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Chapter 1

My heart ha so fast it should hurt, but everything h le nerve in my body prickles with anxiety

How do you plead?

I blink, s the lu inbefore me Ruth from the Grand Coven is at the podium at our altar, and the council members behind her don’t look too sure of themselves Even Ruby Darroho’s hatedat Ruth in question

Ruth crosses her arms as she waits for me to answer her question, only it’s not a question It’s a confession One I’uilty of

I did show Lucas where the door to the Covenstead was

I do let him drink my blood

The first crih I suppose if you combine the two… My eyes slam shut, and I part my lips, but my mouth is suddenly too dry to form words Somewhere in the back ofat s are done

No one is brought in and iht to a fair trial, and it’s not like Lucas has threatened any witches The Grand Coven is taking this threat more seriously than they did the hunter—which turned out to be a demon And in that case, many witches did die

Speaking of the Grand Coven… I look behind Ruth She’s the only one here How did she get here so fast? Tabatha only called on the Grand Coven a few hours ago There’s no way she was able to get here that quickly, unless she was already here

But why?

My ain and I suck in air Witch law is si without first consultingof paperwork

“Well, Ms Martin?” Ruth leans over the podium

I claht So hI’hts and re in a trial like this is against our laws as well Our nu another witch to death is not sost the entire Grand Coven as well as a panel of non-biased coven leaders from across the country

Ruby’s brows pinch together, and she shifts her weight in her chair She’s always hated eto find out before dawn

Suddenly, the double doors at the back of the gathering hall fly open

“What is thewith anger

“High Priestess,” Ruth says, a s up the corners of her lips “Very tio Are you aware one of your witches has exposed the door to the Covenstead to a va us all at risk? The saly”

“You have no proof of the crimes you accuse her of And even if so, this is not the way things are done” Tabatha stops next to me and puts her hand onYou know the proper channels necessary to go through to accuse a witch of treason on that level”

“As a member of the Grand Coven, I feel it is of utated as soon as possible Is your Acadeotten about the War of Light and Dark? Vaue and shakes her head

“He’d be burned alive before he“And you know it Our Covenstead is protected”

“From one vampire, yes, but let’s not be foolish Awhat they’d do to us Protecting the coven is always my first priority, as it should be yours” Ruth sweeps her hand out at the council members behind her Their eyes flit fro here to put their loyalty Tabatha is our High Priestess She knows us on a personal level She’s helped each and every one of us at some point or another

Ruth is er She doesn’t know our naet when they coe But she’s a member of the Grand Coven and has more authority than anyone else in this room

I open my mouth to tell her off, to re us e sent in reports of a witch hunter after the first witch had been found ers into my shoulder, and I take it as a cue to keep my mouth shut

“I have always protected my coven,” Tabatha fires back with venom in her voice “I hold each and every member of this coven dearly, and they all know it And of course vampires are a threat! One we all take seriously, and one that is not so we currently have to worry about There is no reason to suspect any vah the door The witches of Thorne Hill haven’t had any issues with vampires for well over a hundred years, and we plan to keep it that way”

“Showing a vaood way to keep things peaceful I can only i there are many of us in here”

I grit e to stand up and defend myself and Lucas He’s never had issues itches, and while I can’t say he’s innocent—because he’s far from it—he’s not a monster He loves me more than I deserve and risked his own afterlife to help witches he didn?

??t even know pass through the door

“If you are to accuse her of these crimes, you need proof and a fair trial,” Tabatha repeats “This is not the e do things, and there is no current threat Raising false alarm is unnecessary”

Ruth’s eyes settle on o back and hear froht”

I don’t need to ask her to specify which night to know she’s talking about the night a third-hierarchy deainst the wooden bench beneath me and take in a slow breath We’ve all told the sa here in front of Ruth and the council, I feel like they can all see right through me

“How did you defeat that demon?” Ruth’s eyes narrow “And how did the vampire come into play? Was it all part of your plan?”

“My plan?” I echo, shaking my head I look up at Tabatha and see the same tension reflected back in her eyes “I don’t knohat you’re talking about”

“I’ve exaain But we all know there is only one reason briround”

A fewin whispers The only reason brimstone would be found is if a powerful demon opened the Gates of Hell, which is exactly what happened

And not e reported

“Question her as you wish, but you will do so properly” Tabatha takes a few steps forward, dark purple robes flowing behind her “There are ht now, matters that you had been summoned to”

I s hard and let out a shaky breath Even if this did go to trial, there’s still a chance I could be exonerated for my crimes since Lucas helped save us froh the door would have been slim to none The witches ith us know that, and soht now

“More pressing?” Ruth steps away froet your place in this coven”

“I haven’t but I fear you have” The flahter “Even if this were a proper trial, you do not have all your witnesses froht My son, Evander was there”

“And where is he now?”

Holy shit Ruth doesn’t know? She was here before they got back It was her plan all along to accuse o about it this way? It doesn’t ht

And Ipossibly sentenced to death

Tabatha slowly shakes her head I’ine the way her eyes are narrowing The flaain