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Sebastian goes quiet as he considers my request before leaning over the desk and shaking my hand. “I would do it anyway because you’re my friend, but I will take you up on needing that favor.” My face breaks out into a smile as I thank him.

With the matter settled, Sebastian turns to leave, but I stop him. “One more thing. I’ve been suspecting one of the Sorcerers of selling spells behind my back. It took me a while to figure it out, but I found the culprit. She should be waiting for us outside. While I don’t need help, I would appreciate your moral support while I deal with it.”

Sebastian nods and motions for me to lead the way as I exit my study. Following me, I can see he’s curious about what will happen next. My friend has never seen this side of me, because before, my dad, Dimitri Hart dealt with these things. Now, as the head of the Sorcerer empire, it's on me. Walking down one of the many passages, my footstepsechoing like some ominous sound track of what’s to come, I find both Katalina and another woman waiting for me in one of our lounge areas with the twins.

Katalina may present as a respectable businesswoman in her suit, with her red hair done up in a chignon, making her look older than her years. But that doesn’t fool me. Glaring at her until she squirms under my gaze, I turn to the other woman. “Amelia right?”

She nods, looking a bit intimidated. “You’re here for the assistant job if I understand correctly?” At that point, she gets up and offers her hand to me in greeting. There is a strength in her I’m struggling to place as I shake her offered hand. Her outfit is less fancy than Katalina’s, but she stands up straight and holds her head high; her emerald eyes never leave mine.

“Right, Amelia,” I say, “here’s your first test. This is Katalina. She’s a member of one of the Sorcerer families, and she’s grown up with our ways. She has everything she could have ever dreamed of. Instead of coming to me, her leader, and asking for help or guidance, she got greedy and started selling spells behind my back.”

The blood drains from Katalina’s face as she realizes her gig is up as I continue telling Amelia the situation we’re dealing with. “Katalina stole from the Sorcerer empire. She jeopardized our operations. Not because she needed anything, but just because she wanted to.”

Turning my glare back to Katalina, she tries to recover from being caught and pops her hip out while putting her hand on her hip like she’s trying to defend herself. “Do you have anything to say to yourself?” I challenge.

Katalina splutters like she can’t believe I’ve accused her of something so outrageous, even if she and I both know it's the truth. Our audience watches on as I say, “Your parents know the rules as do you. I’ve notified themabout what will happen to you now, and they will not seek retribution. Goodbye.”

Blue magic weaves from my hands, the magic cutting off the air supply to Katalina’s brain, and she struggles to lift her hand to do magic against me. But her movements are sluggish with the lack of air to her brain. She’s too late. Her choking is the only sound that echoes through the room before her body slumps to the floor. Finally, the bitch is dead.

Turning to Amelia, I tell her, “If I accept you as our assistant, the only way you will leave this life is through death. Is that something you want? Are you sure? And what about Luca, aren’t you two…something?”

Her eyes flash, “I quit. I wanted something more. Luca couldn’t give it to me because I’m not on ‘the approved list of humans’, so I want to work my way up and prove I can be.” I don’t know if getting caught up in Luca’s love life is something I want to entertain right now, but it's worth a shot, and it's not like I have another option.

Amelia seems to note my indecision, jumping in with that seductive persuasion. “While I have no official assistant experience, I was the top earner at Tao with no previous waitress experience. I’m a fast learner and can handle anything you throw at me. My feelings won’t get in the way. I need this job, and I’m the right person for it.”

Now I see it. What Luca is attracted to. I hide a smirk. “Alright, pop quiz time. We need to make a show of power for this empire. How would you do it? I’m assuming you know enough about us and our history if you’re here.”

Her voice is smug. “Oh, that’s easy. I’ve been around the families enough to know that they love nothing more than showing off their power toeach other. A masquerade ball here at your home to showcase your power should do the trick.”

Sizing her up one last time, I have to admit it’s a solid idea, and I tell her she needs to plan it. She can consider herself on a trial run, and the twins will show her where she can find what she needs.

