Page 67 of Fallen Demon

Hopefully, no one knew where we were and no enemy would show up.

Well, except for Levi.

And maybe Ylena.

Abbie pulled out chalk from her dress’s pocket. “I’ll draw the circle.”

“Do you have more chalk?” Lacey asked.

Abbie handed her a second piece of chalk and the two of them set out to draw a large witch’s circle in the center of the clearing. Aspen stood back, waiting for the circle to be ready. And Farrah knew me too well. She took Wyatt’s hand and went to help the others.

As for me … I couldn’t help any longer.

I turned to Topaz and whispered, “You’re from Lacey’s coven? And she thought you were dead? Care to explain?”

Topaz regarded me with her kind brown eyes. “What do you know about my life?”

She hadn’t revealed much in the couple of weeks I had stayed with her. “Almost nothing.”

“Exactly. Why do you think it’ll change now?”

I rolled my eyes at her. “Fine. Don’t answer. Lacey will tell me.”

“I don’t think she will.”

I gaped at her. “Is it that bad?”

“I’m not sure.”

“What does that even mean?” I frowned. “Are you her mother?”

Topaz stared at me, a glint I couldn’t place in her eyes. “No.”

That word echoed in my ears, hard and absolute. All right. I believed that, but then … “What are you? To her, I mean?”

The witch shook her head. “Drop it, Ariella.”

“You know I won’t?—”

“It’s done,” Abbie announced, unaware she was disrupting my interrogation.

Ignoring me, Topaz looked at the warlock. “Are you ready?”

Aspen stepped forward, to the edge of the circle. “I’m ready.”

“Witches and warlock, position.” Topaz approached the circle. Lacey, Abbie, and Aspen spread out, standing on equidistant four points around the circle.

The others stayed back.

I handed the dagger to Topaz. We had agreed she was probably the most powerful of us, but Lacey, Abbie, and Aspen would send their magic to enhance Topaz’s, just in case.

I would stay on the sidelines, watching and praying it worked.

Topaz picked up the dagger and nodded at Aspen.

He put one step inside the circle, closed his eyes, and raised his hands. I felt the tug of his magic reaching inside of me. To open the portal where Levi was without knowing, Aspen would use the bond. He said that theoretically, the bond connected us all the time, even if sometimes it felt muted.

A purple ball appeared over Aspen’s hand, and it grew and grew. “Almost there,” he said, and I had an idea that he was holding the bond’s line and searching.

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