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Cressida sighed. “And the coven?”

“You’ll find another High Sorceress. And she’ll… get a new Nightwarden.” Her voice cracked. “I’m so sorry about Holden. He loved me. I should’ve been better to him. I should’ve taken better care of him.”

“He was only doing his job. It’s what he was meant to do.” The way Cressida made it sound, it didn’t matter.

The fact that it mattered to Vanessa told me she could never be the same sort of witch her mother was.

“You won’t lose me. I promise I’ll still be part of your life, if you want me to.”

“You’re my daughter. Of course, I want you to be part of my life.” Cressida draped a coat over her shoulders. “And I suppose I’ll have to clean up this mess, too. As always.”

“As always,” Vanessa agreed.

She sounded like a woman who was used to admitting she was wrong.

Cressida shot me one last look—she hated me, but what else was new—before porting out.

“She’s intense.”

“You have no idea,” Vanessa whispered, leaning against me. “I can’t believe how relieved I am that she’s gone.”

“You’re sure you want to do this?”

“More than sure.” She looked up at me. “I love you. I don’t want anything more than I want you.”

“Good thing, because it might not be safe to go back to my apartment after this. I think I need a place to stay.”

She tilted her head to the side, eyes narrowed. “I think we can work something out.”