Page 28 of Cursed Sight
She shuffled in her seat and sighed. “Jade.”
“And?” His mind was still on Gerardo.
Serena and Ethan were not a couple. He had no right to be upset over the situation, but his stomach churned nonetheless. He sucked in a cleansing breath and looked up at the sound of her voice.
“Jade is Gerardo’s estranged wife…”
When her words made sense, his eyes narrowed with disbelief. “You were the other woman?”
Serena’s back snapped straight, and the power of her anger hit him. “Don’t you fucking judge me, Ethan Broderick. I only know what I’m told.”
A breeze blew across his face, and he understood he had really upset her. Ethan raised his hands. “Sorry, I wasn’t trying to be—”
“An ass?” she asked, crossing her arms under her breasts.
Ethan placed a hand on her knee. “I’m sorry.”
“Look, Jade was pissed off at me and Gerardo, but they were split up. As I already told you,I’mthe one who ended things. Both of them are witches who’ve chosen to go without a coven.”
“Do you think she’s pissed off enough to permanently remove you? I mean, he’s mad you ended things, and she’s mad he’s mad?”
Serena thought on it for a moment. “I suppose what they say about a woman scorned holds true, and Jade is no different. I guess there’s a legit possibility.”
Ethan squeezed her knee and forced himself to sit back. “Okay, anyone else on the list?”
“Aja.”
He narrowed his eyes. “Why does that sound familiar?”
“She’s the witch who kidnapped Ryan.”
“Didn’t she escape during the fight with Volark?”
“She did.”
“Why would she wantyoudead?”
Serena rubbed the space between her eyes. “Unlike Winter, Aja was part of this coven. Her mother and aunt led it, to be exact. My grandmother was their oracle. Aja should have become the high priestess, but in the end, the goddess had different plans for her. Aja is petty, and while I want to say she wouldn’t actually hurt me, I don’t know anymore. The fact she kidnapped Ryan tells me something has shifted in her. She wasn’t always like this…”
Ethan studied her and sighed. “You used to be friends.”
“We were like sisters. Now she’s a power-hungry witch, if her little power play with Volark tells us anything.”
He pushed to his feet and placed a hand on her back. “Do you think she’d actually hurt you?”
“Physically? No. Emotionally? Been there, done that, have the shirt,” she said with a sad smile. “The only reason she went after Ryan was because of Brandy. Every magical being can sense her power, and she’s a threat. In Aja’s case, she saw an opportunity to hand over a powerful witch to a demon in exchange for power.”
Ethan nodded. “Okay, let’s keep an open mind, and if you think of anyone else, add them. Maybe the goddess will give us a bone and incorporate the person’s name into a vision.”
Her chuckle soothed him. “Wouldn’t that be a treat?”
“Now, show me where I need to go to replace your tea. I think that needs to be a priority before I leave for the next few days.”
Chapter 18
Serena hated that she missed him. Before Ethan, she could take or leave a man. “Man-eater,” was what Peter, Ryan’s werewolf best friend, liked to call her when he thought she was not listening. She found the term rather harsh.
If she was interested in a man, she went for him. The moment she no longer felt inclined to scratch that itch, she moved on. It was a rather simple cycle in her life. There had never been a reason to try to stuff a square peg in a round hole.
