Addison and the raven squared off, neither willing to be the first to break eye contact. As much as she wanted to believe she was staring at nothing more than a pesky bird, she knew he was much more. He was waiting, tempting her to make the first move—a move she found impossible without knowing whether she was in the present or the past.
Was Eve dead?
Or had Addison witnessed a future that was still to come?
And who was the woman the man wanted to find—the woman Eve was willing to sacrifice her life to protect?
The raven cocked his head to one side, blinked at Addison, and smashed his beak against the windowpane, shattering the glass. Addison balled her hands into fists, squeezing them together as she channeled the power within her. Balls of fire formed over her palms, and she raised her hands toward the window, thrusting the flames at the raven. The raven didn’t flinch, and the flames shot right past him, evaporating into the air as if they’d been snuffed out.
Ever since she’d absorbed the power of the book of enchantments, Addison had felt strong and fearless, invincible … until this moment. Desperate to snap out of the vision and get as far away from Crawley Manor as she could, she thought back to the advice she’d once received from Joan Waterhouse. In times like these, all she needed to do was to imagine what she wanted when she wanted it, and whatever she needed would come to her. Addison closed her eyes, thought of home, and chanted: “Ancient mothers wherever you roam, hear my call, and take me home.”
A heavy weight fell over her, the sensation of hands gripping her shoulders, bearing down.
“No!” Addison screamed. “Get away. Get off me!”
A male voice, calm and gentle, replied, “Addison, hey, can you hear me? Wake up. Come back to me. Please.”
Addison’s eyes opened and she glanced around, breathing in the peaceful serenity of her own home. She looked up and saw Luke’s worried eyes staring down at her.
“How long was I out?” she asked.
“Fifteen minutes or so. What happened?”
“You handed me the photo of Eve Crawley, and the next thing I knew, I was at Crawley Manor, witnessing Eve’s execution.”
“Execution? Why?”
“I don’t know. The man who murdered her was trying to force her to give him information about another woman.”
“What woman?”
Addison shrugged. “He didn’t say. All I know is Eve refused him.”
“And now she’s dead?”
“I’m not sure. I may have witnessed the past or the future. I don’t know yet. All I know is, it wasn’t the present. If it had been, they would have seen me in that room, and they would have heard me, and they didn’t.”
Luke rubbed a hand across his chin, pondering what Addison had just said. “If this man you saw hasn’t killed Eve yet, can you prevent her murder from happening?”
“It doesn’t work like that. What I see, in my visions, is inevitable. I cannot change what’s meant to be.”
“Why not? You’re more powerful now. How do you know if you’ve never tried?”
Perhaps he was right, and she could change the future, but how out of balance would things become if she did, even if it was for one person? Knock over one domino in a long line of dominos, and they all fall. Even if she had the ability to save Eve, what repercussions would she face if she changed fate?
“What do you know about the man you saw?” Luke asked. “Who is he? Any idea?”
“Not a clue. At one point, I caught a glimpse of his face, but not a good one. It was almost like he was a blur. It happens sometimes in my visions. They’re not always clear. I got the feeling he’s not someone I’ve met before, not in person.”
“Was there any way to tell whether he’s human, just some guy living in the present day? Or was he something more—someone like you?”
“Something more. I’m just not sure how much more yet or of his power compared to mine.”
“How could you tell he’s not human?”
“He was powerful. He created static energy with his finger, and when he pressed it against Eve’s forehead, it killed her. And then …”
“And then what?”
Addison thought back to the moments after Eve’s death. “There’s something else.”
Luke folded his arms and said, “What is it?”
“After Eve died, the man who murdered her vanished, or he seemed to vanish. Once he was gone, I heard a sound, like pebbles being tossed against glass. I turned toward the window and saw a raven. He kept tapping the glass until it shattered.”
“How strange.”
“As you know, in my family, we all have spirit animals we can transform into.”
“Yours is the owl, and your grandmother was a crow, wasn’t she?”
Addison nodded. “She was. And my mother was an eagle, though she didn’t use her magic. I think the raven was Samael.”
“Let’s say you’re right. What happened after the glass shattered? Did you interact with him?”
“We didn’t because I panicked. I didn’t know if the raven was Samael, the man who’d just killed Eve, someone else, or nothing more than a bird. All I could think about was how much I needed to get out of there.”
Luke rested a hand on Addison’s leg. “I don’t blame you. It might be best for you to stay away.”
Except it wasn’t best.
She may not have known it then, but she knew it now.
“If I did see Samael, if he’s responsible for Eve’s death, I won’t hide from him anymore. If I’m to live up to the legacy bestowed upon me by my ancestors, I can’t back down, no matter who I’m up against. I was told the fate of the world is in my hands. I can’t run from it again the way I just did.”
“So, what are you going to do?”
Addison took a deep breath, knowing her response was one Luke wouldn’t like. “I need to go to Crawley Manor. The answers I need about who I saw and who the man was looking for are inside that house. I don’t know how I know … I just do.”