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The reminder of Rosemary’s attack that nearly made her one of Carreau’s victims last Samhain made my skin itch with discomfort.
Leaning back in her chair, Grandmother asked, “How did you even perform such a spell? Were you trying to garner attention, Jade?”
An ugly retort clawed at my throat, but I smiled serenely at her, the southern charm ingrained inside me hiding my emotions beneath the surface. “Yes, I purposely awoke a cemetery’s worth of spirits, knowing full well the damage such an egregious act would incur for a laugh.”
“Lose the sarcasm, Jade. It’s beneath you.”
I crossed my arms tightly. I couldn’t very well tell her the truth. If she discovered the magick I toiled with inside the dark recesses of the Vampire Court, no amount of begging would save me from her wrath.
Dark magick was strictly forbidden in our Coven after my late grandfather’s exploration into a cursed talisman. Since he didn’t possess spirit magick, he couldn’t control its power, nearly sending our Coven into shambles. And now, my actions could upheave everything once more.
My arms fell to my sides in defeat. “What can I do?”
Grandmother tapped her pen on the grimoire in front of her. “Do you remember my sister Liliane?”
“Of course.” I frowned, remembering her earlier mention of Salem’s High Priestess. It must have been fifteen years since our last summer trip to Liliane’s beach house, where they’d had their falling out. “What about her?”
Grandmother made an undignified snort, completely unlike her usual cool demeanor. “Do you not remember her affinity? Among our family’s long lineage in the town, Liliane possesses powerful spirit magick. She’s the last spirit witch remaining on the east coast.”
My pulse ratcheted as I understood Grandmother’s burgeoning plan.
“Please, no,” I whispered.
“I think this may be the best course of action for everyone,” she mused, ignoring me. “Whether or not you meant to unleash your spirit magick, you and your sisters cannot continue to avoid your new affinities. It’s time you studied under a spirit witch and mastered this magick before you reveal the supernatural community to the mortals.”
“But—”
“I’ve let you dally in the Vampire Court long enough, Jade. Mystical guides were meant to be a small gesture from the Coven to showcase our willingness to support creature relations. A job for an amateur witch, not my granddaughter!” She broke off, cooling her rising ire with obvious effort. “Clearly, the distance from the Coven has had the opposite effect of what I intended. Whateverinterludeyou’re having with Alexei Vasyliev, it ends now. One granddaughter coupled off with a demon is far enough. I don’t need our future High Priestess lowering herself to a vampire.”
My mouth opened and closed before I sputtered, “High Priestess?”
“Ember is my granddaughter, and I am immensely proud of her successes this past year. But I did not intend for her to take on the legacy of this family.” Grandmother’s eyes narrowed with some unfamiliar vulnerability. “Though she no longer runs amok around the city or struggles with her gifts, you have been preparing for this role since you were a child. Tradition is more important than anything, especially now. My eldest granddaughter must be my successor. No matter how much you have disappointed me.”
Pain sliced through me as viscerally as when she first placed the blame for Samhain on my feet. And with that hurt now lay the betrayal I would soon reap on my sister.
“But Ember’s been working so hard for this,” I gasped. “How can I just take away her accomplishments?”
“As High Priestess, you will make many hard choices. Often at the expense of the people closest to you. Again, another reason you are better suited to the task than Ember.” Her icy blue eyes singed me from where I sat. “You remind me of myself, Jade. You can be detached and ruthless in your pursuits, rarely failing to uphold our ways. At least, before you threw away your potential. Don’t you miss the comradery you once shared with the others? Or casting?”
Ididmiss the Coven and the rituals and spells we worked together. Despite my illicit work with the talismans, it was the earthy, green witchery that truly held my heart. Grandmother’s accusations hurt worse than acid spit onto my face, but deep down, I knew they were true.
Perhaps Alexei was right to call me a coward.
I opened my mouth to plead my case, and she lifted an imperious brow. “Let this be your first test of loyalty, Jade. You will go to Salem not just as a Belle, but as the future High Priestess of the New Orleans Coven. Otherwise, I’ll let the Council deal with your mishap tonight and cut short Ember’s trip to Hell. That’s my offer. Take it or leave it.”
Bitterness surged through me until I thought I’d drown in it. Leave it to Grandmother to blackmail and threaten me into doing her bidding.
“Okay,” I snarled, realizing I had no choice but to accept. “I’ll go.”
Her lips crinkled, though her eyes remained on her task. “Lovely. I’ll arrange your flight. Ensure you’re prepared to make our Coven proud. No more mistakes.”
I stood on shaky legs and fled from her office before she could extort more from me.
“Everything okay?” Ember asked from her station at the bottom of the stairs. She looked over me as if expecting signs of bloodshed.
Whatever retort I wanted to spew died on my lips. If I told Ember the truth, she would be furious with Grandmother, abandoning her much-needed vacation with Killian to save me from myself. Or worse, it would hurt her to realize just how little her progress meant to Grandmother.
High Priestess. A role Ember had been laboring for all year would be taken away with the snap of a finger. I couldn’t do that to her, nor could I truly envision myself as a leader after my failings this past year. It was a losing situation no matter which way I spun it.
