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Smoke puffs from Ezra’s ears, but he does it. “Let it go, Sirena.”
Sirena backs off. “Very well, Stormscale.”
Charity takes the hand I hold out. Her fingers tremble in mine when I help her up. “Thank you,” she whispers.
“Yes, thank her,” Ezra says, “but sleep with one eye open.”
Angie rounds on Ezra. “You set anything on fire in Wintermoon and I’ll break your wings.”
He stares her down without a word. Charity slips past them and bolts out the door.
Angie steps up to Sirena and pulls a small potion vial out of her apron pocket, the same one I saw her brewing in the Conjuring Hall. The liquid inside glows a faint blue-gold against her fingers. Even from here, I can smell it. “What did I tell you about biting people?” she asks.
Sirena snaps her teeth. “You want to play?”
“Keep this shit up and I’m going to,” Angie fires back.
She hurls the vial. When Sirena claps her hands, the noise explodes through the restroom worse than the Wintermoon alarm. Pain stabs at my ears. I cover them along with everyone else. Over the sink, the mirror rattles against the wall. The little bottle bounces off Sirena and shatters on the floor. Glass and blue-gold liquid spray across Angie’s shoes.
The potion works fast. Her lips pull together and seal over until nothing’s left but a faint line in her skin. I touch my mouth to make sure mine’s still there. She slaps at the spot and stomps her foot. Every curse she tries turns into a grunt. Her scent spikes sharp and hot when she jabs a finger at Sirena.
“Finally, the witch is quiet,” Sirena says.
That pisses Angie off even more. She throws her hands up and yells.
Claude bites back a laugh. “Let me go find Jacob,” she says, and ducks out.
My wolf thinks this is hilarious. I keep my face straight and turn to Sirena. “How did you do that? Angie’s a Blackwood witch.”
“I know,” Sirena replies. “My pod has had many dealings with the Blackwood coven. We were gifted with magic in exchange for protecting some assets they have—spellbooks spread across the four corners of the earth. We are to return the books once we encounter a Blackwood witch.”
She flicks her fingers toward Angie, who’s throwing a full-on tantrum by the stalls with her arms slicing the air. “But this one is abrasive.”
“So you have magic?” I ask.
“No. It is a shield gifted by the Blackwood coven against Aya Bailey. We repel most magic, that is all.”
I stiffen at Aya Bailey’s name. She’s the original Aya, the witch my mother named me after. No matter who says it, I end up with my hands in fists. My wolf presses close until I uncurl them.
Jacob bursts through the door and goes straight to Angie. My wolf still perks up at her old alpha’s scent. Sirena watches with a frown. “I do not understand this pairing. A witch and a wolf shifter.”
I peek at Ezra. He shrugs and winces when it pulls at his healing wing.
Jacob tips Angie’s chin up to check her sealed mouth. “Baby, did one of your spells backfire on you again?”
Angie tries to call Sirena a bitch. It’s all muffled, but we get the message when she drags a finger across her throat.
“Don’t worry, honey, it will wear off in a day. It always does.” Jacob scoops Angie up and tosses her over his shoulder. She keeps cursing him out through her nose while she pounds his back and kicks her legs.
He turns to Ezra. “Good luck, young alpha.” He adjusts his grip on Angie and carries her toward the door. “Maybe I should ask King Amir to help me this time,” he mutters.
Claude comes back with Tyrion right behind her. “Ezra, Aya, go home,” she says. “We’ll take over from here and meet at Ash Clan in the morning.”
“Tyrion, can you walk her back to the lake before dark?” I ask. “I’m not trying to have her brothers come looking for her.”
Sirena lays a hand over her heart for Tyrion. “It would be an honor.” Then she faces Ezra. “My offer to drown the witch still stands.”
Ezra’s eyes glow at that, and I know he’s going to take her up on it. I grab his arm and drag him out the door with Claude’s laughter chasing us down the hall.
