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No one was more relieved than I was.
I’d tried to escape my destiny, choosing to attend college in Boston and leave Salem and the coven behind me, but fate dragged me back to Salem kicking and screaming. “I know you’re worried about Mathias, but sometimes a cell phone can be more powerful than a vision.”
I took mine out of my pocket and scrolled through my contacts until I got to Amelia’s name. I pressed it and waited for her to pick up.
“Ruby?” Her voice carried a note of disbelief. “You called me… Is everything okay?”
I rolled my eyes. Yes, texting was more my style, and verbal communication wasn’t my favorite. Amelia knew that better than most. We’d been best friends since grade school. “Yes, we’re fine, but Lillian is pretty sure Mathias was attacked last night during the full moon. Can you check on him and give us an update?”
“Ah, so you want me tospy.” She tsked. “No wonder you didn’t send me a text.”
Amelia was one of the coven’s most powerful witches not only was she a fire elemental, which meant she could control flames, but she could also astral-project, allowing her to send her spirit halfway around the world to find things or people. Over the years as she honed her skill, she could hear and occasionally move objects like a poltergeist.
She also had integrity, which made her very cautious with her astral-projecting. As kids, we’d drafted a list of rules surrounding her special ability. She called them her ten commandments. On that list, spying could only be used to save a life.
I sighed. “If Lillian is right and the werewolf hunters someone attacked Mathias Munro during the full moon last night, you could check on his condition. Maybe we could help him.” I paused and added, “Plus you might hear something that could help us find the hunters and stop the Coven of Shadows.”
She clucked her tongue. “You’re saying my spying could save werewolves’ lives, is that what I’m hearing?”
“Technically, yes.” I glanced over at Lillian as she wandered behind the counter to the cash register. Since the hunters had started carving up dead werewolves, the power of the spells from the Coven of Shadows had been increasing. Even with elemental witches with supernatural abilities in our coven, we’d been unable to locate the leader of the Coven of Shadows which had Lillian on edge. They were growing their power, but we didn’t know what their end goal might be. I lowered my voice. “The werewolves are probably tracking the hunters, too. Those werewolf hunters could lead us to the high priestess of the Coven of Shadows.”
“Fine.” Amelia sighed. “But don’t expect me to be keeping tabs on the werewolf pack indefinitely.”
I nodded slowly. “I understand.”
“Good.” She sounded a little winded. “Let me put these groceries away and I’ll get out of here.”
“Thanks, Amelia.”
I ended the call and looked at Lillian. “Hopefully she’ll find some more information about what happened.”
The corners of Lillian’s lips curved without exposing her teeth, like a secret smile. “You’re going to be a formidable high priestess.”
“I’ll never be able to match you.” I meant it, too. There was an aura around Lillian that oozed calm and power. I lived all up in my feelings and emotions. I didn’t usually radiate peace the way Lillian did.
She swatted her hand through the air. “It’s not a competition. Every high priestess manages the coven based on her own unique strengths. It’s not worse or better, just different.”
I put my phone back into my pocket. “Mathias could’ve seen something that might help us identify the hunters.” I paused. Unlike me, she seemed pretty fond of the werewolves, Mathias in particular. “You could go see him. Maybe a healing spell could help.”
She drummed her perfectly manicured red nails on the counter. “I called him and left a voice mail as soon as I heard the cries last night. No one has returned my call.”
I frowned. “If you haven’t talked to anyone, how do you know it was Mathias that got attacked?”
She arched a brow. “I have a scrying mirror, remember?”
Although our human bodies aged and withered with the passage of years, as witches, our power usually grew. Lillian might not have the physical stamina she once had, but her magic still came to her as naturally as breathing.
“You could stop by Munro Manor Farms and check on him.” I leaned on the counter. “Bring him some soup or something.”
“No.” She shook her head. “His pride is bigger than his common sense. He wouldn’t be happy with me seeing him weak and injured in a bed.”
I reached over the counter for the box cutter to open the new shipment of incense. “What is it with you two? I thought you were a couple.”
There was that smile again, hiding her secrets. “I’m not his mate.”
I shrugged. “But you could still be his girlfriend.”
“We do enjoy each other’s company.” She sobered as she reached to take my hand. “But it can’t go any further than that for us. It’s forbidden.”
