Page 181 of The Demon's Spell

I shook my head. “I don’t know, but we can do that again anytime.”

He smiled, then drew me close to him again to kiss my forehead. “We absolutely will.”

We crawled beneath the sheets, and Lucas curled an arm around me to spoon me. I had never felt so at ease, so in love.

“I can’t wait to marry you,” I whispered.

He kissed me behind the ear. “Darling, I promise it will be worth the wait.”

The beauty of our moment together in that enchanted room didn’t last long. By the next morning, we were faced with reality all over again.

I didn’t feel ready for our trial, but we’d given Verla everything we had. We’d gone over everything the priestesses might throw at us and prepared our answers.

We woke early to get to our dorm rooms before anyone spotted us. When we walked into my room, I was surprised to see Grant and Talia lying on the floor surrounded by piles of open books. Talia was curled up in Grant’s arms—she looked so tiny next to him—and they both slept soundlessly. It looked like they’d fallen asleep studying.

Isa meowed loudly and bounded over to me, jumping over my friends. It felt like ages since I’d seen her last, and I quickly swooped her into my arms, burying my nose into her fur. Isa was so excited to see me, pawing at my face and licking me.

“It’s okay, girl,” I told her, while scratching her head. Isa began purring loudly.

Talia stirred, and she startled when she saw me. She nudged Grant, and he yawned as he woke up. Gus and Bella perked up from where they lay on the couch.

“What are you guys doing here?” I demanded. “You’d be safer at Verla’s.”

“We’re going to take the witness stand,” Talia blurted. “We’ve been researching Miriamic law all night.”

“Verla won’t let you take the stand,” Lucas argued. “If Nadine and I are found guilty, you’ll be hanged, too.”

Grant took a step forward. “I’m the one who killed those officers during the Burning. It’ll prove you’re both innocent on that account.”

“No,” I objected. “You’ll be arrested.”

“But it’s the truth,” Grant said. “I made a decision that night—”

“We all did,” I protested. The night of the Burning, Lucas, Talia, and Miles had been taken hostage with Darcy, Samantha, and Felicia. The priestesses had intended to burn them at the stake like they’d done to Amy and the others. Killing those officers was the only way to free our friends. We’d all decided that night to do whatever was necessary to save their lives.

“I’m the one who pulled the trigger, and I won’t let you take the fall for that,” Grant insisted.

Lucas pressed his fingers to his eyes. “Grant, you can’t say that on the stand. Besides, Verla’s already got her witness list—”

“And we’re on it,” Grant said. “We’ve already talked to her. We’ve got it sorted it.”

Lucas’s eyebrows shot up. “And you know what she said about keeping your mouth shut. She knows more about this stuff than we do. We agreed to let her do the talking, and you have to do the same.”

Grant crossed his arms. “Fine, but I’m proving you innocent.”

I sat on the bed, continuing to scratch Isa behind the ears. “What are you looking for in the textbooks?”

“Anything that will help,” Talia said. “We’re hoping for a loophole that will get your case thrown out.”

“Don’t you think Verla would’ve brought that up?” I asked.

“We might have found something, though.” Talia reached for one of the open textbooks. “Witches deal with death differently than most other magical races. Because Lucas is Mortana and has power over death, we might be able to claim that the deaths you’re charged with were predestined—and therefore not your fault.”

“But Lucas doesn’t have the power to see fate,” I pointed out. “It won’t work.”

“We have to do something,” Talia insisted.

“I appreciate the help, Tal, but I don’t know what more we can do,” I told her. “We’re going to sit on that stand and follow Verla’s lead, and things will turn out how they’re meant to.”

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