Jayden's POV
Palmer remained silent in the backseat beside me, his gaze fixed on the passing scenery. He could undoubtedly feel the rage coursing through my bloodstream like liquid fire.
"Are we going straight back?" he finally asked as our car pulled away from Jasmine's residence.
"No." My voice came out as a dangerous rumble. "Tell the driver to stop at the neighbor's house."
Palmer's head snapped toward me. "You mean the witch?"
I gave him a curt nod.
He let out a harsh laugh. "Jayden, what if she's malevolent? Why would she choose to live so close to us when she despises our kind, our bloodline? Doesn't it seem suspicious that she might have ulterior motives?"
"And what if you're wrong?" I bit back. "What if she isn't malevolent at all? What if she's precisely what we need right now? We'll never discover the truth unless we take the risk."
