“I am more than meets the eye,” the strange witch almost had a smile reach her lips before she relaxed her expression once more.
“What do you need me to do?” Izzie asked.
“Help me with the locator spell,” Melinda replied.
“Why?” Izzie frowned. “I mean… there’s so many other witches here.”
Melinda clasped her hands in her lap. “To give you a coven.” I froze in place as Izzie’s mouth dropped. “The world’s a lonely place for a witch without a coven. I’m offering you a place in ours.” Melinda cleared out her voice and looked away from her.
My heart dropped when Izzie looked my way. I unfolded my arms from my chest and studied her dumbstruck, yet hopeful stare. She glanced back at Melinda. “I don’t understand. I carry this inside me…and you don’t know me.”
“I see enough right now.”
And with the way Melinda spoke and raked her eyes over Isabella, I thought that she saw my witch the same way I did—a flourishing innocence that had no idea how exceptional she was. She fought and won every single day. It was beautiful. She was beautiful.
I saw enough too, and I felt so much more. I felt everything for this tiny witch.
“Think about it,” Melinda told her. “For now, help me with this spell.”
???
It didn’t take but a few minutes for them to locate Delena. Melinda jotted down the place on a piece of paper and handed it to me, but Izzie smiled and assured her that she could pinpoint where she was without it.
Either way, we found Delena Wells, hopefully, the root of the problem. We just had to get to her.
“Thank you for the help,” Payne offered Melinda as she walked us to the exit.
As everyone turned and stepped out the door, Melinda caught me by the arm. I noticed her expression and paused. “You will have a choice, Sebastian, one that won’t be easy.” She looked behind me. Turning around, I saw that it was Isabella walking down the steps. Melinda released my arm, and I turned back in time to see Melinda closing her eyes. “Her life dangles in your hand, but the consequences of that are much worse.”
“What?”
“I’m saying, this is only the beginning. I wish you Reapers good luck.” And with that, she shoved me out of the door and slammed it shut before I could get a word out.
“Sebastian?” Isabella was waiting for me. I turned around and let the beauty of my witch suck me in. Making my way to her, I smiled and took her gloved hand and placed it against my cheek.
“Look who got invited to join a coven to do witchy business.” She rolled her eyes at my words.
“Do you think Melinda meant it?” she asked softly. The hopefulness in her voice stirred all kinds of new sensations in my chest.
“Seemed like it to me.”
“Hey, I just texted Barron. He’s gonna meet us there,” Payne informed us. “You guys ready?”
To take down the witch that kidnapped all those children?
Fuck yeah.
Fifteen
Sebastian
The tall, box-shaped building we faded to was old and weather-beaten with time. Rust and something sinister grew on the outside of the metal. A dark webbing covering the ground pulsed as if it were alive. We were in the right place.
“What is this shit?” August kicked a portion of the pulsating web with his foot but it didn’t budge. It had a leathery look to it. Dropping to one knee, I could see that it was deep red, like the viscera of something would look. Only there was no heartbeat that I could hear so even though the webbing had an animated look to it, it was likely the remnants of dark magic that made it grow.
“We knocking before we go in?” Barron was impressively quiet as he stalked around the perimeter.
“She probably knows we’re here,” said Payne.
