Kellan ran his fingers through Sam’s copper hair and found no blood. ‘He isn’t bleeding. He’ll be okay. Everything will be okay.’

They pulled Sam up. Thankfully, he looked drunk and not high on whatever Canden spiked him with.

They waited for a taxi outside, and Elnora stayed behind.

The image of the blood on Canden’s chest bubbling as if it were boiling water imprinted in his mind. He wondered if that’s how all witches died.

He thought back to his first kill, an assassin Sabien had sent after him.

Kellan had burnt him to ashes; it happened so fast he never saw blood. He never saw the blood of that Adelian Resistor earlier in the winter either. The blood that spilt out of Canden was never-ending.

He shivered as they slumped in the taxi home.

chapter nineteen

chapter nineteen

bethan kore

bethan sipped her tea, reading through that morning’s newspaper, scanning for anything about Canden Whittaker.

A small article released that he’d passed away in his home. It seemed like Elnora’s master plan had worked. She had told her that her parents paid off the Whittakers and that they wanted to get rid of him anyway because of all the problems he caused. It was then Bethan realised how easy death and murder came to people.

Elnora and Kellan didn’t seem fazed, but all Bethan could see was the blood.

The blood.

The way it spilled out of him haunted her. Not only that, but she felt something. She felt an urge to do something, a desire to control the blood.

Her mind liked playing tricks on her. The party was a week before then, and she hadn’t spoken to Kellan or Elnora since.

She feared them. Not because they’d hurt her but because her view of them changed.

Deep down, she knew Kellan had killed before. He slept with that very dagger under his bed each night.

Elnora would make her teas each night, a silent routine between the two of them.

Kellan messaged her to tell her that the Rennigans said that the Antiphonus was ready for them to come whenever they wanted.

Bethan didn’t care if they were behind on the search. She would not be going back to that house anytime soon.

Dana, the shooting and the murder. So much death. So much death.

The tension in the house had been strange; Bethan would hear Circe and Agatha whispering. Agatha would come into Bethan’s room to talk about nothing. Circe will talk to her about politics or try to get her to speak to Elnora or Kellan.

The night replayed constantly, and she tried to work out every possible scenario.

She thought back to how Agatha suggested seeing her mother. Perhaps it could give her answers or clarity.

She reached for her phone and searched for her text thread with Kellan.

Bethan: I’m going to see a Mystic Witch.