My teeth clench.
“Mara may not have directly said it,” Tiana continues, “but she came to see me. Which means I know you, and that means you’re still talking to him.”
I look back at her over my shoulder. “What I’m doing is none of your business.”
Tiana doesn’t flinch. She just stares me down, dark eyes so much like our mother’s.
“Then why is Uncle Amir here trying to convince our mother to dissolve the Glen?”
I pause, my whole body locking up, the anger sharpening into focus. I turn to face her fully.
Tiana grins and folds her arms over her chest. “Come find me when you’re finished. I’m going to meet up with our sisters in the Witches and Warlocks wing.” The quieting spell fades.
She lifts her hand and tears the air open. She steps through the portal like it’s nothing—makes me want to throw something—and then she’s gone. Just me and her words ringing in my ears.
I want to follow her. I want to grab her arm and demand she tell me everything she knows. But right now, what she just said is louder than my anger.
Amir wants to dissolve the Glen.
I jog down the stairs. The Conjuring Hall opens up around me, the domed ceiling glowing with its shifting constellations, but I don’t spare it a glance. I head straight for the circle where my mother stands with her arms crossed and a deep frown pulling at her mouth.
Amir looks back at me, his hands clasped behind his back. The casual authority in his posture—like everything has already been decided.
Kade stands off to the side, her expression grim, her arms tight against her body. Damon is beside her, quiet, his face carefully neutral.
“This is a nice surprise,” Amir says, his grin widening. “So happy you’ve come.”
My mother levels a hard look at me. “The Witching Glen has been reaching out to someone in Wintermoon. Any idea who that could be?”
I glare at Amir. He heard every word upstairs with Tiana and we both know it, but he just smiles at me. “What’s going on?” I ask.
My mother sees right through me. It’s in the way her gaze sharpens and her chin lifts, reading my posture, everything I’m trying not to show her. She knows I’m not giving her the full picture.
“Will someone please tell me what’s going on?” I press, my voice harder now. “I’m getting worried.”
“Amir wants to destroy the Witching Glen,” my mother says flatly.
Amir’s grin doesn’t waver. “It’s long overdue.” I look to Kade but her mouth is pressed tight and she says nothing. Damon shifts his weight from one foot to the other, still silent.
“And it appears I’m outranked in this decision,” my mother adds, the bitterness in her voice barely contained.
“I don’t understand.” I scrub the back of my neck, my thoughts racing. “I know why the Glen was closed. Dark magic. They were trying to regain access to it. But why does it need to be destroyed?”
Kade finally speaks, her voice low and even. “The seal has always been temporary, Aaron. Keeping them locked in there isn’t sustainable. They’ll keep figuring out ways to get out of the Glen.”
I exhale hard, the heat in my body climbing again. My mother uncrosses her arms and reaches for me, pressing her palm against my forehead.
“Are you alright?” she asks, her frown deepening. “You’re kind of running hot.”
I pull her hand down gently. “I had a long night.”
Her eyes drop to my neck, and she freezes. Her wrist snatches back from my grip as she stares at the claim mark, fresh and raised against my skin.
“Well,” she says, and a tight smile pulls at her mouth. “It looks like you and your lioness are finally fully mated. Congratulations.”
I groan, glancing over at the others. Kade is blushing, staring firmly at the floor. Damon looks like he’d rather be literally anywhere else but is holding a straight face through sheer willpower. And Amir is grinning like he’s enjoying every bit of this.
“I wasn’t going to spoil the moment,” Amir says.
