Jane laughs, a sharp bark of sound. “Like you know anything about what Emberwood’s been going through. You’ve been here for what… four weeks?”
“Exactly my point! I was too busy having my mind wiped and being exiled by my coven to have anything to do with the destabilization of Emberwood’s magical ecosystem.”
"Enough." Laurel's voice carries command, that authority she wears like armor. “What I posted is the truth, as the other covens need to understand it.”
“But it’snotthe truth.” I move to round the table, and Asher's hand brushes my elbow, tugging me back. I shake him off and continue forward. “You lied at my expense.”
Laurel's chin lifts. “I stated facts. Your presence, your actions, your veryexistencehas destabilized the power and peace Emberwood has known for generations. That is not a lie, Poppy. That is reality."
The laugh that escapes me sounds wrong, too dark. “Do you really want to talk about reality? The reality is you betrayed the witches in your coven for power. You covered up the fact that your actions resulted in the deaths of five people. And then you kidnapped me and my sisters, so no one could connect the dots.”
The temperature in the room plummets and at the same time, the magical energy in the room builds. The hair on my arms stands on end, and I brace myself for Laurel’s attack.
The witches sitting at the table exchange loaded glances. I bet when they arrived at this meeting, they weren’t expecting this kind of magical drama.
Oh well. Sucks to be them.
“Poppy.” Wylder's voice startles me, but not enough that I take my eyes off Laurel. “This won’t help. You need to calm down.”
“Fine, I’ll calm down as soon as she tells me what the hell she did with my sisters. Where are they, Laurel? What don’t you want me to find out?”
The pressure in the air shifts.
The magical energy all around us arcs.
Wylder moves before I can process what's happening, his arm hooking around my waist as Laurel's arms come up and I’m hit with a blast of energy. The repulsion spell hits like a wall of solid force, shoving me and everyone with me back into the hallway with brutal efficiency.
“And stay out!” Laurel's voice rings with finality.
The door slams shut with a force that blows my hair back from my face. Wylder grips me by the shoulders and pins me to the wall. “Enough, Poppy. Take a breath.”
I fight his hold, and a moment later, the world pivots.
“This isn't over!” I spit the words over Wylder's shoulder as he hauls me like a sack of particularly angry potatoes toward the door.
Being manhandled wars with the passionate fury still burning through my veins, but the moment the cool evening air hits my face, my fire seems to extinguish.
The violent darkness dissolves, leaving me drained and a little bewildered. “Okay, so that happened.”
The worry in Wylder’s gaze is too much, so I turn to Asher. He looks even more panicked.
“What? She totally deserved that. What’s the problem? No blood was shed.”
Asher blinks. “Baby girl, I’ve seen you lose your shit more times than I can count. It’s always a kick, and I’ve always got your back, but that was next level.”
“Well, she really pissed me off.”
“I get that, but it’s not like you to get unhinged.”
Rowan has shadows gathering at her fingertips like she's ready to fight something, but doesn't know what. “It was scary, girlfriend.”
“We’re just worried about you, Hallowind.” Wylder’s words are quiet, his expression softened. “It was like you were possessed. And given what happened two days ago…”
With the fury drained, exhaustion rushes in its wake. And underneath that creeps a niggling unease. The darkness in me thrums smugly in the recesses of my mind. It took hold of me, and I liked it.
And what’s worse? ItknowsI liked it.
I blow out a breath. “Can we just go?”
