Meredith looked significantly better the next day. I wasn't sure what she put in her tea, but it worked. I was thoroughly impressed by the lack of marks on her neck. After a long conversation with Demetri, he finally agreed for us to go visit Meredith to make amends. His only stipulation was that we had to meet in a public place.He was certain that if we met at her shop, she would turn on us, angered by the fact that he had attacked her in the confusion of our training. If she did that while he was powerless, we would both die.I didn't think that was a possibility, but I respected him enough to honor his wish. A quick call over the Meredith, and she happily agreed to lunch at a small bistro near her shop. We wouldn't be able to stay long because she had closed the store to come meet with us and needed to reopen it s soon as we were done.We sat on the patio of the restaurant, enjoying the fresh air while allowing Demetri to wear his sunglasses. He kept one hand on my thigh while sta

One of the hardest things Meredith taught me was internal casting. It was a basic concept with a very difficult application. Just like thinking to myself, I was working on saying spells in my head. When spells were cast out loud, the opponent had a few seconds of advanced notice to mentally prepare themselves with an effective defensive casting that could counter the attack. When a witch said the spell in their head, it gave them the advantage as the witch they were facing wouldn't have time to think about what spells to use in return to protect themselves. It was significantly harder, but I could see the benefit in mastering that skill, especially when going into battle. We had spent the week going back and forth with defensive practice and offensive castings, trying to master as much as I could. The longer we went without Vera making a move, the more anxious and worried I became. How long would I have to prepare before they came for me again? Would I be strong enough when they di

The drive was tense and quiet. I was about to face off with a woman who I had around my entire life. I never pictured that she could be the one to hurt me or my parents. While I was working myself up to fight someone I had thought of as family, Meredith was trying to hold in her excitement for the 'adventure' we were on. I had called the car service even though Meredith wanted to drive because I wanted there to be a reliable method of transportation should anything happen. If any of us were injured, we would need a way to the hospital or back home. Since my Aunt wasn't home, I had the driver go right past the exit to her house to the next one that led to the head of the hiking trail. If we followed it up roughly two miles, we would find her hiding out somewhere off the south side of the trail. Demetri sat next to me, keeping one hand on my thigh but his eyes on the passing world around us. He almost seemed fascinated by everything. If we weren't heading into such a stressful situat

Seraphina's P.O.V.Anger was pumping through my veins as we sped toward Isla's house. I wanted answers, and I would get them, no matter what.Isla was the one who said it was Vera. She claimed that Vera had attacked her and admitted to killing my parents. I had trusted Isla, and she betrayed me. My mind was going down a spiral, piecing things together that hadn't been sitting well with me from the beginning.The darkness I had felt when I went to visit my Aunt, I had assumed it was from someone else in the house. My aunt had seemed so normal and happy. I never would have imagined that maybe she was one of the ones that turned to dark magic.When I went to visit, I also never saw Vera for myself. She could have been dead all of this time. I had been completely ignorant of what was going on around me. I had been holding so much anger and resentment toward Vera when I should have been grieving her instead.It was apparent that someone had tried to burn her body to hide the evidence. Doin

The feeling of the car slowing caught our attention, and I pulled back from Demetri reluctantly, immediately missing the feeling of his lips on me."We're home," I sighed in both relief and disappointment. It wouldn't take long for us to get inside, rinsed off, and curl up for a short nap before Detective Thompson sent a squad car to pick me up for my statement.I wasn't looking forward to being falsely accused again or questioned for hours. As soon as they showed up at my house, I was planning on calling Kendra and having her meet me at the station. It looked bad enough that not only did I find a body two hours away from my house that was connected to my case, but I also left before the police showed up.Things weren't looking positive for me, and I wanted to hold onto the time I had at home while I could.As we pulled through the front gate, I spotted a familiar vehicle sitting in the driveway. The grey sedan had my chest tightening with dread. Why was he here?Demetri stiffened nex