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Sean and Erica would have been to see what a strong, determined young man you turned out to be. They were dear, dear friends.”
    Finally, Gavin’s mother had a name: Erica. And apparently, Gérard didn’t realize Samira had kept Erica around after all.
    The muscles in Gavin’s neck tightened and released, his jaw setting at Gérard’s words, but his lips remained clamped shut. To think that Gavin’s father was ever friends with this man sent more tingling sensations down my spine.
    “Funny, Father.” Arianna’s voice was stronger now. “It seems Mother’s been exercising control just fine. Plenty of innocent people are still being held captive in your rebellious exile. I’d say she possesses another strength, in addition to her ability to play gatekeeper. She’s an excellent janitor, cleaning up your mess.”
    The heels of Gérard’s dress shoes lightly clacked on the wooden floor as he shifted. From just outside the open door, the front porch’s wind chime faintly tinkled. No one moved. “Ah, defending your mother, are you?” he said. “Last I heard, you weren’t so fond of her, my beautiful girl.”
    “Last you heard? Some time has passed since then, Daddy .”
    Gérard sucked in a sharp, over-dramatic breath and screwed his eyes shut, as if someone had delivered a punch to his gut. “That’s hitting below the belt, baby girl. But I do understand your animosity. It’s true I haven’t been around, and it seems some things have changed, yes?”
    A tear streamed down Arianna’s cheek as she eyed Marie’s lifeless body. Gavin’s gaze shot over his shoulder toward Audrey and me. Arianna’s dress bristled as she shifted, the grandfather clock’s ticking echoing from the corridor.
    “But you are right. I should get to the point.” Removing his free hand from his pocket, he retrieved a long silk handkerchief and rubbed it over his fingers to wipe away Marie’s blood in between healthy puffs of his cigar. “Do you and your friends here know why your mother and I are the only true hybrids? Why we have the strongest powers, possess the best of both worlds from the frozen souls and the witches? While the frozen souls rejoice in the knowledge that they can perform silly little magic tricks and cast pathetic spells amongst their kind, your mother and I have conjuring abilities they merely dream of.” Stepping over Marie’s body, he angled his chin lower, keeping his eyes on his daughter. “Well, do you know why that is?”
    More tears ran down Arianna’s cheeks; her silence brought another flippant smile to his face.
    “It is because I am the author of the frozen souls. You see, years ago, the witches’ magic had so much potential, so much promise. It was grossly underused. Ah, but when paired with the abilities my curse had to offer, well,” he chuckled, “that is God incarnate, baby girl. Immortality and the power to manipulate, to protect, to acquire all that you wish, whenever you wish. Hard to call it anything but a blessing, then, wouldn’t you say? You cannot blame Daddy for wanting to be in such a position, now can you?”
    Audrey’s fingers trembled beneath mine as we both fought to hold one another up, our shaky knees knocking next to each other and hands locked. If there was any time I truly wished to read Gavin’s thoughts and speak to him through mine, now would be that time. I silently sent my thoughts to him, willing him to hear me. No reaction. I’d been told I was still too young a frozen soul to develop the ability, that the bond with my small coven was still too new to break through just yet. But it didn’t deter me from trying.
    “As the author of something, I have a say over what happens to my characters, my creations,” Gérard said. “I set the stage, feed them their lines, determine their purpose. So, you see, no magic the frozen souls try to use against me or my kingdom will compare to what your mother and I can do. Because I alone determine to what degree that