“I don’t take unnecessary risks with my coven.”
“What about necessary ones?”
Norah frowned, her eyes searching my face for a long time. I had no idea what she was looking for, but I was pretty sure she didn't find it.
“I'm very sorry about Sophie’s death.” Norah put her hand on my shoulder. “But unless you're willing to commit yourself to this sisterhood, to live byourcode, I can’t help you. Not with your grief, and not with your magic.”
I pulled away from her touch. “I didn’t come here to drink the coven Kool-Aid.”
“Then I've got nothing left to say to you, Gray.”
I pulled out my phone. “Can I at least text someone my number? In case anyone remembers anything about—”
“If anyone remembers anything significant, she will share it with the police, as we’ve already been instructed.” Norah headed to the front door. Without so much as a backward glance, she said, “I have to ask that you don’t return here, Gray. I can’t have you stirring up the coven and causing problems.”
With that, she disappeared inside, bolting the door behind her. The wards vibrated across my skin, much stronger this time, nudging me away from the house.
The longer I stood in place, the harder the wards nudged. Then they turned painful, almost like an electrical current.
The message was clear.
You’re not one of us, outsider.
I headed down to the sidewalk, stopping once I’d cleared the wards to take one more look at the house. Behind the star-shaped window at the top, I caught sight of a face.
Reva. Her hand was pressed against the colored glass panes, fingers curled in a wave.
I couldn’t tell whether it was a goodbye… or a call for help.
Sixteen
Gray
Ronan was no longer alone.
I found him sitting on the edge of a mermaid fountain in Bloodstone Park’s sculpture garden with a man I’d never seen before. A demon, I realized, catching a faint whiff of his scent—fresh ground cinnamon, hot peppers, and candle flame all woven into one incredibly powerful, intoxicating package. Despite the chill in the air and the distance between us, I couldfeelthe heat emanating from him.
I crept a little closer and ducked behind an adjacent statue, keeping out of sight as I sussed out the situation.
“—so overprotective of her,” Hot Demon was saying. “It’ll get you smoked.”
“I’m handling it,” Ronan said.
“You’re emotionally compromised. You can’t possibly—”
“I said I’m handling it,” Ronan snapped.
“Handlingit, or handlingher?” The demon grinned, his implications clear.
“Fuck off, Ash. It’s not like that.”
“No? So tell me what it’s like. Because from where I sit, you’re out there risking your ass for a—” The demon cut off abruptly, and for a second I worried I’d been discovered. But then he barked out a laugh, pointing an accusatory finger at Ronan. “Oh, shit. You’re in love with her.”
My heart skittered, but before I could even contemplate what that might mean, Ronan grabbed the guy’s throat, every muscle in his body strung tight as a bow.
“Tread carefully, dickhead,” Ronan said, low and menacing. “Realcarefully.”
Sucking in a deep breath, I took a few steps backward.
