Chapter 16

Far from the orderly chaos of International school, Helen gripped the steering wheel, her knuckles whitening as the warehouse’s looming shadow lingered in her mind. Rain pattered softly against the windshield, a muted echo of the storm churning inside her. Last night’s confrontation with Mike flashed in jagged bursts—his sudden arrival, the fury blazing in his eyes, the way he’d seized Omaomi like a trophy. She’d joined the Daughters of Hilda to escape her family’s suffocating legacy, trading one oppressive coven for another she’d naively thought she could master. Now, with Mike stirring chaos and the Queen Mother’s commands ringing in her ears, control slipped through her fingers like sand.

Her phone buzzed insistently—Jonathan. She answered, forcing her voice steady. “Hey, Jo.”

“Helen, where are you?” His tone was taut, edged with urgency. “We’re almost at your place. Something’s happened at NovaTech.”

Her stomach dropped. “What now?”