This Coven Won't Break - Isabel Sterling Page 0,48

words stick in my head. “What do you mean keeping you alive? As far as we know, the Hunters won’t kill the witches they think they’ve cured.” At least ones who don’t fight back, I silently correct, thinking of the agents we lost during the last raid.

Alice levels a look at me like I’m the least intelligent person she’s ever met. “Our magic affects everything in our bodies. There’s no guarantee my Clan would even survive the drug.” She glances nervously at Archer. “It’s why the Council binds Blood Witches who break the law. They don’t strip our power.” Her gaze flicks back to me. “Unless they want us dead.”

“The Elders don’t want any of their witches dead,” Archer says, unamused yet unconcerned by her claim.

A sick feeling works up my throat. The Hunters found Morgan in Brooklyn because of me. They shot their drug at her, and she could have died. All because of me. Panic swirls inside, making my hands tremble. I hide them in my lap.

“Which reminds me,” Alice says, shuffling Eisha’s social media posts into a neat pile. “How exactly do you plan to protect me while I’m performing for a bunch of murderers?”

“I’ve got you covered on that, actually,” Cal says. “I’m working on a potion that’ll make the fabric of your outfit impervious to needles, so the drugged darts should bounce right off.”

Alice raises an eyebrow. “Should?”

“It’s a delicate balance. I still have to keep the fabric soft enough that it doesn’t limit your movement.”

“Your best defense, though,” Archer cuts in, “is to keep the Hunters from finding out you’re anything more than an illusionist.” He pauses and looks at each of us in turn. “If something goes wrong, I want you to leave. Don’t wait for us. Don’t even look for us. You get out.”

“No problem,” Alice says. She’s trying to be flippant, but there’s a tremor of fear in her voice.

“Will we all have needle-resistant clothes?” The raid is only fifteen days away, and I’m desperate for details. “What’s the plan once we’re inside?”

Archer looks like he’s going to protest, but Cal cuts in. “You might as well tell her. At least the big picture.”

The detective sighs. “Fine. Alice will sneak the two of us inside. Cal will remain in a van just off-property to keep an eye on the surveillance footage. Once we find the lab, I’ll plug Cal into their computer system while you destroy the drug.”

“And how exactly am I supposed to do that?”

“We’re still working on that part,” Archer says cryptically. “I’ll have potions with me in the event we’re discovered, but that’s where your Elemental magic will shine. You’ll have a lot more offensive flexibility than me.”

I shoot a worried look at Cal. “It . . . uh . . . it might be a good idea to have a second Elemental, if that’s your plan. I’m not eighteen, so there’s still a lot I can’t do.” Which is true, technically, but my power is so much more limited than Archer knows. I have to figure out how to access my magic before then.

“I’ll see who’s available.” Archer pulls a little notebook from the back pocket of his jeans, and the familiarity of it makes me smile. “Now we need to focus on Ithaca. Let’s go over everything again.”

We spend the next hour fine-tuning the plan to recruit Dr. David O’Connell.

Step one: call David and offer to be a test subject for his research.

Step two: plead my case like I did with Alice and guilt-trip the Caster if necessary.

Step three: should step two fail, distract David so Cal can look through his research for the passages relevant to making a vaccine.

And likely the poison, too, I think, but Archer never brings it up. The real gamble is which magical code David uses. He moved around a lot as a kid, so the Council isn’t sure if Cal will be able to read it.

As we’re getting ready to wrap up, a door opens and slams shut somewhere in the house.

“Is someone here?”

Images of escaped Hunters fill my mind, but Elder Keating steps into the kitchen before Archer can explain. I relax. A little. The Elder looks more disheveled than I’ve ever seen her, a few flyaway hairs sticking to her face and neck. She opens the fridge and grabs a bottle of water, downing half before she turns to face us.

There’s a vulnerability to the moment that makes her seem more real. Like she actually has a past