Chapter 201

Aria’s POV I stared at the woman standing at the edge of the ritual circle, and my entire world tilted. Agnes. The dark witch. The one who had cursed Knox. The one who was supposed to be dead. But there she was, standing in the moonlight like she had just stepped out for a stroll. Her old frame looked frail, bent slightly with age, but the power radiating off her was anything but weak. Her eyes gleamed with something dark and menacing as she surveyed the scene before her. ‘What the hell?’ Jade’s voice exploded in my head. ‘That’s... that’s my mother. How the hell is she here? She needs my essence to come back.’ I couldn’t speak. My mouth had gone completely dry. The beast, Knox, was still charging toward us. He was closing the distance between us with terrifying speed. Ten feet. Five feet. Agnes flicked her wrist casually, almost like she was bored. “Stop,” she commanded. The beast froze instantly. He froze mid-step, like someone had slammed a pause button on him. His body shook with r