Page 23 of The Darkest Night

Millie, his boa constrictor, coiled around his arm with a concurring hiss.

Violet couldn’t very well argue with them. They had been at the forefront of the showdown between the New York coven and the Dark Council a few nights ago, something unheard of since they didn’t belong to the city’s extensive family of magic users in the first place.

Then again, we’re the ones who came to New York and told them what was about to go down.

Violet thought of the woman whose words had led them from Chicago to the East Coast a week ago. She knew she wouldn’t have deliberately put them in harm’s way if she hadn’t thought they could cope with the situation.

Miles stiffened beside her.

“Vi!” he hissed under his breath.

“What?”

“The Witch Queen. She’s here!”

He elbowed her sharply in the ribs. Violet tumbled to the ground, cursed, and looked around.

Mae Jin was staring at them suspiciously from across the way. Her black hair fluttered around her face, her fair skin almost luminous in the shadows. Now that Violet saw her awake, she realized again how beautiful the Witch Queen was. She wasn’t glamorous by any means, but pretty in a no-nonsense kind of way, her athletic build toned by hours spent in the club where she practiced kickboxing and mixed martial arts.

There was a lot Violet and Miles had learned about Mae since the night Nikolai Stanisic had left her in their care.

Even though the woman who was now technically their queen looked ethereal and fragile as she stood there in only a hospital gown and a house coat, Violet was not fooled. The power that had rocked the city and destroyed an entire hospital block might not be evident right at this moment, but she could still sense the indomitable magic inside Mae.

Violet climbed to her feet and dusted off her hands, Miles rising beside her.

“Hi, there,” she said in a light tone.

“Who are you?” Mae blurted out. “And what’s that?”

She pointed at the circle.

“Oh, this?” Violet started scrubbing out the spell work with her boot, Trixie helping with her paws. “It’s nothing.”

“Wait!” Miles gaped. “We’re not doing the greeting ritual? But—that’swhy we’re here!” he spluttered.

Violet indicated Mae with an irritated wave of her hand. “With everything that just went down, I didn’t think anybody would be on the rooftop, let alone her. She’s gonna freak out if she sees this.”

Miles’s mouth pressed to a thin line. “Shit. You’re right.” He looked accusingly at Mae. “Whyisshe here?”

“You guys haven’t answered my question. Also, are those your pets?” Mae studied Trixie and Millie with a disapproving moue. “You should know animals aren’t allowed in the hospital unless they are therapy or service pets.”

Violet grimaced.

Boy, is she in for a surprise.

“Millie isn’t an animal!” Miles protested. “She’s my familiar!”

Millie bobbed her head vigorously.

Mae squinted, her eyes full of distrust. “What’s a familiar?”

Miles opened and closed his mouth soundlessly. He turned beseechingly to Violet.

“You just couldn’t keep your trap shut, could you?” Violet muttered. “You know Bryony wanted to officially tell her about our world.”

A tapping drew their gazes. Mae was drumming a slippered foot against the ground, her expression impatient.

Violet rubbed the back of her neck and looked at the ground.

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