Darker Days (The Darker Agency #1)(52)

“She’s already met Tony, Ava,” Meredith said in a light tone, then turned to glare at me. “We’re going to need him back, by the way.”

From the back of the group, a small framed redhead pushed forward.

“This is the one you’ll really want to meet,” Vida said, excited. “Something tells me you and Amari have a lot in common.”

The woman stepped up and flashed us a wicked grin. “Oh, yes. She’s just full of me.”

It had to be Pride. Everyone else was accounted for. Huh. I was actually kind of insulted.

She reached out to touch me. With an echoing slap, Meredith knocked her hand away. “Hands off,” she snapped. With a nod to Vida, she turned and started in the other direction. One by one, they followed. Like a conga line of evil sheep.

Over her shoulder, Meredith called, “That is really a nice jacket, by the way. We’ll be seeing you again real soon, Jessie Darker. Real soon.”

I watched them disappear around the corner. The urge to book like a little kid in a room full of clowns was overwhelming, but I held it together. I took Kendra by the arm and backed down the hall slowly until I made it to the exit—I didn’t trust Meredith not to come at me from behind as soon as my back was turned.

I couldn’t get out of that school fast enough. I didn’t even bother being discreet about it. Normally, I’d have taken my time to be sure I wasn’t caught—Dubois had it in for me already—but not this time. And considering how blasé some of the teachers were acting today—Sloth hangover, I guessed—I didn’t think anyone else would either.

Once we made it several blocks away, I unleashed question hell on Kendra. “Your mom said they couldn’t find anything on the Wells line.”

Kendra’s face turned bright red. “Don’t blame her, Jessie. You know the coven has rules.”

Then it started to sink in. “Wait—you’re saying Cassidy lied to us?” Cassidy Belfair had never been a fan of the Darker family, but I couldn’t help feeling betrayed. Kendra and I had been friends since kindergarten. She should love us by association if nothing else!

Kendra looked uncomfortable. “The coven is scared of this chick. Like, terrified. After Mom went to bed last night, I snuck downstairs to peek at the information she’d found. I didn’t understand it all at first. There were like six names—all with birth and death records. And then I found the pictures.”

“All Meredith,” I confirmed.

Kendra nodded. “Back in the eighteen hundreds, she was strong, but nothing too special. What the Elders today would call a mid-level witch. But in 1882, something changed. Suddenly, her magic was off the charts.”

“Changed? What changed?”

“No clue. The Elders don’t know, either. All I know is that they’re terrified of her.”

Whatever it was didn’t really matter. All that concerned me was getting her to free Lukas somehow. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m thankful you told me, but what will they do if they find out?”

Kendra shrugged, then flashed a sad smile. “What can they do—take away my magic? Big deal. I suck at it anyway.”

I grabbed her hand and squeezed tight. “It won’t always be that way. I think, eventually, you’re going to be badass. Just like Cassidy.”

“That’ll be the day.” She sighed and kicked at a stone. “I’d settle for being able to turn soda to beer.”

“It’ll happen, Ken. I have faith.”

“I’m glad one of us does. I can’t help being jealous. My little cousin Mindy has more juice than I do.” She shook her head. “But, anyway. Time to dish. I wanna know more about your tall, dark sin.”

I couldn’t hold back my smile. “Assuming you mean Lukas.”

She nodded enthusiastically and the tip of one of the horns peeked out from under her blonde curls. “What’s he like?”

There was no need to put any amount of thought into my answer. The response came as naturally as breathing. “He’s annoying and stubborn.”

“So, the perfect match for you, then?”

“Smart ass.” I snickered, punching her lightly in the arm. “He’s also sweet, and under all his stuffy grandpa tendencies, he’s actually pretty funny. Oh. And he’s an amazing kisser.”

“OhMyGod!” I knew that’d get a reaction from her, which is why I saved the tidbit of information for maximum effect. She was hopping up and down like a five-year-old at the toy store. “How could you keep that from me? Spill. Right. Now.”

I giggled, caught up in her enthusiasm. The deepest parts of my mind chided me for it. There was no future with Lukas. A relationship from the box was more long distance than I’d be able to handle. But I wanted this moment with my best friend. For as much as I hated normal, I realized it wasn’t as overrated as I’d been making it out to be. Normal could be just as exciting as paranormal. “All I’m gonna say is, thank God he’s not Lust.”

“Amen to that, sistah!”

I don’t know what it was, but something told me to turn around. When I did, I saw we weren’t alone. There was someone behind us. Several someones, actually. And they were getting closer with each step. At first I didn’t think anything of it. It was just group of people walking down the road on a pretty fall day. But as they closed in, it was easy to see just how out of place they were. Girls like that would never be walking down the street in The Pit.