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“Wait here,” I said to Warrick when we finally reached our destination.

He didn’t look happy about it.

“Remember, no matter what you see, you don’t leave this spot.”

He grunted.

“I mean it. If you walk out there, the mother will be pissed, and she’ll take it out on me and my family.”

“Not gonna fuck this up for you, dove,” he said.

“Thank you.” I walked to the center of the clearing.

It was so dark tonight, I had trouble seeing a foot in front of me. When I reached the center, I whispered a spell, lighting a fire in the ring of stones that was already there and quickly took off my clothes, tossing them aside. Then, taking my blade, I sliced the side of my calf and watched as the blood ran down my leg, over my foot, to soak into the dirt.

Dropping my knife, I closed my eyes and lifted my hands. “Mother, please grant me an audience. You requested my presence and I have obeyed.”

I didn’t know the words for this kind of thing, there was nothing written for it in all our texts.

The wind picked up speed, and a moment later, that familiar rattle reached me.

The serpent was approaching.

I had visions of Warrick exploding from the trees and tearing the snake to shreds. That’s exactly the kind of thing he’d do. I almost smiled at the thought. The nerves were obviously getting to me.

Daughter.

I opened my eyes and the huge snake raised up in front of me. Maybe she’d brought me here to kill me? Maybe I’d sucked so bad at being a Keeper that she was going to get rid of me instead. If I could convince her…beg her, to pass the position on to another branch of the family within our coven, they might come out of this unscathed.

You passed your task.

Her voice echoed through my mind.

I froze. “What? I passed? But I…I thought I failed…I thought…”

You passed, she said again.

Relief hit so hard, I had to choke back a sob of relief and my knees almost buckled. How? How was this possible? I hadn’t sent the souls back. I didn’t understand. None of this made sense.

I should keep my mouth shut, but I couldn’t stop myself. I had to know. “May I ask what my task was, Mother?”

To keep our world a secret, no matter the cost to you or others.

I blinked into her vibrant green eyes.

Rebecca.

I’d almost told her the truth of our world time and again. She was my task? What the fuck was going on? If the malevolent souls weren’t my task, then who’d sent them?

“Mother, there are spirits loose in the city. They’re the reason I was forced to keep our world a secret. Humans have been killed because of them.”

The opportunity arose, a way to present you with your task, how it came about is of no consequence to me.

“You didn’t send them, the souls?”

No.

The mother’s voice rose, her anger lashing out like a whip. The serpent hissed and jerked toward me. I locked my knees when every instinct told me to run.