Suffer a Witch

by ArielApostolos

Angela has always known she was meant for greater things, but this wasn't exactly what she meant. Awakening as a Witch at the age of 17 and dealing with unrequited love was one thing, but when push comes to shove, Angela will find out just how far she's willing to go to protect her chosen family, and the love of her life. It was time the world learned to suffer a witch...

6. Chapter 6

My Dryad friend and I spent the rest of the afternoon playing occult keep-away with the workers by hiding sensitive materials while they carried out testing the cabin's entire electrical network and plumbing systems. It took a few hours of constantly shifting illusion spells to hide anything that might hint at something witchcraft related. The last thing I needed was for the whole damn town to know I had a full pentagram etched into my wood floors, or the massive library of books on every topic from energy work to how to summon spirits.

I did not want to be known as the town eccentric, much less the Witch that I am.

Finally, after relying on candles and the fireplace to light my home, my cabin was shining bright from freshly installed light bulbs. I had insisted on the most eco-friendly brands on everything from appliances to bedding. If I was to be a beacon for change in this world, it had to start within. Ignoring the homicidal fantasies I had for one Edward Cullen, of course.

After thanking the men for working so late (and tipping them handsomely for their discretion), I made the Dryad and I cups of tea, taking up my grandmother's old chair while he sat across from me in his natural form. "So," I began after a brief silence, "Do I call you Weselton or Armando?"

The man snorted inelegantly above his tea. "I think I would prefer you use my real name, though when I don my disguise I expect you to continue using Weselton."

I nodded, smiling over my tea as I gazed into the gently cracking fire. "Feel free to call me Angela, though I know you won't." I caught his smirk out of the corner of my eye. "You know, I saw my grandma's spirit here for the last time on the night after my 17th birthday. I can't believe it's already been nearly 9 months since I began this journey. It feels like just yesterday I walked into this very room to find my grandma wishing she could have been here for me. Just like that, she vanished and left my with a bunch of books and a destiny I had no idea what to do with."

I noticed Armando nodding, drawing my attention to him while subtly wiping at the moisture gathering at the corners of my eyes. "I still don't even know how she died. My mother would never tell me anything other than, 'it was her time to meet God.' Who the fuck tells that to a seven year old?!"

Armando sighed heavily as he sat back in his chair. "Considering what I now know of her relation to the Order, your mother actually wasn't far from the truth." I stared at him with furrowed brows until he continued in a subdued manner. "I knew your grandma 'Lani for nearly a century." I felt my eyes go wide, all the blood draining from my face all at once. "I went back into my old records and journals from when I knew 'Lani after I left you yesterday. I was curious why it had never come up, her being Lilitu. I found a letter waiting for me right there in the middle of my desk from your grandmother explaining her Lilitu status and how that related to the years I knew her. Sneaky Witch always had her ways of getting things past me, but even I had my doubts until I read the contents. She had cast a powerful charm over my mind that would prevent me from retaining any information relating to her ancestry so I wouldn't accidentally give away her lineage, but the moment I read her letter, the charm broke.

"What you don't know is that I also knew her wife, your other grandma, Eleitra." He paused and I found all I could do was stare because I never once thought about my other grandparent. I never noticed how my mother had never once mentioned a grandfather and now knowing what I do it makes so much more sense.

"Tell me everything!" I demanded breathlessly, nearly curling over the side of my chair, as if proximity would bring his words to me quicker.

He laughed softly. "Now that conversation could take decades, young one. But I suppose I'll start with your grandma Eleitra." He paused to take a sip of his tea, drawing out the moment unnecessarily until with a wave of my hand, his remaining drink froze solid. "There's that Lockwell impatience! Fine, but if we get to the other side and 'Lani kills me a second time, I'm blaming you."

"Your genitals are next," I seethed, fingers hovering between us with a thin coating of frost.

The man subtly crossed his legs as he leaned away from me. "Right. I'm assuming you know about the Contract of Lilith?" I nodded, though I hadn't had much time time to actually finish the damn book since I'd unlocked it, what with everything going on with the meet and greet with the local supernaturals and getting a functional place to live. "Lilith will gift you with one of her dark children who will inhabit a compatible body nearby. You have a full moon cycle afterwards to find them and complete your bonding. Your grandma 'Lani's Familiar, as it turns out, took the body of a beautiful young actress nearly a hundred and thirty years ago."

