Chapter 25

25

CAROLINA

“ S orry about that. I just wanted to check with Annabelle about something,” I say, bounding down the stairs to meet Declan at the gate.

He turns at the sound of my voice and gives me a tight smile. “No problem. I hope you got what you needed.”

If he only knew.

“Not really, but it’s fine. Solana’s a pretty good second, so I’m sure she’ll figure out what we can’t. I want to stop by this place in the Lower East Side. Is that okay?”

Declan shrugs his shoulders. “Sure thing,” he says as we begin our walk back to the car.

“You’re being quiet,” I note aloud.

“Sorry, I’m exhausted, and it’s just a lot to take in. The idea that there’s a coven of witches gathered in this city is…equal parts remarkable and terrifying. It makes me wonder what else is true, yknow? If witches, vampires, and demons exist, what else does?”

The question is fair, but it’s a hard one. Toeing the line between keeping Declan on a need-to-know basis and wanting to be honest with him is more difficult than I thought it would be .

“You don’t have to answer that,” he says. “I’m just thinking out loud. I am curious about one thing, though.” Please don’t let it be the mirror soul thing. Please don’t let it be the mirror soul thing. “You and Annabelle seem friendly. How come you never moved here? You know, before you had to come back to help your grandparents.”

A wind whips down the street we’re on, picking up the loose leaves on the sidewalk, and I wrap my arms around myself as we walk.

“I tried to leave, actually. I wanted to get out of Grove Meadow more than anything, but somehow, I ended up right back where I started. Kind of like something was drawing me back there…literally.”

“Where would you go? If you could, that is?”

I laugh. “Where wouldn’t I go? If I could leave, with any degree of longevity, I’d travel the world. My dad’s parents would take these long summer trips when he was growing up. Weeks in other countries, learning about enirely new cultures. He would tell me about them like they were bedtime stories, and I ate them up. It’s quite the cosmic joke that I have all this power, but I can’t leave Grove Meadow for more than a few days, sometimes only a few hours.”

Declan slides his hands into his coat pockets. “It’s kind of like we’re the opposite. You can’t leave home, and I don’t have one.”

He doesn’t say it sadly, just as a matter of fact, but that doesn’t stop the anguish that expands throughout my body. A pang of empathy flares, unbidden, in my chest. It’s strange how different our lives have been, yet in some ways, how similar.

“You don’t see your dad and stepmom?”

“Nah. They’re doing their own thing. I never fit with them, and then I stopped trying,” he says as we approach his car.

Opening the passenger side door, I look at him over the hood of the car. “Sounds lonely.”

Declan tilts his head, assessing me with those all-knowing blue eyes. “So do you.”

The car ride is quiet but not uncomfortable.

He’s a radio guy, and it reminds me of my mom dancing around the kitchen in the morning, listening to a station that only played Spanish music. Her voice would sing along, off-key but full of life, as she moved between pots and pans like she was performing a concert. Those mornings felt like magic, in their own way. When we’d complain it was too loud, she’d turn the dial higher until she couldn’t hear our complaints anymore.

He pulls into a spot out front of Esme’s shop. Mostly, I want to stop in to have her reinforce our protection wards. The apartment hasn’t felt entirely safe since we learned someone broke in to steal Camila’s necklace. But now that I’ve talked to Annabelle, I want to update her on the prophecy and see what she thinks about it.

“Thorn & Thistle?” Declan asks, looking out my window at the storefront sign.

“Have you heard of it?”

His eyes are narrow as he studies it. “Maybe. It sounds familiar, but I’m not sure why.”

“Our friend Esme owns it,” I tell him. Perhaps he’d come across it in his investigation of us.

“Esme Briarwood?”

I turn to look at him. “Yeah. How did you know that?”

He blinks. “Bas had a business card on his desk. I didn’t think much of it, but maybe he’s been investigating you more than I thought.”

Why would Bas have Esme’s business card? He knew Esme from school. Did he really track her down to interrogate her about us? I mean, that sounded like something Bas would do.

“Interesting. We’ll have to ask Esme if she’s talked to him recently. Come on. The sooner we do this, the sooner we can get back.”

