Jade stood up, waggling her eyebrows. “Can’t wait.”
I was so pumped for the shoot, for these women to see how amazing they looked in Full Moon Emporium’s line. Pulling out my phone, I jotted down a few notes for my next grocery order, making sure I had some snacks and drinks for when they came over. Then I scrolled through my photos of the collection, imagining which looks to try on the two witches in front of me. The idea of my shop opening again had giddy bubbles floating up and popping in my belly. As nervous as I was, sharing this new chapter of my business with the world excited me more.
A loud set of claps silenced the room.
“Good afternoon everyone, I know there’s been a lot of upheaval and rumors going around the last few weeks.” Ruby’s voice wavered a bit, but she cleared her throat and straightened her spine. “I’m here to reassure everyone that coven leadership is doing everything we can and cooperating with Archon Thorne and the team at SNO-OPS to keep our community safe.” Her gaze shifted to Atlas walking up from below the raised platform. “The Archon will say a few words and give an update.”
Of course. This was his new jurisdiction after all. Something I was trying to avoid stewing over, especially after our family outing. It was easier to think of him being around off and on. Temporarily. The reality that he’d be here for at least three years, likely more if Aspen and I stayed, terrified me. Having to keep him at arm’s length for a few hours was doable, but on a consistent basis?
It was too damn much.
He strolled up to the podium, confidence and power wafting off of him, almost sending everyone into a trance. He was enigmatic, and watching him speak in public, in his element, filled me with so much pride.
Unfortunately, it also had my Desire surging through my veins.
Goddess, I am truly fucked.
Shaking out my tingling fingertips, stray bolts streaked into a few witches standing around. They all exhaled ill-timed groans.
Oops.
“Thank you so much, coveness,” Atlas said, clearing his throat before addressing the room with his smooth tone. “While the Wellses have been taken into custody and confessed to the murder of Acacia Mirabel, we still do not have a motive or connection to the…” he paused for a moment, as if weighing how to finish the statement, “other disappearances.”
“Disappearances?” Forest Delta asked. “Have there been more than just Hazel and Hunter’s?”
The crowd began to murmur, but Atlas lifted his hand, silencing them.
“SNO-OPS received an anonymous tip regarding a series of odd disappearances within Celestial Haven. At first, we didn’t think much of it, but when we began to observe trends of people moving in and out of the neighborhood, Starry Night Lane stood out with its abnormally high residential turnover rate, considering it’d only been built eight years ago. The few leads we have are currently being investigated.”
“Are you saying that Hunter Astro is one of these disappearances?”
“We suspect so,” Atlas replied to the young witch at the back of the room. She looked familiar but lived farther down the lane, near Celestial Haven’s main drag. Her name was on the tip of my tongue…something that started with anS, maybe?
Laurel Pierce raised her hand. When Atlas called on her, she smiled, twirling some of her brunette strands while she spoke. “Will this cut into any of our Hallowed celebrations?”
All the rest of the Blessed Crescent families nodded, looking concerned. They’d probably been planning the events for months, already making new accommodations with Aurora gone.
Ruby walked over, nudging Atlas back from the mic. “No. All events and activities are still taking place as planned.”
He leaned over her into the mic, quickly adding, “Thank you for your understanding while we focus on keeping ourneighborhood safe.”
Our neighborhood.
Because this was his home now too.
“Are the other streets experiencing similar disturbances?” someone shouted from the other side of the room. The voice was feminine, but I couldn’t make out who had asked.
Ruby moved out of the way, granting Atlas full control of the mic. “We don’t believe so, but we’re looking into all possibilities.”
Orion Archer called out among the crowd. “Are we allowed to know who is currently on the list of suspects?”
“No,” Atlas said, taking a pause for the murmurs to quiet down again. “As this is an ongoing investigation, we will not be sharing any further details at this time. All we ask is that you work with our team and give them minimal push back as they try to locate Mr. Astro and solve this case.”
The gossip returned, whispers spreading like wildfire. Atlas cleared his throat, lifting a hand to command the room’s attention again. “If you have any information that could help with the case, please let me know so that I can relay it to those at headquarters. It would be much appreciated. Thank you for your time.”
Atlas walked away from the podium, coming down to pick up Aspen and nuzzle him nose to nose. The coven watched him in awe. Always the politician. He walked through the crowd, stopping to talk to various witches as he passed, waving to others with Aspen’s tiny fist, Hazel and I trailing behind him.
Once we were heading up the driveway, Atlas handed Aspen to me. Then he pulled Hazel and I close to whisper, “Agents Carver and Holt get back tomorrow and should be checking in to see about any other information on the case.” My heart caught in my throat, butterflies bursting to life in my belly. “Obviously, keeping their identities intact is of the utmost importance.”
