Page 47
I followed his instructions. I inhaled. I exhaled. It almost worked.
“Tell me exactly what Callie wrote in the group chat.”
I read him the texts, then said: “What do I do?”
“Don’t contradict Kai in the chat. Kai will probably see it. If he’s already watched her unlock her phone, then he only needs a few more minutes alone to take screenshots and email it to the coven.”
I saw all of it play out, too vividly. I began to pace across the rug. “But he says he wants her to sign up for another retreat.”
“I know. But the next retreat is five weeks out. The coven will let Kai work her gently for a week before they tighten. They’ll want her to feel like she chose it. That gives us a window. Don’t try to close that window today by scaring her.”
“So what do I do?”
“Send a heart and tell her it was probably a misunderstanding. Tell her you were feeling a little off because you were kind of overwhelmed…something vague.”
“Okay,” I said.
He paused, probably hearing the weakness in my voice. “Don’t panic. Just stay warm in the chat. Be the friend she expects you to be. If she feels you withdrawing, she’ll go to Kai for the comfort. Kai will tell her you’ve been weird since the retreat, and she’ll believe him. The same goes for Jess and Priya. Don’t get drawn into a side conversation about what Kai said.”
“Damian, that’s a lot.”
“I know it’s the hardest thing I can ask you to do…watch Callie get strung along like that. But the only thing keeping you and your friends safe is the appearance that nothing is happening.”
Still pacing as I listened to him, I remembered the nightmare from the night before: the lace I couldn’t decide was made of seaweed or cotton, webbing my hands to my sides. I felt just as trapped now.
“How can this be happening?”
“Listen to me. This is not forever. I just need some time to set things up. There’s someone I want you to meet. She’s going to help us. I know you have no reason to trust me—”
“And yet somehow I do,” I said mournfully.
“Are you free tonight?”
“Yes,” I said immediately. Too immediately. “After six-thirty.”
“We should go on a date.”
“A coven date?”
“Unfortunately, yes.”
“And they’ll be watching.”
“Yes. But we’ll be able to talk. We just have to stay discreet.”
“You can’t just…come over?”
“We need to be seen together. And it’s probably not a good idea to be alone with you. I don’t think I could—”
He cut himself off. There was a pause where my stomach fluttered. Heat pooled right under my jaw. I decided not to torture him by asking him to finish his sentence.
“I understand,” I said.
“There’s something else we should do.”
“What?”
“Go to the beach.”
