Aria’s POV
I could see the struggle in his eyes and even though I wasn’t exactly looking forward to the pain I was asking for, I squared my shoulders and held my head up high, encouraged by the voice I’d heard. “It is the only way, Seth,” I said solemnly, willing an icy chill into my voice and setting my face with hardened determination. “Tell the alliance you’ll be late. You need to scratch me and then you need to make it look like you’ve chased me all the way home, looking to finish the job. Make a big ruckus outside so the witches come out to see - while they’re distracted by you, I’ll investigate the basement, it’s the only place I can think that they’d be hiding their secrets.”
Shaking his head, as if his own body was shocked by what he was agreeing to, he hunched his shoulders and
