Chapter 45

CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

FRANKIE

"C'mon, Bentley, just let us have it already."

Lily covered Easton's mouth. "You have to stop setting him up so easily."

Easton wagged his eyebrows and his blue eyes sparkled.

We were back in Coven Headquarters. I didn't even know how we got back here so fast. It'd all gone by in a blur. Bentley had shown up to say there was more to the prophecy and we'd made a mad dash out of there so we could do as the prophecy demanded and move quickly. For all I knew, we'd left by portal. I'd been a bit too preoccupied by the growing sensation of dread. Like something bad was coming for me. I couldn't shake it.

Bentley rolled his eyes. " Make thy move like a sneak, remember? We are dealing with the Unseelie. I'd rather not speak of our quest publicly."

Timothy reached over the back of the chair and used his hand to turn Tegan's head away from the book in her lap to Bentley. "Trouble, can you pay attention so he'll show us?"

Her eyes shot up to us. "I'm listening. Go ahead, Bentley."

Tenn leaned his hip against her chair and crossed one leg over the other, his arms already crossed over his chest. It was interesting that I'd never seen Archie stand like that but Tennessee was like that often. It had to be a stress or nervous tick thing. He nodded to Bentley.

Bentley lifted his long-sleeved shirt up to his elbow.

"I've never been so relieved to find it shorter."

Easton threw his hands up and covered Lily's mouth in the most dramatic ways. "I can't believe it's my turn. I can't believe you said something dirty."

Everyone chuckled but their attention snapped right back to Bentley.

"This one is interesting. Parts of it feel too obvious, which makes me nervous. But here we go . . ." He cleared his throat. " To find the key to the lock, Take a walk down the block. When hiding treasures becomes vital, Seek the line with trust in title. For secrets are always in plenty, An angel relies on one in twenty."

Silence.

"My man, how is that too obvious?" Thiago ran his hands through his dark hair. "That is entirely vague."

Then the words clicked. That must be the sense of dread. "Ah, fuck. Me again?"

Tegan, Bentley, Tennessee, and Bettina all looked to me at the same time with tight smiles and knowing expressions in their eyes.

"You should expect to play a significant role in this quest, given who our enemy is," Tegan said into my mind.

Constance raised her hand from where she had not moved on the couch. "Frankie, why do you think you again?"

" An angel relies on one in twenty. " I held my wrist up to display my rune stones turned bracelet. "An angel gave these stones to one of the founding twenty families. Seek the line with trust in title. Line being bloodline. Title being founding family. I don't know. Maybe I'm seeing me because?—"

"It is you." Tenn held his hand up. "Or should I say, it's Esther. Her bloodline was trusted with those stones. That clue cannot be a coincidence."

"Agreed," Tegan and Bettina said in unison.

I stared at Bentley's arm. "It says, Take a walk down the block. Do you think that's literal?"

"You did evacuate all of Tampa here." Kessler turned away from the fireplace he'd been staring at. "The Irit family house is in Eden, close by."

Tegan stood, wrapping one arm tight around the book so it was flush against her body. "Uncle Kessler, I'm going to use you to portal us to their house."

He nodded. "Are we all going again?"

"No," Tegan's voice was low and sharp, a tone she didn't usually use. "Bentley, I want you here. There's too much Seelie in your veins still. They'll be on guard. I want them to make their mistakes early so we can learn from them."

Bentley nodded.

"Deacon, can you do me a favor and go down to my mother . . . See if you have better luck getting in touch with her?" Tegan snapped her fingers to the left. "Savannah, you too, ma'am. You and Mom connected in that battle. There's something to that . . . I just don't know it yet."

Emersyn scowled and it scrunched her face up. "What's happening with Mom, twin?"

"I'm not sure," she said softly. "Katherine, I need you to watch Dad. I . . . have concerns."

"I'm one step ahead of you on that one."

"Mona, you, Daniel, and Kenneth get to school." Tenn turned to look at them. "Please confirm for me the teachers are adjusting well to the new curriculum. I have a bad feeling."

