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She looks like she wants to refuse, but after a moment she nods. “Yeah, I can find something.”

While she goes back into the kitchen, I sink into my chair and stare at the grimoire, close my eyes and replay the scene it showed me.

“A sacred vow and a lover’s kiss. An iron-clad deal with a demon prince. An end to strife and pain. An era of peace will reign.”

Goddess, I hate riddles.

I hate strange, manipulative magick even more, and this book is brimming with it. The vision, and whatever spell it’s cast on Joan to make her forget where it came from, hardly bodes well. Some part of me is repulsed by it, wants nothing more than to leave it here and get far, far away from it. Whatever it just showed me,whoever put it in my path, I don’t like it at all.

Joan returns with a silk scarf to wrap the book and a tan canvas messenger bag for me to carry it in. Her eyes are still wary, face drawn with concern, but she helps me pack it away and then pulls me in for another deep, comforting hug.

“Are you sure you want to go back?” she asks.

I know she means well, and I squeeze her in return. “I don’t think I really have a choice.”

“You do,” she says fiercely, pulling away. “You’re here, aren’t you? Is the demon going to force you back through the Veil with him?”

I shake my head. “No. But he doesn’t have to.”

Joan’s eyes dart back and forth across my face. “I can’t pretend like I understand it… you’ve known this dude for what? Three days? And you have a chance to get out of this whole mess, stay here, and you don’t want to take it? Why?”

There are a number of things I could say. A command from the Goddess, sacrilege to break. A sense of duty and responsibility to see this through. An insane, destructive urge to finally prove that I’m not a completely useless witch. Any of those reasons are true enough in their own right, but I choose another reason entirely.

“Eren and I are in this together. I’m not going to leave him all alone to deal with it, not if there’s even a chance I can help.”

I never want to leave my demon alone. Not if I can help it.

Joan isn’t quite happy with that answer. “You don’t have to make yourself a martyr, Allie.”

“It’s not just that. I… care for Eren. I know it’s crazy, Jo. I know it’s only been a couple of days. But I can’t… I can’t leave him. Not now.”

Not ever.

“Alright,” Joan says, though it’s clear enough on her face that she remains unconvinced. “Alright. Yeah. I guess I can accept that. Will you try to come back someday, though? Just to visit and let me know you’re alright? I seriously can’t do another forever goodbye.”

“I’ll try,” I tell her. It’s the only promise I can make.

With a last hug and a few tears shed between us, I make my way out of the shop, nodding at Marli and a couple of other witches who have entered the shop and sat down while Joan and I were talking. Like Marli, they stare at me wide-eyed. One even stands, opening her mouth like she means to say something to me, but I make a beeline out of the shop, avoiding them.

Back on Main Street, I head back to the park where my demon is waiting.

By the time I make it to the clearing in the woods on shaky legs and with a head that’s still swimming with magick and fear and uncertainty, Eren is pacing restlessly between the trees. He’s in front of me a heartbeat later.

“What happened?”

He looks furious and worried and so damn protective that for a moment I feel like I might cry. I stumble through an explanation, and show him the cloth-wrapped grimoire from Joan’s bag, careful not to touch it again. When I’m finished, he pulls me into a bone-crunching embrace. His heart beats erratically against my cheek and tension rolls off him in waves.

“I don’t like this, Allie,” he says in a strained voice. “I don’t like any of this.”

I can hardly disagree with him.

“I know,” I say, snuggling closer. “Can you take me to the coven hall? I need to speak with my mother.”

He doesn’t answer, but a moment later we’re pulled into one of the ley lines. When we exit, we’re back in the forest near the Veil. The coven hall is only a short distance away.

I’m about to tell Eren I plan to go alone to speak with my mother, but he beats me to it.

“Asking to come with would be pointless, wouldn’t it?” he says, trying for a smile as he tucks a strand of hair behind my ear.