Page 20 of This Coven Won't Break
She already knows that we’ll be easy targets during the trial, yet she won’t stop hovering. “I don’t like this.” Mom perches at theedge of my bed and reaches for my hands. “Can’t someone else go? Cal seems like a persuasive guy.”
“Mom...”
“Fine.” She looks at the wall above my desk, where I’ve created a collage of pictures of Dad, photos I downloaded from social media and sent to the store to be printed on glossy paper. Her eyes are sparkling with tears when her gaze returns to mine. “At least promise that you’ll come back in one piece.”
Even though this isn’t a promise I can guarantee, I swallow down the lump in my throat and nod. “Of course. Now can I finish packing?”
Mom reaches for my bag and tugs open the zipper. “Do you have enough bottled water?”
“Yes,” I groan. Until we know whether my theory is right, we’re using bottled water for everything, including brushing our teeth. I grab my bag and slip out of my room. “It’s not like New York doesn’t have more if I run out.”
A car door slams. Then another. Mom follows me like a persistent shadow through the house. When I get to the living room, I check the front window. I expected Detective Archer to be here, but who’s the second—
“Sarah?” I drag my suitcase down the front steps. The early morning sun is already warm on the horizon, and I’m glad I decided to wear my hair up in a ponytail. “What are you doing here?”
My covenmate Sarah Gillow leans against her car and crosses one ankle over the other. “Good morning to you, too.”
“There’s been a change of plan,” Archer says, adjusting his tie as he approaches. “Elder Keating thinks your water theory has merit. Unfortunately, Salem’s water supply doesn’t come from within the town. It comes from Beverly.”
“Oh.” That hadn’t even occurred to me. Beverly is outside the limits of Keating’s barrier spell. It’s completely unprotected.
“Keating needs my help to get another barrier up, so I won’t be able to drive you to New York. But you can text me the entire time, and Sarah’s a talented witch. You’ll be in good hands.”
I shake my head, still trying to adjust to the last-minute change. “I’m not worried about her magic.” For as long as I’ve known her, Sarah has been an exceptionally gifted Elemental, particularly with air and water magics. Her strength is not at all the problem. “What about Rachel?”
Sarah doesn’t move, but the line of her jaw tightens at the mention of her wife. “What about her?”
Do I seriously need to spell this out for her? “She’s pregnant! You’re about to be a mom. Rachel and the baby need you.”
“What theyneedis a world where this drug doesn’t exist. If I can help make that a reality, I will.” Sarah pushes away from the car and crosses to the driver’s side. “Come on, Hannah. We have a tight schedule to keep.” Sarah pauses and waves at my mom, who’s standing on the top step. “I’ll bring her home safe, Marie!”
Mom waves back but doesn’t say anything. If she could stop this day from happening, she would. But I’m the only one— besides another Elder—who could keep me from going, and I’m not sitting on the sidelines a moment longer.
I loiter outside Sarah’s car and fuss with the strap of my bag. “Any final words of wisdom?” I ask Archer, turning my back on the house, turning my back on Mom’s worry.
Archer takes a deep breath, like he’s steeling himself before he looks at me. “Just like we practiced. State your case calmly but firmly.” His gaze finally flicks up and settles on mine. There’s worry in the crease of his brow, but he keeps whatever he’s feelinglocked up tight. “If that doesn’t work, lean into the symbolism Elder Keating talked about. If you’re still fighting after everything you’ve been through, none of the rest of us have any excuse.”
A humorless laugh rumbles in my chest. “Right, so when logic fails go full-on guilt trip.”
The detective flinches. It’s a small thing, there one second and gone the next. “If I could take your place, I’d do it in a heartbeat.” He reaches for me, and I step forward into his embrace. “You shouldn’t have to do this,” he whispers, hugging me tight. I never noticed before, but he must wear the same cologne as Dad. The familiarity of the scent and the strong arms around me tighten my throat. “But I have faith in you. Call me if you need anything.”
“I will.” My voice is watery with the tears I’m trying desperately to hide. Archer releases me, and I toss my bag into Sarah’s trunk, slipping into the back seat a moment later.
The inside of Sarah’s car is impeccably clean and comfortably cool. The cloth seats are still firm since no one ever sits back here with just the two of them. But with the baby coming, that’ll change soon enough.
Sarah glances at me in the rearview. “You can sit in front. I don’t bite.”
“Morgan is coming, too,” I say as she backs out of the driveway. “We’re picking her up at her place.”
“Ryan didn’t say anything about her coming with us.”
“I didn’t get a chance to ask him,” I admit. With all the other last-minute changes to the plan, I completely forgot. “But Morgan’s a Blood Witch like Alice. She can help with the recruiting. It’s this next left.” I hold my breath until Sarah sighs and puts on her blinker for the turn.
“Do you want her help with the magician, or do you want to make her clothes disappear?”
“Hey!”
Sarah laughs, and the earlier tension melts away completely. “What? When I was your age, I would have done anything to sneak off to a fancy hotel with my girlfriend.”
