Mary tightened her hold on the dagger, wishing to choke the air from him by proxy. Her memories flashed and she saw the others, victims of a coven war, their blood splashed up the walls. The basket she'd held slipped from her fingers, and she'd turned and run, sprinting harder than she ever had before, leaving behind the stench of death. It had taken her two days to go back. By then, the bodies were long gone, all evidence erased, and the other coven had moved in. She managed to avoid them, and found Madam LaFete hiding out in the bayou. Though her master swore revenge, it wasn't something Mary could face, so she'd left.
And spent the years after trying to make up for that cowardice.
Maybe she wasn't the only coward. "And where were you when they were killed, Daquin? No one had seen you at the den for days, we thought you'd already cleared out, but if you know their fate, it means you weren't so far gone, after all."