"The new jealous version of Diana isn't bad, either," Faye continued. "And the lying version of Cassie, well, that's not so new."
It was what Faye wanted, to draw her into a fight, but Cassie couldn't ignore her any longer. She met Faye eye to eye. "I don't know what you're talking about," she said. "And I don't care, either."
Faye reached out and caught Cassie's chin with her strong fingers. "You should care."
Cassie resisted the urge to pull away. The red stone Faye wore around her throat reflected the sunlight into Cassie's eyes, burning them, but she held her gaze. "I'm not afraid of you," she said through Faye's grip.
"One more of your many stupid mistakes." Faye squeezed her fingers tighter around Cassie's chin.
"Hey! Let her go." It was Nick at the top of the path.
Laughing, Faye released her. "This one can take care of herself, Nicholas. She doesn't need you saving her. Isn't that right, Cassie?"
Cassie climbed up the path to Nick's side as Faye shouted, "You'll never be Adam, Nicholas. No matter how hard you try."
Cassie looked down the path at Faye, feeling the fire in her gut rise to her throat. "Faye, you're pathetic. And deep inside, you're weak, far weaker than me. Don't push me to prove it."
Faye licked her bloodred lips and then slid her tongue seductively across her teeth. "That's more like it," she said.
"Give me more of that dark side, Cassandra. That's what I want to see."
Chapter 15
It was a good ten-minute walk to the lighthouse, plenty of time for Cassie to work up her heart rate and fill her lungs with cold, fresh air. Some of the tension among the group from earlier had dissipated. Cassie thought Faye was being let off a little too easily after performing the love spell, but she was too relieved to see everyone getting along again to mention it. Besides, Cassie had also been forgiven for hanging out with Scarlett.
It was Diana who suggested the twelve of them walk to the lighthouse together in one large group, but they all wanted to do it. Driving was cool, Cassie thought, but there was nothing like sauntering up the street on a moonlit night in a huge pack of your closest friends. It made her feel invincible, and part of something so much bigger and more important than herself.
It was a full moon, and Laurel brought along a bag of fresh-baked cookies. It was an old family recipe of Laurel's that required the crushed leaves of an herb called mugwort, which had to be picked and ingested during a full moon.
Laurel claimed the cookies improved divination, clairvoyance, and psychic powers, but Cassie and the others stuffed their mouths full of them as they walked because they were delicious. All those other things were just bonuses.
Adam felt for Cassie's hand, and when he found it, she Adam felt for Cassie's hand, and when he found it, she didn't pull away. Cassie had been on edge lately for sure, but for the moment everything felt fine and her connection to Adam was strong. His fingers wrapped around hers reassured her that in spite of all they had to fear, she wasn't in this alone, and together they could overcome anything.
The night was invigorating. The trees overhead smelled of sweet flowers, and the ground beneath Cassie's shoes was moist with dew. A rare carelessness came over them as they walked. Not just Cassie and Adam but the whole group. They holl ered up the street, goofing on one another and banging on garbage cans. Chris challenged Doug to race him the rest of the way, and they all started running in order to judge the winner. They stopped short when they saw it and collectively gasped.
It seemed impossible. The lighthouse had been burned to the ground. In its place was a pile of soot and ash.
Irrationally, Cassie thought they must've arrived at the wrong location. How could a structure so sturdy and steadfast, so permanent in its vigilance, have melted down to this? But the anger in Adam's eyes forced Cassie to accept the harder truth. Not only was the lighthouse gone, but someone had destroyed it on purpose.
Melanie spoke first. "That was a historical landmark," she said. "It's been there for, like, three hundred years."
"That's what you're thinking about right now?" Nick said.
"How about how the hunters knew exactly where to find us?" Diana placed her hand gently on Nick's shoulder. "Hold on, we shouldn't jump to conclusions. We don't know for sure it was the hunters."
sure it was the hunters."
Nick shrugged off Diana's hand. "This was a message, loud and clear. How much clearer would you like them to be?"
Diana turned to Melanie and Laurel. "You two were the last ones here, weren't you? Are you sure you didn't accidentally leave any candles burning?" Melanie's eyes widened. "Are you accusing us of burning down the lighthouse?"
"I'm not accusing," Diana said. "Just asking." Cassie couldn't stand to listen to any more arguing. She made her way over the grass, toward the edge of where the entrance to the cottage once stood.
Cassie heard Adam come to Diana's defense against Melanie and Laurel. "It would be better for all of us if you had been the ones to burn it down," he said. "Then at least we'd know for sure it was an accident and not an act of - "
"It wasn't an accident," Cassie called out to them. Her voice echoed over the space between them like an ocean wave. Right where the entrance to the light keeper's cottage once stood was a symbol burnt in ash on the ground. It was the same symbol that appeared on Constance's forehead.
Adam was the first to reach her. "The hunter symbol," he said, just in time for the others to fall in line behind him.
They saw it now, too. They couldn't not see it.
"The coven has been marked," Cassie said.
"Faye, this is all your fault," Nick shouted out. "Because you had to do magic."
For once Adam agreed with Nick. "They tracked your love spell."
"I told you," Melanie said. "I told you this would happen."
"That's enough!" Faye's eyes flamed with rage. "What makes you all so sure it was my fault?"
She pointed her longest red fingernail at Diana. "You're always so careful not to jump to conclusions. Stop for a moment, call off the dogs, and think of who could have actually done this."
Then Faye twisted her neck around to glare at Cassie while keeping her shoulders squared to Diana. "I think Scarlett would be a reasonable suspect," she said.
"Especially since Cassie brought her here just the other day."
Cassie remained silent.
"I saw you," Faye said.
"Don't try to turn this on me," Cassie said, but that was all she could say. She couldn't deny it.