The house was a tomb. The absence of shouting and laughter and warmth and all the things that made this place a home turned it into a somber place I didn't recognize. I suppose it had been like that for awhile now, but with so many things on my mind, I never gave it much thought until I escaped within its walls for comfort. To find none waiting.

"Clemmy," I called out, hoping she'd pop in from wherever she was hiding with Caly.

I'd not seen or heard from her, but she was Clemmy. It was a given that she was okay. A shiver went down my neck. She had to be okay.

I considered going back outside but was too afraid of the small chance Ash had only hidden and not left. The thought thrilled and terrified me. I wanted him to fight for us. To fight for the future we'd only just started to hope for before my father woke up.

'Just promise me you'll give me a chance.'

It wasn't fair for me to want that. I was the one who threw it away. He would be furious with me for acting as if I was alone in all of this, but Malphas had made my choice almost impossible. I was lucky to get him to agree to any of my terms. Maybe Ash had once been my future but no longer. I wouldn't drag him into the dark days ahead just to make myself feel better.

Sliding into one of the chairs at the kitchen table, I closed my eyes and imagined my family standing around its edges planning a wedding. Or sitting next to me passing food or whispering secrets.

Generations of Wych witches had been born in this house- the old passing their wisdom to the young, and I wondered if one of them had felt this moment coming. Had it come to them in a dream? Had they known it was a possibility because of the deal our ancestor made with a demon? The one that introduced the gift of Siphoning to our bloodline? Could Malphas have been lying?

Sighing, I pulled the necklace- the Praesadium- from my neck and stared at it. All it would take is a bit of force, and it would break, releasing my power back to me. I closed my eyes to see if I remembered what it felt like. Taken from me at three, it was nothing more than a hazy memory. One I'd put off as wishful thinking, but now that I knew it was true, it came back to me slowly. That sensation of warm honey in my veins and a perfect sweetness on my tongue.

That was what Malphas wanted me to do. He was betting on my desire to be like everyone else to win out over my desire to thwart him at any cost. Without this magic, I was useless to him, which was ironic, really. For years, I'd felt that way around my family. As if I was lacking in some way because I couldn't light a flame with a thought or call upon the elements to do my bidding, but now it was that deficiency that might save us all. It made me laugh.

"What's so funny?"

I jumped, almost dropping the Praesadium. My father leaned against the dining room door, his arms crossed over his chest. There a gauntness in his features and frame that only rest and food would cure, but he was alive.

"Daddy," I cried out, running into his arms. It wasn't until he put them around me that I realized I truly believed I would never feel his touch again.

"Don't cry, pumpkin."

"Everything is so wrong. So, so wrong. But I'm so glad you're okay."

He cupped my face and pressed a kiss against my forehead. "I was never worried about me, but maybe I shouldn't have been worried about you. You beat them, Rose. Without magic."

His approval crashed over me like a storm fueled ocean wave, dragging me down with the weight of emotions until I struggled to breathe. When I found my voice, I told him the truth, and he listened, his expression impassive. Only when I finished, did he sigh as he sank into a chair.

"This is what I wanted to avoid, Rose. It's why I took your powers all those years ago."

"You could've gone to the Council."

"Maybe in the beginning I could have. I would have faced serious charges. Bonding of my powers. But by the time I gathered my courage, there were too many people on his side. Too many people I couldn't trust."

Returning to my chair, I gathered my frayed thoughts. "Why, Daddy? I know Luis's why, but what about yours? What could Malphas offer you that you couldn't get for yourself? You weren't born in a place where people feared you. You were born here, in Black Brier. To a family that was respected and revered."

"Perhaps, that is what drove me to take such drastic measures. I was- am, really- an average witch. My father was disappointed that I wasn't more powerful. Especially because he'd married my mother only because of her bloodlines."

"You make her sound like a broodmare."

