Didi narrowed her eyes. “Such as?”
Barney lowered his brows, lost in thought for a moment. When he spoke, his voice was slow and measured.
“I wasn’t in Amberford when the Thornwicks were banished. I was dealing with family matters in Europe.” A muscle jumped in his jaw. “But I knew Cordelia Thornwick. We crossed paths at various supernatural functions over the years.”
It was clear from the vampire’s expression that he hadn’t exactly been friends with the witch.
“What was she like?” I asked cautiously.
“Ambitious. Calculating. The kind of witch who smiled at you while planning your downfall.” Barney’s frown deepened. “She was convinced her family had been cheated out of their rightful position. Her grandmother had contested the Lincoln matriarch forleadership of the Amberford covens decades earlier and lost. Cordelia never forgave that slight.”
“Sounds like she bore a serious grudge,” Samuel said quietly.
“An apt observation.” Barney’s mouth curved without humor. “She had a granddaughter. Esmeralda. Cordelia doted on that child. Used to parade her around at gatherings, boasting about how Esmeralda would one day lead not just the Thornwick coven, but all the covens in Amberford.”
“Do you know what happened to Cordelia?” Samuel asked. “After the exile?”
Barney shook his head. “For all intents and purposes, the family vanished completely. And no one has seen or heard from them in decades.” He paused, puzzlement creeping into his tone. “Which, given how thoroughly covens track magical signatures, is pretty remarkable.”
“What about the Marchefords?” Didi asked.
“They were simply pawns,” Barney said dismissively. “They weren’t the smartest of witch families to begin with and Cordelia manipulated them into participating in her scheme. When everything fell apart, they claimed ignorance and threw themselves on the mercy of the covens.”
I pondered this with a frown.
“The banned book and forbidden magic the Thornwicks used,” I said finally. “Could someone in Amberford be attempting to do the same thing again?”
Didi shot me a sharp look.
Barney stared. “Why do you ask?”
“Because of what we felt at the clinic on Maple Street,” I said quietly. “Didi said it was ancient magic.”
“Abby’s right,” Didi said, frowning. “I’ve never felt anything like it.”
Samuel’s unease hummed across the mate bond.
Gavin shuddered and Bo ate a cookie.
Barney’s expression had grown guarded once more.
“I can see why you would want to explore that as a possible avenue of investigation, but the tome the Thornwicks smuggled into Amberford isn’t one you would find lying around in any old bookstore,” he said carefully.
I blinked when I picked up on the subtle change in his smell.
“You know what the book was, don’t you?”
“Why would you think that?” Barney asked warily.
“Because your scent says you’re lying,” I said bluntly.
The surprised glance Samuel shot me told me he hadn’t picked up on the lie.
“I mean, anyone else, I would have said their pulse accelerated but you have, you know—” I trailed off with an awkward shrug.
“No pulse,” Gavin intervened helpfully.
“Thanks for the reminder.” Barney drummed his fingers on his armrest. “I thought I’d masked it quite well.” The vampire frowned. “Yes, I know what book they used. After all, my family has some rather unfortunate experience with such magic.”
