Traitor Read Free Page B

you not understand? Even if we fail, the Council can never touch you.”
    “And where does that leave the rest of you?”
    “You could protect us,” Margie said. “You could do for us what Mrs. Yaga did for so long.”
    “She died,” I hissed. “She wasn’t so untouchable when she died to protect you.”
    “She gave up her protection to help you ,” Anka said sharply. “Don’t be so ungrateful.”
    I took a couple of steps away from her. “I made a deal with her. She gave me a price, and I paid it. She never mentioned me giving up what I’m doing. Why would she? She joined us.”
    Anka’s gaze was unwavering. “She never told you she thought you were like her? She never mentioned lost souls?”
    “She never said I had to… I had a choice . She was vague, and…” I tried to remember the hag’s exact words.
    “If you don’t take her place, it might never be done,” Margie said. “We need you. Emmett could come back. You could—”
    “Why does everyone need me for something?” I realized I was yelling and sucked in a breath to try to calm down. “I’m not Mrs. Yaga. I’m not anybody. I’m just…” I shook my head. “Don’t tell the others about this. Not now. I can’t deal with all of this as well.”
    “See the bigger picture and know that this could change everything for you.” Margie linked her arm in mine. “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do, but at least think about it.”
    “Wait. Why were you two there? He barely spoke to either of you until I left.”
    Margie exchanged a glance with Anka before answering. “Love, I think we’re supposed to convince you. All I know for sure is that there are worse things than the Council. There are far more terrifying enemies. We need you.”
    I pulled away from her. “If anyone wants to explain it to me, feel free, but if you’re just going to keep hinting then I don’t want to hear it.”
    “You’re not ready to listen to anybody these days,” Anka said in a voice that reminded me of when she scolded her daughter.
    “I’m ready to fight ,” I insisted. “I don’t know how to find lost souls or how to help them. All I can do is kill. That’s what’s going to win us this war.” I let them see my fangs to remind them of my heritage.
    Anka laughed. “You saw Mrs. Yaga’s true face, Ava. You know the monster my mother was. Don’t tell me what we were born to be. You’ve spent your entire life fighting against that. The lost souls will find you. Emmett, Carl, Esther, even Val and Leah. They’ve all found you. That’s how it works.”
    “I wasted my time fighting against what I was born to be,” I snapped, “because there’s only darkness in me, and the only time I feel alive is when I send the light away. I can never be neutral. I’m a monster, and I think like one.”
    They didn’t follow me when I stalked away. A weight had lifted from my shoulders when the truth finally left my lips. I had seen my true face, and it was something to fear.

Chapter Two

    I rapped on the bookshop door five times, and Eddie opened it cautiously.
    “Locking your door these days?” I shuffled my feet as he glanced down the empty street.
    “It’s a symbol of safety,” he replied. “Were you seen?”
    I shook my head. “Hurry up and let me in. It’s cold, and we need to talk before anyone else arrives.”
    Sighing, he let me inside the dimly lit room. I inhaled the familiar scents of magic—freshly doused matches and sea salt. That tinge of darkness I had recently been sensing was absent.
    I noticed a bead of sweat running down Eddie’s temple. “If you’re stressed, then I need to worry.”
    He ran his hands through his ginger hair. He needed a haircut, and heavy bags cradled his blue eyes. I had never seen Eddie Brogan, Keeper of Gods, in such poor shape.
    “I’m not stressed. I’m busy,” he said. “While you children run around making friends, I have to ensure there are no traitors in our midst. And I need