“I should have known filth like you would align yourselves with a witch.” Viola’s voice dripped with acid as she spoke.
Maddy dropped the spatula she’d been holding. The others froze in whatever action they’d been involved in and slowly walked toward me, gathering around the phone.
“Hello, Viola,” I said, forcing my voice to remain calm. “What did I do to be graced with your disgusting voice tonight?”
She ignored that. “I understood when you stole Gabriella from me—she’s blood. I simply never thought you’d go so far as to sully your flea-ridden home with a spellcaster of your own. Witches are an abomination like you. A dark stain on God’s planet. Only the Lord himself shall wield those powers. They have stolen the powers of God, and after I’m done with shifters, I’ll work on their ilk.”
“I never knew you were so religious,” I said, trying to get under her skin. “Isn’t there something about loving thy neighbor in that book?”
“Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live is also a phrase from that book,” she retorted. “You’ve confirmed it now. Your witch has killed my men and sent me back a broken and terrified boy.”
“Speaking of that,” I said. “If you hate witches so much, why’d you make one? Seems counterintuitive if you want them wiped out.”
“They have their uses,” she hissed. “A tool to be used in the fight against the scourge all around us. At least they have their uses when they know what the hell they’re doing.” Over the phone, there was a cracking sound like a slap, followed by the whimpering cries of a young man, begging Viola to stop.
My eyes locked on Sinthy, who was staring down at my phone with rage and disgust. Maddy paced back and forth across the room, her hands locked in fists so tight her knuckles were white.
“All of this can end,” Viola went on. “All you need to do is give me what I want. The vial is all I need. I don’t even need Maddy. Though, I could still use her. What I do is up to you. Things will only get worse. More attacks, more shifters butchered, and more innocent women attacked because they share Maddy’s name.
“Here is my last bargain. Give me the vial. Spare innocent lives and accept your fate. Or watch as the citizens of the world rise up and tear your species apart. How long do you think the governments will keep toeing the filthy line of shifter support? True humans all find you disgusting obscenities. Once I get enough people on my side, the constituencies will demand action. Remember, if God is with me, who can be against me?”
“You realize many humans are going to die in this war you have planned, right?” I said.
“I will kill millions of humans, tens of millions,” she hissed through clenched teeth, “if it means the end of shifters. There is no cross too heavy to bear when the fate of the world is on the line.”
I was tired of hearing her grating voice. “Well, in that case, I’ve gotta say fuck you. No deal.”
Viola chuckled ruefully. “Oh, you’ll regret that. I tried to bargain with you, but I should have known that’s impossible with animals. You’ll pay a heavy price. Count on it.”
I stared at my phone. Viola hadn’t sounded desperate or backed into a corner. Crazy, yes, but that was to be expected. No, if anything, she sounded calmer and more focused. Even with the whole world bearing down on her, she managed to stay composed. Somehow. It made me worried about what might be coming next.
127
MADDY
Aslight sliver of hope settled in my chest when the call ended. Viola had been in a rage. Psychotic and malicious as always, but her anger hadn’t been as out of control as it could have been. She hadn’t let on that she’d realized the Wiccan boy had a tracker placed on him. There was no doubt in my mind that she would have given us shit for that. She would have called us and chastised us for thinking we could get one over on her. It was the kind of person she was.
That was all fine, but we had other things to worry about. Viola might decide to retaliate for this latest issue. What would she do, and when would she do it? We had been talking about it for nearly an hour when I spoke.
“Is this a good time to leave? I mean, are we sure now is the time to travel away from the pack lands?”
“Absolutely,” Nico said. “If anything, I’m even more certain now is the time to go. We take that vial with us and get out of here.” He ran his tongue along his teeth before adding, “I’m starting to think we should take everyone.”
“You’re worried about the wards?” Sinthy asked, but she didn’t look upset.
Nico nodded hesitantly. “I know you say the wards are strong enough, but my people are here, and it’s the only protection they’ll have once we leave.”
Sinthy reached across the table and put a hand on Nico’s. “I would never put you or your people at risk. I’ve checked the wards over and over again. The power of your land truly is astounding. If there were even a chance they wouldn’t hold, I’d never leave. Not only is your land strong, but I’m probably the strongest witch on Earth. At least, that’s what Isme always told me. You can have faith in me and in your pack lands.”
Nico looked like he really wanted to believe her. Her confidence had already eased my fears. I believed her. Sinthy hadn’t done anything since we met for me to think she was anything but trustworthy. She also seemed to take the fact that she’d been brought into the pack very seriously. No way she’d ever put these people at risk. The pack was her new family, and if there was one thing I’d learned about the girl was that she desperately wanted a family. Hers had been ripped away, and this was now what she had.
Finally, Nico sighed and nodded to Sinthy. “Okay, as long as you’re sure. Moving everyone would probably be traumatic, especially for the ones who just got here. There’s no reason to terrify everyone if we don’t need to.”
“Exactly,” Sinthy said. “In fact. I tested it to make sure.”
She stood and walked over to the linen closet near the laundry room.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
