“It depends,” Silas replies.
“Are you in control when you’re in wolf form?”
“No. The wolf part of me is.”
Ember leans into the center console with wonder on her face.
“So, you’re two different people? Personalities? Is he around when you’re in human form?”
“Sometimes.”
“Fascinating,” Ember whispers in excitement.
“So, what’s the plan? Are you going to kidnap her after her shift at the jewelry store?” Silas asks, probably to stop Ember’s inquisition.
“No, we’re going right to her home,” I reply, my leg shaking anxiously in the front seat.
What if we can’t restore her memories? What if it’s another dead end?
Like he isn’t even thinking about it, Silas’ hand lands on my thigh, stilling my leg as he squeezes gently.
“Whatever you need, I’m there.”
He keeps his face on the road, and I stare at his beautiful profile. Maybe I don’t want to break the hex after all, not if every moment with him can feel like this.
It feels off putting being in the Garden District, and I can tell Ember and Iris feel it too. It didn’t feel this way when Silas andI were incognito last time. No, this feels like a warning, like the magic of the coven who lives here is telling us to get the fuck out.
“Why in all of New Orleans does she live here?” Iris asks and I shrug, because that’s a good question. If she has no memory of who she is, why is she surrounding herself with witches?
“I don’t smell any shifters nearby,” Silas says and I give him a nod.
We’re a block away from her home, before the High Priestess of the Salvador coven and two younger witches materialize in front of us. I feel Silas grab the back of my dress, but he doesn’t make another move as the witch looks me up and down.
“Miss Delvaux, I don’t believe I’ve had any communication with the Celestial Coven granting you access to my territory. Not that it stopped you a few weeks ago,” Prudence says, a smile wrinkling her eyes.
The High Priestess is stunning, with luminescent dark brown skin and greenish-brown eyes. I couldn’t guess her age, not with the spells and potions she uses, but there’s no doubt despite her appearance she must be close enough in age to my grand-mère.
“I apologize for not giving notice. We’re here to meet a human friend, and then we will be on our way.”
Prudence laughs, throwing her head back, before taking a step closer to me. Silas’ grip on my dress gets tighter and I really want to smack his hand away, but I don’t.
When her face is close enough to mine that I can see the creases around her eyes, I swallow in fear.
“You know, all those years ago, I thought I was doing Aster a favor. Her progeny had lost her magic, had lost herself. She wanted her daughter to live her life as a human, while still being protected. Witch to witch, I took her word for it, and granted her this favor.”
Prudence touches the ends of my hair, twisting the white-blonde strands with the black.
“In New Orleans we work alongside the shifters, you know,” she says, still holding on to my hair and glancing up at Silas. “It’s how it should be. Protecting each other from the humans while knowing we’re far better than them. Fighting each other only causes more damage. But I suppose you and your Alpha friend here know that.”
“I just need to know the truth,” I tell Prudence, and she looks me up and down.
“I will let you pass as long as when you ascend to the High Priestess of your coven, I have your true alliance. Not this farce your grand-mère has conned me into.”
I hold out my hand. So does Prudence, as I grab her forearm and she grabs mine, a whirling of magic surrounding us, cementing our agreement.
She sighs after the magic settles and glances at the four of us. “Her and her sleeping wolf live in the house with the pink shutters,” she says, and as quickly as she came, she leaves, all three of the witches disappearing in front of us.
“I thought she was supposed to be cutthroat and vicious,” Iris says.
