Total pages in book: 142
Estimated words: 134501 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 673(@200wpm)___ 538(@250wpm)___ 448(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 134501 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 673(@200wpm)___ 538(@250wpm)___ 448(@300wpm)
Her brow pinched, she shook her head in incredulity. ‘But . . . why would anyone do that?’
Ripper stretched out his legs beneath the table. ‘You can’t guess? This is now the second time in a relatively short period that a Rabid found its way to Black Willow Manor. The first time, one was lured out there using a dead goat. On this occasion, it would seem that Lincoln was caught, bespelled, and then placed near the manor – his instinct in that form would have been to hunt the nearest lifeform he could sense. Which he did.’
‘If Emberlyn told you that he was bespelled, how do you know she didn’t lie?’ Ames piped up, the little prick.
‘I can confirm it to be true,’ said Marvin. ‘I was the one who later untangled the spell.’
Carver shook his head, the image of horrified. ‘This is . . . there aren’t words.’
Reena straightened her shoulders. ‘I will be launching a full investigation into this matter.’ She said it as though everyone else could thereby relax; that there was no need for them to involve themselves.
Ripper raised an unimpressed brow. ‘Like you did about the curse jars? How did that work out?’
Reena’s lips flattened. ‘I have not yet identified who is responsible. It seems probable that it’s the same person – or people – who bespelled Lincoln.’
Claris shot her a narrow-eyed glare. ‘I thought you don’t teach such magick in your coven.’
Ward’s head whipped in Claris’s direction. ‘She does not. It is forbidden. But there are those who secretly practice such spells,’ he admitted.
Shane stilled, his gaze bouncing from Reena to Ward. ‘Who?’
She licked her lips. ‘I do not yet know, but I am working on finding out.’
‘You don’t know a whole lot, do you?’ Colton snarked.
‘Or,’ began Logan, ‘maybe you just don’t want us to be aware of who’s responsible because you want to punish them yourself, just like with Rosemary.’
Reena inched up her chin. ‘The culprits will be found, named, tried and punished. I assure you of that.’
‘I don’t feel assured,’ Logan told her.
‘Neither do I,’ said Ripper. ‘And I’m not leaving this in your maybe-capable hands, Reena. I will be looking into this matter myself.’
‘As will I,’ Shane announced.
‘Same here.’ Carver plucked at his collar. ‘In the meantime, consider the housing development project canceled.’
‘What?’ Reena burst out.
Carver’s expression firmed. ‘One of your witches used magick to trap a Rabid into a state of bloodlust and use him as their pet killer. Once they’ve been identified and punished, I’ll reconsider. But for now, the construction plans aren’t going ahead.’
‘It wasn’t one of us,’ Sera swore. ‘It was her. Emberlyn.’
Emberlyn rolled her eyes. Oh, here we go.
Ripper glared at the slim blonde who’d shot to her feet and stabbed a finger in Emberlyn’s direction. ‘I suggest you sit down.’ Even he heard the menace in his tone. ‘Emberlyn isn’t on trial here.’
Sera reluctantly sat, at which point a smirking Tyra whispered something into her ear.
‘Though it pains me to say it, since Emberlyn is my niece, I would have to agree with Sera,’ said Gill. ‘The only witch who’d do something so unethical is Emberlyn.’
Paisley groaned. ‘God, Gill, would it kill ya to leave Em alone just once?’
Gill glared daggers at Paisley. ‘She’s an opportunist. She could have bespelled Lincoln into a killing rage herself after putting him to sleep. It enables her to implicate the coven.’
Emberlyn sighed at her aunt. ‘That theory doesn’t make any sense. Even if I was so cruel as to do something so horrid, I’d see no reason to do it. I want to know who’s sending Rabid my way. Implicating the coven would influence the direction of the investigation, which could then lead to the culprit being unidentified if they’re not a witch. Seriously, think before you speak.’
Gill’s eyes went squinty. ‘You’re not—’
‘Enough,’ said Ripper, his tone clipped.
‘It makes no sense that it be Emberlyn,’ said Reena. ‘She has nothing to gain from any of this.’
‘Untrue,’ Sera contradicted. ‘Look at how the clans no longer trust us. That could have been her goal; to isolate us from them.’
‘To attempt such a thing would risk her being alienated from her newfound allies, which would mean she then had no one,’ Reena pointed out.
Ethel dipped her chin. ‘It would be a foolish move, and Emberlyn is hardly foolish.’
Sera’s brow hiked up. ‘You don’t consider calling on deities, demons and other dark beings foolish?’
Emberlyn tossed Sera a bored look. ‘If you do, it’s astonishing that you came to me asking to be taught how to summon them. And when I refused, you tried invading my mind to steal the information from me.’
Shane went motionless. ‘I did not hear of this. People gossip about pretty much everything around here, but not even a whisper of this traveled through the grapevine.’
‘The coven as a whole are aware of it,’ Emberlyn informed him. ‘They’re aware of a lot of things that you won’t have heard about.’