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My grip on my wand tightened.

“One of your ancestors,” Lou said, continuing, “was a member. A witch by the name of Honora Kemp.”

My mind raced to identify the name.

Honora. Honora.

If I was remembering the right family member, Gran had said she was known only as a disgrace. She didn’t even have a headstone in our cemetery. Gran had never explained what she’d done to earn that distinction, only that she’d left home and had never been welcomed back.

It seemed this was the reason why.

“Of course. Honora,” I said, as if I’d already known.

He studied me for a moment before continuing. “The greatest spell The Devouring ever performed was cast by Honora Kemp. An’ she did it with yer family’s relics.”

Confusion swept across my face. How was that possible? The relics were always secured inside our mausoleum. Protected by layers of spells, taken out only for ceremonies or rituals.

Lou held up four meaty fingers, ticking each one off. “Torment. Dominion. Ruination. An’ the Horn of Gorrath himself.”

He knew everything.

It was clear why Honora had earned Gran’s scorn, especially if she’d joined this secret society and taken the relics without my family’s permission.

“You see, we need to cast that spell again, and one relic won’t do it,” Lou explained.

Another scream rent through the room. Lou didn’t seem bothered by the sound at all. In fact, he was beaming back at me.

“To handle our troubles, we need ‘em all.”

“And what troubles are those?” I asked.

Lou wagged a finger at me. “Only sworn members of The Devouring are privy to the details. But know this: the Blood Treaty forbids us from summonin’ demons ‘cause the vampires claim it’s too dangerous, but what are they doin’ to protect us, eh?” The relics hidden in my bodice vibrated in agreement. “The Witches of the Light killed yer grandmother, then tried to take yer relics. They’re tryin’ to cut us off from our source of power.”

I wanted to remind Lou that both factions of witches drafted the Blood Treaty. That the twelve ruling princes had been witches themselves before they were turned, six from each side, and that they had sworn to keep the peace, not as conquerors, but kin.

However, I kept my comments behind my teeth.

Small-minded people didn’t like being questioned.

“Ya know,” he said. “A witch is only as strong as her coven. Honora knew that.” He touched the serpent-and-moon emblem. “Ya don’t have to be alone.”

“I like being alone,” I said automatically, then realized that wasn’t what I was supposed to say. So I added, “It allows me time to honor the dead. I’ve suffered a great loss.”

That part, at least, was real. I could tell by the lopsided smile he was giving me that he’d taken my comment the way I’d wanted him to.

“Our coven isn’t one forged by family ties,” he admitted, and the people around him made low sounds of agreement. “It’s about belief. We’re not bound by blood. We’re bound by what’s comin’, an’ we’re not goin’ to be caught flat-footed when it arrives.” Grunts and nods went around the room. “We’re warriors, ya see. Survivors. Just like yerself.”

I tried to hide my reaction, but it was difficult. He didn’t want me. He wanted a Kemp. A name. A bloodline. A legitimate person he could point to and say I was wronged by the vampires. If I joined, I would become part of his propaganda campaign, and my relics would be used to cast this reckoning spell.

I’d been a fool to give him my name.

My mother’s ghost appeared then, hovering just over Lou’s shoulder. She was smiling, and it wasn’t the small, tight smile she had worn at Widow Martell’s the night I met the sailor. Nor the cheerful, pleased smile she’d flaunted this afternoon when she showed me Hartley’s shade. This smile was one I had not seen on her face since the cemetery.

This was the smile of a woman who thought she had won.

Every piece of the last three weeks snapped into place. Mama had not been haunting me. She had been steering me. She wanted me to join The Devouring and start a new war. A war fueled by vengeance. She wanted me to use our family’s relics against the vampires and the Witches of the Light.

I knew I couldn’t tell Lou no, not outright. Not with all these people around. They’d grab me and stick me down in the cellar where they were keeping whoever else was screaming. I had to buy myself enough time to get Della and leave.