Page 65 of Wicked Ends

She considers this, then shakes her head. “Not yet. I need to sort it out myself first.” She pushes back from the table abruptly. “I should get to class.”

“Of course.” I rise as she does.

“Lucien.” She hesitates, one hand resting on the table. “I’m not sorry.”

“I didn’t ask you to be.”

“But you think I should be.”

I consider my response carefully. “What I think is irrelevant. Your choices are your own, Rose.”

She studies me for a moment longer, then nods and turns away.

Two hours later, I’m standing in Soren’s room with Drake. His connection to Rose has strengthened him remarkably.

“You look grim, even for you,” Drake says by way of greeting.

“The situation warrants it.” I place a leather-bound volume on Soren’s antique coffee table. “I found something.”

Soren is barefoot and shirtless, looking for all the world like he’s just rolled out of bed.

“This better be important,” he says, dropping into an armchair.

“But first, you should know that Rose slept with Ash,” I say bluntly.

The room goes still. Drake’s face darkens, while Soren merely raises an eyebrow.

“You’re certain?” Drake asks, his voice tight.

“Yes. She doesn’t deny it.”

Soren leans forward, eyes narrowing. “How did she seem?”

“Different,” I admit. “She seems almost energized.”

“What’s that?” Drake gestures to the book I’ve brought.

I place my hand on the worn leather cover. “The original head of the Blood Moon Coven’s diaries. Sebastian, Ash is his direct descendant. I found them buried in the archives.”

“Ash’s ancestor?” Soren looks intrigued now. “How did you get access to Blood Moon Coven materials?”

“They’re not with the coven materials. They were hidden in the academy archives, misfiled deliberately, I suspect, under mundane historical accounts.” I open the diary carefully, the centuries-old pages threatening to disintegrate beneath my fingers. “These date back to the 1690s, around the time of the original blood contract.”

Drake moves closer. “What do they say about Abigail Smith?”

“It’s... complicated.” I turn to a marked page. “Their relationship wasn’t what you might think. Sebastian and Abigail were lovers before the betrayal.”

“Lovers?” Soren’s eyebrows shoot up. “Well, that certainly adds a layer to our current situation.”

I continue, “According to these entries, they planned to unite their covens through marriage, despite both already having spouses. Sebastian believed their combined powers would create a legacy that would change the course of magical history.”

“So what happened?” Drake asks.

“The Crescent Moon Coven happened.” I flip to another page. “They offered Abigail protection during the witch trials in exchange for binding her bloodline to them. Sebastian calls it ‘the ultimate betrayal’ in his own words.

“No wonder there’s bad blood,” Soren muses. “Quite literally.”

I read from the diary: “‘Today I learned the depth of deceit possible in a heart I thought mirror to my own. Abigail has bound herself and all who will follow in her blood to the Crescent Moon. Our child, unborn and now forfeit, will never know the power that should have been its birthright. I will not forgive this. Not in this lifetime, nor in any that may follow.’”