"Landreia, Lennox, and Warner?" Tegan waited until all three of them were looking at her. "Go to the library on campus. Find me everything and anything that mentions vampires, Unseelie, and Nephilim. And take Mei-Ling and Tai with you. They're good around a library."

"Actually, Bentley?" Tenn glanced to Royce, then back to our Hierophant. "It's time for you to try your new trick on Henley. See if there's anything we can use to try and get her awake."

Royce whimpered.

"Royce, would you like to go with Bentley?"

He closed his eyes and nodded.

Jackson raised his hand. "Perhaps I should put a call in to my sister and my mother? I suspect they're aware but . . ."

Tenn let out a deep sigh. "Thanks, Lancaster. Yes, please."

"Everyone else with me." Tegan marched to the front door. "Uncle Kessler, at the front, big guy."

The rest of us huddled together by the front door, again. Tennessee and Cooper stood behind me where I could just barely make out Cooper asking Tenn if he was okay.

"I don't know. Since I stepped foot in Seelie, I just have this overwhelming sense of dread." Tenn shook his arms and legs out. "Like I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop."

"That's how I feel too," I whispered, and Bettina nodded.

Tegan pressed one palm to Kessler's back, rainbow mist swirling around her fingers. "Open the door."

He opened the door, and just like last time, the white portal box sat waiting. We all took a step forward and then the cold air of the portal washed over me. When the light faded, we stood outside of a front door. A purple front door. It made me smile. Kessler reached up and knocked.

The door opened and Esther's dad was standing there with an apron covered in flour. He pushed his glasses up high on his nose. "Oh, hello, Coven."

"Hey, Elijah." Tenn smiled and held his left hand out to shake. "I am sorry to bother you?—"

"Anything for The Coven. Come in, come in." Elijah stepped back but smiled at me as everyone went inside. "Esther will be happy to see you."

We walked into a cozy living room with lower ceilings than in Headquarters. The fireplace was roaring and crackling. The sofa was brown suede that looked lived-in in the best ways and had cozy fluffy blankets thrown across the armrests and back. The television was paused on an Adam Sandler movie. To my right were rows of boxes like they'd just moved, and then I remembered they'd been evacuated.

Elijah hurried to the far side of the living room and leaned through an open doorway. "Ladies, The Coven is here."

" What ?" Leah hissed.

" Really ?!" Esther's voice was excited. I heard hurried footsteps and then Esther slid around the corner wearing a baggy sweater, leggings, and fuzzy socks. Her gray eyes widened when she saw us. "Hi—wait. You're like all here. Why? What happened?"

Tenn glanced around at us before turning back to her. "Short answer, we're on a quest from the Goddess. You're familiar with us doing those?—"

"Yes," Esther said with a nod. "What do you need from us?"

"Well, we're collecting special tools we'll need for our mission, and that has brought us to your doorstep?—"

" Why? " She glanced to me. "Wait, is it because of her stones?"

"No." I walked up to the front and stopped. "Because this quest quite specifically mentioned you."

Her face paled. Behind her, her parents held on to each other. "What did it say?"

" To find the key to the lock, Take a walk down the block. When hiding treasures becomes vital, Seek the line with trust in title. For secrets are always in plenty, An angel relies on one in twenty."

Esther shuddered. "So there's a key somewhere in my house."

Leah wrapped her arms around her daughter. "We don't want to hinder you. Just tell us what you need us to do."

"Right now, just stand here." Tegan stepped up and cracked her knuckles. Then she flung her arms out and a rainbow-colored fog covered every inch of the house, seeping through doorways and around corners. "Spread out, y'all. See if anything signals us."

We scattered like cockroaches on a summer night after a rainstorm. Each of us went in a different direction, but we were all doing the same thing: touching everything and hoping it was the clue. We were ransacking this poor house, but I had to give my Coven-mates credit, everything they touched they made sure was put right back where they'd found it.

" When hiding treasures becomes vital and For secrets are always in plenty . . ." Leah rubbed her hands together and pursed her lips as she thought. Then she turned to Esther. "Could it be the box the rune stones were held in?"

