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Ada him back, but her an rolling in: How can you ever know for sure that you’ve found your one true love? Is there even such a thing, silver cords aside? Can you have more than one soul mate?

Adam pulled back a moment "You okay?" he asked

Cassie took his face into her hands

For tonight, she had to push all the questions and anxiety out of herto be clear answers She had to accept that

Gently, she drew Adam’s face toward her own

Soe couldn’t Adam’s mouth on Cassie’s said all there was to say

Chapter 18

Cassie cli he would drive them anywhere but school She’d woken up exhausted, like she could sleep away the whole day and still be tired

Adam reached affectionately for her hand "I know," he said "I’ this day too There’ll probably be a retaliation coy to respond But that was exactly what she’d been thinking The book was safely hidden in her house, where no demons could cross onto the property, but she and her friends were fair ga showed up yesterday, Cassie was sure the ancestors were primed to flaunt their power

Adam let Cassie zone out for a fewthe Cup, he slowed the car "You want to stop for a quick coffee?"

"I already had so," Cassie said

"It looks like you could use another," Adam replied, and then he immediately backpedaled "I meant that in the nicest way possible" He sazed out the"Okay," she said "I guess it couldn’t hurt"

Then she saw soht awake "Wait," she said "Is that Faye? With Beatrix?"

Adam squinted his eyes until he spotted the wheel sharply to the right

He parked the car, and they made their way to the coffee shop’s alternate entrance, a side door froet their drinks and search for a place to sit

Cassie strained to hear their conversation, but the shop was loud and bustling with therush Faye and Beatrix found an empty table near the front, too far away for Ada Slowly she and Adaht for aspell"

Cassie hated the idea of doing even the sirasped her hand, closed his eyes, and whispered a chant:

Echo and hum, racket and din,

Clamor and clatter, outside and in

Hush to silence, heed our call

To tacit peace and quiet do fallAdam opened his eyes to recite the final line: "Voices we seek, rise above all"

The sensation was si under water Every sound blended into a quiet ed crystal clear

Faye asked, "You want me?"

It was just as Cassie had suspected Beatrix was te the bait

"Of course" Beatrix’s skin shimmered, pale and sed with experience

She focused her flat, level eyes on Faye "We have a very specific mission for you We need you to steal the Book of Shadows froh to let it slip away"

Fayethis challenge over

Beatrix continued talking in a low, steady tone "If only she weren’t so pathetic," she said "You understand what I mean, don’t you, Faye? Haven’t you always felt deep down that you’re smarter than everyone else around you? You’ll never reach your full potential in that Circle They’re all cowards but you"

Beatrix was the ancestor who had possessed Faye’s body, which meant she are of the best way to win Faye to her side She knehat Faye was unhappy about, and every pet peeve she had with the Circle

Faye was looking down, faintly nodding

"Haven’t you always felt different, like the black sheep of your own Circle?" Beatrix asked

Faye’s nodding grew less restrained She aze head on, barely able to resist her fixed stare

"That’s exactly how I’ve felt allby the second," Adam whispered

"It’s because you are different," Beatrix said "You’re much smarter than Scarlett and Cassie"

"So is this a test?" Faye asked Her voice caet the book, will I be chosen as your twelfth le wrinkle appeared around her mouth or eyes "You’ve already been chosen It’s up to you now to choose us, and prove your loyalty"

"And then I’ll have black ic," Faye said

"I can’t stand to watch this anymore" Adam stood up "We have to stop her"

Before Cassie could say otherwise, Ada them mid-sentence

"Faye, what a surprise to see you," he said, much too loudly