Page 3 of Enemies By Fate

“Something like that.”

Scowling, Sadie spins back around to face me. “If you won’t go to the coven assembly, then stay home. I don’t need to tell you what kind of chaos happens during full moons. And it’s a blood moon tonight,” she warns me. “I’ll try to get out of the hospital on time, but…”

She trails off and shrugs. I don’t need to be told. Nurse Sadie rarely keeps to her schedule during regular shifts. A full moon guarantees she’ll be working overtime, if not double duty tonight.

Stupid humans indeed.

“You’re wrong about the coven, Poppy,” she adds after a moment of silence. “They’ve accepted you as my kid from the day I brought you home, ten years ago.”

I offer her a wavering smile and fight the urge to argue. After all Sadie’s done for me, I don’t want to give her any more grief. She wants to believe that the coven is as open as she is, but the truth is, they didn’t know what to make of the traumatized, lost amnesiac kid Sadie committed to raise, even if they did tentatively allow me to sit in. I’m still not sure if they did it out ofrespect for Sadie or fear of me. Maybe it’s a healthy combination of both.

“Call it my own insecurity then,” I say, taking a sip of my too-sweet coffee.

Sighing heavily, Sadie reaches for her oversized bag from the counter and hesitates. “I won’t force you to go to the assembly tonight. But whatever plans you have for later, make sure they end early. I don’t need to tell you that all the creatures are out in full force tonight, Poppyseed.”

“You be safe too,” I say, fake saluting her and she rolls her eyes, irritated by my nonchalance. I watch her collect her car keys and head out the back door of our little house, tucked in the back mountain woods.

I’m relieved to be on my own for the day, but I barely wait until the minivan disappears down the winding back road before I jog back upstairs to find my cell phone and text Circe.

Me:Are we still on for tonight?

Ambling back to the kitchen with my cell in hand, I keep my eyes glued to the screen, intuitively guiding myself back to my sweet-smelling hazelnut coffee. Already I feel the burst of caffeine rushing through my veins, but I know it’s more than that inspiring me today.

Today really is the day. I’m going to confront the Bloodstone Alphas. They’re going to tell me the truth about what happened that day.

A flutter of movement catches my peripheral vision, and I freeze as a crow perches directly in the kitchen window, his black eyes boring into me through the glass. For half a second, our eyes lock until I offer the bird a half-smile.

“Good morning,” I say cordially, accustomed to the messengers. But I sense this bird is different.

He screams at me furiously, stealing my breath, his memo unmistakable.

Do not do it. Don’t go.

My smile fades, and I drop my eyes back to the phone, willing my best friend to respond to my text, to reassure me that I have backup and that I’m doing the right thing. Stupid bird doesn’t know what the heck it’s talking about.

The crow caws again, his cries so shrill, I feel like he’s in the room with me.

“What?” I challenge defiantly, throwing my head back to look at him. “I have to do this! I deserve the truth, don’t I?”

The corvid hisses again, his black beak tapping ruthlessly at the glass.

“Stop that!” I snap. “Go away!”

The phone buzzes in my hand and I turn away from the window, trying to ignore the obnoxious sound at the windowpane. Relieved, I snatch up the cell, but my happiness is short-lived as I read the reply.

Circe:I can’t! My mom wants me at the full moon assembly tonight, Poppy!Maybe we should wait until next month.

Again, the crow beats against the glass, his meaning undeniable. His wings flap dramatically. He’s trying to capture my attention, but I refuse to succumb to his ridiculous cry for attention.

He’s warning me, too. He’s telling me not to go, just like Sadie did.

But I have to go. The dreams have become more intense, more demanding. Every month that passes is a missed opportunity to learn the truth about my father—my family.

Chewing on the insides of my cheeks, I deliberately cast my eyes away from the insane bird pounding at the glass.

My phone dings again.

Circe:I don’t think you should go either,Poppy.Not tonight. Not alone.

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