"Why do you ask that?" Tegan's voice was soft but intense.

"Well, I was just thinking that hiding treasures and secrets in plenty suggest this is an important item, not just any object around the house. But more importantly, an item that had more than one secret attached to it." She turned to Esther. "The box?'"

Esther flinched. "I thought that was just a random box?"

Leah shook her head. "Why would it be random?"

Esther grimaced. "I don't know?"

"Where is it?" Leah stared blankly at her. "Esther, where is it?"

Esther threw her hands up. "I told you it was heavy!"

" Esther, " Leah all but growled. Her hands gripped the edge of the couch.

"Gram said I was to always carry the rune stones on me. At all times. But that box was heavy and cumbersome. How am I gonna keep that in my pocket?" Both of her eyebrows were arched to the sky. "So, I left the box at Gram's house, where it would be safe."

My stomach rolled. "Esther, please tell me you didn't trash it."

"No, no, of course not! The stones came from an angel. " She curled her black hair around her fingers. "I just . . . it's heavy."

"Tegan. The book." I pointed to them. "Show them. It's a specific shape."

She pulled the book out from where she'd stashed it in her leather jacket pocket. The moment she lowered the front cover for Esther and her mom Leah to see, both women gasped and gripped each other.

"It is the box." Esther pretended to put the key into the lock. "It's the same shape and has the same metal and symbols on it."

Hope rushed through me. "Okay, where'd you last see it?"

"At my grandmother's house?—"

"More specifically?"

She pushed her hands into her hair, her gray eyes wild. "I don't know, it's been years. It was in the purple room—no, maybe the green room? Gram moves stuff around all the time?—"

"She wouldn't have thrown it out," Elijah said softly. "Right, Leah? I mean, this box was passed down to her before you two?—"

"He's right. My mother definitely wouldn't have thrown it out. It's in that house."

Tenn nodded. "Babe, get us there."

Tegan cleared her throat. "Leah, I need you to picture your mother's house in your mind and not let it go until I tell you, okay?"

Leah licked her lips and closed her eyes. She frowned. "Okay, I see it."

Tegan snapped her fingers and that white light flashed all around me. We stood out front of a massive white house that looked like it was trying to imitate the White House. The front lawn was massive and even included a lake. The forest that brushed up against the back of the house was definitely not otherworldly. If I had to guess, I would've said this was central Florida somewhere.

"I didn't want to startle my mother into a heart attack," Leah whispered, "by just appearing there."

"That's fair." Tenn gestured to the elegant glass front doors. "Why don't you lead the way? We'll give you a head start so we're not all standing there when she opens it."

"Thanks, Tenn. I'll wave when we're ready." Esther took her parents' arms and dragged them to the front door at a quick pace.

"Babe, what's the plan when we get in there?" Tenn fidgeted with his silver rings. "I just have such a bad feeling right now."

"I know. Me too." She exhaled roughly. "Tenn, B, and I will search the upstairs with Esther. Y'all look around the downstairs. Keep your heads on a swivel."

"And if we see any Unseelie, don't throw all your tricks at them," Timothy grumbled. "We should not ignore that warning."

"We're not getting attacked by Unseelie though, so that's fine. Right?" Willow glanced around to us. "Right?"

"GUYS!"

We looked up just as Esther waved us forward. White light flashed and then we were in a grand living room. My eyes widened. Granny Irit's house was niiiice. The floors were a gorgeous cherry hardwood, and the grand staircase was also that same wood. It was open, too, so the wooden railings all the way up still left the house feeling open and airy. The upstairs was open in the middle with a walkway that stretched around in a big square, continuing the wooden railing right from the stairs. There were at least four bedrooms up there. The wall directly behind us, the front wall, was made mostly of glass on both floors, so during the day, natural light would've spilled in gloriously.

"I have moved it around over the years, for different reasons." Esther's grandmother curled her silver hair around her fingers, the same nervous tick Esther had. "I think it's upstairs in one of the bedrooms."

"Esther, come with us." Tenn headed for the stairs.

