Ari stopped under a tree to center herself and connect with her sisters in Perry. She murmured the words of enchantment, and drawing power from her coven, she called upon earth magic to ground her, keeping her linked in place. The link would prevent the black coven from teleporting her anywhere.
Ari slipped behind the house, following the sound of a faint hum. Seeing a gate into the back yard, she paused to raise her own magic until a white glow filled her aura and her fingers tingled with fire. Maintaining the connection with her sister witches, she lifted the gate latch and stepped inside.
Ari stopped in full view of the black coven’s moonlit circle.
“Arianna! What a surprise. Can’t you take a hint?” The High Priestess’s haughty tone was dismissive. “Looking for revenge? Or have you come to your senses and are here to unite with us?”
“Sorry, not in the joining mood today—or any day. Our last meeting didn’t quite give me warm, fuzzy feelings for you.”
The High Priestess’s lips curled in a thin smile. “Be glad you’re alive. Our fight is not with you, but I certainly didn’t expect to see you so soon.”
“In fact, you didn’t expect to see me at all.” Ari advanced toward her. “Whether I was declared an enemy or not, you hoped I’d die on that rock. And yet, here I am.”
“Go away.” The High Priestess flicked her fingers at her and seemed surprised when nothing happened. “Sisters?” The coven’s humming increased. “Time to leave, Arianna,” she said, waving her fingers again.
“Still here. Are you through?” Ari smiled coldly. “I came prepared this time. Your magic can’t send me anywhere.”
The High Priestess tilted her head. “How?” She peered into the shadows. “I feel something…”
“It doesn’t matter how. I’m here to take you back to Riverdale. To appear before the Magic Council. You took a human life and must answer for your crime.” She looked around the circle to see how other coven members were reacting and immediately noticed witches were missing; others were injured. She found Sophistrina. “What happened to your coven? You’ve been in a fight.”
The First Initiate’s gaze flickered to her leader, but she answered readily enough. “Ursula.”
“Where?” Suddenly alarmed, Ari stepped toward Sophistrina. “She’s not in the States, is she?”
The witch shook her head but moved out of Ari’s reach.
The High Priestess spoke. “We did not wait for her to come here. One thing you will learn—with the O-Seven and their servants—you do not let them make the first move. You will die. We found her in Canada destroying a nest of her own kind. It seemed liked the perfect opportunity for us to eliminate her.”
“Let me get this right. You led your coven against Ursula? The biggest bitch vampire? Are you crazy?” Ari could hardly contain her disgust. “She slaughtered an entire vampire nest that night. How could you risk your sisters?” Ari waved her hand around the circle. “It looks like some of them didn’t make it.”
The priestess’s body went rigid, her voice stiff, icier than before. “We took our losses, but they died in a worthy cause. An honorable death.”
“And Ursula? Did you defeat her?”
“She is very powerful.”
“No kidding. Did you at least hurt her or teleport her somewhere?”
When the priestess hesitated, Sophistrina took up the story. “We tried. She broke the spell by killing four of us. We had to escape by teleporting to avoid more deaths.”
“She ripped them apart,” another witch added, her voice filled with remembered horror. The broken limbs, the blood, the terror were written on her face for Ari to read.
“They were heroes,” the priestess declared. “Warrior witches.”
Anger nearly took Ari’s breath away. “You consider their deaths acceptable? You really are crazy.” She turned slowly, raking her gaze across the watching faces of the other witches. “If you continue to follow her lead, you’re as bad as she is. She led you into the murder of an innocent—and now certain death at the hands of an enemy you couldn’t hope to defeat. What next? Will she keep on until all of you die in some pointless fight?”
They remained silent, a few dropping their gazes.
“Your words fall on deaf ears, Guardian. There is no other way for us.” The High Priestess sounded resigned rather than defiant. “This is our life.”
“It doesn’t have to be. What are you doing in Cincinnati? Licking your wounds before the next battle?” No one denied the obvious truth. “The High Priestess must come with me, but the rest of you could still go home. If you must fight someone, stick with the O-Seven. You are not welcome here.” When Ari turned to the priestess, the woman’s face had gone slack, as if caught in a trance. Ari felt a glitch in the connection with her sisters in Perry. “What are you doing?” she demanded.
