Page 74 of Death Card

The girls approach the store, and with a single stroke of the brush, the doorknob melts away and the door swings open.

“What the hell did your grandma put in that potion?” Malik asks, wide-eyed with fear.

Venetia screws the cap back on the jar and stuffs it into the tote bag. “She said she would kill us if we told.”

“We’re sworn to secrecy,” Lila agrees.

Malik opens his mouth to speak but pauses when I touch his arm. “Let Miss Connie keep her secret recipe. The most important thing is that it worked.”

The rest of our team emerges from their hiding spots as I wave everyone in. An alarm blares behind the counter, but Malik grabs a step stool and smashes it.

“Everyone, hide,” I say. “They’ll send someone soon. Y’all know what to do.”

Power surges through my fingertips as I release my hold on everyone else’s invisibility. Only I remain unseen. I sit down on the bottom step and wait for the Hightowers to rush in.

It doesn’t take long for the black SUV to come screeching to a halt outside the store. Four burly dark-haired men rush inside, taking off to check all the nooks and crannies for intruders. I send up a silent prayer that everyone is sufficiently hidden from view.

Aria is the last to enter. She pauses in the doorway, stormy blue eyes sweeping across the space. Her hair is pinned up in a messy bun on top of her head, and her face is free of any makeup. We caught her off guard.

Perfect. That’s when people make the most mistakes.

As soon as she’s close enough to the staircase to reach out and touch, I grab her. My arm is around her neck in the span of a breath. The tip of Sabine’s blade is pointed straight toward her heart.

“At least let me see my attacker,” she growls. “Or are you that much of a coward?”

I force air through my nostrils and will the spell to fade. Color flows back into my skin in bits and pieces.

“It’s over, Aria.”

“Mikaela?” Her voice is tinged with confusion. “What are you—”

“Your family has gone way too far,” I snarl. “It’s time for you to face the consequences of your actions.”

Her accomplices choose that moment to barge in. “Hey! Let her go!” They charge toward me and all hell breaks loose.

My coven attacks, throwing a magical grenade that lands at their feet. As it explodes, a cloud of purple mist envelops them, stealing the air from their lungs. They reach for their throats as someone casts a binding spell.

I drag Aria away from the chaos before the vapors can reach us. She fights against me until I bring the blade closer to the exposed skin of her throat. “Don’t make me do something I’ll regret,” I warn.

She goes limp as I drag her into the same employee lounge where Orion and I confronted her the first time. I push her to the floor and mutter, “Restraint.” Neon-orange tendrils of light appear around her wrists, binding them together.

“A little taste of your own medicine,” I retort, thinking of how she tied Orion up the same way.

Aria scowls. “Get on with it. What do you want from me?”

“I want you to summon the demon.”

She does a double take. “How many times do I have to tell youthat we’re not the ones terrorizing your family?” she scoffs. “I’ve never even summoned before.”

I hold up a finger and poke my head out to check on everyone else. Malik’s standing outside the door. He gives me a thumbs-up and hands me a small box of supplies. I drop them at Aria’s feet and watch as she peeks inside.

A muscle clenches in her jaw. “You came prepared,” she deadpans.

“Look, let’s just do this.” I snap my fingers, and her bindings disappear. “You’re outnumbered, so don’t even think about running. Now, how much salt do you need?”

Aria snatches the large tin of iodine salt from the box and begins pouring it in a perfect circle. She glances up at the dagger dangling from my hand. “I hope you brought a couple of these. The border needs to be thick to properly contain the demon.”

As she pours the salt, and I light candles of protection, I ask, “I thought you said you’d never done this before?”