I returned to the kitchen in a daze. The rumble of a Mini Cooper engine actually calmed me down. For some reason I refused to let Erica see my nerves, or at least the full extent of them. As Mom's second and best friend, Erica Plower had spent my entire life treating me like her own daughter, not always to the best effect. In fact, from the look on her face as she walked through the kitchen door, my sudden rise to power wasn't instilling even an iota of confidence in her.
Which roused my anger and extinguished the last of my butterflies. I'd never been the best at following coven rules or toeing the company line, but when push came to shove, my family came first. From the moment her panicked eyes met mine, I was Sydlynn Thaddea Hayle, coven leader, damn it and there was no way I would let her see me otherwise.