"But-I-what?!" I couldn't seem to wrap my head around these exorbitant numbers he kept tossing around like they were nothing.

Armando laughed at my flabbergasted expression, though he quickly sobered when I began to make gestures in the air. "Fine, by Gaia's Green Bush, you and your grandmothers are so much alike it's scary." I shot him a toothy grin, feeling my magic rise up in my impatience. "Most Witches live to about a hundred and fifty years old, with the exception of Lilitu. You will be conditionally immortal the moment you bond your core to your Familiar!" He flinched, as if expecting a spell at any moment, but I could no longer feel my magic. I couldn't feel anything but overwhelming existential dread over his words.

"When you say, 'immortal', you mean..."

He unfolded himself from his defensive position as he no doubt took in the hollow sound in my voice. "So long as your Familiar lives, you both shall cease aging permanently. I never put it together back then, but I just assumed your grandmothers had very good genes. I wasn't aware of the Lilitu's lore for much of my early life. The only way to resume aging is-"

"...for the Familiar to die," I finished for him. "So that's why my grandma 'Lani couldn't be here for me. Grandma Eleitra must have died around forty years ago."

He looked surprised at my guess. "How did you-"

"Eleitra died in childbirth, didn't she?" I interrupted, voice deadened from the pain of losing not just my grandma 'Lani, but also the grandmother I would never know. All because of my good-for-nothing mother. I knew it was illogical to blame an infant, but it didn't seem to matter to my emotional self. I didn't think my hatred for that woman could go any deeper, but a new depth like the seventh circle of hell had opened in my heart.

"Good Gaia," he whispered quietly. "How you worked that all out is beyond me, but yes. There were complications during her pregnancy that could not be taken to a doctor. I wasn't even allowed to be near Eleitra during her pregnancy and until I read 'Lani's letter I never understood why. You see, in order to bring a Lilitu pregnancy to term, the Familiar has to remain in their demon form. She never did find out what caused it, but during delivery, Eleitra suddenly shifted to her human form. The bleeding of birthing your mother was too much and we lost her before we could even consider taking her to a hospital."

"And so my grandma 'Lani began to age again and died before I was old enough to begin my training as a Witch. Something my worthless mother should have done herself!" Energy was crackling across the surface of my skin, impotent rage loosening every bit of control I'd cultivated over the last nine months. Nine whole months of grueling work that I'd had to do on my own because Diane was too weak-willed to embrace her destiny, rathering a man control her body, mind, and soul to the point of indoctrination.

"Outside," Armando rushed the word out as he stood and began backing away as the currents of energy began to arch onto nearby surfaces. "You need to get outside, now Angela!"

It was the use of my name that snapped me out of my rage-induced stupor. I tried to pull my magic back into my body but I was already overflowing with potent power. I threw myself across the room while clutching at my middle, as if I could physically hold my magic back. I made it several feet out the back door before the agony of suppressing so much pain and energy crippled me, my knees radiating pain as my feet gave out.

"Release it, you stupid Witch!" I could hear Armando's words as if through a tunnel, all distant and echoing, but eventually I realized what was going on and stretched my arms out in front of me.

I didn't even have to form the thought before a wide cone of flames erupted from my palms, reducing the entire forest for at least a hundred feet in a broad conical angle in front of me to ash in seconds. I didn't even know I was screaming until the sound suddenly cut off with an anguished cry. The flames slowly died down until they petered out into nothing, leaving behind heated, smoky air and the scent of burnt wood.

I didn't realize I had fallen to my hands and knees until I began to feel the pain in my palms. Slowly, achingly, I sat back on my haunches to observe the damage with a detached sort of reluctance. Every piece of greenery that had been in my path was scorched to ash, the very earth blackened and shining in some areas like glass. It was terrifying yet thrilling to know the extent of my powers went this far.

"I knew your family was powerful," Armando was saying from somewhere nearby, "but I've never seen a neophyte command so much energy before."

I'm not sure if the tone in his voice was awe or horror. Either way, I needed to prepare for the Contract because I don't think I had long before my powers grew too unwieldy. I was already having to pour my excess energy into exercises like my enhancement spells, which were permanently active nowadays.

Which is probably why I heard the sounds of several footprints running rapidly through the surrounding woods towards my home. I turned a panicked look towards Armando as I whispered fervently. "I don't know if it's the wolves or vampires but we have incoming. What should we do?"

