Everyone, a little dazed, obediently followed behind her as if she'd just proven herself the Circle's most worthy leader.
Cassie, Adam, and Diana hung back.
"I hate to admit it," Diana said. "But if we hadn't initiated her, we'd be dead right now."
"But that was black magic that she used against them." Adam glanced momentarily at Cassie. "Wasn't it?"
Cassie nodded.
"Well, whatever it was," Diana said, "she did it for us. She had the chance to escape into the woods and leave us for dead, and she didn't."
Adam was in agreement. "We still can't trust her, but maybe she can be useful to us after all."
"Maybe," Cassie said. But she knew better than anyone that one good deed didn't change who someone was.
Chapter 26
"You can't hide it from us any longer, Diana," Melanie said. "It was pretty obvious when he risked his life to protect you."
The group was gathered around the coffee table in the secret room trying to figure out what had gone wrong in the woods, when the conversation turned to Diana and Max. But the star-crossed lovers didn't stop some Circle members from nervously eyeing Scarlett, on edge now that she was present for these private conversations.
"He did prove himself out there," Laurel said with a romantic breeziness. "In the moment of truth he chose love."
"Have you two totally lost your minds?" Faye had been seething quietly on the tufted sofa while Melanie and Laurel waxed poetic about Max's turnaround, but she made up for it now by raising the volume of her voice well above theirs. "Max is the enemy. Remember? That's what you all told me. But now that Diana's fallen for him, he's suddenly the second coming?"
"Quit your complaining," Melanie barked back from the opposite side of the coffee table. "You're just jealous. Did you not see what he did for her out there?"
"He did it for all of us," Diana said. "Faye, I know you had feelings for him once. But you have to understand, we really are in love. Can you find it in your heart to be happy for us?"
Faye turned up her nose. "You're going to make me puke," she said, and retreated to her foldout bed.
"Max is dangerous," Chris called out. "You girls need to get the hearts and stars out of your eyes."
"That's right," Doug said. "Love has nothing to do with this. This is war."
Cassie noticed Adam staring down at the wooden floor. Then he glanced at Scarlett, and Cassie caught a brief moment pass between them. Cassie couldn't be sure what it was, but she could tell that regardless of what Adam thought of Max's intentions, he did believe Scarlett had proven herself out in the woods. It was obvious in the humble way he was looking at her. And she returned his gaze with a sly smile.
Cassie's jealousies flared and an image flashed in her mind. This time she saw Scarlett and Adam in bed together - in Cassie's bed - and they were kissing like hungry lovers. The scene was so vivid and graphic it was like Cassie had burst through the door and caught them in real life. Her rage seeped into the vision itself and she willed Scarlett off Adam, then doused her in a blaze of fire. She stepped closer to watch Scarlett's face blacken and melt hauntingly into the flames, and the sight of it brought a wriggling satisfaction to her stomach. She wanted to watch Scarlett perish until there was nothing left of her but ash.
It isn't real. Cassie had to shake herself awake, repeating those words to herself until the image disappeared.
Deborah stood up and stepped to the center of the room. "I think I speak for all, or at least most of us, Diana, when I say we want you to be happy. But apart from that, we're in a bad situation here. Every single one of us is in the crosshairs right now. That's what we need to be focusing on." She paused and Nick picked up where she had left off.
"And, no offense," he said. "But if we get the slightest hint that Max is working against us, we'll take him down. Whether he's your boyfriend or not."
"How do you plan to do that, tough guy?" Scarlett said, finally chiming in. "Since it's clear that the only thing that works against the hunters is dark magic."
She'd been sitting on an ottoman off to the side, alone. The only Circle member willing to be within arm's length of her was Sean, and that was only because she was pretty. But now all eyes turned to her, and she looked to Cassie. "Isn't that right?"
Cassie solemnly nodded. "Yes, that's right. Dark magic is how I forced the hunters to retreat on the roof of the school, and it's what Scarlett used back in the woods."
"But neither of you were able to strip the hunters' relics of their powers," Deborah said. "What we need is a spell that will accomplish that. To remove the threat of the hunters forever. Otherwise they'll just keep coming after us until we're all dead and buried."
Diana winced at Deborah's coldheartedness, but the rest of the group agreed.
"Cassie," Adam said. "Now might be a good time to go get your father's book. Maybe Scarlett can help us with the spell we've been working on."
Cassie's stomach dropped in a freefall.
Scarlett said in a throaty, mocking voice, "That's a great idea, Adam. Why don't you do that, Cassie?"
Cassie looked desperately at Diana, who remained tight-lipped and unmoving. Then she turned back to Adam. "I can't," she said. "I don't have it."
Scarlett rose from her seat. "What do you mean you don't have it?"
"Cassie asked me to keep it safe for her." Diana migrated protectively to Cassie's side. "It's hidden someplace no one will find it."
Faye shot up from where she'd thrown herself down onto her mattress. "Are you kidding me, Cassie? You gave it to Diana and not me?"
"We all have a right to see it." Melanie spoke over Faye. "And not just a few pages at a time that Cassie copies for us, but as a whole book. Diana, you should go get it and bring it back here."
"I agree," Laurel said to Cassie. "We're all in this together, we should all know what resources we have."
"None of you understand. It's controlling me!" Cassie screamed.
Everyone fell silent. They all averted their eyes except for Faye, who watched Cassie carefully, and Scarlett, who seemed to be enjoying the show.
"None of you can possibly understand," Cassie repeated. "It's not just the burns. I haven't been myself since I got the book. And if I start using magic from it, I don't know what I'm capable of doing to the rest of the Circle. Or what using the book could do to all of you."