A Little Wicked (The Bewitching Hour Book #4)(9)

“Because my grandmother is infuriating. Because she knows more than she’s telling. Again.”

“I wasn’t really expecting her to tell me anything.” He looked as if he wanted to say more on the subject, but didn’t. Instead, he pivoted to, “So your mom isn’t doing okay?”

“That’s an understatement. I feel like—” She took a breath as she braced herself for what she was about to say. The thought that had been tossing around in her head that she was hoping Claudia would clear up. “I was wondering if the darkness got a hold of her somehow. Like it did with Jackson and Heather.”

“It took years for that to happen, didn’t it? Was your mother in on it all along?”

Sam shook her head. “No. Heather wasn’t going to her for help. She went to us even though we were actively trying to stop her. If Abigail was infected back then, she and Heather would work together, no question.” She thought about the serene woman she’d seen earlier that day. “It’s like it’s not really her.”

“When you were infected, someone else spoke to me,” said Derek. “It was a literal possession.”

Sam nodded. “Yes. It’s like someone else is using her body.” Then she frowned and tilted her head. “What did I say to you? When I was possessed?”

Derek waved a dismissive hand. “Threats. Telling me I was too damaged for you.”

Her eyes widened. “Damaged? Obviously the darkness has never met me.”

He frowned but didn’t say anything. She had a feeling that whatever she had said got to him more than he was letting on, but he had to know it wasn’t her. She tried to keep on moving so he wouldn’t dwell on it. “But if my mom is infected with darkness, that would mean it’s not over. We didn’t actually stop it from breaking out. Heather died for nothing!” She didn’t mean to raise her voice, but the thoughts swirling around her mind were practically crushing.

“We don’t know anything yet. When you were infected, you were trying to start a fire, remember? You were single-minded and nothing could stop you. So what is Abigail trying to do?”

Sam ran a hand through her hair and tried to think. “Throw a party? Why would the darkness want a solstice party?”

“To get a lot of witches together. In one room.”

“A sacrifice,” said Sam. “The darkness runs off dark energy. If it gets that many witches together in one room and lights it on fire, who knows how much power will come from that? The prison could blow wide open after something like that.”

Derek stood. “Let’s go.”

“What? No. It’s way too dangerous. I’ll check it out and—”

He glared at her. “I want you to seriously consider what you’re about to say before the words come out of your mouth.”

“Derek, I can’t take you to a room with an infected dark witch.”

“I handled you when you were infected.”

“Yes, but—”

“And it was a lowly human like me who brought down Jackson long enough for Claire to do her thing.”

“That’s true, but—”

“And one of us solves murders for a living.”

She clenched her jaw and realized that no matter what she said, Derek would be coming with her. “Fine,” she bit out. “But if you get hurt, I’m going to kill you.”

“I love you too,” said Derek. “Let’s go.”





Considering what happened the last time he’d been at one of these parties, he should’ve been more hesitant to volunteer. But Derek knew Sam well enough to trust her instincts. If she thought something was off about her mother, he was more than willing to check it out.

Even if checking it out meant going to a solstice party. The same party where he’d been drugged by Heather. Also the same party where Claudia had kidnapped him before trying to murder him.

But, hey, he’d also gotten to punch Jackson in the face and have sex with Sam for the first time, so it wasn’t a total loss.

It was dark by the time he pulled the Crown Vic to a stop in front of Abigail’s Connecticut mansion. Just like the last time, the flashing lights inside signaled that a party was well underway before he even heard the pounding vibrations of the bass. Whatever music they were listening to was drum heavy. The lyrics probably didn’t matter as long as the witches could gyrate against one another.

He glanced over to Sam to see her eyeing the house warily, almost as though it were a living entity they were about to face together.

“We’re not going to do anything crazy,” he said, trying to ease her fears as well as his own. “We’re going to look for any signs of foul play or threats to the people inside the house. If it’s all clear, we’ll leave. We’re not going to threaten Abigail. We’re not going to go after anyone. This is just precautionary before backup gets here.”

Her brow furrowed and she glanced at him. “Backup? Aren’t we the backup?”

“Claudia is backup.” And she was off doing who knew what.

“Should we call Angela?”

Derek had already thought about that and decided against it. “We’ll give her tonight off. I’m not sure how much she could do here anyway.”