I smiled and shook my head. “Glad to know I’m not the only one who would think about sneaking out early.”
“You don’t like the coven?” she asked as we walked down the hall and to the stairs.
I snorted. “I never have; I registered because Levi and Clarissa both pushed and said I needed community. Well, about three months ago someone sent them the same video Boss Man got, and it basically forced me to resign from the coven. In the Barn case, one of the priestesses tried to bind my magic.” I shook my head. “They helped me with a hex once, but that’s about as much use as they’ve been to me.”
She whistled. “And here I was thinking about joining.”
“You’re not part of them?”
We walked out to her SUV, and she unlocked it with a click of the key fob. “No, remember, I’m crashing the memorial, I’m still registered with my coven in my hometown. They’re pretty relaxed there, and that’s what I liked about it. I haven’t even gone to a meeting with the one here.”
“Don’t waste your time.” I climbed into the passenger side and slammed the door. “They aren’t relaxed at all here.”
“I guess I’m about to find out, huh?” She started the SUV and then pulled out of the parking lot. We sat in silence as she made her way downtown to Jack’s house where the memorial was going to be held. With each mile we got closer, my heart felt tighter. I tried to breathe past the panic when Liz pulled up to the house.
“Abby? You okay?”
I tried to form an answer, but I felt the stinging of tears in my eyes. “I can’t believe she’s gone.”
Liz reached over and squeezed my hand. “I’m sorry for your loss.”
I nodded and took a shuddering breath. “I don’t know if I’m going to be able to make it through this.”
“Just promise me you won’t blow anything up.” She cracked a smile, and it helped relax me.
I forced a laugh. “I won’t make promises I can’t keep.” To my surprise, my voice sounded light-hearted. “Okay, let’s do this.”
We both got out and headed toward the house. Cars lined the street leading up to the little house. People were standing outside talking until Liz and I approached. They got eerily quiet and stared at us as we walked in.
Liz stepped up behind me. “You sure make an impressive entrance,” she whispered.
I shrugged. “What can I say?”
“Abigail,” a short man stepped up in front of us. Jack had combed his brown hair into a neat gelled style that left his dark eyes clear to glare at me. “I’m glad you could make it.”
The silence of everyone else around said differently, but I let it go. “Of course, Clarissa was my best friend.” My voice hitched a little bit. “Jack, may I introduce Liz Jefferson, she’s the agent on Clarissa’s case.”
“Nice to meet you, what brings you here?” Jack glanced at her and then to me. “Abby, it’s not like you to bring a stranger to coven events.”
I locked my jaw. “It’s not like me to come to coven events.”
Liz held her hand out, and Jack shook it. “I was hoping to talk to some of Clarissa’s peers. One of your members mentioned a visiting warlock that went and saw Clarissa the night before her death.”
Jack nodded. “Yes, let’s go talk in the kitchen.”
I let Liz wander off with Jack; she could take care of herself in a situation like this. I, on the other hand, stood there staring at the picture of Clarissa on a table with purple candles surrounding it.
She was smiling, her bright red hair gleamed in the sunlight, her cheeks were rosy, and I found that the picture calmed my grief a little bit. Everyone in the coven loved her; she was a bright spot in everyone’s day.
A woman stepped up next to me. I glanced over at her expecting her to be part of the Coven, but she wasn’t. She was an older version of Clarissa, the same round face, wild hair, and button nose.
“You must be Abigail,” the woman said softly. “I’m Clarissa’s mother.”
Guilt hit me hard, I knew that I wasn’t the cause of Clarissa’s death, but I still felt guilty. “I am.”
Her mother chuckled. “She talked about you all the time. From the day she first met you to all through her visit with us.”
That’s right, Clarissa had gone to see them recently. “I hope the visit went well.” I couldn’t take my eyes off the picture.
“It did, and now I’m more than grateful that she was able to take the time to come see us.”
I didn’t miss the tears in her voice. “I’m so sorry for your loss.”
“It’s your loss too, Abigail. I’ll never forget the night that Detective Lance came and asked for Clarissa to remove the circle around you. Even though you two didn’t talk and become friends until years later. I knew that you would be something special to her.”
I jerked at the words. “I’m sorry…I don’t remember that.”
“There was too much going that night, I’m sure.”
I nodded. “And this isn’t the time to talk about that. This is a time to celebrate the life of your daughter and how amazing she was.”
“Clarissa was a one of a kind soul.”
“That she was.” I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Your daughter was an amazing human being, a talented witch, a good friend.” I couldn’t hold the tears back anymore. I let them fall silently, dabbing at them with the back of my hand. Her mom pulled me into a hug. I’d never met this woman, but here she was embracing me like her own child.
Someone cleared their throat softly, and I looked up to see another one of the priests standing there. “Abigail, it’s good to see you.”
Lies, but I was going to let it go. “You too, sorry it’s under such horrid circumstances.” I wiped my eyes, but my head snapped up when I heard something clatter to the ground in the kitchen. Liz. “If you’d excuse me.” I bowed out gracefully and headed toward the kitchen.
