Page 22 of Bewitched by the Wicked Witch (The Bewitching Hour #4)

Fourteen

Callum

I awoke with a violent start as the bedroom door burst open with a resounding bang that made the old hinges protest. Pale morning sunlight streamed through the boarding house's lacy curtains, casting delicate patterns across the faded quilt tangled around my legs.

For a brief, disorienting moment, I forgot where I was and why my chest felt like it was filled with lead instead of lungs.

The sight of her brought everything rushing back, the missing girls, the painful confrontation last night, the devastating truth I'd never meant to tell her.

My stomach clenched as I remembered the look on her face when I'd confessed about the council's threats.

What had I been thinking, letting it slip like that?

"Rise and shine, Renshaw!" Sage declared with far too much energy for whatever ungodly hour this was. "We've got a case to crack and no time to waste wallowing in self-pity. "

I blinked at her owlishly, my sleep-addled brain struggling to process her sudden appearance and the obvious shift in her demeanor. Gone was the wounded woman from last night, replaced by the determined investigator I remembered from our academy days.

"Sage? What are you…how did you even get in here?"

"Magic, obviously," she said with an eye roll, then yanked the quilt off me with one sharp motion. The cool morning air hit my bare chest and exposed my lower half like a slap. I yelped, clutching desperately at the sheets to preserve some semblance of modesty.

"Wicked witch!" A shrill voice screeched from the hallway like a banshee in distress.

Mrs. Hensley came scuttling into the room, her gray hair in curlers and her face pinched with righteous indignation.

"How dare you barge into my respectable establishment, disturbing my guests with your unholy presence!

I knew you were trouble from the moment you darkened my doorway! "

Sage rolled her eyes so dramatically I feared they might get permanently stuck in the back of her head.

"Oh, put a sock in it, you old biddy. I'm here on official High Council investigative business.

" She jerked a thumb in my direction without taking her eyes off the boarding house owner.

"And trust me, there's nothing improper happening with this one.

I've seen garden gnomes with more sex appeal. "

"Hey!" I protested weakly, but both women completely ignored me, locked in what appeared to be a battle of wills conducted entirely through icy glares.

Mrs. Hensley puffed up like an angry rooster preparing for a fight. "I won't have you corrupting my Christian establishment with your evil ways! Out, I say! Out this instant!"

Sage's lips curved into a smile that could have frozen hell itself.

"Careful, Mrs. H. Keep screeching like that and I might just turn you into a toad.

I hear they're much quieter than bitter old women.

" She tapped her chin thoughtfully, tilting her head as her smile turned positively sinister.

"And those lovely warts would be such an improvement to your complexion. "

The older woman blanched, clutching at her throat as if Sage's words had physical weight. I had to suppress a snort of laughter, torn between amusement at Sage's audacity and exasperation at the entire ridiculous situation.

"You wouldn't dare!" Mrs. Hensley sputtered, but there was genuine fear creeping into her voice beneath the outrage.

Sage's grin turned absolutely predatory.

"Try me, honey. I am, after all, the town's black magic weilding witch.

Now, if you'll excuse us, Agent Renshaw and I have important matters to discuss.

Murders to solve, missing girls to find, that sort of thing.

Unless you'd prefer I let whoever's behind this continue picking off young women? "

Mrs. Hensley opened and closed her mouth like a fish gasping for air, clearly torn between her obvious disdain for Sage and her growing fear of being transformed into something with more warts than dignity.

After what felt like an eternity of tense silence, she spun on her heel and flounced out of the room, muttering dire predictions about unnatural witches and the inevitable downfall of civilized society.

Sage watched her retreat with obvious satisfaction, then turned back to me with one eyebrow arched expectantly. "Well? Are you planning on lounging around in your underwear all day like some kind of lazy tomcat, or are you going to put some clothes on and help me catch a killer?"

Heat rushed to my face as I realized I was still sitting there in nothing but my boxer briefs, having this entire conversation while essentially naked.

