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"Okay?" he insisted

Ader, and shifted fro the hem of her sweater "I won’t tell" She kept her back to him "But…there’s someone who already knows"

There was a rustle of clothes, then hard hands settled on her shoulders and spun her around Riley had jackknifed to his feet, and boy, did he look ready to murder someone "Who?"

Just tell him Rip the Band-Aid "The witch Marie The one I saw in town The one who…appeared at the school thisoff her"

Pupils--wide, thin Wide, thin Like a pulse "Why didn’t you tell me? Damn it, Mary Ann I could have hunted her down"

And done what to her? "At the time, I didn’t knohat she meant"

"She could have killed you!" As quickly as he’d exploded, he relaxed His head tilted to the side pensively "Why didn’t she kill you?"

"I don’t know She didn’t stick around and explain her thought process"

Several heartbeats of ti a sht you likeda stone with the toe of her tennis shoe Please, still like my mouth

He chuckled, and the sound warmed her "I do"

Thank God Her knees alht have, if he hadn’t wrapped his ar her close

"You knohat I want?" he asked softly

Her gaze lifted, o on a date with you A real date Just you andfor answers Just the two of us getting to know each other"

Yes, please "I would like that," she said on a tre breath

"Soon as the witches are taken care of, that’s e’ll do" There at the end, he’d sounded depressed, as if he didn’t think it was possible As if one of them would be dead by then

Perhaps he didn’t realize that he was killing her just then Pulling her in one direction, then another, letting her hope before crushing her into nothing "Nope After the witches, we’ll have to start searching for Aden’s parents" A reminder for Riley, for her Aden was still their friend, and they still had a mission

"No" Riley shook his head "Aden won’t have tis to attend, laws to pass, punishments to issue Then he can focus on his parents"

"At this rate, he’ll have to drop out of school," she said Her, too

"Nah Things’ll calo on a second date" Fingers crossed To be honest, nothing had really been worked out between theht be a Drainer, she ers crossed on that one, too

He chuckled, but it was no more assured than his final words

The door behind hi Victoria and Aden exited the cabin Both wore grireenish tint, and there were bruises under his eyes And he was li behind as if it hurt to bend his knee Maybe it did His jeans were ripped and stained with dried blood

"Are you okay?" Mary Ann asked hiave me the same answer," Victoria said

Aden smiled, and for a moment, he looked all better "Because it’s true I’ So did the witch tell you anything?" Riley asked He didn’t release her, butto leave her tied up for the rest of the night," Victoria replied "Perhaps boredo to us toh, the week the witches had given Aden to attend their stupidits end "So what now?"

"Noe spread the word that we’ve got a witch," Riley said, gri to order"

"They’ll curse us," Victoria said

"They already have Therefore, you’ll do what I suggested and spread the word"

One by one, Victoria, Aden and Mary Ann nodded

"As for what’s left of tonight, we go horiin"

FIFTEEN

TUCKER REMAINED in the shadows for a long while, covered by his illusion of trees, darkness and night birds Thankfully, no one at the cabin had noticed him

So he’d watched…and listened…