Page 46 of Witch's Wolf

“And?” I ask, when I can’t stand the waiting any longer.

“He burned Trenton to the ground.” The world tilts. “Two hundred and twenty-seven people died, Erica. Men, women… children.”

“Oh my God…” the words barely make it past my lips.

I turn away, nausea curling in my stomach.

“Are you putting the pieces together?” Helena asks, her voice tight with certainty. “Your ancestors didn’t hesitate to slaughterinnocent women and children. Why would your parents hesitate?”

“What are you saying?” I ask, a chill snaking down my spine.

“Why would they hesitate to kill a shifter?” she asks, and it’s a punch to the gut.

“Samuel,” I whisper.

“Your parents hypnotized him that night,” she continues, her words like steel. “That ‘accident’ wasn’t an accident.”

“How can you be so sure?” I ask, voice quavering with tension and fear.

“It has all the signs of a textbook hypnosis spell,” she explains, eyes dark with knowledge I don’t want to hear. “The flash he saw wasn’t some random light. It was a trigger that sent him into a temporary trance. It’s the perfect crime, no evidence, and no loose ends.”

“Helena, Stacy and I were there. We saw it happen,” I say shaking my head as I grasp for reason. “We didn’t see any flashes.”

A knowing smile tugs at her lips. She chuckles softly, covering her mouth with her fingers. The sound makes my skin crawl.

“Oh, Erica…” she sighs. “You have so much to learn about witchcraft.”

Something in her tone makes my breath hitch.

“When you cast a spell like that, you make it visible to your target and your target alone,” she explains. “You can’t afford to let anyone else see it. They might intervene. They might get suspicious. They might get hurt.” Her gaze sharpens. “If you hadseen that flash, your car would’ve ended up wrapped around a tree.”

A bitter laugh escapes before I can stop it.

“So that’s it, then,” I say, the weight of it sinking in like lead. “They tried to take him out. Because of me.”

Another sick realization curdles in my gut. Because he loved me. Because he was with me.

“Shit, I owe Sam an apology. Another one.”

Helena’s smirk fades, replaced by something graver.

“I’m more concerned about something else,” she says, her voice sounding uneasy. “A hypnosis spell requires close proximity. Your parents, one of them at least, were here, Erica.” It feels as if the temperature drops twenty degrees, goosepimples form across my skin. “If not in Dawson,” she says, “then somewhere close, in the hills maybe.”

“Does that mean they know about Dawson? The shifters?” Monica asks, leaning in with wide eyes.

“More than likely,” Helena says without hesitation. Her words scare me but it’s the harsh sharpness in Monica’s stare that unsettles me more. Helena doesn’t soften the blow. “We’re dealing with people born from witch bloodlines.

“I guarantee they’ve known about shifters long before you were even a thought. That is, by far, the least of our worries.” She lifts her chin, confidence rolling off her in waves. “They may be powerful, but this is my realm and my territory. They have made the mistake of underestimating me.” Her lips curl in a slow, knowing smile. “Take my word for it. They’ll pay the price.”

The absolute certainty in her voice is cold as forged steel. I narrow my eyes.

“What do you mean?”

“When the time comes, I will kill them.” Her words take my breath. She says it so easily, so calmly, like she’s discussing the weather. A shudder rolls down my spine, but she isn’t done. “They dared to hurt the closest thing I have to a family. And they hurt you in the process.” Her gaze locks onto mine, dark and determined. “They clouded your mind so badly that you walked away from a promising relationship with Samuel. I won’t let a couple of manipulative bastards play God. Not in my realm.”

Monica voices the thought raging in my head that I can’t form into words.

“You sound awfully confident.” I shift uncomfortably, nodding as Monica continues. “You’re powerful, no doubt about that. But if it comes to a faceoff, you’ll be outnumbered. I don’t see a scenario where you come out on top.”

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