“She’s sleeping.” She looked at Patrice, her jaw tightening. “Chaos is hovering over her like a gargoyle. I don’t think he’s going to move until she wakes.”
“Go lie down, Mom.” I took the kettle from her hands. “You deserve some rest.”
“I…” She looked from me to Ember, and back to me before nodding. “Just for a minute. Wake me up when it’s time to mend the veil.”
“Will do.” I filled the kettle and set it on the stove to boil.
Mom shuffled down the hall, and Patrice sank into a chair at the table, Miles and Shade flanking her.
Ember sat across from Patrice, her fists tight. “You’ve got a lot of explaining to do. And I mean everything. From the second you decided to get involved.”
I slipped my hand into Discord’s, and he nodded, understanding the assignment. Thanks to Hecate’s magical waterfall, I had plenty of vim to force the truth out of her. My persuasion magic mixed with Discord’s, warming me and lighting my nerves ablaze as we focused our intent on Patrice.
“Tell us the truth,” I said. “Tell us everything.”
Patrice looked up, her eyes red and swollen. “I never meant for anyone to die. I just thought…” She sighed heavily as our magic took hold. “I thought if I could give the demons back their power, their amulet, they’d be grateful. That they’d see we weren't like Isabel, and they’d willingly break the curse.”
“Instead, you gave a ticking timebomb to an elemental witch,” Ember snapped. “Why? Because you weren’t powerful enough to wield it yourself?”
Another sob rolled up from Patrice’s throat, and Mayhem rested his hands on Ember’s shoulders, calming her instantly.
“Start from the beginning.” I sank onto a stool at the counter. “How did you know we were summoning demons?”
“Chrys…” She clasped her hands on the table. “That night, when we were supposed to go to the concert, Chrys and I followed you instead.”
I arched a brow. “All the way to Hingam?”
Patrice shrugged. “She was worried about you, and rightfully so. We watched you summon a demon, vanquish him, and then disappear yourself.”
Ember cut her gaze to me. “Which you should never have done alone.”
“I know.” I lifted a hand in surrender. Boy, did I ever know. “Continue, Patrice. What happened after I disappeared?”
She inhaled a shaky breath. “I knew what you had done. I’d read Isabel’s instructions on what to do if the Hollands ever found the demons, so I followed her orders. I knew I couldn’t summon the other demons myself because they’d kill me on the spot, so I convinced Chrys to do it. I gave her the pieces of the amulet so she could handle them, but I didn’t know another shard was missing. I didn’t know it would affect her mind like that.”
I drummed my fingers on the counter, holding her gaze until she looked away. She was telling the truth. She truly had no idea what would happen, but it didn’t change anything. It did happen, and no one could undo it.
“Why didn’t you come to us?” Ember asked. “Ash and I…you should have told us right away.”
She drew her shoulders toward her ears. “I was afraid that if you knew my lineage, you’d banish me. I love Salem and this coven, and I don’t have a dark bone in my body. I just couldn’t… I wanted to help you. That’s all I was trying to do. Please believe me.”
“She speaks the truth,” Discord said.
Ember’s eyes tightened at the corners. “I’m not sure I buy it.”
“No, really.” I rose and turned off the stove. “Discord and I have this thing we do. She literally could not lie just then.”
Ember chuckled and nodded. “Your magic countering his?”
“How’d you know? Tea, anyone?”
They all shook their heads, so I returned the kettle to the stove.
Ember patted Mayhem’s hand. “It’s part of the bond, I suppose. We do it too.”
“Does Adrian know who you are?” Mayhem tightened his grip on Ember’s shoulders. “When he trapped you and brought you here, was that just a ploy to get us outside?”
“No!” Patrice shook her head adamantly, and I slipped my hand into Discord’s, activating our truth magic again. “One of my ancestors broke the cycle. She moved away and changed her name, and we’ve been light witches ever since. My mom moved us back to our roots, and when Ash survived and became an adult, I truly thought the curse was broken. I didn’t understand the reality until I saw you summon Discord.”