He glanced at the remnants of the woods I had just incinerated before looking back to the cabin. "Let's retreat behind the wards until we know which it is, then we will take action if necessary."

I nodded in agreement, leaping to my feet and racing into the back door with Armando hot on my heels. We left it open to peek out as we waited, hoping against hope that it would just be the wolves. I quickly waved a cloaking spell over the two of us, silencing any sounds we may ambiently make. Vampires could apparently hear the heartbeat of their prey from a mile away and I wasn't going to risk it even through my grandmother's wards.

It was only after all went silent from the both of us that I heard another set of prints, these distinctively paw prints. The smoke must have reached their patrols as well as the vampires. Dammit!

And just like that, in the blink of an eye I had a pair of vampires and a pair of massive wolves taking up the newly renovated clearing in my back yard. I recognized the tall, deceptively lanky form of Jasper Hale, his form partially blocking that of his mate, Alice. I could only guess at who the wolves were but they both kept aggressive stances as they growled menacingly at the vampires.

It was the tiny one, Alice, who spoke, her angelic voice strong despite the wolves' aggression. "Please calm down, we are not on your land nor have the Cullens claimed this area as our territory. We smelled smoke while hunting nearby and came to investigate."

Her voice and calm demeanor seemed to settle the two wolves, or at the very least calmed their nerves enough that they stopped growling. They looked at one another and some form of communication passed between them before they both turned and leaped out of sight. In the silence that followed, I could hear the sounds of clothing being thrown on before the same two half-naked Native women from before arrived back in the clearing remaining close to the tree line as they faced the vampires.

"This area is claimed, but not by our Pack," Samantha's voice rumbled with dissatisfaction at having to be in the presence of the undead. "We, too, came to investigate our new neighbor when we smelled so much smoke. I cannot say whether they will reveal themselves with you present."

Sighing at the unspoken request from the Alpha, I knew I no longer had a choice in remaining hidden. I was only grateful it was the pixie Cullen, as she seemed the least likely to attack as the rest of the family. Jasper, I wasn't so sure about, but push come to shove, I had the advantage of a newly scorched forest floor to set an example by.

I reached out to Armando, bringing his cloaking aura within mine so we could speak without being overhead. "Do you want to stay out of sight or bring yourself into this meeting?"

He gave me a tense but droll look. "You must have no care for my immortal soul, since you keep suggesting things that will have your grandmothers wringing my spiritual neck. Of course I'm coming to this meeting."

I couldn't help but laugh as I stood to my full height, dusting off my jeans and comfy maroon sweater. "I'm currently more worried about your physical body than your soul, but it's your choice. Let's go meet the leeches."

I led the way outside, stopping just inside the wards. A wave of my hand removed the cloaking spells, drawing both vampire and wolf gazes in our general direction. That at least answered the question of whether my grandma's wards suppressed sounds. I made a mental note to correct that before all was said and done.

A whispered spell later and my voice was echoing around the clearing, distorted yet still distinctly feminine. "Alice and Jasper, of the Cullen coven," both vampire's eyes widened as their heads twitched as if trying to catch my ephemeral voice. "You live with Edward, the mind-reader. Can you hide thoughts from him?"

Both vampires turned to each other, an affirming look passing between the mates before they once again faced the direction of our heartbeats. "Yeah," Alice answered for the two. "Edward is such a prude that all we have to do is think of the kinkiest sex imaginable and he disappears."

This brought an undignified snort from me before I could police it, ruining the whole mysterious effect I was going for. I glared at the smirking asshole at my side before dropping my voice modulation and wards in one wave of a hand, revealing my power to the vampires for the first time.

"Angela?!" Alice chirped, her eyes wide as she blinked rapidly between myself and Armando who had once again taken on his horned-god-of-the-forest form, then to the cottage that appeared out of thin air behind us. "Holy shit, that was awesome!"

I burst out in a small fit of laughter before attempting to school my features. "Thank you," I replied warmly, unable to hold on to my own poker face while looking at the adorable pixie vamp gazing around like she'd just discovered Narnia. "That being said, obviously this has to be kept quiet between us four. I can't have the humans asking questions, and I sure as hell don't want Edward or Suspicion Barbie snooping around in my affairs."

Alice grinned at that, nodding as she rocked back and forth on her heels like she was having trouble keeping still. "No worries, I promise we will keep your secrets from our family," she said with a laugh. "We've kept bigger secrets than this from the rest of the family. But seriously, what are you, some kind of illusionist or something?"