The priestess’s face suddenly became animated again. “I’ve found them.” A satisfied smirk spread over her features. “A coven in some place called Perry is helping you. Now I know where they are, and who they are.” She paused. “A skinny woman called Emmy, and Stella and—”
“Stop,” Ari commanded. “Don’t even say their names.”
“We will hunt and hurt them if you don’t leave us alone. I will not submit to your laws. You must know that. I can see you came here hoping my coven would turn on me, but they will not. We are bound by blood and tradition. Come sisters, give me your protection.”
The women rushed forward to enclose their leader in a tight, protective circle. Ari would have to go through them, hurting or killing some, to reach the priestess. She wasn’t prepared to do that yet. She tried reasoning with them. “How can you defend her? Think about what you’re doing and what you’ve already done.”
The women shook their heads, refusing to move.
“She is our priestess,” Sophistrina said.
“You are an outsider,” the priestess explained. “Not to be trusted. Since you will not join us, do not meddle in our affairs again…or we will retaliate against your coven.”
Ari heard Sophistrina suck in her breath at the repeated threat.
The priestess looked into Ari’s eyes. “You know I will do it.”
“Please go,” Sophistrina pleaded, her voice barely above a whisper. “Don’t force us to do something worse than we have done. Our pathway is chosen.”
A smile of triumph twisted the priestess’s lips as she crossed her arms. “I tried to tell you.”
“I’ll go, for now, but don’t make the mistake of coming near my witch sisters. If you do, I’ll find you. And, if I see you again in Riverdale, you’ll be arrested or executed for murder. By tomorrow evening, you can expect the Riverdale Magic Council to issue an emergency order of termination. I will be happy to enforce it.” Ari turned and walked toward the gate.
“Strong words, but you’ll have to catch me first.”
Ari glanced over her shoulder. “Yeah, I’m looking forward to it.”
* * *
Before the jet took off, Ari called Emmy and told her about the High Priestess’s threat. Emmy agreed they would not use the clearing for a while, and each witch would take special care to block her aura until Ari told them it was safe again.
“I’m so sorry I brought you to the attention of that evil woman,” Ari said. “I should never have asked for your help.”
“I can’t say I’m thrilled with the turn this has taken, but you did the right thing. None of your sisters questions that. Our mutual support is part of our responsibility as a coven, even if we weren’t bonded by love. Quit worrying about us. We’ll protect ourselves. We’re counting on you to do the same.”
Ari disconnected, fastened her seatbelt, and gave the pilot the signal to lift off. Andreas had already been told she was on her way, and for the next two hours she had nothing to do except think. The moment she felt the plane begin to move down the runway, she began to replay recent events in her head.
The witches’ fight with Ursula must have taken place the night of the border massacre. About five days ago. Was that why no one had heard from Ursula since? Had she been hurt or her power drained? Maybe the black coven had been more effective than they realized. Otherwise, why would the vampiress be so quiet? The possibility made Ari smile. It would mean the enforcer was vulnerable.
Chapter Twenty
It was nearly midnight when Ari’s flight reached Riverdale. As she stepped onto the ramp to descend, she stopped. Andreas and a dozen vampires and weretigers stood on the airstrip. The sense of frustration and rage spilling from the group sent her pulse spiking. A dozen ugly scenes fed her imagination.
“What?” Dread filled her, as she raced down the steps. “Who?”
Andreas glided forward and met her. “No one you have met, cara mia, but Ursula struck another Canadian court. Wiped them out.” He tilted his head toward his companions. “I ordered the guards as a precaution. I did not want you left alone.” His gaze softened. “I came with them because I wanted to see you.”
She stepped into his embrace.
“Ursula has us all on edge, little witch. I am not used to anyone making me feel so helpless,” he murmured into her hair. “Except you.”
Ari tightened her arms. “The bitch. I’m so sorry. Won’t this ever stop?”
“We should get off the streets.” He released her. “I will not be comfortable until I know where the enforcer is.”
Andreas had brought the Lexus and two black vans, and they drove in a caravan: Andreas and Ari in the Lexus, the vans in front and back. As they approached the mansion, a group of heavily armed men fanned out across the street, bringing them to a halt.
“What the…” Andreas slammed on the brakes.
“It’s OK. It’s Steffan.” Ari opened her door and hopped out. “What brought you here?” she asked the werewolf.