Page 52 of Death Card

Aria raises her chin. “You don’t have to believe me.” She turns to leave but pauses. “But I would watch my back if I were you. The answers you’re looking for might be closer than you think.” She casts one last look at the house before walking away.

I stand there for a long moment, shoulders deflated and head angled upward. The moon peeks out from behind the clouds, growing fuller each night.

Out of all the people in that house, four others possessed the power to send that knife flying. Orion, Malik, and Chris would never. But Aria…She’s the only one who would want to hurt me.

It’s clear that our covens can’t coexist. We’re quickly headed down a path that leads straight to outright war.

I find theguys and Joelle leaning against the car. Joelle rushes over and takes my hand, leading me farther away.

“What happened back there?” she demands. “Your brother wouldn’t tell me anything. Who was that girl?”

“She’s no one. It doesn’t matter.” I brush her hand away and take a step back. “Don’t worry about it.”

Joelle’s expression closes off. “Did I do something?” she asks. “You disappeared as soon as we got to the party, and now you’re giving me the cold shoulder. What’s going on?”

The stress of everything is weighing on me heavily. Joelle came way too close to magic tonight. If she’d walked into that kitchen a minute earlier, would she have seen Aria send the knife flying in my direction? I’m not sure how I would’ve been able to explain any of that in a way she would believe.

The more time Joelle spends with me, the more likely it’s looking that she’ll uncover my magical abilities. The full moon is nearly here. I’ve got to protect myself, even if that means hurting Joelle in the process.

“Why do you even like me?” I demand. “Is it because you think I have something you don’t? Do you think by spending time with me that you’re going to uncover this great big secret?”

Joelle steps back. “Mikaela—”

My heart skips a beat, but I keep my expression blank. Hurt blossoms across her cheeks, but I still deliver the final blow. “Come on, Joelle. I know you want to believe that there’s more to life than there is, but maybe it’s time for you to grow up.”

Joelle’s lips thin as she turns and walks away from me without a word.

23

Orion takes thekeys from my hands and coaxes me into the passenger seat. “You had to do it, sis. She’s a wild card.” He slams the door shut and waves to the guys as they head over to Malik’s car.

“We’re going over to Malik’s,” he says as he revs the engine to life. “Now, tell me exactly what went down between you and Aria.”

My lips open and shut, but no words escape. Tonight was too much. The messed-up part about everything is that I miss Joelle already.

After what I said to her, she’ll never want to talk to me again—which was the goal. The longer she stays in my life, the more likely it is the vision will come true. But if we take this detour, then she won’t have the opportunity. I’ll make sure to stay away from her until after the full moon.

“Earth to Mikaela,” Orion says, waving his hand in front of my face. “Man, you’re really out of it.”

My first urge is to snap,What do you expect?!But I don’t even have the energy for that. All the adrenaline previously pumping through my veins has dissipated. I’m left as a shell of a person.

“I didn’t get anything from Aria.” I sigh. “She kept denying her family’s involvement.”

“And your ear?”

I reach up. The bleeding has stopped. Now only a crusty scab remains. I focus healing energy into the wound, and slowly, it disappears, and new skin stitches itself together.

“She tried to kill me, Ri. That knife was headed straight for my skull. It was only luck that I stepped out of the way in time.”

“Nah,” Orion says. “Not luck. That was skill. You’ve always been able to sense those sorts of things.”

He’s right. I silently thank the ancestors for my gift.

The speedometer ticks past the speed limit as his grip on the wheel tightens. “Seems like the universe is trying mighty hard to take you out.”

“Tell me about it.” I sigh again. “What do we do now?”

He glances over at me. “You’re the one calling the shots.”