Page 73 of Hot in Witch City
I furrowed my brows. “What are you talking about?”
“Sit down, Gianna.” She brushed my arm.
“Okay.”
“We need you, Gianna. We need your help to find a portal.”
I blinked at her. “A what?”
“The portal where Max and Jakob came through many years ago.”
My gut churned. “They came from—another world?”
She sighed. “You don’t know much about the magical world, do you?”
I mashed my lips together before I spat something caustic, blaming her once more. “Not what you’re talking about.”
“A portal will open soon. We need to help others like Max and Jakob through.”
“What are they?” The question that still hadn’t been answered. “Why do they look like sirens when they swim?”
She brought her long, slender fingertips together. “They’re able to take on whatever form they like. Part of their magic.”
That could mean they were shifters, like Sebastian. Or worse.
Much much worse.
“Please tell me they’re not demons,” I said.
“What if they are?” She rolled a shoulder, as if it meant nothing.
Terror clamped around my throat. My skin turned clammy. Demons.
“Just as sirens have been smeared as monsters over the centuries, so have demons.”
I blinked, trying to follow along with the logic.
Maybe that was possible, except the one I’d encountered one was truly monstrous in my eyes. “One kidnapped me not to long ago. He was terrible. Exploiting me to gain access to power.”
My mother seemed unfazed by it. Her expression, not changing. Did she not give a shit about my trauma?
“With all the magic in this town, we need to be the ones in power and control the portal.” She gestured at me. “That’s why we need you to talk to your friend, Nova.”
My eyes widened. “Is that what your interest was in Nova?”
“She’s a witch. She works for the Network. She’s your friend. Naturally, we could use your connection to find out more.”
Lowering my head into my hands, I said, “I don’t believe this.”
“Get her to come here and join us. We can all work together, and then we’ll rule Salem.”
My gut sank to the hardwood floor. I raised my gaze to meet hers, which now had a wild spark.
“You’re connected to the attempt to infiltrate the Network, aren’t you?” I accused.
She scowled, twisting her features. “They had it well protected with magic. That’s why we need an insider like your friend.”
I stepped back. “You didn’t want to get to know me at all. You were just using me.”
