Page 8 of Witch's Rebirth
"Enough." I placed a hand on Seth's shoulder and drew him back before he could retort. This whole exchange was becoming far too awkward and soap opera-like for my taste. It didn't matter if she thought Seth was now mine or not. Meanwhile, one of my actual lovers had a close call with death and needed retribution.
"Where's Diana getting angel kisses from?" I demanded.
"Angels. Where do you think?"
I rolled my eyes. This girl was proving to be even more infuriating than my grandmother.
"From who? And how? Witches aren't exactly all buddy-buddy with angels."
"She has connections in places you'd never expect." Juno grinned maniacally. "She's been teaching me so much, it's amazing. How'd you think I got here undetected? It's such a shame you never appreciated your only living blood relative, Deja. Your grandmother's an unappreciated genius and once she gets rid of all you hellions, the world will know it."
"Did she tell you all that?" I huffed, unimpressed and my patience wearing thin. "Are you going to tell me anything useful?"
"I just did," she hissed. "The end of your kind is coming, demon whore. Better prepare yourself."
She sounded like a typical San Francisco homeless person yelling on the sidewalk, but I couldn't help feeling badly for Juno. Now that Diana no longer had her clutches in me, she turned to an easier target. Despite being a witch herself, Juno was a perfect pawn for both vindictive angels and manipulative witches. It wouldn't surprise me if a human could manipulate her with no magic at all.
For whatever reason, she really was incapable of thinking for herself. If things hadn't gotten to this point, I might want to let her live. I’d work with her, encourage her to form her own opinions and develop her strengths. Maybe all she needed was an environment to encourage that.
Like me, someone probably tried to force their ideals onto her when she was very young. I saw a lot of my old self in her. The main difference between us was that I broke the hold of other people's influence on me. And I swore I'd never think for anyone but myself again.
"I still don't want to hurt you, June," I said more to myself than anyone else. "Even if you do worship that psychopath like a god and do all her dirty work for her. I don't want to kill my own kind."
"She's saner than all of you!" Juno struggled uselessly under her bonds. "And I amnotyour kind!" She looked to Seth. "Or yours!"
"You came from me," I practically pleaded with her. "You, Diana, Seth. Every witch that has ever lived has descended fromme!Don't you see how worthless all this killing and fighting is? It's for nothing!"
"Oh? So the Salem witch trials were nothing? The deaths of hundreds of innocent witches over centuries because of association with the devil wasnothing?Nobody holds trials anymore but witches still go missing every day! That means nothing to you,mother?"She emphasized her sneer on that final word.
"Demons are not the ones to blame for our persecution. They never were!" I shouted back. "You turned them into a scapegoat, which works out for the angels just fine! Once demons aren’t a problem, they'll turn on the witches! Can't you see that?"
It was becoming painfully clear there was no reasoning with her. She shook her head stubbornly, that smile never waning.
"The angels do understand us. We’re the downtrodden and they’ll protect us. The demons want us to keep being their scapegoats to escape their own persecution. You've got it all wrong, Deja."
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Diana had her mind and sense of logic so warped, it was frightening. There was no coming back for Juno.
Kneeling down in front of her, I made sure to look her squarely in the eye.
"You realize Diana sent you on a suicide mission, right?" My voice threatened to crack. "She sent you here instead of coming herself because she's a fucking coward. She knew I'd kill her at first glance and decided to sacrifice her little lamb instead."
Juno blinked. Her false confidence wavered for split second before the mask came back on.
"You're full of shit," she sneered. "Trying to turn me against her just like you did. But she calls me the granddaughter she never had."
I felt about ready to vomit. "Then where is she, Juno? What's your escape plan? She had to give you one in case you got caught, right?" My eyes narrowed. "What were you going to do here, anyway?"
"We didn't foresee me getting captured," she grumbled, casting her eyes down to the floor. "But that doesn't change anything. When she doesn't get my text update, she'll know something is wrong and bring all the demon hunters in California down on your head."
"Sure, whatever." I waved my hand dismissively. "I'm only going to ask you one more time. What was your plan when you got here?"
"To fulfill my mission." She raised her chin defiantly.
I looked at Seth. "Did you search her?"
He shook his head. "We literally just found her hiding in the coat closet, restrained her and I came to get you."
Ash and Sal stood silently against the basement wall, arms folded and looking just as menacing as any bodyguards. I nodded at them. "Search her, will you?"
