“What does it say?” Aidan glanced at me.
“We’re supposed to stay put.” My heart began to race. That couldn’t be a good sign.
Chapter Seven
My eyes focused on the four witches who stood in front of the other sixteen, blocking our way into their neighborhood. The place still wasn’t in sight, so they didn’t want us to get too close until they’d vetted us.
An unsettling feeling pulsed through me as I scanned our surroundings, looking for any sort of threat.
Are you okay? Aidan linked with me, and I noticed his body was even more tense. I didn’t see how that was possible.
“I’m not one to be paranoid around witches, but damn.” Beth shook her head.
“All right, I’m not waiting any longer.” It’d only been a few minutes, but even Samuel, who was usually happy-go-lucky, seemed concerned from where we sat. I wasn’t leaving it up to them to fend for us.
“Emma …” Aidan warned.
He didn’t like me risking myself, but that was something he would have to get over.
I opened the car door, climbed out, and slammed the door behind me.
Coral turned around and glared at me.
Yeah, she wanted me to go away, but I was done taking orders—at least for now.
Two car doors shut behind me. Aidan and Beth had also gotten out of the car. I wasn’t thrilled about that, but what could I do? They were following my lead.
Finally, we walked around the lead vehicle so the four witches came into view. Two women stood in the center.
The older one was to the left. She had long silver hair that reflected the moonlight. She also had crow’s feet around her eyes, but there was something youthful about her skin. Her silver eyes landed on me. “You brought wolves.”
I wasn’t sure if it was more of a statement or disgust.
“Beatrice lied to us.” The other woman jerked her head, making her black hair bounce. She was younger than the other witch, but not by much. Silver highlights streaked her hair, and Her black eyes turned to slits as she glowered at me.
“How so?” If they were trying to intimidate me, they’d need to try harder.
The two guys flanking the women scowled.
I blinked a few times, thinking I was seeing double. They had to be twins. The only difference was the one beside the darker-haired lady had longer mousy-brown hair than the other. They both crossed their arms, emphasizing how scrawny they were. They had to be in their mid-forties, and disgust filled their muddy-brown eyes. They looked down their noses at us.
I was pretty sure it was supposed to intimidate us, but it wasn’t working.
“She said only coven members were coming.” The older woman’s voice shook. “I knew something was up when she wouldn’t be specific.”
“I am a coven member.” After all, my mom had been a member of their coven, and my energy matched theirs. I had even been inducted into their coven as an official member.
The other lady scowled at me. “You’re a wolf.”
There was only one thing I could do, and I hoped it wasn’t a huge mistake. I made my way over to them, and Coral shook her head no.
The four of them stepped back.
Aidan linked with me, his anxiety clear through the bond. Emma, I’m not sure this is smart.
We don’t have time to hem and haw. We couldn’t be timid since time wasn’t on our side. The longer it took to find those girls, the more likely one of them could die.
“See, you are planning on attacking us,” the longer-haired guy said in a deep, raspy voice. He lifted his hands toward me. “I won’t hesitate to retaliate.”
“I’m not here to attack you.” I turned my back to them.
“No, Emma,” Samuel warned.
Ignoring him, I moved my hair to the side so the witches could see my mark.
“Is that …” The dark-haired witch stumbled toward me. “No.”
The older lady’s forehead wrinkled. “But you’re a wolf.”
“I’m a hybrid.” That was the first time I’d spoken those words out loud. Something inside me shifted as if a piece of me had locked into place … acceptance.
“That means …” The older lady placed a hand on her heart. “It really is happening.”
“It is.” Amethyst stepped beside me. “Mother didn’t lie. We’ve accepted the wolves as one of us,” she said, pointing to me, then Aidan, then Beth. “Aidan is her fated mate, and Beth is her best friend. We need support from both the wolves and witches if she is going to survive.”
The older lady nodded. “Fine. You’re welcome to stay here, but know we’re on high alert.”
“How come?” Aidan took my hand in his.
“There is a wolf roaming around our neighborhood.” She motioned to the houses. “That’s the reason why the sixteen of us were out here. We needed to screen you all to make sure you were from Beatrice’s clan and hadn’t been compromised by our enemies. It made us even more nervous when no one got out of the second vehicle at first. We thought it might have been The Hallowed Guild trying to sneak in, and we were worried you might be compromised.”
“No, we aren’t.” Amethyst nodded. “We were just protecting her. You never know when someone might switch sides.”
I’d never seen Amethyst like this before. She was always so warm and caring. For the first time, I saw her as the Priestess she was to become, and she was good.
“I understand all too well.” The older woman stepped aside with half the group following her, and the other woman stepped in the opposite direction with the rest of the group unblocking the road. “Please pull through. Stop at the first house on the left. That’s where our guests stay.”
“Okay.” Amethyst nodded back to the Suburbans. “Let’s go.”
Aidan, Beth, and I were soon back in the car.
Aidan turned his eyes on me as he started the engine. “What would you have done if they didn’t like what your birthmark represents?”
“Beatrice knew the woman.” I had to downplay the risk I’d taken.
“Thirty years ago.” Beth snorted. “I’m sure people can change in that time span.”
“Exactly,” Aidan growled, clearly not happy with me.
We pulled down the road, and after a quarter of a mile, the neighborhood finally appeared. It was smaller than Beatrice’s and only had about twenty houses. I was surprised at the difference.
The houses were well-kept cabins. Each house had a garden in front with various herbs and plants growing. The woods surrounded their subdivision, keeping them hidden.
Aidan pulled up behind Samuel in the driveway of the house they’d instructed us to go to. We all got out of our cars, and I surveyed the tree line, making sure nothing seemed odd.
People stared out their windows at us. Samuel, Coral, and Amethyst probably couldn’t see since the lights were off inside, but to my wolf eyes, they might as well have had their lights on.
Samuel followed my gaze. “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, but a lot of people are watching us.” It was strange, but I saw at least one person in each house.
“Well, covens aren’t known to be super welcoming of outsiders.” Coral cringed with annoyance. “So our presence has piqued their interest. How many are watching us?”