Author: Aileen Erin
Category: Paranormal
Go to read content：https://readnovelfree.com/p/28751_165
I shook my head. “I think I saw a little sliver of Hell just now.”
She sat on the chair next to me. “What do you mean?”
I didn’t look at Claudia. “I decided to sneak into Luciana’s house.”
“You did what?” She yelled.
“I went into her craft room.” I finally met Claudia’s wide-eyed gaze. “Did you know she was practicing dark magic?”
The Devil's Son - ParanormalCheck out the best interactive novels on Whispers: Interactive stories.
She opened and closed her mouth a few times before speaking. “I had my suspicions. Her aura is really dark. Black as pitch. But I didn’t want to really believe.”
“You don’t have to believe. You don’t need to take it on faith. I found a gris-gris in my box spring. That’s what was giving me the nightmares. I’m leaving, but I wanted some more evidence first, so I went there hoping for…” I shuddered. I hadn’t even thought to bring anything with me. I’d just run. “There’s an upside-down pentagram on her floor and a dead chicken on her altar. Plus a picture of me and Dastien wrapped in what I think might be my own hair. But that’s not the worst of it.”
“What’s the worst?”
“I had a vision while touching some sort of ritual knife—”
“There are a lot of ritual knives. That doesn’t mean that this one was bad.”
I narrowed my gaze at her. “This one was bad. I touched it, and I was in a dark room. It was scattered, but I felt alone. Terrified. So scared I could barely breathe. The smell of sulfur was so strong. And I felt like I was burning alive. Whatever that knife is—whatever she’s done with it—it’s evil. It’s possible that it wasn’t always bad, but it is now.”
Claudia blinked a few times before covering her face with her hands. “I didn’t know.” She pulled her hands down. “I swear. I didn’t know.”
“I believe you.” And I did. I didn’t know much about my cousin, but I knew for sure she wasn’t evil. “The question is, how much does Daniel know? How much does the rest of the coven?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know. I don’t think Daniel knows anything. He would’ve said something. He’s not allowed into the craft room at his house. He always uses ours.” She rubbed her hands along her temples. “I would’ve said that we’d never allow that kind of darkness in la Aquelarre, but I guess I was wrong.” She sighed. “This coven might not be worth saving.”
No shit.
After my reception at the schoolhouse and the fact that only a handful of people had even come by to say hello, I’d been thinking more and more that the coven was a lost cause. La Aquelarre needed to be dissolved. Disbanded. Whatever it was called, but it needed to go away.
But after what I’d seen in Luciana’s house, no fucking way. This place was bad news and just breaking the coven up wasn’t going to cut it.
My gut was telling me to run. Now. Fast. Before anything else happened.
I wasn’t sure if I’d even closed Luciana’s back door. She was going to know I’d been there. And if she was really involved in dark magic, she was going to retaliate. She didn’t want me around. She wanted to control me. To manipulate and use me. But I wouldn’t allow that.
Dastien had been right. Caving to her had been a bad idea. I should’ve never come here.
I stood up. “If you come with me—if you and whoever you know, and I mean know, is good—come with me to St. Ailbe’s, the pack can protect you. But I’m leaving. If I ever come back here, it won’t be on friendly terms.”
Claudia blinked as she tried to take in my words. “I…I…I’ve got to get Raphael. And the others. We need to pack. I can’t just go right now. We need time.”
The urge to go now was riding me hard. I’d left Luciana’s maybe ten minutes ago. I wanted to be gone within the next ten. “How much time do you need?”
“I don’t know. A day.”
A day was too long. I shook my head. “No. We need to go now. Like within the next fifteen minutes.”
She paced away for a second, wringing her hands, before turning back to me. “Raphael is out by the creek. It’ll take me time to go get him. Please wait for me. I’m scared of what Luciana will do if you leave and we’re still here. I just…Please. Do this one more thing, and I swear I’ll make it up to you. I’ll get everyone as fast as I can.”
Crap. I didn’t want to leave her stranded. If Luciana did come looking for me, Claudia and Raphael would need protection. I couldn’t leave them to deal with the backlash of what I’d done.
“I can give you one hour—and I don’t even want to do that—and then I’m leaving with or without you. My offer of protection will stay on the table, though. You’re welcome with the pack, but I’m not sticking around.” I stood up and felt woozy. I slammed my hand down on the table to keep from pitching forward.
Claudia shot over to me, steadying me. “Are you okay?”
“I don’t know. I think that gris-gris is still messing with me.”