The corner of his mouth turns up. “Ironic coming from you.”

“Yeah, we’ll laugh about it later.” I roll my eyes as we get out of the car.

Esme’s shop sits between an Italian restaurant and a hardware store. The dark greens and purples of the shop’s colors make it stand out from the others. Potted plants line the windows, and the stained-glass window embedded in the door reflects the sunlight at us.

“Another theme,” Declan notes as I open the door. “Does she have magic paintings, too?”

Looking over my shoulder, I raise an eyebrow at him. “How do you know they’re magic?” He gives me a look that clearly says, That’s a dumb question . “Okay, we’ll talk about that later.”

“Just add it to the list,” he mumbles. That’s when I knew that he most definitely did not forget about the mirror soul thing.

“Esme?” I call into the shop. It’s hard to see anything further than a few feet in front of you. A glorified bodega of overflowing plants.

“Back here!”

“You guys are really into plants, yeah?”

“It’s our grandparents’ fault. Abuela had a green thumb, and abuelo loved a good salve. They became pretty well known for it, and Esme was always interested in charms and potions.” My voice drops to a whisper as we move further into the shop. The air feels thick with magic, a subtle hum vibrating through the leaves and vines that seem to pulse in response to my presence. “She doesn’t have access to active magic, like Camila and I, but she can manipulate plants and different herbs to mimic a lot of active magic. Sam actually came to stay with us that summer so my grandparents could teach him similar techniques. Camila and I are much more into history and learning active magic.”

He looks at me curiously. “So, you can learn how to do additional magic?”

“Kind of? Just like you can get physically stronger by working out, we can strengthen our magic. It’s not so much that we learn new magic, I guess. It’s more like our powers expand.”

Declan’s face is thoughtful. I can see the gears turning in his mind as he processes everything. There’s a certain fascination in his eyes, a curiosity that seems to be growing the more he learns. “What exactly is your power?”

“Premonition,” I say, pushing my way through plants that are being drawn to my magic. At least these ones don’t have thorns.

“You’re a psychic?”

“For all intents and purposes, yes.”

He looks like he wants to say something else, but Esme’s dark curls come into view. She’s hauling a large box onto the checkout counter.

“Carolina!” she cries when she sees me. “What are you doing here?” Rounding the counter, she envelops me in a hug that feels like home. Her warmth is contagious, wrapping around me like a familiar blanket, and for a moment, I forget all the darkness that’s looming. “Who’s this?”

“Detective Declan O’Reilly, ma’am,” he says, sticking his hand out for her to shake.

Her face is delighted as she looks over at me. Esme’s green eyes are practically begging for more information .

“It’s a long story, but Declan’s helping us with the disappearances Camila told you about.”

Esme’s face falls instantly. The shift in her energy is palpable, like a shadow passing over the sun. “The disappearances? Did you find out anything about the prophecy?”

My magic flares in warning, but I’m not sure why. The sensation licks up my arms, and I wonder if it’s trying to tell me not to talk about the prophecy out loud in case someone’s listening. With all the portals that have been opened via these summonings, it wouldn’t surprise me if one of the demons slipped through.

I’m cautious, just in case. Between Annabelle’s coven and the familiars, I’m sure we could work through it without Esme’s help.

“Not much. I just talked to Annabelle about it, and the coven’s got nothing. But we’re here because we need stronger protection wards for the apartment.”

Esme’s face grows more concerned, the space between her brows puckering. “Did something happen?”

“Someone stole Camila’s necklace, so we think someone got past them,” I explain, my fingers twitching slightly at the reminder of how vulnerable we’ve been.

It’s unsettling, knowing someone could breach our wards and take something so personal.

Esme nods solemnly, walking around the counter again and pulling a box of crystals out from beneath the register. “Yes, of course. If you want them to charge as much as possible, they need to sit overnight.”

Of course . That familiar frustration bubbles up in me, the need for things to happen faster than they can.

“There’s nothing quicker?” I ask. It makes me uneasy, leaving Camila at home by herself when there’s so much going on .

