Page 24 of The Darkest Night

“How is it I always end up in these shitty situations?” she mumbled to herself.

A sympathetic sound left Trixie.

Violet thought she heard faint laughter inside her skull. She grimaced.

I wonder if she saw this coming too.

She came to a decision, raised her head, and fixed Mae with a determined stare. “I’m Violet Nolan. This is Trixie, my familiar.” She indicated the pink-eyed rabbit. “I’m a witch. Trixie helps me focus my power.”

Mae startled as a bright purple disk exploded into life around her right wrist.

Miles shuffled his feet. “I’m Miles Nolan. Violet and I are cousins. This here is Millie.” His boa constrictor hissed happily as he stroked her under the chin. “I’m a sorcerer.”

A golden globe of magic flashed into life above his left palm.

Mae blinked. Awareness dawned on her face as her gaze swung between them. “You’re the people who fought those monsters that night!”

“It wasn’t just us.” Violet shrugged. “Half the New York coven was there too.”

“Coven?” Mae said. “As in a gathering of witches?” She wet her lips nervously. “Like, naked women on a hill, under a full moon at midnight and stuff?”

Violet tried not to roll her eyes hard.

“That’s just a load of bull crap,” Miles protested. “Covensteads are pretty normal meetings. Except for the yelling and occasional hexing.” He paused. “The only time someone disrobed was when Regina Nox got drunk at the annual Grand Meeting in Vegas two years ago and stripped down to her underwear.”

“Jeez, thanks.” Violet made a face. “I’m gonna keep seeing that image for the rest of the night.”

Trixie covered her face with her paws.

“You’re lucky,” Miles said with a pinched expression. “I was sitting next to her. I swear Erik’s hair turned gray when she threatened to pole dance naked.”

Violet’s brow knitted at the mention of her ex-boyfriend. Guilt flashed in Miles’s eyes. A restless sound reached them. They met Mae’s irate stare.

“Each city has its own coven and High Priestess,” Violet explained with a sigh. “Miles and I are part of the Chicago coven. We’ve been…temporarily assigned to the New York coven for now.”

Thunder boomed in the sky, interrupting them. Mae jumped. Miles studied the angry clouds uneasily.

“Looks like he’s gonna be here sooner than we expected,” Violet murmured.

“Do you think he’ll be upset there’s no greeting ritual?” Miles asked worriedly.

Violet indicated Mae with a jerk of her head. “He can take it up with his mistress if he is.”

“What are you two talking about?” Mae said, her face tight. “Who’s coming? And what’s a greeting ritual?”

Violet chewed her lip. “We got a tip-off that your familiar would be making an appearance tonight. A greeting ritual will ease his passage into this world. Otherwise, his entrance might be…somewhat bumpy.”

Mae’s jaw dropped open. “My—my familiar?!”

“Yes.” Violet dipped her chin. “The Witch Queen’s familiar is said to be the most powerful of all the creatures ever bonded to a magic user.”

Mae sucked in air. “Witch Queen!Those people who attacked me that night called me that too. What does it mean?!” Her hands fisted at her sides, an echo of power pulsing from her. “Do you know what that red light was? And whose voice I heard inside my head?!”

Violet exchanged a startled glance with Miles. “You heard a voice?”

The wind picked up. The clouds started to spiral above them.

“He’s coming,” Violet warned.

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