Witches Be Burned: A Magic & Mayhem Novel by Stacey Kennedy

Council needs you now,” Zia whispered.
    Someone has died
ran through Nexi’s thoughts, which must have been pushed outward, since Zia replied,
Yes, someone has,
in Nexi’s mind. Zia hadn’t pinpointed the reason why she and Nexi shared a telepathic ability, since it was an unusual trait for witches to share. But the assumption had been made that it was because Zia was Tillie’s soul-sister. Zia thought, and Nexi agreed, that their bond just transferred this way to Nexi because Tillie was no longer alive and Nexi was her daughter.
    Sometimes it was easier to accept something than dig for answers. Nexi hadn’t questioned the ability much, because it often came in handy. Besides, Zia had become somewhat of a replacement mother to her—and she appreciated the closeness she shared with Zia. Nexi might have lost many that she loved, but she also gained so much, too. She tried—and often reminded herself—never to forget that.
    She gazed into Zia’s warm eyes, holding such love and kindness, and forced herself to ask aloud for Kyden’s sake, “Who died?”
    A hesitation. Then Zia’s voice was gruff. “There’s been a murder.”
    “A human murder?” Kyden asked, pressing a comforting, warm hand against Nexi’s shoulder.
    “No.” Zia sniffed, wiping away her fallen tears. “I’m afraid it’s one of our own. Please. You must hurry.”
    Trefan.
    Zia planted that one word in Nexi’s mind, but she couldn’t believe he was the one who had been murdered. She didn’t even want to accept that Finn had lost his younger brother.
    Nexi wasted no time getting dressed, and while Willow hissed at being left at home alone, Nexi slammed the door shut and ran after Kyden and Zia into the Council’s Foyer. The large room that was located to the right of the Council’s Hall, which was the Council’s headquarters, had white stone walls stretching into a vaulted ceiling. On the right were four windows with intricate stone carvings decorating the sides. A warm breeze soared through the room, which was typical of the Otherworld—the temperature always stayed a pleasant seventy-eight degrees. But as Nexi took two steps into the room, she nearly dropped to her knees as Haven’s emotions stormed into her like a disease—icy shock, crippling horror, it all raced across Nexi’s senses.
    Kyden was quick to wrap an arm around her, and he always seemed ready to catch her whenever these fierce emotions took over. While Nexi loved the bond with Haven, there were downsides. Bad emotions were never fun to deal with—and Nexi was still getting used to dealing with an emotion that belonged to another. The upside was that the emotions were shared for an instant before they vanished away, and it happened only when Nexi was in close proximity to Haven.
    Kyden continued to assist Nexi toward the portal’s large wooden door, and that’s when Nexi noticed Finn, too. Refusing to believe what Zia had said, Nexi grabbed Zia’s outreached hand, noticing that neither Haven nor Finn held on to Zia, telling Nexi they knew exactly where the murder happened.
    The portal worked only if the specific location remained on the mind of the supernatural crossing through. And by the tears in Finn’s eyes, and the cold, horrific shock rushing through the bond with Haven, Nexi began to believe what Zia had told her. She forced her mind to go blank as Kyden reached for her hand, and they followed Zia through the portal, allowing Zia to lead them to the crime scene.
    Light hit. Wind roared. The squeeze of the portal was always slightly dizzying. Only when all the force stopped pushing against Nexi’s lungs and the buzzing in her ears faded to the sound of crickets could she draw air in again.
    Relieved that Haven’s emotions weren’t crossing through the bond anymore, Nexi took in her surroundings. She couldn’t identify what city the portal had taken them to, and she didn’t even know what state she stood in. All that made sense now was she’d arrived