This Coven Won't Break - Isabel Sterling Page 0,67

feel like I’m letting everyone down?” Even though the raid will probably go better without me there to screw it up, I can’t stop the guilt that whispers in my ear, telling me that I’m letting the Hunters win by taking myself out of the fight.

Archer’s right, though. We can’t let them corrupt who we are, even if I have no idea how to do that without leaving the front lines.

“You’re not, Hannah. I promise.” Archer crosses the room to the computer. “I do have a little good news, though, if that helps. It took some creative wording, but we got more answers out of the Hunters.” He taps on the keyboard and inputs a password. “According to Wes, there are roughly a hundred Hunters across the US.”

“Only a hundred?” That doesn’t seem possible.

He nods and pulls up a map. “Hall Pharmaceuticals is their base of operations, but they have families stationed across the country. They’re obscenely well-funded, so they have easy access to travel and can relocate entire families within a week.”

“Do you know their names? Where they are?” I can’t believe there are so few of them. How can such a small group inflict so much damage?

Because they train for it. Because they’re fed on hate.

They’ve spent generations on this quest, keeping their network small and contained, raising everyone with perfect devotion to the cause. Benton’s entire family is in the medical field. He was heading down the same path. He’d been trained to fight since he could walk.

And with enough money, they could hire whoever they needed to fill in the gaps.

“The Hunters we’ve captured only know a few families each. It will take time to get a full picture of who they are. They move frequently, which makes things more challenging.” Archer closes the computer and swivels to face me. “I need to get back to my meeting. You should go home.”

“You’re not taking me to Elder Keating?”

Archer raises one eyebrow. “Do you want me to?”

“No. No, I’m good.” I follow him out into the hall. “Wait. How did you even know I was in the basement?”

“Our potions are an extension of ourselves.” When we reach the front door, the detective holds it open for me. “We know if they’re being mishandled.”

“Oh.” My cheeks burn hot. “Sorry.”

He flips on the front porch light. The sun has disappeared behind the tree line across the street, casting the front of the house in shadows. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?” I ask, pausing halfway to my car.

“Elder Keating is calling all the witches here for a meeting. Your Caster friends should be here by then, too.”

A fresh sense of dread weighs heavy in my stomach, but I force a smile. “See you then.”

GG: Wanna come over? I haven’t seen you in forever.

HW: I can’t tonight.

GG: Please? Mom bought more of that popcorn you love.

The popcorn is seriously tempting, and I do miss Gem. I could use some non-witchy time, a reminder that I have a life outside of the nightmare my coven is going through. It feels like ages since the girls’ night we had with Morgan.

HW: Maybe this weekend? Or after homecoming? I have family stuff tonight.

GG: “Family stuff” aka gardening?

HW: Gardening?

GG: It’s a code word. Like vampire.

HW:

“Ready, Han?”

Mom knocks on my open doorframe. I glance up from my phone, which is resting in the book I’m supposed to be reading for English. Mom smiles when she spots me doing homework, and the relief transforms her face. I can’t remember the last time she looked so at ease.

As hard as everything has been for me, I never stopped to consider what Mom must have been going through. Not really. It must have been terrible, watching me rush again and again into harm’s way. No wonder she was always badgering me to quit.

I send Gem a quick text telling her I have to go and set my bookmark between the pages of the paperback. Tonight will be the first time I’ve seen the entire coven since Dad died. The first time I’ve seen Sarah since she lost her magic. At first, I missed lessons because I was recovering from my head injuries. Later, I avoided the coven because I didn’t want anyone to find out about the issues I was having with my magic. Between working with DA Flores to prepare my testimony and helping the Council, I had plenty of excuses to stay away.

But there’s no getting out of this one. All the witches are going, including