Grumbling under my breath about impossible women and their complete lack of proper social boundaries, I swung my legs over the side of the bed and stood up, stretching out the various kinks and knots that had formed in my back during the night.

"Has anyone ever told you that you have a uniquely aggressive way with people?" I asked, reaching for the clothes I'd laid out the night before.

She tapped her chin with one finger, tilting her beautiful head so that a few dark curls fell gracefully over her shoulder.

"I believe you mentioned something along those lines once, many years ago.

" A wistful smile tugged at the corners of her lips for just a moment before her expression shifted back to pure business.

"And yes, every single day of my life, though usually they phrase it as 'you're a menace to society' or something equally charming. "

She tossed me a clean shirt from my laid out clothes, and I caught it reflexively. Her gaze lingered on my bare torso for just a beat too long before she spun away, suddenly finding the peeling wallpaper fascinating.

"Now hurry up," she said to the wall. "We're burning daylight, and I have a feeling today is going to be complicated enough without starting it behind schedule."

I couldn't resist pushing her buttons just a little.

"Oh, Sage, don't be shy now. You've seen every inch of my body before.

" I paused, waiting to see if she'd turn around.

When she didn't, I continued while deliberately taking my time pulling the shirt on.

"As a matter of fact, I know every inch of yours too, especially that little freckle you have just below your?—"

"Callum," she warned sharply, whirling around with her hands planted firmly on her hips and her blue eyes narrowed dangerously.

I couldn't help the satisfied smirk that tugged at my lips, even as I obediently pulled the shirt down over my chest. She'd been looking. That had to count for something, right?

As I pulled on jeans and boots, I took the opportunity to really study her.

She looked exhausted, with dark circles under her eyes and tension radiating from every line of her body, but there was also an electric sense of urgency about her that I recognized.

I knew that feeling intimately; she was on a mission, and nothing would stop her until she'd seen it through.

"I take it you've got a lead?" I asked, shrugging into my leather jacket.

Sage nodded grimly. "More like a hunch, but it's the best we've got. I spent most of the night going through Gran's old council records, and I think I found a connection between the missing girls and a group of pureblood fanatics that were supposedly disbanded years ago. "

My eyebrows shot up. "The same group that Gran and your parents helped break up?"

"The very same." Sage's jaw clenched tight with chaotic anger.

"Turns out they didn't all scatter to the wind like everyone thought.

Some of them just went underground and got smarter about hiding their activities.

And guess whose name kept popping up in the old surveillance reports, even though nothing was ever officially proven? "

My stomach dropped as the truth hit me before she even said the name. "Reid Bishop."

"Got it in one, Renshaw." Sage tapped a finger against her lips, a nervous habit I remembered from countless late-night study sessions at the academy.

"Of course, it's all just speculation and circumstantial evidence at this point.

But it's the closest thing to a real lead we've had since this whole nightmare started. "

I nodded, my investigator instincts already kicking into high gear despite the emotional turmoil of the past twenty-four hours. "Okay, so where do we start? Do we question Bishop directly?"

Sage snorted with derision. "Sure, if you want to tip him off that we're onto him and give him time to destroy evidence or disappear entirely.

No, we need to be much more careful and strategic than that.

" Her expression grew thoughtful. "Tonight is the Samhain celebration, and there's a town festival planned.

Bishop is scheduled to give a speech about community values and magical traditions. "

"Sounds like the perfect opportunity for surveillance," I agreed, following her lead as we headed for the door. "We can observe him in his element, see how he interacts with people, and maybe pick up some clues about his true agenda."

Mrs. Hensley was still visible in the hallway, gesticulating wildly and muttering what sounded like prayers or possibly curses under her breath.

We ignored her pompous display and headed toward the exit, stepping out into the crisp morning air that carried the scent of autumn leaves and distant woodsmoke.

"Actually, I need to make a quick stop first," Sage said, already starting to veer off toward the path that led to her house.

"I left Cosmo at home last night, and he gets cranky when he's left out of investigations.

Why don't you head to Hexes and Brews and get us some coffee?

I'll meet you there in fifteen minutes."