A Darker Past (The Darker Agency #2)(43)

“But I thought Lorna had been ostracized by the coven? Would they really have any info on it?”

“Trust me,” Kendra said. “No matter where she was and what she was doing, the coven knew about it. She was powerful. They would have kept tabs.” There was a sadness in her voice. “Well? What do you say?”

“It couldn’t hurt, but is Cassidy really going to let me peek at your records?”

“She won’t even know. The archives are kept in a crypt below the Archway. Only a member of the coven can unlock the door.”

I hated to point it out to her, because of the soreness of the subject, but she seemed to be forgetting one major factor. “Ken, um, you’re not an actual member yet…”

I expected a sad face, or at the very least, a disgruntled pout. She’d been talking about becoming a full-fledged coven member for as far back as I could remember. Instead, I got sunshine and major bff beaming. “I am. Inducted last night.”

I jumped off the couch, the journal tumbling to the floor. “Oh my God. You’ve been here for like five minutes, and you’re just telling me now?”

People thought covens were a small group of witches that sat around and chanted naked under the moon. Not even close. The coven was more like an organized crime family—without the crime. In most cases. They banded together to increase their power and had their own set of laws, enforced by their own police. In order to become a full member, an eligible witch had to pass seven tests. I didn’t know much about them, or the actual induction, but I knew it was a huge deal.

She grabbed the journal from the floor. Handing it back, she said, “Bigger problems.”

“No way. This is huge.” I threw my arms around her and squeezed. She returned the hug with a squeal. “I’m so proud of you, Ken.”

“So,” she said, beaming. “Wanna have a peek at the archives? Go where no Darker has gone before?”

Oh, I wanted. I wanted, like I wanted chocolate.

…

Much like the hidden chamber below Saint Vincent’s, the archives were in a place no one would have ever expected.

The Dobbs Park public restrooms.

I stepped into the bathroom, taking care to avoid a suspicious looking puddle to my right. “Seriously, the coven couldn’t find someplace less stinky to hide their treasured history?”

Kendra giggled and pressed her hand flat against the full-length mirror next to the door—something even I wasn’t brave enough to do in here—and whispered something under her breath. When she stepped back, she was grinning. The mirror shimmered, and a ripple fanned out from the center like someone had dropped a rock into a tranquil pond. “Before we do this, I wanna say something…”

My stomach clenched. “Okay… But if it’s bad news, I think you should save it till later.”

Kendra snorted. “Nothing like that. I agree with what Lorna did, Jessie. She was right to help the Darkers. What she was doing with her power, it was right. Your family helps people. They make the world a safer place. The coven, they could do so much more with their power, but they don’t. It’s all about them, and I hate it.” She squared her shoulders. “You guys need a Lorna.”

“We need a—” It took a second, but when I realized what she was hinting at, I nearly choked. “Whoa. No way. Cassidy would kick our asses.”

“I’m getting better every day. Gaining more and more control over my powers. They wouldn’t have inducted me otherwise. I’m a valuable asset, and I want to help. I want to do the right thing. Like Lorna did.”

“Ken, maybe—”

Her eyes lit with a spark of determination. “We might not know the specifics yet, but one thing is positive. It was a Belfair that helped Charles trap Gressil in the first place. If he could have done it on his own, would he have asked for her help?”

Unfortunately, she had a point. But, point or not, the last thing I wanted was for my best friend to get involved in this. “This is serious stuff, Ken. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“In case you missed it, the demon isn’t exactly a fan of the Belfairs.” Her tone was sharp and her stance ridged. Squaring her shoulders, she said, “There’s no staying out of this one, and honestly, I wouldn’t want to. I told you, I wanna do good with my magic. I’m not giving you a choice here, Jessie.”

I didn’t confirm or deny needing her help, but nodded. I knew Kendra’s stubborn face, just like I knew she’d do just about anything to drag the Belfair name out from the dark hole her mother and ancestors had dug for it. “So, how do we get into the archives?”

Kendra’s expression turned mischievous. She stepped up to the mirror, waggled her fingers in my direction, and stepped right through.





Chapter Eighteen


If I lived inside a cartoon, there was an excellent chance my jaw would have crashed to the floor and shattered into a million shards. Sound effects, bouncing pieces—the whole nine. Obviously I’d seen a lot of creepy crap working with Mom, but this took the horror movie cake. It was right up there with clowns and talking robots.

I sucked in a breath and touched the surface of the mirror with the tip of my index finger. It was warm. Not quite liquidy, but definitely not solid—which was a good thing if I planned on walking through the thing. My finger met with the slightest bit of resistance when I pushed, like poking a hole through plastic wrap, but disappeared into the mirror. I counted to three and stepped through.