"You stupid Witch, what exactly happened?" Sebastian ridiculed with imaginary lightning bolts shooting from his eyes.

I flicked a piece of lint off my black sweater and pulled my legs close. My sofa embraced my dreary soul, providing an excellent source of comfort and strength to withstand the hairball. No more sore butt from a cold cement floor, ah such amenities proved gracious when first dismissed.

"You already know. Erwin happened," I mocked and stuck my tongue out at him.

"A poor explanation for this dire situation. Do you plan to get arrested? A mass murder scene contains your energy signature. No amount of stupid remarks or denials will void this truth. Even your lover boy won't be able to swindle his boss to have you released." Sebastian continued his spout, gaining friction as he went. "That's if he wants to help you."

I laughed at his words. Trevor sought an indomitable truth—my location—and this truth was no meager roadblock. He rescued me. Him, and him alone besought my freedom. The dream raged on, beautiful and realistic. Why wouldn't he help me again? "Please, this isn't a big deal. We've gone through little mishaps like this before. It all works out in the end."

"Don't count on the past's acts to traverse the future. Within a decade, much has changed. Humans though still foolish, have advanced their culture and technology. And who'd hide a dumb Witch. Supernaturals no longer care of our species exposure. You've made a foolish decision, and now you'll drag me under with you."

"Come now, Seb. Don't you love playing in the water?"

He hissed at my joke, jumping off the armrest and ambling out of the room.

"Fine, be that way," I called, plopping my head on my knees.

Life's sad when you have to agree with an aggravating pile of fur. Still, he didn't deserve an easy victory. The past was different, we had frequent fail-safes and the elders from the families combined their strengths to quell any open distress. They didn't want magic to surface— especially to the Normals. Which still makes me question how such a safety net failed with the crisis we faced?

I shook my head, redirecting my thoughts. Great, losing focus from a simple examination. I was definitely getting old. Soon, the skin would wrinkle at my bones and varicose veins would line my body like a zebra. Oh, the woes I faced.

Now, back to better things, such as finding an imperative solution to solve my predicament.

If, by some blasphemous decree, my knight in shining armor abandoned me, then I only had myself to perform the success. I laughed at the thought. I wasn't innocent, all of Verdina knew how shallow my innocence was. So, chances were high, I risked being imprisoned for my crimes. Yeah, whatever.

How did Normals expect to hold me? Exactly, they didn't.

Yet, imprisonment wasn't my worry. If I escaped or was released, I faced similar dead ends—everyone would ignore me. They'd snide and throw revolting accusations, further damning my name. Not that I cared, but it made business hard, and with no business, meant no money. Thus my predicament.

I'd either be forced to perform as my alter ego and prove that old, conniving woman right, or kneel before her. Neither solution brought triumph, just failure.

"Still arguing with yourself?" Sebastian drawled next to my ear.

I jumped sideways, my head hitting the armrest. "You ugly rat, don't creep. It's weird."

He sighed, removing any backlash from my remark. "You'll have visitors soon, be prepared for the worse."

My mouth dropped open. "Why are you refraining from biting me back? Is Verdina dying? Do you need a hug?"

Sebastian tilted his head, staring me down. His eyes cornered me like a naughty kid thrown to timeout without physically sequestering me.

"What are you plotting?" I added.

"If for one second, you stopped your senseless prattle, you'd learn that hiding the truth is neither beneficial to yourself nor I. But I see, inside you're still the small child seeking attention and recognition from her mother. You'll die before that happens."

I bit my mouth shut, suppressing a stupid retort. Did he want me to burst a blood vessel? I mean a girl can only take so much oppression before she snaps. "You would only sneer at the truth, why bother?"

"Bother? Because unless you give up your terrible act, we'll both be imprisoned. Unlike you, I'd rather not be a prisoner to that woman's emotions. You didn't deal with her for as long as I had. We're in the same boat, whether or not you accept it."

I threw my hands up in defeat. "Fine, whatever. You win. You've suffered from her hands far more than I have, okay? Congratulations."

"Do you think I care of such things?" He leapt from the tall back onto my legs. "Freedom is all I care about. A common ground wouldn't you say?"

"You know I can't release you."

He chuckled at me, though the lyrical nature sounded far too dark. "You'll die, eventually. Unless you plan to retract your promise."

"No, my words from that day are final. The day you became my familiar marked the end of your slavery. I'm not that much of a jerk to bind you further. Unless you want me to be?" I winked at him, drawing an infuriated eye roll.

"Tell me, Witch. What did he do?" Sebastian's eyes narrowed and darkness gravitated towards him. The edges of his black fur fuzzed with the acclimation.

This sight, swelled my heart tenfold to eclipse my pride. He's done this before. In the past when he protected me from that woman's claws. The image was burned into my retinas, so vivid and heart-stirring. From that moment, we shared an irreplaceable bond. One forged from a common enemy.

I looked away and crossed my arms, fighting the urge to wrap the mongrel into a warm hug. The physical barrier and troublesome existence of cat hair quelled the impulse, both were insurmountable hurdles. "Fine, but only because you asked so nicely." I paused, searching for the method to reduce the chance of me sounding like a blubbering idiot. "Erwin captured my heart."

"How?"

My lips puckered and I turned a frown towards him. "Do we really need to do this?"

"Stop your pathetic commentary."

I shrugged my shoulders. "Fine, whatever. I can't even save face. Not even a smidgen." I measured the amount with my fingers, showing him my miniature pride. "When I brought Trevor to the Orchard."

"You saved a Normal?" he questioned. I swear a filthy smirk contorted his crazy cat face.

"Yeah, okay?"

"I knew you'd fallen, but never thought it was this far." He chuckled.

"See, you mock me. Nothing has changed and nothing can be done."

"He plans to sacrifice you to ward off the search. What was the nature of the spell?"

I thought on his questions. If I remembered correctly the curse contained parts to draw the soul from the body into an external vessel. Erwin must need souls as a material for another spell. But the only idea was using the material to control time, I had no clue what other spells used such a risky material.

"It captured the soul. Was he trying to resurrect someone? No, he wasn't selfless..." I tapped my chin, delving deeper into the mystery of Erwin. What was his aim? World domination—no, he had no need for that when he was a master within The Orchard. Supernaturals held him in high regard. My only guess: retaining control of his power. With the emergence, no longer were we bound to the old ways. He lost control over his counterparts.

"Control," Sebastian spoke, fueling my own conclusion. "He'll lose his power over others."

"I think so, but how? Souls aren't used in very many spells, mostly those related to time. You can't even draw raw energy from them to create the signatures found at the scenes of those summonings."

"It appears time is up."

As Sebastian voiced his last words, Trevor entered my cozy den beside several Wizards—one being Park.

"Lanna, we need to bring you in," Trevor said.

"Oh, boy." I exchanged one last glance with Sebastian before putting my battle ready fortitude into action. This was going to be a long day. Especially if I couldn't unravel the plot Erwin had spun and entwined me in.