It was my turn to grin at the girl's guess. "Not exactly, but rest assured I am no threat to you or your kind, so long as you maintain my secrets and remain off my lands unless invited. The same deal that I gave the wolves-" I glared at the two women, fighting to keep my eyes distinctly up and away from half-naked copper toned bodies.

Sam and Leah shared a look before shrugging, Sam's look turning sardonic. "Maybe invite us over the next time you decide to have a bonfire and we won't have to come running."

"Personally," Leah added with as smirk, "I just think she likes having half-naked women show up on her doorstep."

I had to fight to keep my glare in place when all I wanted was to pout because I'll be damned if they weren't a pair of the sexiest things on two legs. "Wait," I blinked in confusion, "How do you know I like girls?!" Did I have a new flashing sign that read 'homo' on my forehead or something?

Leah gave this rumbling laugh that did unfortunate things to my insides. "Besides your heart rate picking up the last time we were here, I can smell your arousal even over the smell of smoke, which is saying something considering you incinerated several dozen trees recently."

I groaned, losing all ground as the new supernatural on the playing field as Alice of all people giggled at my flushed cheeks. "She's not wrong, though we already knew about your sexuality from overhearing you talking to your parents." She leaned forward and whispered as if she were imparting some hidden wisdom. "Plus, they really are fucking sexy. Too bad they smell like wet dog rolled in garbage."

I couldn't help but laugh as I sniffed the air as subtly as I could. What I got was a cacophony of ash, warm musk and pine, and something sweet like cotton candy and dark chocolate. Each scent, other than the ash, of course, had my mouth watering. "Huh, must be a vampire thing cause you all smell wonderful to me."

I suddenly had four sets of eyes on me, more than a little curiosity and confusion from both species. Sighing, I hadn't planned to give away so much so soon but part of me really wanted more people to talk to. Armando was great, but he was currently my only connection to the supernatural. "Let's just say my senses are probably as good as yours, if not better."

"Is that so?" a voice whispered so quiet I barely heard it. I felt my eyes narrow as I reached out to the energy of the forest around us, scanning the area for several miles until I found an energy that didn't belong.

"Alice, Jasper, could you move three feet to your right?" Both vampires shared a confused look before doing as I asked. The moment they were out of my line of fire, I called up my magic, hair beginning to swirl around me in the subtle currents of power as nature responded to my presence. I reached out through the trees and roots and leaves and gathered the energy of my magic behind the hidden creature. It took a lot of focus to maintain my connection to the forest as well as the continuous flow of magic I was building up, but I simply smiled at Alice.

"Question: can vampires survive an impact at terminal velocity from, say, three hundred feet in the air?"

The girl's eyes glazed, and while I knew she couldn't see me specifically, she could see the vampire in question and with a wide, toothy grin she nodded emphatically. "With minimal damage to the body, but it will heal. Her pride on the other hand..."

That was all the confirmation I needed. With a single gesture, I released every bit of kinetic energy behind the vampire, launching the unsuspecting woman into the air with a screech so high pitched that every animal within a three mile radius scurried away in fear. Thanks to the perpetual cloud cover, we could easily see the blonde fly high into the sky before arching gracelessly towards the ground.

"You're all gonna wanna take a step back," Alice chimed in with a giggle. "And whatever you damn wolves do, don't antagonize. Rosalie deserves this but she's gonna be looking for a fight."

No sooner than we were all backed several feet away than the blonde began her descent. I could tell even from this distance that she was pissed, but as Alice had said, she deserved this and I needed to vent a bit of my frustrations in a healthy way, unlike incinerating several dozen trees.

She was silent by the time she impacted the newly cleared area with a loud concussive sound like an explosion in my sensitive ears, sending debris and a cloud of ash into the air, obscuring the area around her landing site. The silence that followed was deafening, though it was quickly filled with the sound of a deep, feral growl. I smiled as I waved a hand, creating a gust of wind to clear the air.

The sight that met my eyes was far too hilarious that I couldn't hold back a laugh, while Alice cackled like mad. Rosalie Hale, Queen Bee Bitch of Forks High, was buried waist-deep in the dirt, her upper-half glaring murder at me as her entire body showed signs of cracking across her normally flawless skin. I don't know if she was stuck in the ground or if she was slowly debating whether she preferred dismemberment or disemboweling, but I wasn't about to let her make up her mind.

