“We already know what he wants – Maeve and Aline, and the rule of the fae and human worlds,” Arthur glared at the portrait. His hand stroked the hilt of his sword. “Now he’s got none of those things, and he’s locked up. All we need to do is finish the job.”
“Agreed,” I said.
Kelly raised a tentative hand. Beside her, Jane reached over and rubbed her knee. The gesture was so tender it drove a stake through my heart. It was the kind of movement Corbin would’ve made. “Um…I know I’m just a human and I don’t have any magical powers?—”
“That’s correct, you donot.” Isadora wrinkled her nose.
“—but why are you all so eager to kill this guy? I know he’s kind of the evil super villain, but right now he’s defenceless. Isn’t that like, against your witch code or whatever?”
“No,” I said, at the same time Rowan whispered, “yes.”
“Daigh killed our parents, Kelly. He killed Corbin, and he was going to kill you. Even as a human with no powers, he’s dangerous. He’s been stripped of his power before and he managed to come back.”
“I get it. He’s a bad dude.” Tears spilled down Kelly’s cheeks. “But if he turns my sister into a murderer, then as far as I can see, he wins.”
“This isn’t about me,” I snapped. “It’s about the wholeworld. We have to put an end to this, and that means putting an end to him. If we don’t stop Daigh he’ll just come back again, like he did before. Next time we might not be able to stop him.”
“We could turn him over to the fae,” Blake piped up. “Let them kill him. Problem solved.”
“That’s not any better!”
“Yeah, and I want to do it myself,” Arthur growled, lifting his blade an inch out of its hilt.
“Murder is never okay,” Kelly sobbed. “Who are you people? Maeve, think about Mom and Dad. I know they wouldn’t care that you’re a witch. They’d still love you. But they wouldn’t want you to be a murderer. It’s one of the Ten Commandments and your immortal soul?—”
“Maybe I have to think about more than just myself and my immortal soul, which I don’t technically believe exists, anyway. Maybe I have to make the hard decisions to protect you, because that’s my duty. Maybe I have to do a horrific thing for the greater good of humanity.”
“Don’t you think that’s exactly what he wants?” Kelly cried. “If he really is this crazy fae who’d sell out his own powers just so he could talk to you, don’t you think he’d allow himself to be killed if it broke up this coven?”
“That’s ridiculous. Then he wouldn’t be alive to gloat over his victory,” Blake drawled.
“But he would! I mean, you know now there’s some kind of life after death, because that’s where he came from, isn’t it? He came from Hell, so he can gloat all he wants.”
“It’s not Hell. It’s another dimension,” I snapped. “And you don’t know Daigh?—”
“Of course I don’t know Daigh!” Kelly yelled. “You lot didn’t trust Jane or I enough to tell us anything, and I ended up being captured by a fairy and Jane had to hear the whole story from your previously-dead mother.”
“Don’t yell at Maeve,” Arthur snarled, his voice dripping with malice.
Fresh tears flooded down Kelly’s cheeks. “Don’t threaten me, Arthur. Why are you so full of hate? When I met you I thought you were the nicest guy I’d ever known, but now you’re just a brute.”
“My best friend is dead!” Arthur yelled. The edge of the rug burst into flame. Kelly screamed and scrambled out of the way. Flynn dived for the flames, dousing them with water that pooled across the ground. The scent of sodden fibres and charred fabric filled my nostrils, driving the burning rage to the surface of my skin.
“Could you stop trying to burn down my house!” Ryan roared. Red fur bristled from his cheeks.
“All of you,shut up!”Jane screamed.
My mouth snapped shut. Kelly sniffed, folding her arms across her chest. Rowan buried his face into the back of the sofa. Arthur dropped his sword back into his scabbard and stared gape-mouthed at Jane.
“Much better,” Jane glared at us with a look I knew would terrify Connor once he grew up enough to finger paint on the walls. “I’ve got a baby asleep in the next room, so can we keep things civilised? Or else, I’m going to force the person who wakes Connor to put him down again, which would serve you right. Now, as fascinating as it is being a fly-on-the-wall for all this witch stuff, you’re all acting like a bunch of children. Since I’m a representative for the ordinary, non-magical human race – one of only two in this room, I might point out – I suggest you all take a breath, stop throwing around insults and fireballs,put away that bloody sword, and focus on the immediate problem. Which is what happened last night. There’s a dead boy who needs to be honoured and buried, a police investigation going on, and a village full of people who’ve had their minds warped.”
I sucked in a breath, trying to calm the rage that bristled in my veins. Rage was good – it was better than numbness. But Jane and Kelly were right. I wasn’t thinking straight. None of us were. I was so focused on having Daigh at our mercy that I’d forgotten all about the village and Briarwood and what the humans were thinking right now. I needed to suck it up, to be a High Priestess, even though that was the last thing I wanted to be right now.
“At least the village doesn’t hate us anymore,” Blake said. “Maeve and I saw to that.”
“Are we sure about that?” Jane asked. “A night in jail or in hospital getting fae wounds stitched up might be enough toundo the force of your little trick. And what are they going to do now that they’ve seen the existence of the fae for themselves? What are thepolicegoing to do? How are you going to keep your secrets? These are all practical issues you need to deal with before you get all stab-friendly with the fae king. And honestly, you guys aremessed upright now. You lost someone special. Take a step back before you do something you regret. This room is filled with people who respect and support and love you – let them deal with some of this shit.”
“Jane—” My shoulders slumped.
