“Mary, it’s good to see you.” I was doing little more than passing the time with small talk while I waited for those Mary had asked me to summon. Selene, Alan, Tamhas, Owen, the coven. I wondered how many of them would even fit in the room, but Mary would hardly care about logistics.

She looked pleasant enough when she smiled. “I’m glad to see you as well. How is your new living situation going?”

I winced.

Her smiled widened. “That well, huh?”

“No, truly, I have nothing to complain about.” Especially when considering the terrible conditions under which we’d lived during those frightening, painful months after the incident. Drugged, tested on, kept in cages.

“I’m glad to hear it, then. No one could expect you to get along famously from the start, of course. Two very strong groups with very strong leaders. If you’re all still alive, I would say it’s been a success.”

Hecate entered then, along with Callie. She wrinkled her nose at the sight of me.

“Aye, well, the jury is still out in some cases.” I kept my grimace from surfacing.

I was glad to see the others filtering in quickly after that, as it helped me avoid speaking directly to her or to Mary in front of her. She had that certain something that left me distrustful—not to mention her pitiful attitude.

And the fact that my dragon couldn’t get a sense of her motivations the way he could with the rest of the coven. That ancient, animal wisdom I carried within me and had used for centuries was all but useless with her.

Who wouldn’t have a bad feeling?

“Mary, it would appear as though we’re all here,” Alan announced.

Yes, we were, and I was beginning to understand how a sardine felt after canning.

“Splendid.” She straightened a handful of papers before her.

“Does this have to do with the Gwydions?” Selene asked, her voice sweet and warm as ever. She projected an aura of radiant authority and seemed unbothered by the fact that we were crushed together.

“I’m afraid not. My apologies if that comes as a disappointment.” Mary looked over all of us through the camera on her laptop. “No, this has to do with something else entirely. News from the American branch of the clan.”

“The Appalachians?” Alan asked.

A murmur traveled through the room, and I caught Hecate sighing and rolling her eyes. Thinking this had nothing to do with her and was thus a waste of time, no doubt. She likely had much more pressing complaining to attend to.

“Yes, indeed. Something to do with a book found in their library. It’s a rather extensive one.”

“With all due respect,” Selene interjected, looking at her witches. “What does this have to do with us?”

“The book contains ancient runes used by your kind,” Mary announced.

“Runes?” Iris gaped.

“What would they be doing with a book like that?” Callie asked, looking at her mother.

For once, the high priestess looked surprised. “Your guess would be as good as mine,” she murmured.

Hecate’s face was stony. Once again, there was no getting a sense of what she thought.

“They’ll need assistance in translating the runes,” Mary explained once her announcement sank in. “Unlike your clan, they have no access to witches.”

“What does it matter if the runes are translated or not?” Hecate asked, folding her arms.

“It could matter a great deal,” Alan explained in a tight voice. “It’s understandable, your not knowing the legends behind our involvement with those of your kind. Just as some of our kind traveled to the New World before it was even known as such, some of your coven did as well. Whether they still exist there, I cannot say—though I suppose they don’t, if the dragons have no contact with them. But there is a chance some of their wisdom and lore has resided there all these centuries.”

“And they just found it now?” Hecate asked.

“That is not for us to question.” There was a sharp edge to Selene’s voice. “What matters is that it was found. We should be rejoicing.”

Hecate appeared to literally be biting her tongue. I had to do the same to keep from chuckling at how her mother had put her in her place. Perhaps not the most mature impulse I’d ever experienced, but strong nonetheless.

She caught me. The hatred in her eyes was palpable.

“What do you suggest?” Alan asked Mary, either unaware of this drama or unwilling to participate. I would’ve wagered on the latter. “Could they bring the book to us?”

“I don’t know that it’s worth the risk.” Mary’s mouth tugged downward at the corners. “Until we know just how important this book is, keeping it secure in their cave looks to be the safest course of action.”

I knew what she was going to say before she said it.

“I believe the safer course of action would be to send the coven to America.”

“To America?” Iris whispered, her otherwise lovely face screwing up in disbelief. She hissed the word as though it were a curse.

“The entire coven?” Selene asked, then shook her head until her silver hair swayed. “To be honest, the thought of all of us going hardly comforts me. I believe I could send a handful, however. With all due respect, this is the only location in which I feel safe having us all together. I know nothing of this American clan or their ways, nor do I know to trust their security measures—if there are any in place at all.”

“I assure you, there are, but I understand your reservations,” Mary nodded. “It’s entirely up to you. But at least one of your… girls who knows how to translate runes would be ideal.”

“What of the clan?” Alan asked, looking to his left and right. I happened to be on the right, and our eyes met. “Shouldn’t we send a few of us to protect them? I’m sure a plane can’t land directly on the mountain, where the dragons live. They’ll need protection along the journey.”