"Hello, Rosalie, I thought you might want to join the conversation since you expressed doubts about my abilities." If at all possible, the vampire's gaze grew even more murderous, though Alice intervened before she could dig herself free.

"Rose, you totally deserved that and you know it!" all 4'10" of the tiny pixie chided her sister, who, ironically, was currently shorter than her. "You know we agreed to leave Angela alone! You fed yesterday with Emmett, so what were you doing out here?"

Rosalie burst from the ground with a snarl, landing on her feet despite missing whatever footwear she'd been wearing. "I'm investigating a potential threat to our family, something the rest of you refuse to do! Just look at what she's capable of!" She gestured behind her at the barren landscape and the small crater her own body had left behind. "She's dangerous, and combined with what Edward's precious little Bella has found out about us, and the wolves always yapping at our heels, why the hell are we even still here?!"

Alice seemed stunned to silence, a small frown creasing perfectly sculpted brows. Jasper had been strangely silent from the moment they had arrived, though he seemed to be hyper aware of everything around him. Armando, too, in fact. The wolves were shaking in their anger but like I'd ordered, they were staying out of it. Still, Terminal Velocity Barbie made sense.

"Why haven't you moved, all things considered?" I asked with more than a little confusion. "You obviously have more than a few reasons to vacate this area at least for a few decades. Now that Bitch Barbie here knows my secret, she's gonna run her mouth so my fucking secrets are out despite everything."

"Actually," Armando interrupted calmly, drawing all eyes to him, "An accord was struck between you and the little one, Alice, on sacred ground. She entered into an agreement with you to keep your secrets, and that carries over to her entire family. Since she was technically present during the accord, if Blondie goes blabbing to the rest of her family, she'll find her little sister dead before she's uttered the first syllable."

"What?!" practically every person present shouted, none more loud than the black-eyes demon once known as Jasper. He had placed himself in front of Alice, a deep growl rumbling from him as he snarled, teeth glinting with venom. The wolves seemed to be holding on to their own human forms by a thread, and Rosalie looked like she was considering just how much force it would take to crush my trachea.

"Be at ease," the nature spirit crooned soothingly, lifting his palm in front of his face before blowing a steady breath that sent a fine mist all across the clearing on a wind of his own creation. At once I felt my body begin to relax as whatever chemical he was using sank into my very pores. It was magical in nature, otherwise the vampires wouldn't have begun to relax as well, but by the time the wolves began to stop shaking I was feeling goooood.

"That's some effective crowd-control you've got there," I murmured, finding myself leaning heavily against the tall Dryad.

"For now," he returned, voice strained and grainy and I realized this was the first time I was hearing his real voice. "Now," he continued, a slight twang to his voice that I couldn't quite place. "Unintentional though it may have been, Alice Cullen has stood before witnesses born of shaman blood, the wolves; a woodborn, myself; and a Witch of the Highest Order. We are all standing on sanctified ground made so by the previous owner, Leilani Lockwell. Anything sworn or promised on these premises binds the maker on pain of death. That goes for all creatures, not just mortals."

I sighed heavily as yet another weight settled on my conscience. "Is there any way to unbind them from this contract? I don't want to be responsible for anyone's lives, much less against their wills."

A slow, sad shake of his head brought a heavy sigh to my lips. "Unfortunately, no," he iterated softly. "It would take a full coven of Witches to even attempt to desanctify these lands, and even then the pact now resides within your heart, Madam Lockwell. I'm sorry."

My gaze fell to my hands as they clenched into fists. "This is beginning to feel more and more like a curse, day by day."

"I get that, trust me," Alice's normally chipper voice chimed in softly. "My gift gives me so many chances to avoid disaster, but who am I to decide what is meant to be and what I can change? Uncle Ben said it best, 'With great power comes great responsibility.' We just have to trust our instincts and hope we're doing right by everyone."

I stared at the delicate woman who looked as though she wore the weight of the world on her tiny shoulders. "A Spiderman reference? That's your words of wisdom?" It was so ridiculous that a snort of disbelief became a burst of laughter, that devolved into me doubling over holding my stomach as I was set upon by the mightiest gigglefits of my life.

Which then turned into a yelp of pain at the slap that struck my ass, causing me to straighten suddenly to find Leah standing beside me with her hands on her gorgeous hips, that fierce glare doing wonderfully terrible things to my insides. "Careful," I smirked, voice teasing as I winked at the leggy Native woman, "I might decide I like that."

