A Little Wicked (The Bewitching Hour Book #4)(56)

Sam ran her hand over Derek’s forehead, but he didn’t seem to be warming up. She took a deep breath, but nothing was really helping her to calm down. He was alive and sleeping for the moment. She should feel nothing but relief, but her gratefulness to have him back warred with the knowledge that people didn’t just come back from the dead.

Derek winced and crouched over as though in pain. Sam jumped up as though there was something she could do to help, but he still seemed to be sleeping. A bad dream maybe? She had no idea what he’d been through during his time out....

The door cracked open and Sam turned to see Claire there. Sam held a hand to her lips, signaling Claire to be quiet as she made her way out of the room and pushed the door shut.

“Hey,” she said in a hushed voice as she pulled Claire in for a tight hug. “You have no idea how happy I am to see you.”

Claire was stiff in her arms, letting Sam know that something was off. Nothing could really go right at the moment. “How’s Derek?”

Sam let Claire go and twisted her fingers together. That was a loaded question. “He was tired,” she answered honestly. “But he knows who I am, so that’s a plus,” she said with a smile that she knew didn’t reach her eyes. It was a sad state of affairs when someone not having amnesia was one of the best parts of her day.

Claire’s eyes were sympathetic as she took it in. “I’m sorry about your grandmother.”

God, Sam was trying really hard not to think about Claudia. Especially the part she played in her grandmother’s death. “Thanks,” she said weakly.

“I saw her.”

That shocked Sam out of her grief. “What?”

“When I was out. Claudia came to me. It’s how I knew she was gone.”

Sam’s mouth fell open, but no words came out.

“She told me what we need to do. How to beat the darkness.” Holding her breath, Sam waited for Claire to finish. Claire closed her eyes as though working up the courage. “She said we need to bring him back.”

“Derek? He’s already back.”

“Not Derek. He was only phase one. Jackson. We need to bring Jackson back from the dead.”

~~~THE END~~~