Gemma is very purposefully staring at the final unturned card when we separate fully. “Is it safe to assume the whole turning-people-into-puppets thing had more to do with the creepy stereotype than the banishment of your goddesses?”
I look to Morgan, letting her answer. She shrugs. “Maybe a little. But that’s still a shitty reason not to ask for our help. Especially when things are this bad.” She shudders, and her stomach lets out a loud groan.
“Hungry?” Gemma asks. “I can grab some snacks.”
“You don’t have to—” Morgan starts, but Gemma is out the bedroom door before she finishes. Morgan sighs and wraps her arms around me again. “Ask me to come with you.”
The whispered words play against my skin, and they simultaneously worry and warm me. I lean into her touch. “I don’t want you getting hurt because of me. None of this is safe.”
“I’m a Blood Witch, Hannah.” Her voice is whisper soft, and I’m suddenly very aware of her warmth against my back. “I heal pretty quickly.”
“I don’t want to lose you.”
“You won’t.” She presses a kiss to my cheek. “Ask me.”
I bite my lip, worried despite her reassurances. But when I turn to meet her gaze, there’s no hesitation. “Will you come with me to New York?”
She answers with a kiss. It’s soft at first, sweet, but quickly becomes desperate and wanting, and when she threads her fingers into my hair, I forget how to breathe.
“All I could find was some white cheddar pop—” Gemma cuts off when she sees us, and her voice springs Morgan and meapart. “Popcorn,” she finishes, the bag dangling from her fingers. “Should I come back later?”
“No, sorry.” I stand and take the bag from her, tossing a handful of popcorn in my mouth. “Should we finish the tarot reading?” I don’t particularly want to know what other bad news the cards have in store for me, but it’s the least I can do for turning my best friend’s room into a make-out spot.
“Next time you want to sexile me, just put a hair tie on the door.”
“Gemma,” I groan, even though we fully deserve her teasing. “We’ll keep our hands to ourselves. Promise.”
“If you say so.” She takes her seat and lets out a slow breath before turning the final card. A naked figure leans over a pool of water. They hold a jug in each hand, pouring liquid into the pool and onto the ground. The script at the bottom of the card saysThe Star.
“What does that one mean?” It doesn’t look too bad, but something about it pricks at my subconscious.
“I don’t know. Normally it gives me really good vibes.” Gemma picks up the piece of amethyst and holds it tight. “It’s weird, but it doesn’t feel connected to your trip tomorrow. Is it possible you were thinking about something else?”
“Maybe?” I try to remember what was in my head while Gemma shuffled, besides kissing Morgan. There was the trip tomorrow, I know I managed to think about that at least a little, and I was worried about my mom’s old coven, and—
Understanding hits me with the force of a raging thunderstorm. Zoë. The drugged coven. The woman pouring something into a pool of water. My heart speeds in my chest, and I scramble away from the cards. It can’t be. They’re justcards. How could theypossibly know anything about what happened to my family?
“Hannah, what’s wrong?” Morgan stops my backward retreat.
“I know how they did it.” I spin to face her. “I know this sounds ridiculous, but I can feel it. I know how the Hunters drugged the coven.”
Morgan glances past me at the spread of tarot cards. “How?”
“They put the drug in thewater.” I pull out my phone and dial Archer. There could be a hundred other explanations, but this is the first one that makes any kind of sense, even if the inspiration doesn’t. The detective answers on the third ring. “We need to talk.”
7
THE CALL WITH ARCHERsets off a string of dominos. Archer promises to look into my theory about the drugged water, and within ten minutes, Mom is calling to bring me home.
She’s been in full-onOperation Never Leave Salemmode ever since.
“I don’t want you to go,” Mom says Saturday morning, for what must be the hundredth time. She’s standing in my doorway with her arms crossed firmly against her chest. “You’re safer here behind the barrier.”
“Elder Keating wants me to do this. You can’t force me to stay home.” Mom never stands up to Lady Ariana, but suddenly she’s willing to go against an Elder?
Mom’s lips press into a thin line. “I realize that, Han. But Elder Keatingalsosaid it wasyourchoice. Which means if you back out—”
“I’m not backing out, Mom. It’s just a quick trip to New York. I’ll be back tomorrow.” I add an extra pair of socks to my bag and zip it tight. “Archer will be with me the whole time. Besides, if I don’t do this, the Council might not be able to destroy the drug before I have to testify in court.”