He held my gaze, and I knew what he was asking. I’d never been one to turn down my leader, and my dragon knew the importance of coming through for the clan.

Alan wouldn’t want to go, and neither would Tamhas. They were both concerned with their mates. Ainsley had Klaus and would likely not wish to leave him behind. That took care of Alan’s most trusted advisors. Which left me and perhaps Owen.

“What do you think?” he murmured.

I nodded. There was no choice to be made—besides, it would be a chance to get away for a while and see how the other half lived. We’d become friendly with Gate and Miles after they’d helped free us from captivity and it would be good to see them again.

And it would mean getting away from certain irksome witches, which was hardly a drawback. The notion of spending even a day without hearing her complain or feeling her eyes burn holes into me as we passed in the corridor was enough to make me want to pack immediately.

“All right, then,” Alan agreed. “I’ll send one of us for each witch.”

“That’s more than fair,” Selene agreed.

“How many should I tell them to expect?” Mary asked.

“Iris… Electra… Callie…” Selene counted off. “And Hecate, naturally.”

My heart sank. Why her? Why did it have to be her? Just like that, all hopes of being away from her for even a short time burst like a soap bubble.

“Why do we all have to go?” Hecate asked, then added, “Not that I’m complaining. It merely seems like a great number of us to translate one book.”

“There could be more than one,” Mary interjected, “and this is not a slim volume. When I spoke to Pierce, he made it sound like a rather massive tome. Ancient, fragile, some of the characters are faded. It could take several of you many days just to translate this, let alone any further discoveries which might be made.”

That silenced her. Too bad, that, seeing as how I’d hoped she could argue her way out of accompanying us. No such luck to be had.

“When should we be prepared to leave?” Alan asked.

“The sooner, the better. I can have a private jet prepared and waiting in Edinburgh within a few hours.”

That came as no surprise. It seemed Mary had endless resources at her disposal, and those of us who’d spent time with her knew better than to ask just how it came to be that she could snap her fingers and have everything fall in place about her.

The woman lived in a rarified world of her own.

“I’d better pack up, then,” I announced. “What’s the weather like out there, so I’ll know what to bring?”

“Rainy,” Mary replied without hesitation. Like she knew what I was going to ask before I asked it. “Bring a poncho and boots, for sure.”

All I had to do was buy a poncho and boots.

I left Alan to deal with logistics in favor of going to my room to pack. Many days, Mary had said. It could take many days to translate the runes. Lucky me. Lucky all of us.

I hoped Hecate was half as smart as she believed herself, or else we would be in for a long stay.

Ainsley and Klaus were on their way out of the kitchen when I passed, and my expression must have betrayed my rather dark thoughts. Ainsley placed a hand on my arm. “What is it? I heard Mary had news.”

I gave them the brief rundown of our conversation as they followed me down the corridor. “We’ll be leaving as soon as possible,” I concluded, pulling a suitcase from my closet.

Funny thing, that. I’d brought it with me from St. Lucia, as Mary’s team had seen to it that we were clothed properly. We hadn’t exactly been granted the opportunity to pack on our way to the Caribbean. It was more like being herded into helicopters at gunpoint.

We owed Mary and her people our lives. Nothing less. The memory of those days came back fresh and clear when I touched the suitcase purchased on my behalf, that I might be able to bring home the other items purchased for me. I suddenly regretted any bitterness I’d harbored and made a silent resolution to sack up. An expression I’d once heard in a movie.

“Why would the dragons own something once owned by witches?” Klaus asked.

“Not just owned by them, but most likely written by them,” Ainsley added. When she furrowed her brow in concentration, she reminded me very much of her brother. Her face was, of course, more feminine than Alan’s, but they frowned exactly the same.

“Well, we’ve had a long history with the coven,” I reasoned as I tossed clothing into the case at random. If I needed anything, no doubt I could purchase it once I arrived. “And they once lived here, with us, so they might have taken something from the coven with them or even been gifted it to keep safe in their new home. It makes a good deal of sense.”

“How much do you recall from those days?” Ainsley asked.

“Less and less with each passing year,” I admitted with a shrug. “A thousand years will eventually begin to blur, I’d imagine. What about you?”

“The same,” she admitted. Klaus slid an arm around her waist, cueing her to lean against him. “I wish I remembered more. I feel like it might help us if I remembered what the coven gave them before they left.”

“There was likely very little explanation,” I reasoned. “I cannot recall the coven being forthcoming, ever. There have always been certain aspects of their lives which they’ve kept to themselves. Some of them are still very much like that, in fact.”

“Who are you talking about?” Klaus asked, raising an eyebrow.

I’d said too much. “Just an observation.” Naturally, I’d been thinking about Hecate and how frustrating it was that one who made a habit of nagging me happened to be the one I couldn’t understand.

Now, I had all the time in the world to try to understand her.

In Appalachia.

Lucky me.