Kat, Fiona and Emma arrived throughout the next day; their arrivals were enough to temporarily distract Naomi from the witch’s threat.

Fiona was the first to arrive. She embraced each of them, including Casimir, and Naomi could detect the heat between them as their eyes locked, and held. For a moment, they seemed unaware of everyone else in the room. Naomi exchanged a glance with Alaric, who looked back and forth between his daughter and Casimir with concern. Naomi had advised Alaric to stay out of their tenuous and unresolved relationship; she hoped he would still heed her advice.

Casimir finally released Fiona, but his eyes remained trained on her. Flushing, Fiona approached Naomi to embrace her.

“Thanks for making my stubborn father so happy,” Fiona said, when she pulled back.

“Stubborn?” Alaric asked, innocently raising his eyebrows, before leaning down to peck his daughter on both cheeks.

Alaric took her bag, and they walked her to her guest room. Fiona told them about her travels. After leaving Alaric’s estate, she’d spent some time in rural Japan before heading to Tokyo. She’d been on her way to Seoul when Alaric had called. Naomi could see the relief on Alaric’s face at the news that his daughter was traveling in Asia; the Order’s activities were limited there.

“So,” Fiona said, her eyes darting back and forth between Naomi and Alaric. “I know it’s probably secret Alliance business, but I take it there’s a reason you’re holed up in a farmhouse outside of London. And why you’re getting married so soon.”

“The Order doesn’t rest,” Alaric said simply, “we’re here for Naomi’s safety.”

A rush of irritation went through Naomi at his words; she was tired of him thinking of her as the person the group constantly had to protect rather than an active member.

“We’re here as a precaution,” she said, giving Alaric a sharp look. “As for why we’re getting married now . . . Alaric doesn’t believe we should put our life on hold, and I agree. And we already share a Blood Bond.”

Fiona nodded, but a look of unease flickered across her face.

“Is there another Incantation Stone out there?” she asked.

“There is. We’re doing everything we can to find and destroy it,” Naomi said, hoping that she sounded more confident than she felt.

“It never ends, does it?” Fiona breathed, shaking her head.

“It will, one day,” Alaric said. “As long as we keep fighting.”

Emma was the next to arrive. Joy flowed through her at the sight of her friend; she’d missed her almost as much as she missed Kat. Emma represented normalcy, something other than the supernatural battle she was now a part of. She grinned as Emma greeted Casimir, Elias and Alaric with a furious blush. Casimir didn’t seem to notice, Alaric was polite, while Elias flirted shamelessly with a wink. Of the three of them, Elias seemed to be the most aware of his good looks, and reveled in female attention.

As Naomi led Emma to her guest room, she warned her about Elias’s indiscriminate flirtations, but Emma just shrugged.

“I can tell he’s a flirt,” Emma said. “Most good looking men are. I suppose it’s more intense when you’re a vampire.” She set down her suitcase, taking in the spacious guest room. “What is it with vampires and their amazing homes? When you said it was a farmhouse, I expected something more ramshackle. This place looks like it belongs in Architectural Digest. How many homes does Elias have?”

“A lot,” Naomi said dryly.

“Makes sense. First thing I’d do if I were a vampire—buy stocks and become filthy rich. Then I’d use a thrall on my evil new boss, convince him to retire,” Emma said, her brown eyes dancing with mischief.

Naomi grinned.

“Is he worse than our boss in Athens?” she asked.

“Worse. My life could really use a pick me up right now; I have to say I’m a tad jealous of you. You’re marrying a hot vampire. And you’re a witch. Have you gotten used to it yet? How often do you need to pinch yourself?”

“Not as often anymore,” Naomi said. “I think I’ve gotten used to all this, believe it or not.”

As an outsider, Emma only saw the perks of being a part of the supernatural world. Naomi thought of the second Stone and the witch, and her smile faded.

“What’s going on?” Emma asked, noticing the change in her expression. “That’s not the look of a blushing bride on the eve of her wedding day.”

Naomi bit her lip. How many times had she kept things from Emma when they worked together in Athens? Her days of secrecy were over.

She sat Emma down and told her everything that had happened since they left the estate. When she finished, Emma had paled, but she looked at Naomi with resolve.

“Alaric’s right. You still need to live your lives. Prove that psycho witch wrong. You can’t let fear hold you back.”

