“The night at the senator’s house. When Layla was injured, he did not leap over you to get to her,” he pointed out. “He remained in the battle, fighting at your side—and that was before he was bonded to you.” He paused. “At least, in the metaphysical sense.”

I opened my mouth to tell him he didn’t know what he was talking about, but he was right. Zayne hadn’t left my side for Layla. What did that mean?

Nothing.

“You were wrong?” I challenged. “Is that what you’re saying?”

Roth shrugged. “It would be the first time.”

I snorted. “Really?”

He smiled.

“Look, it doesn’t mean that,” I told him. “And even if it did—and that’s an if as big as the entire continent of North America—we can’t be together. It’s forbidden between Trueborns and their Protectors.”

“What fun is it if it’s not forbidden?” Shoving his hands into his pockets, he wheeled around and started walking. “You coming?”

Making a face at his back, I hurried to catch up. He was humming a vaguely familiar song that was going to drive me crazy until I figured out what it was.

“You got a plan?” Roth asked.

I almost laughed. “Of course I do.”

That was mostly a lie. I had no plan other than to hopefully scare the Jesus into Faye.

Wait. Did witches even believe in Jesus? I had no idea.

“This should be interesting to watch,” he commented. “Nearly as interesting as watching you and Zayne train.”

I shot him a dark look as we followed the hallway around a curve. The restaurant came into view. All I could see above the tinted glass windows and walls of the restaurant at the end of the hall were dim ceiling lights.

How many people were inside? Were all of them witches?

Roth stopped, lifting his right hand. He snapped his fingers, and I heard a sharp cracking sound. The smell of fried plastic filled the hallway. “Camera,” he said, jerking his chin toward the corner of the hall. “Want to make sure there’s no evidence, just in case.”

Just in case...

I shuddered.

“Just remember, you can’t kill her while Bambi is on her—it will kill Bambi, too. Don’t do that.” Roth reached for the door.

“Wait,” I called, and he looked at me. “Was this something that just Faye would’ve decided to do—”

“Unless they went behind the Crone’s back, the coven is a democracy. No decision is made without the full support of the entire coven,” he answered. “They are not just complicit.”

Dammit.

I didn’t know a lot about covens, but I knew how powerful a Crone, the leader of the coven, was, and how insane it would be to go behind their back.