A Darker Past (The Darker Agency #2)(51)

I couldn’t believe I was even considering this. “Worst case scenario?”

“If it doesn’t work, you mean?” She set the vial down and sank to the grass in the center of her colorful circle. “Nothing happens. I have a major headache for a few days, maybe lose my voice.”

Okay. Not so horrible. “There’s no chance of you summoning something with demonic teeth? Maybe a creature bent on munching humans?” I nodded to the rabbit. “Maybe turning Bugs here into a lethal killing machine with a grudge?”

“None. If I fail, nothing comes through, which is a definite possibility. The spell works better if you have an item belonging to the witch you’re trying to summon.” She grinned. “For my thirteenth birthday, Mom channeled my granny using one of her favorite muffin tins. It was kind of awesome. I don’t have anything that belonged to Lorna, so this might be a waste of time.”

“And since Lorna seems to have disappeared after helping Charles with that last job, I’ll bet no one has anything belonging to her.”

Kendra shook her head. “Nope. I searched everywhere. Unless there’s information in the archives—which I’m now locked out of—all her stuff went with her.”

Lukas sighed and stuffed his hands into his pockets. A second later, he sucked in a breath. “What the—” He pulled his hands out.

In the middle of his right palm was a small shard of glass. Unassuming, with a crack that ran partially through the middle. It took a minute, but when I realized what it was, I jumped and clapped. “Oh my God.” It was the fragment he picked up off the floor in Town Hall. From Lorna Belfair’s mirror! I took the glass from him and held it out to Kendra. “I dunno why you kept that, but yay.”

Lukas shrugged. “I guess I forgot about it.”

Kendra took the glass from me, excitement gleaming in her eyes. “This should be a huge help.”

I pulled Lukas back and forced myself not to squeak like a little girl as Kendra pulled out a small dagger. She didn’t flinch, and neither did I, as she reached for the rabbit. I didn’t turn away as she jerked the blade across its throat or as the rush of deep red poured from the now-still animal.

Lukas took my hand and tugged me back a little farther as I tried not to cringe. “I know I’m supposed to be this big paranormal-busting badass, but I can never unsee that…”

“I’m sorry,” he said and squeezed. “Power that potent requires sacrifice.”

I wondered what Lorna had sacrificed. An animal? A person? In order to trap Gressil, it had to be something big.

The wind kicked up, and Kendra bowed her head. Through the curtain of her swirling hair, I saw her lips moving. Every once in a while she’d twitch, and I’d want nothing more than to rush in and drag her out.

When the wind calmed, Kendra looked up—only I was pretty sure she wasn’t just Kendra anymore. The irises of her eyes were snow white, and there was an orange glow around her head and shoulders. “Why have I been called to this place?”

“Lorna?” I asked, taking a hesitant step forward. “Is Kendra all right?”

Lorna lifted Kendra’s hands, turning them over several times with wide eyes. She picked up a strand of hair, then pulled at the edge of Kendra’s jacket. “Kendra… That is this girl’s name? She channeled me?”

“She did,” Lukas confirmed. “We have a problem, and Kendra felt you might be able to help.”

“I do not understand. How was she able to do this? She is a Belfair, is she not?”

“Um, yeah?”

Lorna tilted her head and watched me. Kendra stared back, the same thin-lipped glare I’d seen most of my life, but it was different. Colder. “That is…curious. Who are you?”

“This is Lukas Scott, and my name is Jessie Darker. We’re—”

“A female Darker? This is a welcomed surprise.” Lorna laughed. A bubbly sound that seemed so wrong in that moment. “Less of a surprise is seeing you two together—the Scotts and the Darkers. Still twisted up in knots. Apparently, history repeats and makes fools of us all.” She shifted and climbed to her feet, taking care not to step over the powder line. “You Darkers have your hands in everything, don’t you?”

It might have been construed as an insult coming from someone else, but from Lorna, it was almost like she was saying, Really? Again?

“You used to work with an ancestor of mine. Charles?”

“I worked with several Darkers.” She squared her shoulders and her expression hardened. “They were good men doing good work. They deserved the support of the coven.”

Someone sounded bitter. “But they didn’t get it, did they?”

“No. They did not.”

“You went against your coven to help them.” I didn’t know how much time I had, so I got to it. “There’s one demon in particular that you helped trap. We need to know how you did it.” I pulled the pen from my back pocket and scribbled Gressil on the back of my hand, then held it up for her to see.

She leaned closer. Her demeanor changed instantly. “Why do you care about Gressil?”

I cringed, waiting for an unwanted puff of purple smoke, but nothing happened.

“Because he’s escaped,” Lukas said.

“Impossible. I sealed him in my own mirror. And I know Charles gave the glass to the priests at Saint Vincent’s for safekeeping.”