Page 104 of Rites of Passage

Nikolai shuddered. “I can’t believe that’s where you hid it.”

Mae shrugged. “No one would have thought to look there.”

Nikolai grimaced. “I bet Mr. Ho-Nam was scowling at me from Heaven.”

Mae made a face. “I suspect Mr. Ho-Nam is enjoying his current whereabouts far more than Earth. Mrs. Son-Ha said his widows are fighting over his will.”

She’d put the skeleton key Agnes had given them in Mr. Ho-Nam’s urn, in the columbarium at Fairhill Funeral Home. Since it was surrounded by the remains of the dead, she’d been pretty confident the Dark Council wouldn’t be able to detect it. She’d bound it inside a shield as an extra precaution.

“How are things between you and Raven?” Violet asked Abraham.

The aide flushed. “It’s—okay.”

He peeked guiltily at Bryony.

The older witch sighed. “I’m not stopping you from having a love life.”

Abraham relaxed.

“You’re just going to have to accept that it will be a long-distance relationship,” Bryony crowed.

The aide’s expression grew pinched.

Mae leaned sideways.

“You owe me ten bucks,” she whispered to Miles.

The sorcerer heaved a morose sigh and fished out a ten-dollar bill from his wallet.

“What’s that about?” Violet asked suspiciously.

Mae wrinkled her nose. “I won a bet.”

From Vlad’s reports, there had been definite lip locking between Violet and Erik prior to their departure from Philadelphia. Mae couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for the Vegas sorcerer. Violet was on a mission to rid him of his chastity and was undoubtedly going to win.

“Fifty bucks says they’re doing the dirty by Valentine’s Day,” Mae murmured to Miles.

He grinned. “You’re on.”

They finished lunch in record time and gathered around the main conference table while Abraham brought out the compass from the coven’s vault.

Excitement thrummed the air as the aide carefully laid it down. Mae’s heart started to race. Nikolai removed the skeleton key from his pocket.

He looked over at her.

She shook her head. “You should do it. Your magic has a stronger affinity with that thing.”

“Are you guys sure you want to open that artifact here?” Vlad indicated the coven’s official meeting chambers with a skeptical expression. “We have no idea what could happen.”

“Yeah,” Miles said. “What if it opens up a doorway to another dimension?”

Everyone stared.

The sorcerer grimaced. “Okay, I just heard what I said and it sounded ridiculous. We’ve already seen portals to Hell, ha-ha.”

Brimstone approached the table.If this leads to theBook of Shadows, we should take the risk and use the compass.

“Brim says to go for it,” Mae stated.

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