aurora’s ridiculous feelings. “I’ll let you know what I find out, but don’t expect to be sitting in ideal territory. Getting your body back will probably mean facing the Thornfields head on. We’ll need to be ready.” She gave an apologetic smile as she said goodbye and left.
The door clicked shut, and silence fell over the room. Gia probably needed space to process everything she’d learned, but it wasn’t like Aurora could go far. She also didn’t want to leave. Chasing that comforting prickling sensation was much more appealing than dwelling on the jam she’d gotten herself into.
Gia stared into the middle distance, clearly a thousand miles away, so Aurora banished her desire for closeness and drifted over to the window to watch Trey. He didn’t follow Lilly as she strode down the street and disappeared from sight.
If he’d followed Gia because she was a witch, why not do the same now?
“Is my magic keeping you here?” Gia asked abruptly.
Spinning around, Aurora eyed her, but her expression didn’t give anything away. “No. Like Lilly said, your magic can’t do anything without your direct guidance. You’re not casting a spell to trap me, are you?”
Gia stiffened, a scowl creasing her soft face. “Of course not. As long as you’re sure it can’t be subconscious.”
“One hundred percent sure. I’m probably tied to you for the same reason I was tied to the theater: my growing link to the Lockwoods.”
