Page 54 of Love Summoned

Her muted green eyes look at me with worry. “Shit. This can’t be good.”

I nod, chewing my lip in turmoil. Why couldn’t I get this vision earlier, before Sloane and Celeste left? I’m not used to fighting without my sister beside me.

A piercing cry disrupts the night. A young witch goes down, clutching her side as blood soaks her clothes. Another witch charges at a demon with a sick grin on his face and his eyes blazing neon blue. I’ve seen those eyes before. They don’t look the same as in my vision but they’re familiar.

“Doesn’t look like they’re letting up.” She darts back into the crowd, heading straight past—Lennox.

My eyes search frantically for Nix. Jett stands on guard beside a wolf with a white belly; I think that’s Nikita. Hynde stands farther back, doing nothing more than watching the fight, which has my gut souring.

More demons go crumbling to the ground as the witches and wolves gain the upper hand. Before long, they vanish on their own, retreating from the fight, but it doesn’t feel like victory.

Five wolves pace the area, glowing eyes searching the night as Rowan makes his way closer to me.

The injured witch groans as two more hover over her, tending to her wounds. The energies clinging to my powers remain taut with caution. Something shifts, filling the air with menace and revenge. Hynde stands across from me, staring with an unreadable expression, and then vanishes much like the other demons did moments before.

Finally, my eyes land on Nix.

His face is covered in dirt, and there’s a slash over his top lip. In their normal clothes, the witches don’t suspect Jett, Lennox, and Nix as the enemy. I’m relieved, as much as I’m filled with something more uncertain. I’m frustrated that I can’t see what I’m meant to do. And I’m scared, because what if everything I’ve seen and learned still points to vanquishing my demon in the end?

“My sisters.” Samara speaks up as Nix moves through the clearing toward me. “A darker power has made itself known tonight. This was a call for war. One that we must all be ready for. I take it we’re all from nearby covens?”

All the other witches nod.

“I’m from Salem,” I say.

“Salem?” Samara questions. “They’ve led you all this way?”

“No, I’ve been in town following a vision.” I swallow as I lock eyes with Nix. As strong as my connection to Nix has become, there’s a seed of doubt that lingers. A tiny shred that my sister’s worries carry a weight to them I can’t ignore. It has me protecting myself just a little, holding on to that last piece of vulnerability that keeps me from trusting myself.

“For weeks, I had visions of a dagger. They led me here. My sister, aunt, and I have been working to decode its meaning, and have been able to confirm our connection to an old curse and an old bloodline.”

Nix’s steps falter, his face draining of color.

“Whose?” The auburn-haired witch steps forward.

“Theodora Solomon. Our research connects her to the Seven Sisters. We’re almost certain the Solomon line ended—or hid—and began again with my great-grandfather, Solomon Hewitt.”

“What was the curse?” Samara asks as I watch Nix rush through the small crowd, now with Lennox at his side.

“Sera, no!” Nix shouts.

“Locking a demon in Hell.” I tilt my head to him, confused. “It’s upheld by an ancestral blood oath that only my sister or I can undo.”

“Well, thank you for that confirmation, witch.” An arm wraps around my throat, hauling me into a hard chest. Hynde. “I had my suspicions, of course, but now I can kill you without guilt.”

“Hynde.” Nix’s brown eyes widen, the center ring of gold flickering brightly as he holds his hands up in surrender. “Let her go.”

“I think you’ve wasted enough of our time having your fun with the witch, brother.” A rough finger drags down my cheek. “It’s time to fulfill our duty now.”

“Duty?”

“Did—did you think he actually liked you?” Hynde snickers in my ear.

“Sera.” Nix’s gold eyes are wide as he steps closer, but two demons manifest and grip him by the arms. Lennox charges toward them, but two more demons stop him, and the three of them vanish within seconds.

“Len!” Nix pales before looking back at me, pleading. “Don’t listen to him.”

“Don’t listen to me?” Hynde taunts. “I haven’t been the one lying to her all this time. You see, whoever finds the one who can break Catori’s curse wins his favor. Nix here played a clever game by getting you on his side and then sending us on a wild goose chase to find some hunter. Convincing us she was the key to it all.”