Eveleen's POV

How the hell do these people deal with this heat? It's not even mid-morning and I swear I need another shower. Ugh! I grabbed my bag and secured my hat, before leaving in the Uber I'd called. As we passed the mansion, I noticed two more men standing on the porch. From a distance, I couldn't make out much detail beyond brown hair and muscular builds. Well, at least the view is nice here.

"You sure this is where you want me to drop you off, lady?" my driver asked as we arrived at our destination. I must admit, looking up at the rundown brick building, I had my concerns, but this was the address the coven had provided.

"Yes, thank you, sir," I handed him some cash for a tip and stepped out into the humid air. Climbing the steps, I knocked on the heavy metal door. It swung open to reveal a small woman with doe eyes. "Mrs. Richman?" I asked.

"Oh you must be Ms. Dolman," she said in a hopeful tone. I cringed at the use of my fake identity. The last name was associated with my former coven and did not hold fond memories.

"You can call me Ylfa," I shook her outstretched hand. She opened the door further and ushered me inside. The outside was quite deceiving. The small entryway opened up to a vaulted ceiling with tapestries and rows of bookshelves. The room had a positive aura that I could tell had been recently cleaned. She led me down a wide hallway and knocked on a cherry door.

"Come," the voice from inside intoned. Swinging open the door revealed a large conference table with five witches gathered around it. "Please, come in. We are so glad you came," the older gentleman gushed as he stood to shake hands. "Let me introduce everyone. I'm Reggie, this is Sarah, Thomas, Kati, Stephen, and of course you've already met Matilda." He nodded to Mrs. Richman.

"Thank you, I'm Ylfa Dolman, it's a pleasure to meet all of you. I'm so sorry for the losses you've experienced. I hope I can help." I said, taking a seat near Stephen. "I've reviewed the information you sent. I can say with full confidence that you are dealing with shades. Now the real question is, what is their motivation for attacking?"

Sarah scoffed, "Just how can you be so certain? And what do you mean by their motivation? Shades are evil, isn't that motivation enough?" I could feel the animosity rolling off of her. I paused, studying her aura. She was very guarded.

"I took the liberty of a revelation spell last night. It quickly showed shades." I said curtly. "As for motivation, well if these were random attacks, stragglers in the community, then yes, it would make sense. But for a shade or group of shades to actively target a coven, is uncommon." I surveyed the room looking for reactions. "Have you done any dark spells recently? Sought to strike any bargains?"

Thomas choked on his tea, "What? Are you mad? We are not that type of coven!"

I raised my hands, "I meant no offense. I do not judge. Magic is neutral. It is only the intent that colors it. If anyone in the coven was perhaps seeking power, wealth, personal gain, they may have inadvertently triggered something." I stood and walked to a bookshelf covered in magical artifacts. "You have quite the collection," I commented.

Reggie came to stand next to me, looking over the items. "Yes, most of these have been passed down over several generations. We're lucky. Our coven has survived since the colonies were formed." He picked up a simple wand, holding it lovingly. "I'm sure your own coven has a collection of magical items as well."

He was trying to get me to reveal more about myself, but it wasn't going to work. I didn't give away personal information. The Council and I had come to an agreement many years ago that only a handful of witches would know my true name. There is power in a name, and I chose not to share that information carelessly. Ironic since I'd given it to Luke the night before without even hesitating.

I cleared my throat, "Most covens do. I notice not all of your collection is based on light practice. Some of these are considered dark relics. Is it possible a novice utilized something without permission?" I ran my hands over the shelf, trying to sense if one had been recently used. "It is not uncommon for inexperienced practitioners to accidentally trigger attacks. I've dealt with it many times." I walked back to the table. "Would you be opposed to me interviewing some of the accolades?"

They spoke quietly and finally agreed. "One last question. I know you contacted the authorities about the latest victim, but how much do they really know? Can they connect the dots to realize all the missing or dead were members of the coven?"

"Does that matter?" Stephen asked.

"Not really, it just makes my job a bit more difficult," I responded honestly.

"We are a registered temple, so yes, it is possible that they will make the connection, but we didn't share it. Until Daryl and Cassie's bodies were found, we hadn't even considered the possibility of the supernatural. We really thought it was unrelated." He stammered, hanging his head in shame. "We should have known sooner. We failed them all."

I placed my hand on his shoulder, sending a wave of soothing energy, "It isn't your fault. I will do my best to find the others." He met my gaze with tears in his eyes. "In the meantime, all members should be alerted. You need to travel in pairs and pull families into protective spaces. Carry spell pouches with you and bless every place you enter, even if it's a public restroom." They looked at me as if I were insane. I was used to it. "Think of it this way, you are blessing a space. It doesn't have to be an extravagant spell, just some cinnamon, clove, sea salt and rosemary sprinkled as you pass a doorway. Anything you can do to reduce the chance of a shade entering helps."

We wrapped up our conversation and Matilda led me back to the door where another Uber awaited. Just as I got into the car, I noticed a dark BMW pull up with two men inside. Both were sharply dressed and attractive. They approached the door, asking Matilda if they could speak with the temple leader.

And so it starts...the outside world has no clue what they are looking for.

I always feel so bad for mundane people. If they had half a clue about what lurks around every corner, they would be panicked sheep. Most attacks are written off as random acts of violence. The more severe cases require the Council to get involved with cover stories and clean-up. Luckily, most cases are random, but this one was going to attract attention.

I stared at the car for a few moments longer as we began to drive away, something nagging in the back of my brain. The car...wait, that's the car from my dream! "Driver, can you let me out here? I don't need a ride after all." He gave me a quizzical look, but let me out.

Once he'd driven away, I looked around to make sure there were no street cameras or people watching. Closing my eyes, I recited the spell, sa dorchadas, ceilt anois mé (in the darkness, conceal me now), then waited in the back of the car for the men to emerge. I held my breath when I saw those cerulean eyes. He was gorgeous.

"That was a fuckin waste of time, Vic!" the man complained. "Damn people acted like we were the fuckin Spanish Inquisition. Who gives a rat's ass what they believe? I just want to figure out what happened to those people." His voice was surprisingly deeper than I expected.

"Yeah, Owen's not going to be happy about it. It's like they didn't want help," the other man agreed, his voice a soft baritone.

I half-heartedly listened to their conversation as he drove, but my main focus was on the road ahead of us. The hair on my arms began to stand on end and my head was pounding. Oh shit, this is bad.

"What the fuck!" the blue-eyed man screamed. His friend tried to slam on the brakes to avoid the creature standing on the road before them. It was my dream all over again. I knew the men were yelling at each other, but I couldn't hear them. I watched the scene unfold like a dozen times before.

The driver unbuckled and dove out of the car, while my dream man couldn't get his buckle undone. His door struck the demon with full force, crumpling the metal frame. The car went airborne and flew over the guardrail, slamming into the water below. I watched his face panic in fear, but this time I wasn't struggling to reach him, I was already there. I released the spell and pushed my way into the front seat. He scrambled back when he saw me and bumped his head on the door. Well shit, that didn't help.

I undid the belt quickly and sent a blast through the sunroof. Grabbing his face, I put my mouth over his and blew air in. He choked and met my gaze. The shock that passed between us was amazing. I'd need to figure that out later. I grabbed his hand, trust me, please - I projected to him. I knew he heard when his eyes widened and he nodded his head. Sending a blast of energy below us, I brought us to the surface and then towards the edge of the water.

We both climbed onto the shoreline coughing and sputtering. "What the fuck was that?" the man choked out. I gave him a quick smile and vanished.