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“Hello,” Walter said. His gaze ran down the line until it hit me. He stared at me a few seconds longer than he did everyone else. After Travis’s ceremony, he and I sat down together many times. I was grilled and asked every question I could think of. It was a stressful time, but I hadn’t seen him in days. “Sorry to come unannounced.”

Randy bristled, no doubt thinking that it never stopped them before. Now that we had nothing to hide though, it really didn’t matter. They knew about me. Travis had been found to be true. What could possibly be wrong?

“There’s much to say, so we’ll just get right to it,” Walter said. “After many meetings with the other Orders, we’ve decided to begin a new Order decree.”

We all shifted in our seats. The air was thick, and we all waited for what felt like a bomb to drop. “What’s that?” Randy asked, his leg jumping up and down as he tried and failed to sit there calmly.

“As you know, we had to tell the other Orders about your new coven member.”

“Norah,” Gabe said.

“I know her name, Mr. MacDonnagh.” He looked away from Gabe, his expression steely. “We didn’t think it right to keep her presence a secret as you all kept it from us.”

Randy’s fingers clenched into fists.

“After much deliberation in which some Orders thought it best to disband the Salem Order, we’ve—”

“Disband the Order?” Travis argued.

Walter held up a hand. “Thankfully, it has not come to that. In order to keep the faith in your Order and for Orders to better serve their cities, we’ve decided on a ruling.”

Gooseflesh erupted over my arms. Walter wouldn’t look at me, and I knew this had not just something to do with me, but everything to do with me. The Order of the Akasha was a long-standing club. They didn’t like change. Change was their enemy.

“From now on, Order members are not to have any intimate relationships with one another further than friendship.”

A sour taste coated my throat. They’d just taken everything dear to me and threw it down and stomped on it without any thought to what it would do to us. These guys were my everything.

“You can’t do that,” Travis said.

At the same time, Randy said, “Fuck that.”

After the two outbursts, Liam said, “That seems rather harsh, don’t you think?”

Gabe leaned back, his lips pressed tightly together. For some reason, he’d always been the black sheep of this Order.

“I expected this reaction,” Walter said, “But please believe me that everyone had nothing but the best of intentions for your coven. It is our belief, however, that one cannot have a flourishing coven with the types of relationship that you all have.”

I couldn’t take it any longer. “That’s not what this is about, though, is it?” I asked. “Tell us what it’s really about.”

Walter slowly moved his gaze toward me. His disinterested look sent me into a spiral.

“What about the rumors of the other covens? Is it true?” I asked, rising to my feet. “Is it true what we heard that adding in a female Enforcer does something to the coven?”

“We can’t substantiate those claims,” Walter said. He never rose to his feet, but his look itself said he was superior than me.

“But you might as well have,” I said. “If not, why would you even make this rule? If there was no evidence behind it, why couldn’t we continue on as we have been to see what happened?”

“It’s for your own good,” Walter said.

A shiver went up my spine. “You know, it’s been my experience that people who say, ‘It’s for your own good,’ are either copping out or lying. Which is it with you?”

Travis stood. He put a hand on my forearm to hold me back. “I’ve got news for you, Walter. Our relationship with Norah is none of your business. We’ll continue to do whatever it is we please on that level.”

“Then you will be breaking the law,” Walter said, his voice morphing from one of just generally relaying news to feeling the truth behind it.

“Then you can disband us,” Liam said.

Walter’s head reared back. “You would do that?”