“They do a lot more than kill marked witches.” Finn scowled at him. “So I’m sorry if I’m not jumping up and down to trust you.”
“Just shut it down for a second, Finn.” Amethyst’s voice was cold and very uncharacteristic of her. She stood and headed straight to me. “Are you marked?”
“Uh … yeah.” I was a little uncomfortable with the look in her eye as she approached me. “Or we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”
“Can I see it?” She scanned me like she was expecting it to be obvious.
“Yeah, okay.” I had grown self-conscious about the mark given how everyone reacted when they saw it. Now I knew the perfectly shaped star was there for a very specific reason. I moved my hair aside and turned so she could see behind my ear.
“Holy shit.” Her small, warm fingers traced the edges of the star. “It’s the pentagram.”
“Wait… that isn’t possible.” Finn stepped over next to her and blinked a few times. He gasped as he took in the mark. “How the hell?”
“Does the star mean something to you?” Aidan’s jaw clenched, and he turned around to glance out the window. “We need to get moving before they track us. It’s essential to be as far away from here as possible.”
He was right. “Can you help us?”
“Hell yeah, we can.” Samuel headed to the stairs. “Let me grab some things, and we’ll move out.”
“No, I don’t want to disrupt your lives.” I’d only hoped for some insight. I hadn’t meant for them to come with us.
“You don’t understand.” Amethyst’s usual warm demeanor slid back into place. “It’s our honor to help. We’ve been waiting for you.”
There was another damn thing I didn’t know. I didn’t feel like I was even the same person. “What do you mean?”
Amethyst touched my arm as if to offer me support. “Do you remember my comment about the witches one day having an all-women council?”
“Please don’t say it involves me.” I didn’t think I could take on anything else.
“Well, then, this conversation is about to get awkward really quickly.” Coral looked at Beth. “I’ll go pack some things. You two better hurry and get your stuff. We need to be on the road in twenty minutes.”
“Wait… what’s the plan?” I felt bad. It was like I’d uprooted six other lives in the span of a few hours.
“We’re taking you to our coven.” Finn narrowed his eyes. “Maybe he should stay behind.”
Aidan growled.
“If he doesn’t come, neither do I.” He was the most important person to me. There was no way I could get through this without him. Okay, that wasn’t true. The truth was I didn’t want to do it without him.
“Of course.” Finn huffed and lowered his head. “Be glad we need you.” He turned his back toward me and went up the stairs.
“Let’s roll.” Beth stood and made her way to the door. “If Bradley acted that poorly in the restaurant, there’s no way in hell I want to see him completely unhinged.”
“Yeah, he tends to act without thinking.” Aidan’s jaw clenched. “Let’s go. We can run by a store to get more clothes and toiletries tomorrow.”
Coral gave him a thumbs up. “That sounds good. There is a Walmart close by that we can take you to. Go ahead and get in the car.” Coral called over her shoulder. “We won’t be long.”
Beth, Aidan, and I rushed out the door. We had to get out of here before we got caught.
Aidan
It was hard being around the three witches though they were nice. However, Finn brought out the worst in me. The only reason I behaved was because my mate liked and trusted them.
I’d been raised to hate them. It was hammered into our heads how evil they were. They represented overvalued women who seduced males with their feminine wiles. But they also said the same thing about Emma, and it wasn’t even close to the truth.
For her, I would have to trust them, and if it went south, I’d fight like hell to protect her.
Emma
Two hours later, we were pulling onto another backroad in what could only be described as the boondocks.
“At least, we can go for a run.” Beth yawned in the backseat. “It’s been forever since I’ve shifted.”
Ever since we’d started college over a month ago, I hadn’t shifted either. My wolf was getting restless, too. “Let’s get settled in first.”
Luckily, we’d left campus without any issues, and surprisingly, it had been smooth sailing. I was waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Finn and Samuel were leading in the truck, and Coral and Amethyst were behind us. We were in the middle to ensure we didn’t get lost.
“I’ve lost my damn mind.” Aidan squeezed the steering wheel so hard his knuckles turned white. “I’m going to a fucking coven.”
It took effort to hold my laughter in. “But you’re learning that there is more to this than you realized.”
“And I’m not sure I buy it.” He huffed. “I mean, why would the witches be involved?”
“You do remember it was a witch who supposedly cursed your alpha.” Beth leaned in between the two seats, and her hair looked almost black in the darkness. “So… I mean… does it really not make sense to you?”
“She’s right, you know.” This was bigger than Aidan even realized, and the fact was weighing heavy on me.
“Yeah, yeah.” He looked at me. “You better be damn glad I love you.”
My heart skipped a beat. That was the second time he’d said it. Maybe it hadn’t been an accident the first time. “You better be glad I love you too and put up with your broodiness.”
I tried hiding the smile but couldn’t. “You love me, huh?”
“Oh, dear God.” Beth fell back in her seat. “Do I need to be here for this?”
“You decided to ride with us.” I stuck my tongue out at her. “You could’ve ridden with Amethyst and Coral.”
“Because I wanted to stay close with my bestie.” She pointed at me. “I didn’t realize I’d have to listen to verbal-foreplay.”
I burst out laughing. I needed that. “Really? That’s what you call it?”
“You guys are totally going to get it on tonight. You have no more secrets, and you’re saying I love you. Just make sure I don’t hear anything. There’s no telling how we’ll be set up over there.”
“I promise you’ll survive.”
The guys turned down a gravel road that finally seemed to be leading somewhere. As Aidan followed, the car jarred over the pebbles. The woods were thick, and after another mile, an expansive subdivision appeared. The fifty or so houses were modest but very well kept, and they looked to be around twenty years old.
As we drove through the neighborhood, I saw that a large grassy knoll occupied the center of the area. There had to be at least a hundred people standing there, facing our vehicle.