Page 43 of Death Card

“Is that really necessary?” I ask.

Aria lifts her chin. “You’re telling me that you came into enemy territory and didn’t expect to be treated like a threat?”

“To be fair, I didn’t really expect to get caught.”

It was a half-baked plan at best. I blame myself for not thinking through all our avenues of escape.

A flash of something like amusement shines behind her eyes, but the rest of her expression remains stoic. She beckons, and theman releases his grip on me. After glowering at me for a long moment, he disappears back the way we came.

Aria gestures to the seat across from Orion. “Sit.”

I stare at her with narrowed eyes. “Only if you let him go.”

“Do you really think I’m stupid? Sit down.”

I contemplate resisting, but with Orion out of commission, I’d have to rely on the strength of my own magic. I’ve surprised myself recently, but I’m not confident enough yet to take on a Hightower witch. I’m not sure how much extra power they’re actually able to harness from their sacrifices.

Orion meets my gaze but doesn’t speak aloud. In my head, he says,“This is all you, sis.”

Fine. I pull out the chair and sit down.

Satisfied, Aria plucks a forest-green mug from one of the cabinets and sticks an electric teakettle beneath the tap. As the basin fills with water, I study her profile.

Her shoulders are relaxed as she sets the kettle onto the base and flips on the power switch. She opens up a brand-new box of flavored tea bags and takes her sweet time selecting one. A tattoo peeks out beneath her sleeve; it looks to be some sort of bird in flight. She doesn’t seem overly confident or nervous. She just…is. It’s almost like she’s a completely blank slate. I can’t get a read on her, and that throws me off-kilter.

The Hightowers are a dangerous threat, and I have to do everything in my power to show them that we’re not to be played with. The consequences are steep if I mess this up.

“I’m assuming you already know why we’re here.” I place both palms on the edge of the table and lean forward. Despite myself-assured tone, my hands would tremble if I didn’t have something to press them against.

Aria leans against the counter and crosses her arms over her chest. We stare across the room at each other, neither daring to blink or even breathe. Seconds pass as the water in the kettle basin begins to bubble. “I’m not sure I know what you’re talking about.”

I grit my teeth. After overhearing her conversation with Gloria, I know for a fact that she’s aware of what’s happening in our coven.

“Do you want me to spell it out for you?”

“I would love that,” she deadpans.

Her tone is so different from when she was with her grandmother. In the house, she sounded hesitant, almost afraid of what Gloria would say. But the girl standing before me is confident. Orion and I don’t scare her, but her grandmother does.

Without even realizing it, Aria’s given me something to work with.

“We know you’re the ones who’ve targeted our coven.” Her expression doesn’t change. “You know, we never would’ve found this place if it weren’t for you.”

Her eyes narrow. “This is a busy part of the Quarter,” she says. “It was bound to happen eventually.”

“Oh?” I lean forward and raise an eyebrow. “And what about that nice brick house you live in? What would your grandmother say if she knew that you led us straight to the heart of your coven?”

That gets a response from her. Her eyes widen as the kettlelets out a shrill beep, signaling that the water is at a rolling boil. Aria turns her back on us and pours the water into her mug. Her hand shakes as she dips the tea bag into it.

I exchange a quick glance with Orion, and he shoots me a thumbs-up. We’ve got her.

Her expression is composed when she sits down opposite us. Tea splatters over the rim of her mug as she sets it on the table. We all watch it drip down the porcelain.

“It doesn’t matter because you’ll never get the chance to tell her.” She leans back and inhales. “Look, Mikaela, if my family wanted to harm your coven, we could’ve done it ages ago.”

“So, why now?” I demand.

“Did you not hear me? I’m saying we have nothing to do with your little problem.”