“I won’t,” Naomi said. “But . . . I was nervous about having you and Kat come out here. If there’s any hint of danger, you need to—“

“I know the drill. Get out of dodge and stay off the radar,” Emma said, waving her concerns aside. “Now. Back to the important stuff. What are you going to wear?”

Naomi smiled, grateful that she was here. She needed some levity in her life. Emma was the closest friend she’d ever had. During the time Naomi spent in Athens, Emma had been her confidant. They’d spent countless hours working late at the museum while mutually griping about their boss, enjoying the various taverns and restaurants Athens had to offer, spending time at each other’s apartments watching movies and trying out various Greek recipes. She’d thought Emma would abandon her when she told her the truth about who she was. But Emma had believed her, and stuck by her.

“Madalena’s going into the city to grab a simple dress for me,” Naomi said, with a casual shrug. She’d given her dress little thought. The intricate Bonding spell she needed to perform for the hand fasting had concerned her more.

“Actually . . . I think I can help with the dress.”

Naomi turned at the sound of the familiar voice. Kat stood by the doorway, smiling.

Naomi stood and rushed into her aunt’s arms. She didn’t realize how much she missed Kat until seeing her in the flesh.

“I missed you too, honey,” Kat murmured, when Naomi pulled back.

“When did you get here?”

“Just now. Madalena already helped me to my guest room,” Kat replied. She turned to Emma with a warm smile. “Hi, Emma. Good to see you again. Come with me, both of you. I want to show you something.”

In Kat’s guest room, she opened her suitcase, taking out a beautiful red silk dress with long flowing skirts and a finely laced bodice.

“Your parents had a human ceremony but that was mostly for show, “ Kat said, handing Naomi the dress. “This is the dress your mother wore for their witch bonding ceremony.”

“I thought my mother didn’t participate in the witch world,” Naomi said, surprised.

“She spent ninety percent of her time in the human world, yes. But she did sometimes take part in local coven events. And it was important to her to have a witch bonding ceremony with your father,” Kat said. “I know it’s cliché to wear your mother’s wedding dress. If you want to wear something else, I’d under—“

“No,” Naomi whispered, shaking her head, her eyes filling with tears as she held up the dress. This would be the one tangible connection she had to her mother during her ceremony. “I want to wear this. I’d be honored to.”

Kat beamed at her before reaching down to unearth something else from her suitcase. It was a thin, ancient looking grimoire. Kat handed it to Naomi.

“And there’s this. I found it with your mother’s things in my attic; I forgot it was even there.”

Naomi studied the grimoire, intrigued. Her historian’s eye told her it was old; maybe even centuries old. She carefully flipped it open. The spells inside were all written in the ancient language, and Naomi recognized only a few phrases.

She froze as she flipped to one page in particular. It was labeled with the words: Freeil greadem lengi. She didn’t know what the other two words meant, but she knew that Freeil meant ‘Destruction’. She made a mental note to ask Madalena about it later.

“Thank you,” Naomi murmured, touching the delicate binding of the book. This grimoire had belonged to her mother; another connection to the side of her that had been a witch. Had the grimoire been passed down to her mother? By her biological family? Naomi couldn’t wait to delve into it.

“I’m not done,” Kat said, her eyes twinkling. “I also brought photos of your parents’ witch bonding ceremony. I thought it was fitting.”

She handed Naomi a small photo album. Naomi looked down at it with anticipation. She’d only seen photos of their traditional human wedding. This would be a glimpse into the world her parents had kept hidden from her.

“Let’s give her some time alone,” Kat said to Emma.

Naomi didn’t protest, and perched on the bed to open the album.

The first photo was of her parents standing beneath an oak tree, surrounded by other members of what she assumed was the local coven, their hands locked as they gazed into each other’s eyes. The next photo was of them facing a petite witch, who Naomi guessed was the coven leader, as they recited their vows. Other photos showed them posing with members of the coven, beaming, pure joy shining from their eyes. Naomi’s heart clenched, and she closed her eyes. They had no idea what was to come, no idea that one day they’d sacrifice their lives for their daughter.

She flipped to the final photo, and froze. Icy horror slithered through her veins. She let out a strangled cry, stumbling to her feet.

Alaric was in the room in an instant.

“Naomi? What’s wrong?”

Trembling, she handed him the photo. He took it, and the color drained from the face.

In the photograph, there was a group of smiling coven members. One of them was the same witch who attacked her in the alley. The same witch they were looking for.