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Its massive head hovered in front of me, shining ivory fangs on either side of her wide jaw. I shivered and forced myself to stay still. The mother didn’t like weakness.

You are a brave one. I did wonder if you were as stubborn as your sister and…Her forked tongue slid out again and she tasted the air. I see that you are.

“Thank you, Mother.”

I wouldn’t congratulate yourself quite yet, witch. You may be stubborn, but to pass this task, you will need to be cunning and clever, and you will need courage. You will need to prove to me that coven Thornheart should keep my gifts.

“I will, Mother. I will do anything you ask of me.”

You must complete the task I give you by the time the vines meet. If you fail, you will be unworthy of trial, and gifts past will be returned to the mother. If you complete your task yet fail to win your trial, again, your coven’s gifts will be returned to the mother.

Apparently, the mother referred to herself in the third person. “I understand,” I said.

Her enormous head moved to the side, and her huge glossy black eyes slid over the side of my face.

You know betrayal.

“Yes.”

Then you know how rare loyalty is.

“I do.”

It is a quality I admire.

Her eyes flashed, then her head reared back, and she struck. It was so incredibly fast I didn’t see it coming. Her fangs sank into my upper thigh, her venom instantly pumping into my veins. She widened her mouth, sliding her fangs free of my flesh, and even though I knew this was part of the deal, I stared up at her in shock.

Nia barked in the distance but didn’t leave her spot at the tree line. Probably because I was still standing, though I didn’t think I would be for much longer.

The serpent’s head came close again, its head tilting to the side, then she leaned in—and for one horrifying moment, I thought she was going to bite my face as well. Instead, her forked tongue danced over the black, dead skin on my cheek.

I stood frozen, not by choice but because my limbs were paralyzed as she whispered words I couldn’t understand.

Somehow, I remained standing as she spun and finally slithered away. My legs gave out a second later. I collapsed onto the ground, my limp body cushioned by the damp grass, leaving me prone and naked on the ground.

Nia exploded from the trees, tearing across the clearing.

Iris get up. Demons. They come.

I couldn’t move.

And as the seconds ticked by, darkness began to creep in at the corners of my eyes.

Nia pawed at the ground and jumped around me, nudging me, trying to tell me to stand, but I couldn’t hear her anymore, my head only buzzed, static filling my mind.

The shadows moved in the distance, among the trees.

No, not shadows.

Demons.

They were creeping slowly toward us, curiosity drawing them closer, and I was in no condition to call on my animal magic to play wolf in the hopes of scaring them away.

They came faster now, sensing an easy target.

I was dead.

I wouldn’t make it out of here alive, and my family, my coven, were going to suffer for it.