"But he seemed so overpowered by the spell," Laurel said.
"He might have been resistant to her magic the whole time, but was playing along to get close to us," Adam said.
Cassie shot Adam a look to quiet him. He and Laurel may have been putting the necessary pieces together, but they could do it in the other room, where Faye wouldn't hear them. They were unaware of the effect their words were having on her as she began crying harder. But Cassie understood. When Faye undid the love spell and Max was still acting like he couldn't live without her, she mistook it for true love.
Melanie shook her head in disbelief. "So the hunters know about two of us," she said. "And without the Master Tools, we're not strong enough to fight them."
"And Scarlett still wants to kill Cassie," Nick said.
Diana continued holding Faye in her arms. "There's no time to panic," she said, but her voice was trembling. "It's time to come together to support and protect one another." She focused her eyes directly on Cassie. "We'll figure out a way," she said. "We always do."
Chapter 30
From her front porch, Cassie could see the flickering blue of the television flashing like a strobe light in a haunted house. Her mother must be waiting up for her.
"I should go right in," Cassie said, gripping the door handle. "She's up."
"Not yet." Adam reached for her hand and squeezed it.
"With everything going on," he said, "and everything that's happened, I want you to know that we'll get through it."
"I know," Cassie said.
"Are you sure?" He leaned in for a kiss, but he stopped just shy of her lips.
Cassie could feel his breath on her skin and the warmth of his body so close to hers. She held his gaze, and her heart pounded heavily in her chest.
"I'm positive." She pulled him in toward her, meeting his soft lips with hers. With a wild abandon she had forgotten, she and Adam melded into one, and she let herself be swept away.
They kissed like that until they were both heated and flushed. Cassie allowed her breathing to slow and her heart to settle. Then she stared up at him, captivated for a moment by the course of life pulsing between them. The silver cord, she thought, the mystifying bond that had connected her to him from the beginning, and always would. It was stronger now than ever. After the wild mix of would. It was stronger now than ever. After the wild mix of emotions Cassie had experienced these past few weeks, one thing emerged solid and bright. She realized in a whole new way just how lucky she was to have Adam by her side.
"I love you," she said.
He smiled brightly. "And I love you."
She kissed him once more, tenderly, and inhaled a full breath of him. "I really love you," she said.
His blue eyes sparkled, and he laughed aloud. "We can play this game all night."
"Or our whole lives," Cassie said, beaming back at him.
She found she couldn't take her eyes from his. They drew her closer and closer in.
"Maybe even longer."
When Cassie finally made her way into the house, she shut the front door behind her and paused. Her mother looked almost like a ghost, and about as frightened as if she'd seen one. Cassie felt awful she'd caused her to worry so much. Her mother had every right to be angry with her.
"Mom," she said. "I am so sorry."
When her mother made no response, she added, "I needed to go to Cape Cod; it was an emergency. And then - "
"Forget about the car," her mother said. "Are you okay?" Cassie nodded and dropped her bag at the door. When she reached her mother's arms, she looked up at her, hoping to see a sign of reprieve in her eyes. But instead, a saddened expression passed over her mother's face, like a massive wave of pain.
"Mom?" Cassie asked, not even sure what to say.
Her mother's large black eyes, shadowed by dark circles, filled with tears. "I thought you ran away," she said.
"And then I thought you were dead. I swear I could feel your pain."
She spoke quietly and regretfully, and Cassie realized her mother probably could feel when she was in pain. They were connected, and she was a witch, after all.
"You seem to be pulling away from me, just when I thought we were becoming closer," her mother said. "Was it something I did or said that upset you? Tell me." When Cassie found out her mother kept Scarlett a secret, it seemed like such a betrayal, like the worst secret in the world to keep hidden for her entire life. But now, looking at her mother's frail, penitent face, Cassie realized she'd done it to protect her. She must have known Scarlett was evil.
"Oh, Mom," Cassie said. "I wasn't angry, just confused. I was confused about so much."
After everything that had happened, Cassie realized it was time to finally tell her mom the truth.
"I have so much to tell you," Cassie said.
Cassie didn't even know where to begin, but she did her best to speak evenly and not leave anything out. She dug her nails into her palms and went on, uninterrupted, for what felt like forever. Then her mother took a shallow breath in and shut her eyes. Cassie knew it was time to be quiet and let her speak.
"Scarlett's mother didn't shy away from the dark side of Black John either," she said. "She'd been banned from our Circle for performing dark magic. But I'd hoped those days were behind us now. That's why I never mentioned Scarlett."
Cassie nodded, and her mother took her face into her hands. "I would have never kept it from you if I thought you were in danger."
"It's not your fault," Cassie said. "I should have told you when I found out about her."
"It's not anybody's fault," her mother said. "But it's still come to this." She took a deep breath and stood up.
"There's something I've been waiting to give you until it was necessary," she said cryptically. "Now seems to be that time."
The tone of her voice was puzzling. "What is it?" Cassie asked.
"I'll be right back."
Her mother left the room and was gone longer than Cassie expected her to be. But just when Cassie was about to go looking for her, she returned with a book in her hands. It was a faded leather-bound journal with gold, deckle-edged pages. It looked to Cassie like an old bible.
"This was your father's Book of Shadows," her mother said, holding it out to her with both hands.
Cassie froze, paralyzed, and felt the blood drain out of her face. Black John's Book of Shadows - just the thought of it made her shudder. Black magic was something she felt was better left unexplored.