10

Adam was the only one besides Diana who knew where her grimoire was stashed. And he wasn't keen on letting anyone outside the circle see it, not to mention people linked to John Blackwell.

"I don't like this," he said so only Cassie could hear.

She eyed him through a hank of hair. "You think I do? What other choice do we have?"

He hunched his shoulders and caught up with her. "I don't know...maybe we should call Diana."

Cassie sighed. "You know what she'll say, and we'll get nowhere."

"Do you honestly trust them?"

Cassie looked between him and the two adults waiting on the broken porch steps. "I'm not sure I trust anyone right now."

His pulse hammered in his ears. "You don't mean that."

"Don't I?" Her fear-filled eyes were all he remembered as they caught up to the Balcoins.

Karin approached Adam while her brother and Cassie reviewed Diana's Book of Shadows. "I'm sorry it's come to this."

"Sure you are." Adam folded his arms and leaned against the work table, watching Rob with growing uneasiness. Every so often, he scribbled notes or took photos with his iPhone.

"I never intended to get in the middle."

"But you have, and now it's too late."

"Cassie asked for my help," Karin said.

"You could have refused." His tone was sharper than he intended, but now it was out there.

Karin shook her head. "We're bound by blood, and I can't turn my back on that"

He closed his eyes and his voice shook when he said, "It's bad blood."

She surprised him by extending her hand. "Maybe not. Try me on for size."

His clenched fingers refused to unfurl. "Not gonna happen."

Karin retracted her arm. "But you'd touch her if she let you."

That wasn't the same...not at all. "We're here to help Jane. Can we please focus on that?"

She gave him a long, searching look. "OK, we'll play it your way...for now."

Cassie could barely follow what Rob was doing, his eyes scanning Diana's book at light speed. He finally straightened and said, "I know what happened."

Adam and Karin came up to the table and sat across from them. "Tell us," Adam demanded.

Rob slid his notebook across to Adam. "Can you read Latin?"

Adam's only answer was a shrug. "It looks like an inversion spell."

"Which is intended to destroy its target, not cause it to forget."

Cassie felt her anger rising at Rob's callous disregard of Jane. "It has a name, and she's dying. Can you help or not?"

Karin nodded. "We're the only ones who can."

She wasn't encouraged by Adam shaking his head. "Tell us what to do, and the circle will take care of it."

Rob snickered, which only pissed her off more. "You can't."

"And why not? Anyone can follow instructions," Adam said defensively.

"Because," Karin said, "That idiot Charles Meade mistakenly opened a portal to the other side."

"So what?" Cassie stood up and put both hands on the table. "I don't care how it happened, I just want you to help my grandmother."

Rob's smirk faded. "And we will, but it will take seriously dark magic to rid the world of John Blackwell."

Cassie couldn't believe what she was hearing. "What? My father is dead, he can't possibly be..."

Karin touched Cassie's arm. "He's here right now. Biding his time."

And that's when Cassie noticed a black shadow flicker in the far corner of the loft. It was just enough to catch her attention, and when it started forming itself into the rough outline of a man, she said, "I'm out of here."

Before she could escape, boot heels clattered on the stairs and a dark head appeared. Diana came into view and stared at the four of them in confusion. "What's going on here?"

Cassie gulped as Adam moved in front of the table to block Diana's view of the book. "We're doing research on the Balcoin family."

Diana was no fool. She quickly pushed past Adam and stopped short at the sight of her open grimoire. "With my Book of Shadows?"

Adam attempted to placate her. "Diana, I can explain..."

Diana snatched up her book and shoved it in her satchel. "You people need to leave. You don't belong here, and they had no right bringing you here."

Karin and Rob retreated without a word, and then Diana turned on Cassie and Adam. "Explain, and it better be good."