Victoria and Elena walked back toward the estate in silence.
The morning sun was warm on Victoria's face but she felt cold all the way through to her bones.
One Alpha would have to be sacrificed.
That was the price of resurrection. That was what it would take to bring Lilith back if the transformation failed.
And Victoria would have to be the one to make it happen.
They reached the edge of the tree line and Victoria stopped walking.
"Wait," she said.
Elena turned to look at her.
Victoria took a breath. "You said I need death magic. That I need to make deals with entities in the Underworld. But I don't..." She stopped. "I don't know how to do that. I've never attempted anything like this before."
Elena's expression was grave. "That's because what I'm describing is forbidden magic. The kind of thing most witches spend their entire lives avoiding. The kind of thing that gets you exiled from covens and marked as dark."
