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She realized she’d become lost in her thoughts when the younger-looking daemon—Turner, she’d heard the other two call him when they’d stopped to make camp—handed her some dried meat, a hunk of old cheese, and the same waterskin she’d had before.

She took it, again grudgingly, and started eating in silence.

When she’d finished, she found the three men looking at her expectantly.

“We want to make you a deal,” Ty said with authority.

“What kind of deal?” Ena replied, brushing the cheese crumbs nonchalantly off her dress, as if her life and well-being were not in the balance here.

Not for the first time, she wished she could read their signs better and understand their intentions, but she had no choice but to keep her own cards close to her chest. And right now, letting them know how scared she was, how much she wanted to go home, would not be in her best interest.

“The kind where you help us, and we let you go,” he said.

“Help you with what?” she replied, her tone cool and even.

Ty looked briefly at both his companions, then explained. “We’re looking for something. A magical object. We’d like you to help us find it.”

“You’d ‘like’ me to?” Ena scoffed, some of her anger slipping out despite her efforts. “You dragged me away from my home and burned the matriarch’s house to the ground. Why would I ever help you?”

“If you help us find it, we’ll let you go. Unharmed,” Ty replied, unfazed by her anger.

“And if I don’t?” she asked in challenge.

“Well, then we’ll have no choice but to keep you. In the Underworld.”

Ena’s spine went stiff. He couldn’t be serious.

The Underworld was an almost mythical place of dark depravity where daemons dwelled, or so she’d heard.

She only knew what she’d been told about it, mostly through stories meant to scare young witches.

But it was said that all manner of atrocities occurred there, that it was a place where daemons delighted in violence and inhumane behavior against one another and the mortals and witches that were unfortunate enough to be captured and taken there, never to return.

The entrance to the Underworld was a heavily guarded secret among the daemons—no witch or mortal alive knew where it was.

If Ty was serious… Fear gripped her at the thought.

She forced herself to think practically.

She had to assume, for now, that his threat was serious.

But even so, Ena assumed it would take them a while to travel there, so she considered her options.

She could refuse to help them and keep looking for opportunities to escape while they traveled to the Underworld.

Ena had no doubt that once she figured out her whereabouts, that she’d be able to make a plan and get away from them.

They clearly underestimated her and what her magic could do if they’d taken off the ropes and gag.

On the other hand, if she did help them, she had the opportunity to find out more about what they wanted.

She was not a fool. She knew that they could easily be lying to her and would not let her go after she helped them.

They’d likely kill her, or bring her to the Underworld anyway, just out of spite.

What nefarious purposes they’d have for a witch in the Underworld she did not want to know.

If she could find out what they were looking for and why, she could escape with useful information, and then maybe her and her Coven could foil their undoubtedly sinister machinations.

Going along with them was a risk, but at this point, Ena was filled with such hatred and loathing for these men and what they had done to her, that she wanted revenge. She knew what she had to do.

“Fine. I’ll help you,” she said, meeting Ty’s gaze unerringly.

“I can do a locator spell to help you find the object.” There was no point in hiding this ability—they clearly suspected she could do something of the sort, or they wouldn’t have asked for her help.

She’d have to appear to be helping them in good faith while she gathered information.

“But,” she continued, “I need to know more about it to complete the spell. And I’ll need some supplies. ”

Ty exchanged looks with his companions again. “What supplies?”

“Potion ingredients—specific herbs, an apple. Some blood…and fresh bones. Leg bones, specifically.”

“What kind of blood?” Ty asked cautiously.

“Any kind.”

“Okay. And what kind of leg bones?”

“Are you volunteering?” Ena smirked at him.

“No,” he said, unamused. “I mean, will the leg bones of an animal suffice?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, fine. Done. We can get you those things,” he said dismissively.

“And the herbs?”

“If you tell me what you need, I have a plan for that too.”

“Bay leaves, belladonna, sage, and wormwood.”

“Okay.”

“And the details about the object?” Ena asked innocently.

This was dangerous ground. They clearly did not want to share more about it, but she wasn’t lying when she said she’d need more details to complete the spell.

She’d only completed a locator spell a few other times before, but they could be very finicky.

The more they could share with her, the better chance she’d have of getting it right.

Ty took a deep breath then sighed, rubbing his hand through his beard in uncertainty. She had him right where she wanted him.

“It’s an amulet,” he said, clearly having come to a decision. “A powerful one.”

Ena was surprised. An amulet? She’d heard of them, but they were extremely rare.

Used by witches to amplify powers or spells, they were kept as closely guarded secrets among the three Covens.

Ena didn’t even know if her own Coven had one, but clearly the daemons thought they had if they were searching Heran’s house for one.

“What does it look like?” Ena asked, her curiosity piquing.

Ty paused again, as if sharing this information was physically painful for him. “Our sources say it is a large, uncut, deep-purple amethyst in a circular silver setting, decorated with Wiccan symbols. It is hung on a chain of intricately braided silver strands.”

Ena paused, waiting for him to continue. When he didn’t provide any more details, she prompted him. “Anything else? Anything about the Wiccan symbols on it?”

He shook his head. “That’s all we know.”

“Why did you think my Coven had it?”

“You don’t need to know that.”

Ena had expected that answer, but it still exasperated her. “Okay, then why do you want it?” she asked, trying to seem casual.

Ty grinned at her menacingly. “Careful there, little viper.”

Ena grit her teeth at the nickname. She’d known he wouldn’t tell her why they wanted it, but it didn’t hurt to try.

“Fine,” she replied. “That should be enough information to complete the spell, I guess.”

“Good. We’ll get your supplies in the morning, after we’ve rested,” Ty said with an air of finality. Then he stood up and left the fire, seemingly to tend to his horse.

Having been essentially dismissed, and having absolutely no desire to make small talk with Steig and Turner, who remained by the fire debating amicably about the proper way to sharpen their knives, Ena lay down and curled up on her side in the dirt.

Her back was to the fire, keeping her nice and warm for now, but she reached out at the plants around her to create a crude nest of leaves and ferns to insulate her even more.

She began to get sleepy, staring deep into the darkness of the forest, her body exhausted beyond anything she could ever remember feeling before.

As her eyes drifted closed, she saw Ty emerge from the woods just at the periphery of her vision.

He was leaning against a tree, staring into the fire.

His face was lit up by the glow as it highlighted the harsh, masculine planes of his face.

His eyes were contemplative and…troubled.

A line had formed between his brows and he looked deep in thought.

Ena allowed herself this one unabashed moment to take him in as he now was.

To note how he’d changed, and how he was the same.

Her eyes traced the lines of his beautiful face, his arms, his legs.

This person who’d meant so much to her, who she’d dreamt about for years .

And in the cold night, as she drifted off to sleep, she was glad that she’d already lost that small, hopelessly romantic part of herself that she’d once held on to for so long.

It wasn’t real; what she’d had with him wasn’t real.

It was the daydream of a na?ve, young girl.

She’d suspected that already, but now, seeing him again, she knew it to be true.

But it was okay, because she wasn’t that girl anymore.

She’d said goodbye to her long ago. She’d said goodbye in the long, lonely nights, and every summer day that had passed since they’d met.

And so, reminding herself of who she was now, she vowed to emerge from this betrayal stronger and wiser.

She would make this man regret ever knowing and forgetting her.