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But his resolve wavered when he caught sight of the worry in Iris’ eyes. Even if they could wait to perform the spell, he wouldn’t let Iris’ fear hold her hostage for a moment longer.

Gabriel was right. They needed to take care of this now, whatever the cost.

“Ready?” Gabriel didn’t wait for a reply before pulling open the door, only to leap back in alarm. His shoulders lowered in immediate relief when he recognized their guest.

“Audrey?” Iris and Blair asked together.

She stood on the front stoop in her wool coat, her hands tugging nervously at her pink scarf. She looked nearly as exhausted as Gabriel. “Hey. Sorry to just show up like this.” Her voice was rougher than usual. “Can I come in?”

Gabriel ushered Audrey inside and locked the door behind her.

“I’m sorry we missed dinner last night,” said Iris, hugging her friend. Audrey’s returning hug looked as stiff as the one Blair had given his mother upon their tense reunion. “What’s wrong? Is it Evette?”

“Evette’s fine… Are you going somewhere?”

“Yes. And we’re in rather a hurry,” said Gabriel, jaw tight.

“I thought you were sick,” Audrey accused, raising her eyebrows at him. Before Gabriel could reply, she shook her head. “Never mind. Just please…don’t go.”

They stared at her in confusion. Iris’ heartbeat commingled with Blair’s own as the tension rose like a palpable energy around them.

“I’m sorry.” Audrey rubbed her temples, dropping into the chair across from the couch. “I know I sound crazy. But I was restless all night with these disturbing dreams. Jagged, blindingly bright shapes, and such visceral colors...”

Blair felt the blood drain from his face as she spoke. Iris knelt by her side, taking her friend’s hand as she listened intently.

“I’ve had similar dreams before,” Audrey confessed. “Remember my painting that I showed you at my Bachelorette party?”

Iris nodded, and Blair felt a flicker of annoyance. Iris should have told him that Audrey had shown her a strange or unsettling painting, after he’d shared his hypothesis that she was a seer.

“I can’t help feeling like something is wrong,” said Audrey.

“What does this have to do with us?” Gabriel asked, still hovering impatiently by the front door.

Audrey lifted her gaze to meet his. “I don’t know. I kept seeing your faces mixed in with the dreams. I know I sound insane. I realize that. But please…if you can stay home today, just today…”

Iris exchanged a look with Blair, then Gabriel, who slowly shook his head, his eyes flicking down to his watch.

“I’m sorry, Audrey, but we can’t,” said Iris apologetically.

“Can I at least know where you’re going?”

“New York.”

Audrey hesitated. “Can I come?”

“No.” Gabriel opened the door and stepped aside. “Thank you for your concern, Audrey, but we really must be going.”

She pressed her lips together but then nodded and stood. At the front door, she turned to Iris, her eyes hollow with anxiety. “Call me when you get home?”

Iris nodded. Audrey stared at her for a long, tense moment, before finally stepping through the open door.

Two blocks away from Obedience’s residence, Gabriel twisted the key in the car’s ignition, killing the engine. He swiveled around to face Iris and Blair in the backseat. Something twanged deep inside him, an odd blend of jealousy and tenderness, at the way Iris was curled up against Blair’s side with his arm wrapped protectively around her.

Gabriel hated that he was in a position where he was forced to put either of them in harm’s way. The thought of bringing Iris and Blair into the witch’s vile home was enough to make his stomach twist into viper-like knots.

“I’m going to go in first.” He angled his watch so he could read the dial, his hand brushing over the woven bracelet Iris had made him so long ago. “Clement should be here any minute. Once I text him, he’ll bring you up to the house.”

His eyes fixed on Iris’ for a moment. He wanted to pull her into his arms, to assure her that everything was going to be alright, but there wasn’t time. And, he thought as he pushed open the car door, she didn’t need him to comfort her. She had someone else to do that now.