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I rubbed my eyes. Just saying all of that aloud gave me a headache.

“Then there’s Cami,” I continued, “who, last year, was possessed by a demon who created the vampire race. He left a part of his soul inside her, and now she’s gone. Whatever happened last year destroyed what remained of her. Cami escaped from Raven’s yesterday morning, and now I have to track her down and kill her before she hurts someone. I need to set her free.”

I waited as all eyes were on me, and Hannah’s jaw dropped. Maybe they didn’t realize what they were getting into when they asked Amber to turn them into supernatural beings.

“Look, all of this is the coven’s responsibility, not yours,” I told them. “But if you join us, we will forever be in your debt. Truthfully, we will always be on your side, no matter your choice.”

Amber looked down and bit her bottom lip, as if contemplating my request. “Mercy, a year ago, when Riley helped me sniff out my pack, I was devastated to have found them the way wedid. Their scentstill lingers in those woods from what Kylan had done to them,” she explained. “Kylan being dead didn’t change anything. Witches and werewolves have been bound for the same purpose. To kill vampires.”

Amber was right. We weren’t divided as witches and werewolves; we were on the same side, in the same fight.

Kylan had planned for months before he tracked me down to take me out. He punished her pack for interfering and protecting me by slaughtering them. Thankfully, when he attacked the pack, Amber was looking for me and wasn’t caught in the crossfire. She searched for her family for months, but little did she know they were burned to ash in Salem Woods. With the help of Riley, her newest pack member, they tracked their scent and Kylan’s. They had also picked up a human scent, which we assumed he possessed at the time, to carry out the murders because of the curse Tatyana put on him.

“We’ll help you take down what’s left of Kylan and rid him from this earth for the last time. Just tell us what we need to do. We do this together,” Amber said.

Riley smiled at her with pride.

It had taken me a while to accept Riley as a werewolf. I didn’t want this life for him, not like it was ever my choice, but seeing how much he had grown and who he had become made me proud. He was happy this way, and that’s all I wanted for him.

Riley turned to Aaron and Hannah. “Are the two of you ready for this? It’s not just Kylan’s spirit we’re taking out, it’s Maurice, too, and whoever is killing in East Greenwich, that is, if it’s not the same person.”

Aaron smiled and spoke for the first time. “We’re ready to do what Amber and Riley created us for.” He grabbed his sister’s hand and squeezed. “Tell us what to do, and we’ll do it.”

I pulled my phone out of my purse, and once it powered on, I opened my texts, and there was a message from Caleb.

Oh, shit.

“I gotta head back. I’ll call you later, Riley.”

“Everything okay?”

“No. The killer broke into Abigail’s home last night and attacked Caleb. He’s okay, but he mentioned the attacker had the dagger.” I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Fuck!”

“Maurice?” Hannah jumped in, her tone denoting an eagerness for her new role.

“It wouldn’t be Maurice himself, but rather one of his witch lackeys. They used magic,” I explained.

Riley’s mouth dropped. “So did Kylan.”

I shook my head. “But he’s in Cami’s body. The person who attacked Caleb was a man. Yes, he could have left Cami’s body to possess another, but why would he? From what I witnessed at Raven’s, Cami’s body is just as strong to do his bidding.”

Riley stood and brought me in for a hug. “We’re with you until the end.”

CHAPTER 25

Mercy

WHEN I ARRIVED at my house, I spotted Caleb’s car in the driveway.

I shouldn’t have turned off my phone.

The coven stood around the kitchen table, including Roland, when I walked through the door. The room was completely silent.

“Sorry. My phone died, and I didn’t have my charger on me,” I lied, feeling unease hit me like a brick as everyone watched me take a seat on the couch. I had walked in on something intense. “Jesus, I told you I’m sorry.”

Caleb moved around the table and walked over to me. “Mercy, we got another note.”

“Anothernote?” I questioned. “When did you get thefirstnote?”

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