When she shows Jocelyn her paintings, they are both shocked to discover that she has been painting scenes from his life, including a haunting portrait of a young girl he calls Sybil. Sybil was Jocelyn's daughter, whom Edrick slaughtered. It is Jocelyn's own guilt and his desire for revenge that has driven him all these years.
Edrick thinks that Jocelyn has given Charlie the secret to making more vampires and stalks her. She and Jocelyn escape, but not before Charlie's friend Mara is brutalized. Bound together by their hate of Edrick, Jocelyn begins to teach Charlie the rituals and spells and skills she must know to battle a vampire.
Despite her mother's warnings that Jocelyn is incapable of human emotions and is bound to hurt her, Charlie finds herself perversely attracted to him and their enforced closeness shows Charlie that Jocelyn is not a man lacking in emotions. Their attraction grows until finally she wins her way with him, breaking through his mistrust and reserve to touch his heart. Despite their growing love for each other, Jocelyn knows he must stop Edrick, though it will probably mean his own death.
They have the poison, which was contained in her ring, but they need a staff especially made by Gamel as a weapon. Jocelyn and Charlie journey to Spain to recover the staff and to the final showdown with Edrick.
Though the story is about witches, there is very little witchcraft. The Coven is simply a form of worship and a belief system, albeit a secret one. Charlie complains that growing up she wished she could be like other kids and invite them to her church, and though Jocelyn teaches her the spells and rituals, she never once resorts to a spell. The members of the Coven are just ordinary people, although as in the case of Charlie's parents and herself, a bit more psychic than most.
As for the vampires, these too are rather plain vanilla vampires. Immortality, quick regeneration, mind control, and they must be invited in order to enter a house. There are a couple of interesting touches. First, it is the taking of blood that brings out the