Esme shakes her head. “If you want wards stronger than the ones you have, the crystals need more time to charge. We can’t double up because the wards will interfere with each other. I’m sorry. If I had known you were coming…”

Her apology sounds genuine, but the helplessness weighs heavy on both of us. I can tell Esme wishes she could do more.

“Right, of course. I should have called, but it was sort of a game-time decision.”

Esme reaches across the counter and places a reassuring hand on mine. Her touch is warm, grounding me a little.

“We’ll figure this out, Carolina. You and Camila will be safe. I’ll work on these tonight, and they’ll be ready for you by morning.”

Declan, who had been quiet during the exchange, finally steps closer. I can feel his presence behind me, a comforting, steady force. “We appreciate it, Esme,” he says, his voice calm but resolute.

Esme gives him a soft smile. “Anything for Carolina and Camila. You two have always been family to me.”

I nod, thankful for her support but also keenly aware that time is of the essence. “Thank you, Esme. Really. We’ll stop by in the morning.”

As we turn to leave, Esme’s voice calls out softly. “Carolina, wait.”

I stop, turning back to face her. There’s something in her expression, a flicker of uncertainty but also determination. It’s a look I haven’t seen on her before—one that makes me pause.

“There’s something else I need to tell you,” she says, lowering her voice even more. Her eyes dart to Declan, and I know this isn’t something she’d normally share with an outsider.

I glance at Declan, who steps back slightly, giving us space. "What is it? "

Esme bites her lip, glancing around the shop as if someone might overhear, even though we’re alone. The tension in her body makes me nervous, the air thick with something unspoken. “There’s been talk…within the coven. Rumors that someone—” she hesitates as if saying it aloud will make it more real, “someone on the inside is helping these demons.”

My blood runs cold. The words settle in the pit of my stomach like stones. “Inside the coven?” I repeat, my voice sharper than I intended.

Esme nods. Her face is tight with worry, the kind of concern that’s been festering for a while. “I didn’t want to believe it at first. But the evidence is starting to pile up, and it’s becoming harder to ignore.”

“What kind of evidence?” Declan steps forward again, his detective instincts kicking in. His voice is measured, but I can tell he’s just as concerned.

Esme glances at him, then back at me, her fingers twisting together nervously. It’s rare to see her this unsettled.

“Small things at first. Spells going wrong that shouldn’t have. Wards failing in places they never should have. And then, more recently, the disappearances in Grove Meadow.”

A chill runs down my spine. This is exactly what I was afraid of. But there were still things that didn’t add up about that. Namely, why Grove Meadow? There were plenty of people here in the city to steal souls from. The disappearances in town felt oddly personal.

“Do you have any idea who it might be?” I ask, keeping my voice steady even though my mind is racing.

Esme shakes her head, looking frustrated. “No. Not yet. But I’m working on it. I’ve heard Solana’s been keeping an eye on things, and I’ve been discreetly watching the others. But whoever it is, they’re good. They’re careful.”

I nod, taking in everything Esme has told us, but something still feels off. We’re still missing something big…and probably obvious.

“Keep us up to date, and we’ll do the same if we hear anything. We’ll come by tomorrow,” I say, turning to leave. Declan follows, but not before giving Esme a reassuring nod.

Once we’re outside, the cool air hits my face, and I breathe deeply, trying to shake off the growing sense of dread. The city feels different now, as if the shadows are creeping closer, threatening to swallow us whole.

Declan is quiet as we walk back to the car, but I can feel his mind working through everything we’ve just learned. It’s a lot to process, even for me, and I’ve been living in this world my whole life. Though, the demon thing is a recent development.

When we reach the car, he stops and turns to me. “Why wouldn’t Annabelle mention the possibility of a traitor within the coven?”

“Maybe she didn’t want to say anything until she had evidence. It’s a terrible accusation if it ends up not being true.” Declan considers that and nods. “Sorry for making this an overnight field trip.”

“Honestly, maybe it’s a good thing,” he says, opening his car door. “At least this way, I’ll finally get some sleep.”

He had a point.