Page 65 of Wicked Chains
"Fancy meeting you here," he says, materializing beside me.
"Hey."
Drake's eyes narrow as he studies my face. "What happened?"
I swallow hard, fighting back tears that have been threatening since Helena grabbed Hank. "Helena tried to kill Hank."
"What?" Drake's form solidifies fully, his anger making him more corporeal than usual. "When?"
"After class. She cornered me in the hallway, said I needed to be taught a lesson. She was going to crush him in front of me. Would have, if Ash hadn't stopped her."
"Ash?" Drake looks surprised. "He stepped in?"
"Only because it might have affected my magic, which he considers his property." I stroke Hank's back again. "But yeah, he stopped her."
Drake reaches for me, his cool hands framing my face. "Are you okay?"
I nod. His thumbs brush my cheekbones, then his mouth dips toward mine. For a moment, I want to lose myself in him, to forget everything in the comfort of his touch.
But I pull back. "Wait. I need to talk to you about something."
A moment of something that almost looks like fear crosses his face before he masks it. "What is it?"
"Do you know anything about a witch named Jasmine Wickersly?"
Drake's brow furrows. "Wickersly? As in, related to Victoria and Helena?"
"Apparently. One of the cleaners overheard Helena on the phone, talking about someone named Jasmine. She said 'Jasmine always the favorite'." I watch Drake's face carefully. "Have you ever heard of a third Wickersly sister?"
Drake shakes his head slowly. "No. There was only Victoria when I was alive."
"Are you sure?"
“Victoria Wickersly was headmistress, but I never heard any mention of a sister other than Helena."
I deflate a little. "So it's a dead end."
"I didn't say that." Drake takes my hands in his. "Just because I don't know about her doesn't mean she doesn't exist."
"But Helena mentioned her like she's someone important, someone with power." I pull one hand free to rub my forehead. "I thought maybe she could help me fight back."
Drake considers this. "If she's a Wickersly, she's probably just as terrible as the other two."
"Maybe," I concede. "But she might hate Helena enough to help me.
“Amicus meus, inimicus inimici mei.”
“Say what?”
“It’s Latin. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. That's a dangerous game, Rose." Drake's eyes are serious. "Witches like that don't help people out of kindness. They'd want something in return."
I groan in frustration. "I know. But I'm running out of options here." The ticking clock the Crescent Moon Coven had on my head may have been stopped, but Helena is just as ready to shorten my life span.
Drake is quiet for a moment. "Soren might know something. He's been around a long time."
"Lucien too," I add. "He's worked for the Crescent Moon Coven for centuries."
"Exactly." Drake's gaze turns curious. "Speaking of Lucien, how did it go?"
