AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She giggles. “I’m more of a stick to the shadows kind of woman.”
“That will never do. If nothing else, the three of us will teach you how to command a room like the royalty you are in this city.”
Josephine squeals when Rune scoops her into his arms, both of them gone from the room in the next moment.
“This is going to be a long night,” Sebastian grumbles on his way out, hands stuffed deep into his suit pockets.
I don’t want to agree with him, but I have a feeling that, one way or another, all eyes are going to be on us tonight.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
JOSIE
The engine of Sebastian’s vintage car purrs with a roaring rumble. It reverberates through the night and vibrates in my entire body as we putter down the tree-lined avenue on the way to the witches’ masquerade ball.
Tonight, Sebastian sits behind the wheel instead of Finn. When Rune slid in beside me in the cramped back seat, he joked that the car—a 1934 Alvis Speed 20 that only comes out of the garage for special occasions—is Sebastian’s baby, and he never lets anyone drive his baby.
He must take good care of her if she’s still running this well after nearly a century.
It’s strange—I didn’t peg Sebastian as a classic car guy. Then again, how much do I really know about the Mad King of the French Quarter?
His blue eyes find mine in the rearview as he turns us onto a long driveway. His gaze lingers, but I don’t get the usual heated glare.
Huh. He’s full of surprises tonight.
“That’s one helluva house,” Rune comments, leaning forward to peer through the windshield, and I do the same.
Before us is a sprawling, colonial-style mansion that sits on the top of a small hill, its lit windows peeking through the obsidian sky like stars in the heavens. My stomach churns uneasily as the towering pillars and ornate façade loom closer to the architectural marvel that has witnessed generations of witches before me.
Sebastian steers our car into the queue of vehicles making their grand arrivals, their sleek exteriors gleaming under the gentle light of the moon as they spew out passengers in an excited rush.
“Nervous?” Rune’s side brushes mine, and the upholstery creaks as he leans close.
Nervous is an understatement.
“I feel like an outsider,” I admit, the knot in my stomach cinching tighter as the car crawls up the drive. “I’ve never had a coven before. It was just me and Grand-Mère.”
I’ve never been to an event this size before. I can already feel the massive gathering of magic from so many witches in a single place.
It’s almost dizzying.
“They’re going to love ye, lass,” Finn reassures from the front seat. He reaches back and offers me his hand, and as soon as our fingers brush a rush of calm comfort floods through me, dispelling my anxiety. Well, most of it.
“Thanks.” I sigh, sitting back in my seat.
It’s more than meeting my coven—it’s the weight of being the last Dumont witch of her bloodline. It’s knowing that I’m nowhere near Grand-Mère’s level when she was my age. It’s the fact that I’m the one who’s responsible for Adelaide’s death.
Coming here was a bad idea.
I’m about to yell for Sebastian to turn us around when we come to a stop, and my stomach lurches into my throat. Rune rests a huge hand on my thigh, giving a gentle squeeze. “You ready to show these witches who Josephine Dumont is?”
I wonder for a second if he’s joking, but the glint in his eyes holds only the fierceness of his conviction in me.
What did I do to deserve that kind of look?
“As long as you promise not to leave my side.”
The corner of his mouth quirks up, and I catch a glimpse of his fang poking out. I blink, and he’s gone. My door opens, and I turn to see Rune with his hand out to me. “Stuck to you like glue,” he promises with a toothy grin.
