Page 171 of Demise

“Like you love any of us,” Asher scoffs.

Rachel casts him a look.

“I was warming up to you, Putnam, but then you go and do something stupid like speak.”

Chuckles echo through the room as Asher rolls his eyes. My mom steps forward, holding my hands in hers. I don’t have to be an expert on reading people like the witches are to know that she’s scared.

“Are you sure this is the right thing to do? The right move?” she asks me before her eyes come to Ronan.

He nods and so do I. “We can’t live like this anymore, we just…can’t,” I say.

My mom hesitantly nods before looking around the room. Several people begin leaving but not everyone. As I look around the room, I count the remaining people without counting my parents or Rachel. Eight.

As one, including Rachel, they all pick up something wrapped in cloth as they come to stand in front of us.

Everyone gets two cloths except for Liam, who gets one, and me who gets none. I frown as Asher unwraps one of his before Rachel’s hand comes out, stopping him.

“Don’t touch them yet. Wait until that night.”

He holds it by the cloth and peeks inside.

“It’s a dagger,” he says as all the guys look down at their hands.

“We have anointed them with moon water. With tomorrow being a full moon, it will help,” Rachel says.

“Help?” Wesley clarifies.

Rachel glances at the rest of the witches, all nodding in agreement.

“A wrong demands to be righted,” Astrid says, her eyes on me. “A debt must be repaid. The evil that consumed those families must be cleansed from this world. Then and only then, do I see peace.”

I nod stiffly, understanding what they are saying.

One by one, each witch in the room steps forward, resting her hand on their dagger that they gave the guys. They close their eyes, muttering something to themselves before opening their eyes and speaking.

“Bishop,” one woman says as she touches the dagger in Ronan’s left hand as Astrid touches the right.

“Good.”

One by one, they all make it down the line in order.

“Corey.”

“Nurse.”

“Howe.”

“Martin.”

“Wildes.”

Finally, Rachel is the last to speak, her eyes on Asher’s, something heavy in her eyes as she speaks.

“Proctor.”

I physically feel a shift in the room, though I don’t know how to explain it other than just that. Pulling away from the guys, the witches nod their heads, almost in respect before leaving the house. Even Rachel leaves until it’s just us and my parents.

“Do you think this will work? You will be able to convince the others?” my dad asks.

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