He let loose a bitter chuckle and scratched the tip of his nose. "I would say that isn't too far off the mark. Our family has always had a problem with pushing boundaries. Malphas didn't lie when he told you how Siphoning came into existence. Even though I didn't inherit the mark, I inherited the desperate greed. Maybe I would never have the same magical power as my father, but I would hone something he'd neglected. My mind. And when Malphas told me he could help me understand all things, I jumped at the chance."

"Even though you knew the risk?"

Daddy paused. "What do you mean?"

"You had to know it was possible that one of your offspring could bear the mark."

"Blind ambition is a dangerous thing, Rose, but I tried to make it right. I cut ties with Luis. I hid your powers. I arranged for Ash to go away-"

"Wait, what do you mean?" I jumped up from the table in horror.

"Luis planned to offer Ash up as the host for Malphas. You two are like two sides of a coin- a summer solstice and a winter solstice pairing is thought to produce the most powerful magic."

"What does it matter if Malphas can't use Ash's magic anyways?"

"He can't, but magic is about bonds. The bonds between family are some of the strongest, and Luis believed if Ash hosted Malphas, then he could use his ties to Ash's power to control Malphas. Luis didn't trust him. The demon prince isn't called the Great Deceiver for no reason. I thought if Ash was raised away from his family, he might be able to stand up to his father. To protect himself instead of following the man blindly like Jemina does."

Malphas had agreed to my terms so readily. Too readily. What had I done?

"Daddy," I whimpered, "can you take me somewhere?"

Within seconds were back in the same place I'd been with Willow just a few hours before. The Connors's house looked peaceful in the late afternoon light, and as I ran to the front door, all I could do was pray.

The front door opened, and I stopped my frantic pounding. "Rose, is everything okay?"

"Ch-charlie," I said, staring into his kind face, searching for signs of the spell he'd used before. I reached up and touched his face, turning it from side to side.

He trapped my hand beneath his and held it against his warm skin. A soft smile spread across his face. "What are you looking for?"

"Are you okay?"

His brows dipped down. "I'm fine. Other than a really killer headache I've been sporting for the last hour. It started after that salesman stopped by. It must have been his cologne."

"What man, Charlie?"

He shrugged and shoved his hand in his pockets. There was an ease to his movements that Malphas never possessed, not even when he'd glamoured his eyes to hide his true nature. "Tall, skinny dude. Dark hair. Accented English."

I felt sick. But it was nothing compared to how I felt when Charlie snapped his fingers, and his face brightened.

"That Ash guy was with him. Looked real pissed about being there. I don't know how I forgot that. Especially considering-" He rubbed his head and winced. "You know what, I think I may go take a nap. Did you want me to grab Flannery?"

"No, no that's fine. It was you I was checking on."

He squeezed the hand he still held. "We'll talk soon?"

"Yeah, Charlie. We'll talk soon."

Daddy was quiet as we walked up our driveway. He spied my mother standing on the porch, and I watched as his Adam's apple bobbed. "Time to tell her the truth."

I remained outside, my eyes locked on a letter in the rat swing. It hadn't been there earlier, and I recognized the looping scrawl on the front. My hands shook as I opened it, and I started to read just as my mother began to scream.

Rose,

Charlie is safe. Don't stop believing in me.

Ash.

Fighting back a sob, I dropped to my knees, reading the same ten words over and over again. I wanted to be angry, but I couldn't. He hadn't done anything more than what I'd done.

"Acantha Rose!"

Wiping my tears, I looked up to find my mother fuming on the front porch, and I almost fainted with relief. This was the fierce witch I'd grown up with. If anyone could make this right, she could.

"Ma'am?"

"We've got to find your grandmother and sisters."

"Yes ma'am." I slid Ash's letter in my pocket. There was nothing I could do about this right now. His body was stronger than Charlie's, and he was a fighter. He wouldn't let Malphas win.

"But first, you've got some serious explaining to do."

Well, rats.