Leah hadn't quite finished rolling her eyes as she moved back over to her Alpha's side. "Like it wasn't bad enough sharing the perverted minds of the rest of the Pack, now I gotta put up with a useless lesbian who gets turned on at the slightest hint of kink."

I opened my mouth to retaliate...only to purse my lips together cause I had no counter to that. Luckily, Crater Barbie had plenty to say and wasn't afraid to interject. "Are we all just ignoring the fact that Alice's life is tied to a magical contract that any one of us could break with an accidental thought around Edward?!"

I sighed heavily before facing the blonde directly. "Trust me when I say it hasn't left my mind since Armando informed us of it. That being said, why don't you drop the bitchy attitude and actually help us find a solution. Otherwise, shut the fuck up before I remove that useless orifice you call a mouth."

Rosalie's eyes bled to black in an instant, and I realized too late that it probably wasn't a good idea to threaten an apex predator the moment she lunged for me. Everything slowed down for me, my energy rising up instantly to meet the coming threat. I didn't want to just incinerate the bitch even though it was my most powerful skill, but I didn't have time to think of what else to use. So, I did the only thing I could and let my will carry my magick forward into thought given form.

Tendrils of energy instantly surrounded the raging vampire, immediately halting her progress, the bonds pinning her in place as if she were paralyzed where she stood. It was unlike any spell I had learned so far and I simply stood there in awe until Armando's voice interrupted the following silence.

"H-How did you do that?" he asked, reverence once again filling his tone.

All I could do was shrug as the rest of the supernaturals gave myself and Rosalie a wide berth. "Dude, even I don't know what I did, so how can I even begin to answer that question?"

I could see Armando shaking his head from the corner of my eye, but I didn't dare turn away from the still-staining blonde in front of me. "You misunderstand my meaning, Madam Lockwell," he continued in that annoyingly reverent tone of his. "I know exactly what you have done here but it shouldn't be possible at your age to spellcraft on the fly against an out of control vampire of all things. I don't even think your grandmother could have captured a vampire with such ease."

I felt my brow furrow as I considered his words. He was right, of course. I'd seen and heard the evidence of a vampire's speed over the last 9 months and I was certain not even my advanced mind should have had time enough to not only create a new spell on the fly, but also be able to cast it quickly enough to halt the vampire before her perfectly manicured nails ripped my throat out.

"I honestly don't have a clue," I eventually replied, my mind going over the events again and again. "It was like the moment she decided to attack me, the world slowed down around me. It felt like I had all the time in the world to consider my options, but when realized I couldn't just incinerate her, my mind came up with this." I gestured to the blonde who appeared to be frozen in time, the bands of energy shifting and writhing across her legs and arms in alternating colors.

"I think it's safe to release her," Alice interrupted my introspection with her adorably perky voice. "From what I see, she's been aware of everything and has developed a healthy dose of...er, let's call it 'respect'... of your abilities."

Sighing once again, I withdrew the tendrils back into myself, feeling the new magickal weave imprint itself into my mind. Existential Barbie immediately blurred backwards by a healthy distance, her body crouched defensively as she released a feral hiss.

"Easy now," I murmured as soothingly as I could, hand up in a hopefully placating gesture. "Look, I'm still growing into my powers but I'm not a bad person. I will defend myself and those I care about, but I'm not going to actively attempt to hurt anyone." Except maybe Edward, but they don't need to know that.

Rosalie remained in her defensive stance for a moment longer before slowly rising to her full height. She still had that bitchy sneer on her face but she no longer had that threatening aura around her. "So how do we protect Alice from this contract? Alice and Jasper might be able to keep my idiot brother out of their heads but there's only so many times I can take apart and rebuild his Volvo in my mind before something is bound to slip."

"Angela," Armando addressing me by name had my full attention as he gave me a grave look. "I think there's only one way to honor the agreement and keep Alice here safe." I felt my heart sink as his impassive face cringed, knowing I probably wasn't going to like what he was about to suggest.

"Yes," Alice cut him off, her excessively perky attitude returning with a bouncing intensity. "My future went dark the moment Rosalie tried to attack Angela, but now it's back so whatever you're thinking, I'm all for it."

I pressed my lips together as I considered the one option that would ensure no one blabbed my secrets to Alice's family. "So who's up for a meet-and-greet?"