reasons to come see you. To tell you that I’m done being your puppet, and also to warn you that Elena Montenegro has betrayed us all.”
“What nonsense are you talking about now? Elena Montenegro is a pillar of the community.”
“She’s an evil, power-hungry witch who is most likely worshipping a demon. It was her idea to pair me up with Calvin, and you want to know why? Because the Belmonts possess the first grimoire and she covets that with a blind obsession.”
Her eyebrows arch, and the blood seems to drain from her face. “How do you know they have the first grimoire?”
“She told me on the evening she asked me to steal it for her.”
Mom’s lips become nothing but a thin, flat line as she keeps her intense stare glued to my face. I brace for her to call me a liar. At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised if she did. I am, after all, a disgrace in her eyes.
“Do you have proof of that?” she asks tightly.
The shield I thought I had in place shatters like baked clay, and I feel the full impact of her question. My word should have been enough, damn it!
“No.”
I could have told her that the warlocks of Ivern are on to Elena, but maybe there’s a reason they haven’t approached my mother with their suspicions. And she doesn’t deserve my trust.
“Without proof, I can’t do anything.”
“Bullshit. You can investigate her yourself.”
“On the weight of your words?” She raises an eyebrow. “I don’t think so.”
I’m so frustrated, I could cry. But I won’t. Not in front of her. “I wouldn’t lie about something so serious. You know me better than that.”
“That’s the problem, Aurora. I don’t know you. The daughter I raised would never, ever, get involved with a vampire.”
“You’re right. You don’t know me at all. If you did, you’d realize that I’m not a puppet who blindly follows rules. I’m not someone who puts duty above family and love. You can save yourself the trouble of shunning me out of the coven, of your life. I’m walking out of my own free will.”
Squaring my shoulders, I head for the door.
“If you leave now, you will never be allowed back into this house. You will never see your sisters again.”
My heart twists savagely in my chest. I don’t care about not coming back here, but forbidding me to see Miranda and Niko is a low blow. I look over my shoulder, not hiding an ounce of my loathing for her. “That, Isadora Leal, is a power you don’t have.”
36
Saxon
I try my best not to show how fucking worried I am about Aurora as we approach Ember Emporium. I’m not sure why my chest feels so tight, almost as if I’m getting a premonition. She’s going to see her mother, not the witch from hell. Unless she lied. I immediately reject the idea. I’d have known if she wasn’t telling the truth. Now that the bond is finally solidified, I’m so in tune with her that I can almost hear her thoughts.
With a closed fist, I massage my chest, trying to get rid of the phantom pain. Cheryl, who ended up riding sandwiched between me and her brother in the backseat, turns to stare at me with her eyebrows pinched.
“What are you doing?”
I drop my hand to my lap. “Nothing.”
“You’re acting strange. I can sense it.”
Grumbling, I look out the window. “Sure. Now everyone can sense everything about me. Did I suddenly become a broadcasting tower?”
“Don’t be so grumpy about it. You’ve just completed a mating ritual. Of course you’re going to give off strong vibes when it comes to Aurora.”
“All right, everyone. We’re here. Stay sharp,” Ronan announces from the driver’s seat.
He parks on the side street next to Ember Emporium since we don’t know what the hell we’re going to find inside Larsson’s business. When I turn the corner onto the main street, I notice the absence of at least half the motorcycles that are usually parked in front of the dragon’s establishment. At this hour, the place should have been packed. Inside, we find it half empty as well. Cheryl walks ahead of us, veering straight for the bar where Jagger, Larsson’s younger brother, is polishing a beer glass.
Immediately, I feel Ronan tense next to me, and a low growl comes from deep in his throat. “Easy there, buddy. Do not get territorial now.”
He whips his face to mine. “What the hell are you talking about?”