"I understand dark magic and then some," Emerson muttered before taking another drag. He met her gaze when she sought his out, holding it steady as he battled with himself inwardly.
On one hand, she admitted to having practiced dark magic, but to what degree, he didn't know. She didn't seem intent on rituals that would see Crescent Hills immersed in demonic influence and the blood of dead sacrifices, but she'd dabbled in it. His parents had started with dabbling too from what he'd read in their journals.
On the other hand, she didn't seem like she was going to form a circle with the intent of strengthening it dark energy.
It wasn't the easiest of decisions. He hadn't been lying when he'd said covens weren't exactly his thing, but joining just to make sure this woman could put her money where her mouth was seemed like a good idea. He wasn't a hero. He wasn't a scholar looking to better the world's understanding of magic. He didn't want to be some great name that when in history books.
But he did want to protect witches from themselves and the innocents that tended to get caught up in things when magic just went wrong. Dark magic had so much potential for failure. Just the slightest mis-step.
"You talked to anyone else about this yet?" he asked after long deliberation. "Not that I'm officially saying yes or anything."