She not only killed on this property, but she infused the very earth with her dark magic. The Dreaming Willow Inn was used as a vessel for the other half of Nestor’s soul that would have passed on.
In the last century, witch blood has never been spilled on this soil… or we would have our own everoot field.
When she gets to the tree line, she pauses and looks over her shoulder. Her eyes meet mine and I gasp in surprise. She winks and reminds me, “I’ll see you soon, Archer Vexley,” then disappears.
Gasping, I wrench myself into a sitting position.
“Archer,” my sister says from somewhere nearby but my attention is on the limp body next to mine.
Not again, I think to myself as I take in Renata.
She’s sprawled out next to me, lying in a puddle of blood and hardly breathing.
Leaning away from her, I start heaving and close my eyes, trying to imagine anything other than the scene next to me. All that comes back is the memory of what happened that night—the murder of three witches after a long, complex history together—and I vomit all over the floor.
Sybil reaches me and pats my back until I finally stop.
Turning back to Renata, a guttural sound rips from my chest. “What the fuck happened?” I ask and look around frantically. “Why am I awake and she’s—she’s…?”
“She’s alive,” Rowyn says and scoots forward. “It’s only been about five minutes. She wouldn’t let you… She couldn’t let you…”
She trails off, unable to say the words. I know what she means.
Renata wouldn’t let me die.
With a deep breath, I reach to run a hand down her hair, but notice the still bleeding cut. There are bloody handprints all over me, and each of their hands are bandaged too.
Gingerly, Rowyn leans forward and reaches for my palm. I let her have it and watch in silence as she cleans and wraps it.
“Thank you,” I say in a low, raw voice. “Not just for the bandage but for—” I wave my hand around the room “—all of it.”
“We’re a family,” Clementine says in a small voice from her sister’s side. “We protect each other.”
Pulling Renata into my lap, I nod and smile tiredly at her. “Still—I quite literally owe each of you my life. I don’t take that lightly.” My eyes drop down to her pale face. “ Neither will Renata.”
“We sacrificed Nestor,” Rowyn says in a rush. My eyes widen. “At least, I think that’s what happened.”
Looking around at the destroyed room, I ask, “What the fuck happened?”
“Barrett was here, then he wasn’t. Then you—you died,” Rowyn says, her panic growing as the adrenaline crashes. “Then Calista walked in, from Gods know where.”
“Calista was here?” I look around. “Why?”
Esme places a hand on Rowyn’s shoulder and says, “She came in and tried to steal your soul. Renata bartered with her. Technically, we didn’t trade your soul for anything. Renata ended the curse, cast by Calista, in exchange for Nestor’s soul.”
“I don’t understand,” I say, closing my eyes and shaking my head.
Sybil speaks next. “Renata outsmarted her, Archer. Apparently, Calista told you she would be seeing you soon, that you owed her a favor.” I nod. “Renata realized that your life was more important to her than your spirit. But Nestor’s life was what she always wanted.”
“Because he bound his soul to the inn,” I mutter, processing so many answers as quickly as I can. Everything I’ve learned in the last hour makes sense, but I’m still fitting most of the pieces into their spots. “All of the witches did.”
Esme says, “I don’t know how sheknewto come here though.”
My mind races, going back to my visit with her. When she placed her finger on my lips, I thought that was her way of compelling me. Itwasn’t. Her words were enough… That didn’t just feel like a brand. Itwasone.
“I think I do,” I say. “She’s been watching me since I left that island.”
I think she still is.