Jack stood there nose to nose with Liz, both of them unwavering. “No one in this coven would dare do such dark magic.”
I laughed, and I couldn’t help it. Jack’s head snapped to me. “Get out Abby.”
I crossed my arms and resisted making a childish comment. I wouldn’t give in to my urges to say ‘make me.’ But I’m sure Jack saw it in my face.
Liz looked at me and then back to Jack. “Only the coven knew that an unknown warlock went to visit Clarissa the night before her death. A fact that no one came forward with until I pushed. I now have another body, killed in the same manner. So either that warlock is still in town, or you made him up to turn my suspicions somewhere else.”
That explained what she was handling when I called.
“You think our coven is involved; I get that,” Jack said. “But we’re not.”
I stepped forward. “Are you willing to submit to a truth spell?”
“I told you to get out,” Jack snapped back. “The only reason you were invited is because you were Clarissa’s best friend. You’re not part of this coven, you’re dangerous, and I wouldn’t be surprised if you had caused her death. Assuming you didn’t perform the ritual yourself.”
I felt my temper flare, but I kept it in. “I should be going.” I spun on my heels, my fists clenched hard enough that I was leaving nail imprints in my palms.
Liz wasn’t far behind me; I imagine Jack threatened her a little bit. We got in the car, and I finally unclenched my fists. “That man is lucky I didn’t smack him.”
Liz snorted. “I think that’s what he was hoping for. It’s okay Abby; I got what I needed.”
That was good because I didn’t really get the closure I was hoping for, but I did get another piece of my puzzle. When I got home, I could add Clarissa to the list of people who were at the house the night of my parents’ murder.
Liz drove back toward the PIB building in silence. I assumed she was going over what new information she had found. I wasn’t going to interrupt her because whatever it was, I was hoping she was on a breakthrough.
Liz dropped me b
ack off at PIB, and I climbed into the Hummer. I leaned my head back against the seat and took a deep breath before starting the car. The sun was going down, and I found myself wondering if Mario was going to show up at my house tonight or not, and if he did, how I was going to address it.
A knocking at my window made me jump and reach for my gun. Agent Grayson Yorkingson was staring at me, with his strange one white eye and one brown eye. He wore a fedora with a pin-striped suit, looking like he’d just walked out of the 20’s.
I rolled my window down. “What?”
He clicked his tongue. “It’s not safe to be sitting out here.”
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. “I’m heading home now. No need to alert the authorities.”
“I wouldn’t go running to Levi, I’ve seen you handle yourself in situations, but I’d rather not have your blood on my hands. Get going home, Special Agent Collins, before that demon comes to distract you again.”
The way he said it raised the hairs on my skin. “You were here that night?”
He nodded.
“Did you happen to see who stole the research on the table?”
He gave me a strange smile and disappeared, leaving me alone again in the parking lot. What the hell. I shook my head and turned the key. Home was a good idea. If anything, Merick would be waiting there with a big glass of wine. Or coffee. Yeah, coffee sounded better.
I eased the Hummer out of the parking lot, keeping my eyes peeled for demons, Yorkingson’s warning still in my head. There were no demons; there was barely any traffic on the drive. I pulled up to my house and got out.
Nothing had tripped my magic. There was no reason to be nervous, and yet my stomach was churning. I shook the feeling off, but the world around me seemed to fade, sending me into a spiral.
I could feel Hannah’s magic around me again, holding tightly to me, almost stroking my aura in a taunting manner. I couldn’t breathe, the icy cold started to climb through my limbs holding me in place.
My neck burned where Ira had bitten me, the pain the only heat in my body. I tried to conjure up my magic, but it seemed to have fled.
Arms wrapped around me, breaking me out of whatever state I was in. I came back to myself gasping, my magic shoving outwards.
“Easy, Abby.” Mario’s voice was soft.
I spun around to face him, throwing him in a red circle. “Do not touch me.”
“Abby…” He held his hands up. “I’m not here to hurt you, but we need to talk.”
I didn’t want to talk. I wanted to smack him, and I was not okay with him getting that close to me without noticing. “You led me to a slaughter?”
“No, I didn’t. I kept you from it.” His voice was still calm.
“You left me in a room with Hannah and Ira. Helpless, Mario. How is that different? If it was unavoidable, the least you could have done was told me what was coming.”
He motioned to the red around him. “Let me out and let’s go inside and talk.”
I debated on leaving him trapped there; it would serve him right. I let the circle down. “You betray me again, I will fucking kill you.”
He nodded and walked to the door, using the code, he was able to waltz right in. I walked in and looked around for Osiris before putting my bag down by the door. The cat wasn’t anywhere to be found, so I assumed he was hiding in the guest room, where he now stayed officially, or he was still out.
I went straight for the coffeemaker but found a pot already made. So Merick was around somewhere.
Mario raised a brow at the coffee.
“Speak or get out. I don’t have the patience to play nice tonight.” I ignored his silent question and started preparing my cup of coffee.
He sat at the breakfast bar. “You’re right, I could have warned you, but then you would have insisted on bringing your guns or your knives, and Hannah would have known I warned you. Instead, I alerted your Uncle.”
