Willow sighed. She put her hand on the shoulder of the little boy who looked very similar to her. “I’m all for punishing Ryan for doing something so stupid…but that?”
“It wouldn’t do us much good, either.” Chutney leaned over the couch and ruffled the dark brown curls on the other little boy’s head. “Sean is brazen, but he’s not a soldier.”
Ah, these are their siblings.
I looked to the fourth child, the little girl with her hair braided to one side. She was sobbing and would not look up from the ground. And then I remembered ghost-Libby’s plea about her sister trying to summon her and it all clicked. All she wanted was to talk to her sister. This wasn’t the time or place to offer it, but I made a mental note to help her talk to Libby in a safe way.
“Guys.” Tenn cursed and pushed his long black hair back off his face. He didn’t take his eyes off the children even once and I knew it was for intimidation. “Riah, I’m not saying I disagree but we don’t use children as bait. There has to be a better plan than that.”
“But Riah’s got a point – not about the kids. They’re useless and can’t be trusted.” Tegan turned and the look on her face was unnervingly devious. “He’s going to come back. He wants a witch to possess, so let’s give him one.”
“WHAT?”
“Tegan. No.”
“No, no, are you crazy?”
“Of course she’s crazy! No way!”
“TEGAN.”
Tegan held her hand up and her crystal crown appeared perched on her head. “Coven Leader, remember?”
Constance snorted from the kitchen. “You tell ‘em, girl.”
Tennessee finally looked to her and narrowed his eyes. “Babe?”
“I’d like to remind you all that thanks to me we all survived this shadow monster last time, mmkay?” She glared at everyone. “I know you’re all a little butthurt about that still, but we don’t have time for those emotions right now. He’s back. He’s here. He was somehow connected to Joseph. We thought we killed him. We didn’t. I wasn’t able to explain my plan last time but we’re all here right now together.”
Tennessee nodded and put his hands on his hips. “You’re right. We know that. You know that. So what is your plan this time?”
“He’s working with Lilith. I know that from my time spent with him. Henley knows that too. Last time I was able to learn from him for their plans, and if I hadn’t we wouldn’t have known to close the Gap in Hidden Kingdom by the First Quarter moon, remember? He won’t fall for my tricks like before, so we have to try new tricks. Riah is thinking like I am. He wants a witch to possess. If we decide who that will be, then we control the situation. We set a trap and then we’ll get our answers as to how he’s getting here and what the plan is.”
The room exploded into pandemonium. Everyone was yelling and groaning. It was panic and I couldn’t blame them. What she was suggesting was crazy…and brilliant.
“Y’all, come on.” Tegan wiggled her fingers and rainbow magic filled her palms. She grinned and it sent a chill down my spine. “I can do this. I’m not the same witch I was back then.”
Henley spun away from the glass wall and crossed her arms over her chest. “No, and I’m not either. Which is why it’s going to be me.”
Chapter Forty-Eight
Saffie
“HENLEY!” Royce shrieked in a high-pitched voice, his face pale. “Are you joking? Take that back right now!”
Deacon’s eyes widened and his face flushed. He opened his mouth and I knew he was going to scream, but then he slammed his mouth shut and balled his hands into fists.
Everyone else froze.
Tegan smiled and nodded at her and I could practically see the plans forming in her head.
Tennessee spun and stomped toward us, then stopped in front of Kessler. “Dad, Uncle Tim, Constance, can you three…handle them? I don’t know how to handle children right now. Please?”
Timothy and Constance were both former Coven Leaders so they were definitely experienced in this kind of thing. And by the small smiles on their faces I suspected they liked being asked for help. They both crossed the kitchen without hesitation.
“Of course, Son. We’ve got this. You deal with crazy.” Kessler squeezed his shoulder and stepped around him. “All right, you four and your parents? Come with us for a chat.”
The parents had their young children up and hurrying across the living room in the blink of an eye. Constance led the way toward the front door like a mother duck. Kessler waited until the last of them passed before he turned to follow. Timothy started to go but Tennessee reached out and snagged him by the sleeve.
“Don’t go far,” Tennessee growled between clenched teeth.
Timothy nodded. “We’ll be right out the front door.” Then he turned and I saw a wide grin on his face.
Tennessee scrubbed his face and then turned back to Tegan and Henley. “Henley, we can’t ask you to do this—”
“Good thing you didn’t then.” She arched one perfectly shaped black eyebrow. “I volunteered. I’m not letting anyone else even think about it.”
“Boss. NO. You can’t allow this!” Royce flapped his arms around and paced the living room. “No. No way. Last time it took you to another dimension, Henley! You went to a demonic realm. NO.”
“Exactly, baby brother,” she said softly. “I’m already scarred from this. I already have trauma and baggage…I can’t let someone else go down this rabbit hole like I did. I know how it thinks. I know what it’ll do and how it’ll treat me. It won’t hurt me, not while it still needs me.”
“And we’ll have you out by then.”
“How, Tegan? HOW?” Royce spit as he screamed.
Hunter hurried over and wrapped his arm around Royce’s shoulders, golden light pouring over his body. He just stayed like that. “I am not Coven Leader, nor am I trying to overstep. But please, for all our sanity, can you talk us through your plan for keeping her safe? For getting it out?”
“No, she can’t.” Henley shook her head. She glanced around to all of us and must have seen the tension in our eyes. “He hears more than you realize.”
“I have a spell on the house right now. Only those inside can hear what’s being said.” Tegan turned to me. “Saffie, Riah…either of you sense him in here with us?”
I frowned and pushed out with my magic. I didn’t feel anything but this was a demon not the dead.
“No, there are no demons within these walls.”
“I didn’t feel any either.” Tegan snapped her fingers and her Book of Shadows shot across the room to her open hand. “There’s a Gap in the Old Lands, remember? The one we recently learned about?”
My stomach turned. Did I know that? I don’t feel like I knew that.
“Chutney?”
She shook her head and her dark curls bounced. “The animals know a general vicinity but they steer far away from it. Lonan suspects it is moving, which isn’t comforting.”