hand grabbed his arm and squeezed tight. “Her eyes… look at her eyes.”
Giselle’s eyes were solid black.
Harlow dug her fingers into his arm. Her pulse kicked up, beating in his ears like a warning drum. “Ava Mae had those same eyes. Do you think—”
“How dare you, Zara,” Giselle bellowed. Her voice sounded not altogether hers. “I am not a pawn to be sacrificed, I am your sister.” Her robes drifted around her when they should have been wet and clinging. “I am your high priestess.”
Zara held her ground even though her voice wavered with fear and unshed tears made her eyes luminous. “And I am a green witch. The one most capable of carrying out this spell. I did what had to be done for the good of our people, not because I wanted to. Isn’t that what you would have done?”
Giselle smiled, confirming what Harlow had just hinted at. Giselle’s mouth held rows of sharply chiseled teeth. The same as Ava Mae’s had when she’d been angry.
“No,” Harlow whispered. “It can’t be. How did this happen?”
Giselle walked across the surface of the pond. Bodies floated up in her wake.
Augustine cursed a second time as Cy came into view. He looked so peaceful, eyes closed, body relaxed, mouth slightly open as if he might be about to smile. Dulcinea muffled a sob and tensed like she might do something. He grabbed hold of her. “Not yet, Dulce. Not yet.”
Her nod was slight but enough that it registered. From the hard set of her mouth and the mournful depth of her eyes, he knew she was in a dark place. They all were.
Giselle spoke again. “We should thank you, Zara. By throwing me into that pond, you did me a great favor.” Seeing her standing there on the water’s surface only added to her overall creepiness. “You brought us new power.” She lifted her arms toward the sky. The five flames surrounding the pond flared to double their size, spilling flickering shadows over the entire garden. “We have been reborn!”
“We?” Zara shook her head and backed away. Ian did the same. “I don’t know what’s happened to you, Giselle, but if you try to interfere with this spell—”
“Interfere? You think the spell is still viable?” Giselle waved her hands toward the water. “The souls are gone. Used up.” She tapped her chest. “We are all that remains.”
“What? No.” Zara’s chest rose and fell like she was panicking. “The chaos spell—we were so close to completion.”
“And then you threw me in.” Giselle spread her arms. “These souls might be used up, but one of them…” She ran her hands down her body. “One of them is very much still alive inside me.”
“Ava Mae,” Harlow whispered.
Ian shook his head. “What are you talking about?”
“That’s not possible,” Zara spat.
“Oh, but it is, Sister dear.” Giselle reached inside her robe and extracted a handful of black leaves.
Augustine narrowed his eyes. Sick to his stomach, he leaned toward Harlow. “Are those what I think they are?”
“I think so.”
Dulcinea shot him a questioning look. He shook his head. This wasn’t the time or place to tell her about the lightning tree.
“You see?” Giselle held the leaves up. “Leaves from the tree you desired to control. Leaves that drew the soul of Harlow’s sister to me. A soul that is now as bound to me as she is to the lightning tree. I am Giselle. But I am also Ava Mae. We have become one.”
Dulcinea’s brows lifted and this time, the look she gave Augustine said he would be explaining. So much for keeping the cat in the bag.
Giselle stepped off the water and stalked toward Zara. “And you… you are no longer necessary for our plans.”
Ian moved into her path. “What are you doing, Giselle?”
“Ian.” She caressed his face. “Sweet, pliable Ian. You are still necessary for our plans.” She laughed and grabbed him, kissing him roughly. When she released him, his mouth was bloody. “Now be a good boy and stay out of our way.”
He stood his ground. “I can’t let you hurt Zara.”
She tipped her head and smiled at him. “Sweetheart, you can and you will if you want to reign beside us. The power you have now pales in comparison to what we can give you. You will be our right hand. In all things. Or… we will remove you, too.”
A moment passed. Indecision swirled around him like a cloud of mosquitoes. He stepped out of Giselle’s way.
“Ian!” Zara screamed. She jerked like she