“Oh,” I think to add as I walk away, “Why don’t you notify Katalina’s family to come collect her body? Once you’re done, feel free to join us for lunch.”

Chapter 16 | Ignorance Is Bliss

Dominic

The worst moment in my life was when Mom left. It took me years to try and come to terms with it, and then Dad died. Then, that became the worst moment in my life. I’ve barely had any time to come to terms with his loss, and it’s been replaced by a new nightmare; Gabe’s call. He found Joshua, an up-and-coming Sorcerer, and he had been murdered. He was close to my age, and I had big plans for him in our empire.

But now he’s dead.

Death by a thousand cuts is cruel, even by our standards and entirely unnecessary. Even with our magic, we die like humans do. It’s almost like the murderer tried to bleed the magic out of him. Some part of me wonders if I could have done something to protect him, but if the experience with Dad has taught me anything, we have to keep moving. The empire needs us.

Now, on my knees in the dirt outside in the middle of the night, I feel closer to Hecate, more connected as I ground my fingers into the dirt around me. While this ritual is definitely not as glamorous as the historybooks make it out to be, I follow the instructions and raise my goblet of wine to the sky; my cloak sleeves fall back as I recite the first prayer of the evening.

“Maiden, Mother, and Crone, we honor you on your special night. Please grant us your guidance and protection and accept this humble offering from each of us, your servants as a token of our appreciation.”

Lowering my hands, I carefully rise into a standing position, making sure not to spill the ceremonial wine. Stepping forward, closer to the trees this time, I raise the goblet to the heavens again as I continue with the prayer. “Please accept this offering of wine Mother,” I bend my head towards the trees in reverence. Pouring my wine at the base of the trees, I feed my magic into the soil with it, returning some of my magic to the earth with Hecate, where it belongs. Yew trees are symbolic, and they were first planted in our gardens years ago. Now, they’re towering above me and perfect for us to celebrate The Night of Hecate with.

Taking a step back, I lock eyes with Reece, who’s waiting with the tray of goblets for the rest of the Sorcerers, and give her a small smile. Turning to Remi who’s holding the herbs, I grab some from the bowl and throw them at a small pit of fire near the trees to signal the next Sorcerer’s turn. Jax steps forward, and he starts with his prayer as I aim to give him privacy. “Goddess of Night, I beg you…”

The offering to Hecate doesn’t matter. The only requirement is that it's personal, and that it means something to you before you offer it up. Tonight, each of us will go through this process before we close the prayer circle and eat together in a picnic under the stars.

My prayer signaled the opening of our annual celebration of the night of Hecate. It's the first one we’ve had since Dad died, and the firstone that I’ve had to lead as the head of the Sorcerer empire. When I was younger, Dad explained to me that when our ancestors came to America and settled here, they planted three sacred yew trees in our garden to honor the triple aspect of Hecate. Closing my eyes for a moment, I inhale the scents of the surrounding trees, and the symbolism of this moment helps ease some of the sadness I still feel about Dad’s death. It helps me try to make sense of Joshua’s murder. Hecate’s night is reminding me that even if their body is gone, their legacy is everlasting.

All the Sorcerer families are gathered in a semicircle around Hecate’s sacred trees as custom dictates. While we don’t follow all the Greek customs for worshiping Hecate, there are some things we still do. Our families still honor the principle of secrecy and loyalty, and while we rarely wear robes for Sorcerer related events, tonight is one of the rare exceptions. Our robes this evening are deep blue with a silver collar, colors often associated with Hecate.

Back in the day, I would be considered the high priest, and because of that, my spot remains the center of the circle where I stand now as I watch each Sorcerer step forward and take their turn with their offering and plea to Hecate. We all stand in silence while we wait, and when it's not our turn, we remain in a meditative state of prayer to our goddess. For me, my prayer is obvious. I want to lead our empire to greatness. What I also secretly want is guidance on how to deal with Remi’s request to me yesterday while I helped her with her magical studies.