This Coven Won't Break - Isabel Sterling Page 0,34

for potion making.”

“But why did they want to bind Alice’s powers?” Morgan shifts uncomfortably beside me.

“It was mostly Tori. She lost her parents to a feud with Alice’s family. They had this really intense Romeo-and-Juliet thing going on, minus the romance. I don’t think Coral and Lexie realized Tori was serious about her plans.” I sit up and rub the back of my neck. “Tori said Alice was the last Blood Witch in the city, and if Alice refused to leave, Tori would make her a Reg instead.”

Morgan shudders. “What happened? They obviously didn’t succeed.” She shakes her head. “I can’t believe Alice did that to you. Is that what happened last time?” Sadness and anger fight for dominance in Morgan’s tone, and a tear spills over her lashes. “No wonder you blamed me for your dad when you found out who I am.”

“Hey,” I soothe, fighting against the pain pushing behind my eyes at the mention of Dad. “You’re nothing like her. I couldn’t have been more wrong to suspect you.”

Someone knocks on the door before Morgan can respond. My first thought is that it’s Alice, here to say she changed her mind, but she doesn’t know our room number.

Morgan scrubs away her tears. “I’ll get it.” She answers the door, but it’s not Alice on the other side.

Three people stand in the hall, two guys and a girl. They’re young, maybe our age or a little older, though it’s hard to tell exactly. One of the boys, the tallest of the trio, looks familiar with his blond hair, hazel eyes, and thick-rimmed glasses. Recognition rushes in all at once, and I scowl at him.

“You’re that reporter from the Cauldron.” I step forward, hands already squeezing into fists. “What, are you stalking me now?”

He flashes a predatory grin. “Not everything is about you, Hannah.” He turns his attention to Morgan, looking her up and down.

I follow his gaze. She’s frozen in place, her hands trembling. “Morgan?”

My voice seems to unlock her limbs. She tries to slam the door, but the second guy—a shorter boy with dark hair—shoves his way into the room.

Morgan stumbles back, all of her usual confidence and poise gone.

“Do you know them?” I step forward and reach for my magic, nurture its thrum in my chest just in case. I meant what I said to Morgan, that I’m stronger when she’s around, but it’d be so much better if her Blood Magic was flowing through my veins.

“I’m hurt,” the reporter says, theatrically pressing a hand to his chest as the girl quietly closes the door, locking the five of us inside the small room. “You didn’t tell her about me?” He reaches out to brush a lock of hair behind Morgan’s ear, but she flinches away.

“Don’t touch me, Riley.”

Riley. The name pings around in my head, and when I remember why it sounds so familiar, I lose my hold on the elements.

He’s not a reporter. He’s her ex.

Mine was more the show-up-at-my-house-at-all-hours type. That’s what Morgan said about her ex-boyfriend the first time she mentioned him, and even before I knew he was a Witch Hunter, I could tell the guy was bad news.

And since he’s a Hunter . . .

The other two probably are as well.

“What do you want from us?” I raise my voice, hoping Sarah will hear and know something’s wrong.

Riley’s team grabs small tranquilizer guns from the backs of their waistbands, and if they’re the same guns the Hunters used at Hall Pharmaceuticals, they’re filled with the drug. But Riley doesn’t have a tranq gun. He pulls out a long knife. Morgan stiffens behind me.

“You really made it so easy, Hannah. All those adorable pictures you post with her. We tracked your phone to the city, but the photo in the hotel lobby was very helpful.” He slinks forward to close the gap between us, and we match each of his steps with a retreat of our own. His focus shifts from me to his ex. “My friends and I are going to fix you, babe. You can come back to Minnesota with us. Everyone misses you.”

The girl rolls her eyes. “Enough with the monologuing, Riley. We need to get back before anyone realizes we’re missing.” She levels her gun at me. “Let’s cure these girls and go home.”

I grab Morgan’s hand and hope it’ll be enough to tell her what I’m thinking. “As someone recently told me: eat shit.”

The air responds instantly to my call with a vicious updraft that knocks