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subject. “Something has her rattled.”
    As the cluster of buildings thinned, a large manicured lawn
spread out before them. At the end of the walkways stood an ancient mansion.
Age thickened the air around the grounds, until she could almost feel the
presence of something hovering over it.
    It wasn’t magic or spells.
    More like ghosts of those long dead.
    “Raven?” Durant came to stand in front of her, and she realized
she must have stopped walking.
    “This place doesn’t belong here.” It felt like it had been
pulled through time, a tear in existence where human world and the afterlife
occupied the same spot.
    “It was Heloise’s childhood home. She brought the house with
her when she took over management of the coven.” He reached for her hand, and Raven
flinched away from his touch. Not taking no for an answer, Durant entwined
their fingers and tugged until she was forced to walk at his side or be dragged
behind him. “They say she took apart the house and had it reassembled here.”
    “Childhood home?” Her face scrunched in confusion. “The place
is hundreds of years old.”
    Durant shook his head. “I sometimes forget you didn’t grow
up around all of this. As witches grow older, they gain power. The more power
they accumulate, the less they age.”
    “I know some of the lore, but knowing and seeing it are two
different things.” She studied the ancient mansion as they approached. “Is
there a limit to how much power they can accumulate?”
    “That’s a more complicated answer.” He absently rubbed his
thumb along her fingers, and she stiffened when the innocent touch threatened
to scramble her brain.
    But she couldn’t make herself pull away.
    Despite knowing it could only lead to trouble, she craved
more.
    Desperate for a distraction, she grabbed onto the threads of
the conversation. “Complicated?”
    “They don’t have unlimited power. Their body can only process
so much magic at once.”
    “Which is where familiars come into play.” He only nodded.
She gave him a look from the corner of her eyes. “Do I hear a but?”
    “Most witches can only use as much power as they can harness.
There are a few who can reach beyond themselves. It’s dangerous, a skill that develops
over time, but only for a special few.”
    “And your Heloise is one of them.”
    “She’s not mine.” Durant showed a little fang when he replied,
revealing how much he disliked the claim, then he shrugged. “She’s the leader
of a coven. You don’t become the leader of one this size without being able to
wield a lot of power.”
    As they approached the door, unease sent chills down her
spine. The place felt wrong. As soon as she crossed the threshold, all warmth
bled away and her breath billowed out in a cloud of frost. Sounds became
muffled, the room fading to black and white. Ghosts from all eras wandered
aimlessly through the house, and Raven was afraid to move and attract their
attention.
    The creature uncurled through Raven, using her eyes to see
what had caught her attention. The past came alive as the world sharpened into
focus. Two women were in a fierce argument, one she easily recognized as
Heloise. She was the exact image of the woman she had just met, except for the
elaborate dress she wore was more than a hundred years old. The other woman was
older, possibly a sister if the similarities in their appearances were any
indication. The elaborate outfit she wore was the kind you’d find in an old voodoo
shop.
    Authentic.
    They gestured toward her…or more precisely, toward where she
was standing. When Raven glanced down, it was to see her feet were firmly
planted in the middle of a dead body. The man’s neck was twisted at an
impossible angle. Like a cat, Raven jumped straight up in the air and scuttled
to the side in a weird dance until she was sure she was clear of the man. Her
heart continued to slam in her chest for a bit longer.
    The body was so lifelike it took her seconds to realize he
was a