He grinned down at her and I wanted to pluck his eyeballs out with my bare fingers. “I’m ready.”
I growled but then the memory faded and I was right there in the snow watching him walk beside her. I balled my fists. I hated him then. I hate him now.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Saffie
“I can’t believe I let you talk me into this.”
It was late at night, near midnight, and the four of us were huddled under a tree in Salem Commons – the big park a few blocks over from my house. We’d spent the last hour convincing Cooper of what was probably a horribly dangerous idea and somehow he’d agreed to it. Now that we were here, I was more than a little nervous and the bitter cold temperature outside was not helping me calm down.
“We don’t want to fight one, Cooper.” Savannah drawled and batted her long black eyelashes at him. “We just want to watch you kill one.”
He gave her a blank stare. “Civilians don’t lure demons into traps.”
“But you’re in The Coven. Which is why you’re luring it.” Gigi wagged her eyebrows.
“I am so going to regret this.” Cooper put his hands on his hips and sighed. He looked to us with stern green eyes. “Fine, but there are rules. First, no helping. Second, no helping. Third, no helping.”
I giggled and covered my mouth with my hands.
Gigi narrowed her brown eyes and pursed her lips, making her lip ring catch the moonlight and glisten. “Question, are there any demons that are afraid of penguins?”
Cooper did a double take. “What?”
“Ya know…” Gigi twirled the blonde ends of her hair around her fingers. “Like mummies are afraid of cats.”
“Well, that’s a movie. And no, sorry, I don’t think so.”
Gigi threw her hands up in the air. “See, exactly why we need this. I have to know how to kill a demon in my human form otherwise seafood is on the menu.”
Savannah tied her long black and turquoise hair in a knot on her head. “Yeah, and poetry slams aren’t as aggressive as they sound.”
I snorted. “I’m sure you can write some kind of poem spell for killing demons.”
“Well they don’t call me Savage Savannah for no reason.”
Gigi rolled her eyes. “You call yourself that, no one else.”
“Hey, didn’t I have to carry you while trying to run from evil spirits last night?”
“Remind me to never introduce you to my sister.” Cooper shook his head. “She loves a good bad influence.”
Savannah threw her hand up. “Oh, that’s me!”
Gigi’s eyes went wide with excitement. “I can do that, too.”
I turned to him. “Is your sister in The Coven, too?”
Savannah scoffed. “All the Bishops are in The Coven. Y’all make up half of it, don’t ya?”
“Almost, yeah.” Cooper chuckled then looked to me. “My father, mother, uncle, two sisters, and little brother are all Coven members.”
My jaw dropped. “Why? I mean…how?”
He shrugged. “There is always at least one Bishop in The Coven because we’re one of the founding bloodlines of the species.”
Like Elizabeth Bishop? I wanted to ask him but I was also terrified to. Savannah and Gigi were awesome and always super supportive…but there was just something about that medium reading that made my skin crawl. I’d have to get Cooper alone then I could ask him. And then I’d ask him how he ended up in my dream.
“You okay, Saffie?”
I shook myself and looked up to find him watching me. I cleared my throat. “I was just thinking…could your sister help her with a poem for fighting demons?”
“My sister can do literally anything, especially if she thinks it’ll annoy me.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know, she gets some kind of twisted joy out of it.”
I snorted. “No, I meant why can she do literally anything?”
“OH.” He threw his head back and laughed. “That’s a long story, but she’s the single most powerful witch that’s lived in like a millennia.”
Savannah gasped. “Oh my Goddess, I need to meet her.”
“Yeah, that’s what I’m worried about.” Cooper’s lips quivered like he was trying not to smile and failed. “You have to be careful with her or you’ll bite off way more than you can chew – but wait, what am I saying? We can ask Bettina. She’s just as brilliant as my sister but lacks that twisted that might get you killed on accident thing.”
Savannah bounced. “Who’s Bettina? Can she really help me with a poem?”
“That’s her gift, she can create new spells for anything she wants.” He laughed deep in his gut. “Even turned our friend into Poison Ivy.”
“Oh my God, can we call her right now?”
“Yeah, because he’s stalling.” Gigi narrowed her eyes on him. “You don’t know, we’re stubborn like basset hounds. We won’t forget.”
Savannah crossed her arms over her chest. “Yeah, and we already ate so that’s the only thing that could’ve derailed us.”
Cooper sighed. “Fine. Let’s get this over with. But I was serious about the rules, all right?”
My stomach tightened. Here we go. “What are the rules for real?”
“Don’t help me.” He held his hands up to stop us from speaking. “We’re doing this to show you. You need to watch. Gigi, I know your king well. He would literally eat me.”
“Nahhh.” She grinned. “But he’d make Silas eat you.”
Cooper opened his mouth then shut it and shuddered. “You’re right. This is a terrible idea.”
“Who’s Silas?”
“A massive dragon.”
“A sexy as sin dragon.”
Cooper frowned. “I feel like Silas would be offended by the title sexy as sin—"
“Um…guys? Can we focus on the demon killing plan?” I glanced around me even though there was nothing in sight and no one out. “Before one finds us standing here joking around?”
Cooper sighed. “She’s right. Okay, so here’s what we’re going to do…Saffie is going to use her magic on this tree and that will lure the demon to us. Once it gets here, the three of you are to stand right here. I’m serious, do not engage. All right?”
“You got it.”
“No problem from me.”
I raised my hand. “Um, why me? I mean, you’re more powerful wouldn’t your magic be stronger for luring it?”
He arched one eyebrow at me. “Do you want to lure one demon or a whole flock of them?”
My stomach turned. “Right. So this tree here?”
He nodded. “Just like you did at Coven Headquarters earlier.”
Right. I can do this. No big deal. I stepped up to the tree beside me that had lost all its color and leaves to winter and pressed my palm flat to the bark. We’re just summoning a demon. Because I’m a witch and that’s just what witches do. I pictured my magic flowing out of my palms, just like Cooper had taught me a few hours ago, and then I felt it tingle in my gut. It buzzed up my spine and down into my arm. I took a deep breath and pushed.