Page 128 of An Oath at Midnight

“My scars, they’re…bad,” she said and grabbed for the wall. “That evil bitch, she’s down there. She did this.” She gritted her teeth, looking around. “How did you get in here?”

Seeing her in pain again and not being able to touch her was fucking torture. “You took down the ward.”

“I thought…I hoped. We need to go.” With a hiss, she gave my brothers a wide berth, then headed for the door.

“What evil bitch, Mags?”

“Cora.”

I snarled. “Payne, get her out of here. I’ll catch up.”

“Leave her,” Magnolia said. “She doesn’t matter.”

I shook my head. “She needs to die.”

Magnolia stared up at me. “Don’t. Don’t let her get off that easily. Let her rot in there,” she said, eyes locked on mine.

I’d imagined killing that female ever since she used her magic to attack Magnolia. I wanted to break the bitch’s neck. I wanted nothing left of her but a marker on the side of my head.

“We need to go,” Payne growled.

He was right, of course. Getting Magnolia out of here was more important than my thirst for revenge. It was fucking hard, but I nodded.

Three witches exploded from the stairwell, braced for a fight. Asuka was one of them. My brothers and I closed ranks, standing in front of Magnolia.

“Get out of the way,” Asuka said. “You walk away now, we’ll forget you were aiding a prisoner.”

Like the rest of the council, Asuka knew our value. Losing us and our services would be bad for all of them. Very bad. Making us an enemy? Even worse. “You know what we can do,” I growled. “You don’t step aside, all three of you will be dead before you open your mouths to spell.”

“Magnolia Thornheart is a killer—”

“Are you fucking stupid?” I snarled. “She’s been trying to clear her sister’s name, who is also fucking innocent. Ryan Alway killed those witches, but he wasn’t doing it alone. Someone else is still out there. You didn’t see the differences between the previous murders and what was done to Leah Golden?”

Asuka shook with rage. “Magnolia had blood on her hands!”

“She checked if Leah was cold, which she was. If you’d checked yourself, you would’ve known that. If Magnolia had killed her, she would’ve still been warm. The witches council has failed, repeatedly, so focused on Coven Thornheart, you blinded yourselves to any other possibilities. Which was why we are now hunting the killer ourselves.”

“The mark on her hand!” Asuka cried. “The tips of her fingers. Darkness. She’s been corrupted. She killed Peter.”

“She’s a reaper, appointed by Death. She told Peter not to touch her, and he did, anyway, which makes his death his own damn fault. If you’d stopped to listen to her, we could have explained all of this, and we wouldn’t be standing here now.”

She looked at the witches on either side of her. They were faltering.

“I don’t know why the council is so blind with this,” I said. “But something isn’t right. We all see it, but for some reason, you and the other council members don’t.”

Asuka blustered.

“It’s Isaac,” Magnolia said, stepping out from behind us. “I know you won’t believe me right now,” she said to the councilor, “but he’s enchanted you, and others, I’m sure of it, to make you see what he wants you to. Check his office. Please. I think he killed Leah.”

Asuka gave Mags a look as if she thought she was insane.

I was done with this. I wanted Mags out of here. “We’re leaving, and you’re not going to stop us. If you’re stupid enough to try, you will die,” I snarled. “Now step the fuck aside.”

The others moved and Asuka, seeing she had no other choice, finally wised up and did the same.

“I didn’t hurt anyone, Asuka,” Magnolia said. “And neither did Willow. Deep down you know it’s true. I’ll bring you your killer. I’m close. I just need a little more time.”

Asuka said nothing, just stared at Magnolia, looking angry and afraid. She didn’t believe us. She truly thought Magnolia and Willow had done all those twisted things.