<b>“This is getting kinda intense,” Sean muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. His usual carefree tone was gone, replaced with unease. “We should get everyone together and talk about this.”</b>
<b>“That’s going to be difficult,” Dahlia said, her arms crossed tightly. “Jericho doesn’t want anything to do with this, and Irene might be too sick to even deal with it.”</b>
<b>Phoebe scoffed, leaning forward with an impatient glare. “No. We’re going to tell Jericho, and he’s going to deal with this, just like the rest of us.”</b>
<b>Freya sighed, her fingers tapping against her knee. “Okay, that’s one idea,” she said carefully, exchanging a glance with Dahlia. “Or, we could learn more about Airam’s book before dragging them into this mess.” She turned to Airam. “What else do you remember?”</b>
<b>Airam exhaled slowly, her brows furrowing. “The parts I remember were about the ‘Coven of Wisteria,’” she said, making air quotes around the words.</b>
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<b>Dahlia tilted her head. “Why do you say ‘coven’ like that?”</b>
<b>“Because two of them weren’t witches,” Airam explained, flipping a strand of hair behind her ear. “There were six witches, like Lanthe—the Queen of Wisteria. She was the Witch of Soul and Spirit. But then there was her husband, Feyranth. He wasn’t a witch. He was a Valkar—a powerful one.”</b>
<b>Freya frowned. “What’s a Valkar?”</b>
<b>“They’re monster-hunting warriors with heightened senses,” Sean answered without hesitation.</b>
<b>Airam’s eyes narrowed. “Yes, that’s exactly right. How did you know that?”</b>
<b>Sean shrugged. “Like I said before, I’ve read a lot of occult books.”</b>
<b>Airam tapped her fingers against the table, lost in thought. “I don’t remember everything from the book, but if we go to my house, I might be able to find it.”</b>
<b>“That’s a good idea,” Phoebe said firmly. “But we should have everyone in on this. We need Irene and Jericho.”</b>
<b>Freya nodded, already pulling her phone from her bag. “Agreed. I’ll call Jericho,” she said, stepping away as she dialed.</b>