My brows shot up at that. “He failed to mention that.”
“Because I told him not to. I’m mentioning it now because I still need to be by your side.”
“Absolutely not.” I almost dropped my coffee mug.
“Levi—”
“Can kiss my ass in this. You’re not going to hang around; we’re not going to have a relationship because, in reality, I wouldn’t get back together with someone who left me that vulnerable.” My voice kept raising a little bit. “I trusted you to keep me safe, Mario. You left me the moment Hannah told you to. You didn’t have my back.”
His jaw locked for a moment as if he was debating on what to say. “Abigail, I’m immensely sorry—”
“No,” I cut him off again. “You don’t get to say sorry and fix all this, Mario. If Ira had simply taken blood, if Hannah had simply trapped me in a circle, then maybe I could forgive you instantly. But right now, I am still extremely angry at you.” I clenched my fists to try and keep me from shaking.
“I understand that, but you still need protection.”
“Then Levi can find another guard to do it. Someone I can trust to have my back.” I pegged him with a stare. “Go back and tell him that.”
He hesitated for a moment but then disappeared. I took a few deep shaking breaths trying to calm myself. For a moment I wanted to hold on to it, but I couldn’t. I was exhausted with anger and grief, and the only thing I wanted to hold on to was my pillow.
“Abby?” Merick’s voice broke the silence.
I nodded to let him know I was okay. “Swear to me something.”
“What?”
“You’re not here to betray me.”
He was silent for a moment, and I wondered if he was debating on lying to me. “I’m not here to betray you, Abigail. I’m here to make amends.”
That caught my attention, and my head shot up to meet his gaze over the breakfast bar.
“I’m here because my father wrongly set your parents up to be killed.”
Chapter Ten
I swore someone stabbed me in the heart. My breath caught as I stared at him for a moment. “What?”
“Grab your coffee, and we’ll sit and talk.”
I finished getting my coffee ready as I tried to process what he had said. He was there to make amends, but he had known who killed my parents. He’d said before that he didn’t know who had killed them.
He was waiting in the living room for me, and I sat down, cupping my hands around the mug. I didn’t meet his gaze because I wasn’t sure what he’d see in my eyes. The last couple nights had been inundated with people suddenly dropping information on me, but this was the last thing I had expected.
“How long have you known?” I sipped my coffee and made sure to keep my voice even. Screaming and yelling at Merick wasn’t going to do a whole lot.
Merick sighed. “I just found out the other night when I delivered the news about the runes to my father. He saw it as enough information and help to give us that little piece of information.”
“Little? That’s a pretty big piece of information.” Even to me, my voice sounded numb. “I have to tell Levi.”
“And what are you going to tell him? That your cat whispered in your ear? He can’t know I’m here Abigail.” There was an edge of anger in his voice.
He was right. “Did he give you details?”
He shook his head. “No, that’s all the information he gave me. That he placed me here to make amends for wrongly setting them up.”
“I could solve all of this. We could solve all of this by doing a trace spell.”
He hesitated slightly. “We could, but can you trust your emotions to stay in check?”
I thought about it, giving it an honest try. “No, between Clarissa’s death and everything else going on, I barely have control over my emotions now.”
“One day, when you are more stable, we can give it a try, but not right now.” He patted my leg. “Once we figure out the rest of the runes, we’ll have more to bargain with my father.”
“I think Oliver knows.”
“About what?”
“Your father. He once tried to convince me to kill him. Oliver was insistent that it had to be me.” I finally looked at him. “I think my uncle might know who actually killed them. If I have pictures of the runes that were in the basement, could you help me with them? I wasn’t able to translate them, and I never went back to them.”
He nodded. “You didn’t have them on your board.”
“Because I knew that they meant someone from the Cult had been there.”
He nodded. “And it had to have been someone your parents trusted because I doubt they would have left the house unprotected.”
“So they knew your father.” I looked at him. “Did you know them? You had to have been what? Ten then?”
“I never met them, so no.”
I sipped my coffee and leaned back on the couch. “So your dad set them up to be murdered and now regrets it. Great.”
“Have you talked to Levi about the runes yet?”
I shook my head. “No, because honestly, I’m not ready to face him after last night.”
“You want to confirm or disprove what Ira said.”
I snorted. “Wouldn’t you? After everything else he’s hidden?”
“Do you think he’d be honest with you?”
“No, I think that I have to confirm it on my own and then face him.”
“He’s here.” The next thing I knew, Merick turned into a cat and was at my side.
I sighed when the doorbell rang. I looked at the security camera and watched as Levi paced in front of the door. I undid the security system and then went to let him in.
“What?”
“You sent Mario away.”
“He proved last night that he’s incapable of protecting me and of earning my trust. I saw no need for him to be here.” I stepped aside and let Levi in when it became apparent that he wasn’t going to leave.
“Abigail, he had no choice in the matter.”
“I’ve already heard it, right now I’m still angry at him. I’m having fucking panic attacks from last night.” I snapped my mouth shut when a look of panic came across Levi’s face. Levi never panicked.
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