"Frankie, hold this." Tegan shoved the book into my chest, then sprinted for the stairs. "Split up."

"Why did she give me the book instead of putting it back in her pocket?"

"It's best to not always try to decipher her antics." Timothy chuckled as he turned to scan a large bookshelf on the far-left wall. "However, I would wager this has something to do with the magic radiating off that book preventing the key from being found, like clouding her vision."

"Oh. That makes sense." I looked down at the book in my hands and swallowed nervously. It was heavy enough that I needed both hands. I wasn't sure how Tegan had it in her pocket.

"She doesn't entrust a lot of people with her toys," Cooper whispered. "Feel honored."

My face flushed. Cooper stood by my side. His eyes were watching the front lawn through the windows, though he wouldn't see much with how dark it was. It had to be getting late at this point. I looked around to the others and found they were all searching for the box. Emersyn was in the fireplace, with a fire raging against her skin. Willow and Chutney were checking the shelves of decorations and picture frames. Kessler was lifting furniture with one hand to check underneath.

Thiago opened the front door. "I do not like the darkness that lingers here."

"Mom, let's check your bedroom just in case," Leah said gently, then took her mother and husband's hands and led them to what I assumed was the master bedroom on the first floor.

"Easton, let's check the kitchen."

I exhaled and started pacing the carpet. That sense of dread was growing with every second. My stomach was in knots. My pulse kept sending these little flutters through my body. I couldn't stand still. I hugged the book to my chest and gnawed on my bottom lip.

Thirty minutes, or maybe thirty seconds later, Esther came running out of the bedroom in the corner with her hand held high in the air. "GOT IT!"

She sprinted across the balcony to the stairs, then flew down them before Tenn, Tegan, and Bettina even made it there. I rushed over to the base of the stairs and lowered the book cover so we could confirm. Esther raced straight up to me with a gold, circular metal object that looked more like a sundial than anything else. It matched the book perfectly, both in color and in shape. Esther slammed the key into the lock, and the click sound it made when the key was inserted was very satisfying. She turned the key. The gold metal pieces slid up and into the star like snakes slithering away.

"DON'T OPEN THE BOOK!"

But it was too late, Esther had already lifted the front cover. I cursed and slammed my hand down to close it when magic exploded from inside of it, throwing me, Esther, and Cooper apart like a bomb had detonated. The book flew straight up in the air.

"Tegan!"

"BABE!"

"T!"

A cloud of bubbles appeared above me, swallowing the book before shooting back down toward the ground. When the bubbles hit the floor, it was Tegan, but smoke billowed beneath her hands everywhere her skin touched the book. She hissed and tried to keep it closed like it took a lot of effort.

I dove, shoving her to the side and forcing her hands off it. "TENN!"

Tenn was already there, sliding in to catch her before she whacked her head into the stairs. He cursed violently and took her hands in his, holding them up with horror on his face. Her palms were bloody and raw.

"THE BOOK!" Bettina shouted.

The book had landed on its spine, but gravity was pulling it down on its back. I scrambled for it with my hand outstretched but not fast enough. It landed with a thud and the front cover wide open. Black smoke shot up from the dark pages. It swirled around, then morphed to take the shape of three black dragons that were only about six inches long. I slammed the book shut, but it was too late. We all just stared in horror as the smoke-dragons flapped their smoky wings and shot like rockets out the front door and vanished.

Thiago threw the door shut and locked it.

We all just stared out the glass in silence.

Kessler's face blanched at something over my shoulder. "Are her hands?—"

"I'll heal," Tegan whispered, but her voice was strained from pain.

I cursed. "That's not gonna be good."

"Are we about to be attacked?" Easton asked with a tight voice.

Tegan sighed. "I think that's a safe assumption."

"This is my fault. I'm sorry. I didn't think. " Esther squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. "I'm sorry?—"

Cooper gasped and dove for the windows. "The stars—MOVE?—"

The glass windows and doors exploded into a million pieces. Smoke and shadow flew inside faster than a rushing tide. Ice-cold air coiled around my ankles and dragged me toward the open windows.