“That was a witch from our coven,” I tell her, heart racing. Lucas and Julian are both close behind me. “She astral projected here. Tabatha is the High Priestess of our coven.”
“And she…she’s dead?”
“Probably.” I take Abby’s trembling hands.
“How did she know to come here? Can you teleport?”
“No, we can’t. She astral projected here, and I’m guessing she used a scrying spell to locate Tabatha.” I swallow hard, looking at her, lying on the couch. My heart is hammering in my chest, and my muscles ache to do something.
Just standing here is killing me. And it could be killing others in my coven, too. Because if Ruth is behind this—and I know it in my bones she is—then she should take it up with me and me alone.
“And what is she doing?” Abby asks, hands still shaking. She’s no stranger to death and watching someone die. I’m sure she sees it almost daily. Chicago has a high crime rate, and ERs are full of victims of unspeakable violence.
But seeing someone just appear before you like that would be a shock, and watching someone get murdered before your eyes is a whole different story than someone coding and dying in the emergency room.
“She’s astral projecting to the coven to check things out.”
Lucas steps up behind me, hand landing on my hip. I let out a breath, leaning against him. The room falls silent, and we all look at Tabatha, waiting for her to come back.
Another few seconds tick by before she sits up, visibly shaken by what she’s seen.
“What is it?” Naomi asks, gripping her twin’s hand tightly in hers. “What did you see?”
“It’s Ruth.” Tabatha gets to her feet, straightening out her dress. “She’s inside the Covenstead and is trying to get demons and vampires inside. We have to go. We have to stop her before she breaks through the door.”
“We’re too far,” Ruby says, voice cracking with fear. “We won’t get there in time.”
“I’ll drive,” Lucas says, pressing his fingers into my hip before letting go. “I can get us there in half the time.”
Lucas has driven me back to Thorne Hill in record time, and we can cast a safety spell to keep us from crashing and burning and from getting pulled over.
But we still might not make it.
“Take me there.” I pull my hands out of Abby’s and look at Julian. “I know you can. Take us.”
“If I take the humans, they will become sick from flying,” he says, and I remember the first time Michael transported me to a beach on Australia. It was like stepping off the spinning teacups at Disney World after half an hour of constant spinning. “You half angel, Callie,” he explains. “You’re able to withstand it, but it would leave the others too exposed.”
“Then take me,” I plead, moving away from Lucas and Abby. “Ruth is only doing this because she wants me. She has no issue with the coven.” I swallow my pounding heart, nerves prickling along my spine. “The Academy is full of students. If she gets the doors open and unleashes the demons…” I can’t finish my sentence. My breath leaves in a ragged huff, and I grab Julian’s hand, looking into his eyes. “Take me.”
“Callie, no,” Lucas protests. “You can’t walk right into the line of fire.”
“I have to!” I counter. “I’m the only one who can get there before it’s too late!” I look back at Julian. “Please. It’s what my father would do, isn’t it?”
A moment of understanding passes between us. “And your mother,” Julian says and grabs my hands. In a rustle of feathers, darkness closes around me, and everything spins, faster and faster, until it fades from view.
The next thing I know, I’m standing in my back yard. Julian holds my hands, making sure I’m steady on my feet before letting go.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” he asks.
“I have no choice,” I tell him. “She’s after me, and I can’t let anyone else die because of her.”
Julian’s brows furrow, and he nods, holding out a hand. The dagger appears in his grasp. “If she has vampires with her, she must have them under her control.”
I nod and shiver, wishing I’d grabbed my coat before having Julian fly me out of Lucas’s estate. And put my shoes on. Shit. I didn’t think this through.
“Yes, which makes them even more dangerous.” I turn, waving my hand at the house to magically unlock the back door. “Keep watch. I need shoes.”
Julian nods and looks at the forest. I sprint inside, skidding to a stop at the base of the stairs. I run up them and burst into my room. The leggings I had on yesterday are on the floor, and I frantically pull them on. I shove my feet into a pair of combat boots and grab a leather jacket on my way out.