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“ Then why are there three angels in New Orleans?” Joel clenched his hands into fists and narrowed his eyes as he stared at me. “You’re not telling us something.”
The rest of the coven went silent with his accusation. Distrust pressed on me from all sides. I turned to Lucien, silently asking if he knew what was going on.
He gave me the slightest head shake and stepped up next to me in a display of support.
Together we faced the witches. Though none of them were as powerful as either of us, combined they could do some damage. Especially if their power was aimed at someone without any magical defenses.
Kane and Kat moved to stand beside me.
“ Jade,” Rosalee said, her voice laced with a dangerous edge. “What exactly is going on here?”
“ Please, everyone stay calm.” The coven’s unease ratcheted up, making it hard for me to breathe. My gaze found Rosalee’s. “I don’t know,” I gasped out. “We already explained what we were doing. But the spell didn’t quite work as planned.”
Pain shuddered through my chest. I clutched my breast bone with one hand, wishing I had healing abilities that didn’t require brewing a potion.
“ Jade?” Kat’s hand rested on my shoulder. Her loving energy circled me, creating a thin shield from the coven. I could still sense their hostility, but at least it wasn’t suffocating me anymore.
I placed my hand over hers and squeezed. My best friend always knew what I needed. Kane’s concern brushed against my psyche, but he stayed still and silent. I appreciated that, knowing he would rush to my defense if I asked. This was my coven. My problem. A white knight wasn’t going to help.
Standing straight with my shoulders back, I summoned as much poise and calm as I could muster. “I don’t know what caused this sudden breach in trust, but rest assured I’m not hiding anything. We were only supposed to summon the image of any angels nearby. It wasn’t our intention to transport them here. As witches, we’re taught all spells carry risk. The place, people, and intentions of everyone involved matters when spell casting. Not everything is going to go right when we have so many variables within the collective.”
I paused and met the eyes of each of the eleven suspicious members standing before me. “We are a coven. Trust matters. I trust you. I trust Lucien. The question is, do you trust me?”
I held my breath. I’d only been their leader for ten days. In that time, they’d almost lost Bea, the beloved former coven leader, and they’d been subjected to a demon from Hell. Thankfully we’d defeated the demon and saved both Bea and my mother, but we’d lost Dan in the process. To have any chance of finding him, I’d need their help.
“ No,” Alan said over the grumbling crowd.
“ Not me,” someone else cried.
“ Why should we?” Rosalee asked with defiance. “You’ve done nothing but cause us trouble.”
“ Rosalee!” Lucien scolded. “You don’t believe that.”
Her eyes blazed from caramel to almost black as she advanced on us, her arms raised.
“ Enough!” A loud boom sounded, and Philip appeared out of thin air right in front of me. A second ago he’d been across the clearing.
Silence filled the night, each of the coven members gaping at the impressive transportation spell.
I glanced back at Lailah, still standing where I’d left her moments earlier. Goodwin stood beside her, eyeing the scene with mild interest. Turning around, I gave Philip my full attention.
He stood, legs slightly apart with his hands resting on his hips. Power and authority streamed off him. “All of you, remove yourselves from the circle.”
When no one moved, he barked, “Now.”
I couldn’t tell if he put magic behind the command or if he’d just startled them into action. Either way, they all marched out of the circle, toward the giant oak trees. On the way, their normal chattering started back up, and I even heard some laughing.
What the hell?
“ Want to