Page 73 of Death Card

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We’ve recruited twentymembers of our coven for the attack. Half will go with Gramps and half with me. Lizzie and her parents will be with Gramps, while Malik will fight at my side. My brother will be far away from the action, much to his dismay.

“You know I can do more good with you,” he whines. “I’m going to miss everything!”

I pat his shoulder. “You’re the person I trust the most, Ri. I need you to do this for me.”

And bythis, I mean keeping an eye on Joelle for the night.

The full moon will rise, and my vision will come to pass, unless Orion can thwart Joelle’s plans.

I’m still not sure where she stands in all this, especially after Gran’s cryptic speech. And after seeing Mike Dupree’s lapel pin, I can’t ignore the possibility that the Hightowers have spun a web that’s ensnared mortals in their mess.

Once the demon is banished, I can unravel everything, but I can’t rest until that happens. No one else will die on my watch; I’ll make sure of it.

Orion’s phone beeps once I text him Joelle’s address.

“You’d better get going,” I say, stabbing a finger in his direction. “Do not let her out of your sight.”

He looks like he wants to make a snarky remark but then thinks better of it. Instead, he crushes me to his chest and squeezes me tight. “Be careful, sis. I want to see you at the end of the night. Alive.”

“I’ll be okay.”

We both know that my words are nothing more than meaningless platitudes. I can’t assure him of anything. This whole night is a wild card.

He daps Malik on his way out, pulling the hood of his jacket over his head and disappearing through the front door. I peek through the curtain to watch as his taillights disappear down the street.

The horizon is tinged pink as the sun disappears from view. A lump forms in my throat as I come to the realization that this could be the last sunset of my life. I commit it to memory, closing my eyes as the chatter of the room washes over me.

Ancestors, be with me.

Gramps claps his hand onto my shoulder, breaking the spell I was under. “Is your brother gone?”

“Yeah,” I say. “He left a few minutes ago.”

“Good.” Gramps studies me with a furrowed brow. “Baby girl, there’s so much I have left to say to you.”

“Don’t,” I say. “We’re going to do the impossible.”

“What’s that?”

I force a smile. “We’re going to change my destiny.”

A corner of his mouth twitches, but he doesn’t smile. “I sure hope so,” he says.

We both turn to face the room, letting our hope hang in the air between us. I refuse to say goodbye to him.

Crescent Moon Booksis still visible to us, but this time, the Hightowers have placed a different sort of ward. The hum of electricity lifts the hairs on my arms as we approach down the sidewalk. I smack straight into an invisible brick wall as heat burns my exposed skin. Malik yanks me backward as I let out a shrill yelp at the pain.

“The ward is stronger this time,” I murmur.

“That’s okay, cuz; we prepared for this.” He nods to two witches, Lila and Venetia, waiting down the street. They peel away from the light pole they were leaning against and set canvas tote bags down on the pavement.

Around us, the street is alive with the sounds of music as a parade makes its way along the road. I’m not sure what everyone’s celebrating, but the distraction serves its purpose. So far, my invisibility glamour still holds.

The witches, Miss Connie’s oldest granddaughters, work in tandem to open a massive glass jar of viscous green liquid. They both pause to slip on thick leather gloves. Then they dip wide-bristled brushes into the potion and smear it over the invisible wall.

The liquid pops and sizzles as it burns through the ward. Bit by bit, the heat of the invisible barrier lessens until it disappears completely.