Thomas said nothing in response. He only stared at her stormily. She was right and everyone in the room knew it, no matter how much they might not like it.

Theo swore under his breath.

“Look, let’s leave off on this issue for now,” Thomas said. “We’ll consider it. I’m not saying it’s a good idea yet, just saying it bears more scrutiny.”

“You can’t win a war without taking risks,” Sarafina added softly. “And this is shaping up to be a war, right?”

Theo jerked his head to stare at her, dark eyes narrowing.

The witches filed out of the room. Sarafina watched them go, noting that Theo hung around by the door, waiting for her, undoubtedly.

Oh, goody, a scolding.

“That was pretty gutsy,” Darren drawled in his Boston accent from where he sat in an armchair near her. He had glossy black hair and a Vandyke that made him look just a little wicked.

“Is gutsy a synonym for stupid?” Her hands were shaking.

God, what had she just volunteered for? Was she totally insane? She was a paper-pusher, a cube farm animal, a freaking data entry professional! She was not James Bond.

Darren laughed. “No, I didn’t mean it that way. I meant I think you’re brave.”

“Well, thanks. Maybe you’ll say something nice at my funeral. Hey, by the way, I’m sorry for your loss.”

His smile faded. “You mean the air witch, Emily. She was a member of our Coven. She lived mostly with the non-magickals, though. Her skills were so low-grade she really considered herself nothing more than a human with a few spooky abilities. I didn’t know her all that well.”

“Any idea why they would have been interested in her, seeing as how she wasn’t very powerful?”

Darren shook his head. “No. Really, we have no idea.” He frowned. “I guess she was vulnerable enough that she could be taken easily, so they did.”

Sarafina nodded.

Theo shifted near the doorway and continued to look pissed off. Of course, he always looked pissed off. Did he want her to hurry up so he could berate her?

Yeah, whatever.

She turned her attention back to Darren.

“It’s just weird,” Darren said. “She wasn’t even powerful enough to use in a demon circle. Why they snatched her and then turned around and killed her . . .” He gestured into the air, trailing off. “We don’t know.”

“None of this makes sense.”

That’s why she wanted to see what she could get out of Stefan. For Emily. And for the non-magickals who’d been killed across the country, perhaps by daaeman for sport.

Darren smiled. “Thanks for thinking of her.”

“Of course.”

“Maybe, if you have some free time later today, we could get a cup of—”

“Sarafina,” Theo interrupted, coming toward her. “Let’s go.”