Witch’s corpse. Witch’s ticket. Witch’s party. As a counter-boy at a high-end men’s boutique, Charlie Jessup’s life consists of little more than work and sleep. That, and enough flirting to help guarantee his commission on sales will pay his rent. So when a twist of fate, and some behavior unbecoming that of a Ganymede employee, leaves him in possession of a dead man’s pass to a mysterious Club 669, Charlie has no desire to waste it. Every seventeen years, the House of Witches throws a party like no other. It’s invitation-only, and for centuries it has helped ensure peace between the covens. It’s the last place Caspian wants to be, but with the death of Queen Avel, and his own imminent rise to the throne, it’s more important than ever that he attends. The stability of the House depends on it. In four days a new king will be crowned, but when Charlie unintentionally crashes a gathering of the most secretive of all the Great Houses, he sets in motion a series of events that could disrupt the transition of power, and threaten the future of the House of Witches forever.

Club 669

It was nearly two in the morning when we pulled up to the building and climbed from the car.


“Hoods up,” Sebastian said, though he left his own down. “Just follow my lead. And if anyone says anything to us, I’ll do the talking.”


Adam and I both did what we were told, and stayed close to Sebastian.


The entry doors took us into a darkened vestibule, and from there into a small chapel.


Sebastian stopped at a table full of unlit blue candles, taking one and signaling for us to do the same. We walked to the front of the room and the long stone altar there, where a fire burned in a small cauldron.


He lit his candle, Adam and I following suit, and then moved to take seats on the empty benches.


“Now, pray to the Goddess this isn’t a mistake.” Sebastian held tightly to his candle and closed his eyes. I opened my mouth to say something, but noticed two men in long robes enter from opposite sides of the room, so I closed my eyes instead.


Chapter 26