Burning Gold (The Bewitching Hour Book 2) Read online

  by

  Mallory Crowe

  Copyright Page

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. Fonts used with permission from Microsoft.

  Copyright © 2017 by Mallory Crowe

  Mallory Crowe (2017-4-18). Burning Gold (The Bewitching Hour Book Two)

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  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Title Page

  Copyright

  FREE BOOK

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  LONG AND LOST SNEAK PEEK!

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  Sam read the instructions once more, but the words were exactly the same as the previous hundred or so times she’d gone over them. Clear your mind, focus, and magic should happen. Should. Just never for her.

  “Step away from the paper,” said a feminine voice.

  Sam jerked in surprise and looked up as Claire took the seat across from her. “You’re early.” The restaurant was in the Bohemian district of the city, so everything was eclectic and thrown together in the charming little deli and bakery. The small tables were all different. The one Sam sat at was a square wooden design with painted white iron chairs.

  Claire frowned and Sam knew she needed to get a better poker face. “I’m three minutes early. What’s got you in such a mood?”

  Sam sighed and leaned back. She might be having a bad day, but seeing Claire was already lifting her spirits. The girl looked better every time they visited. She wore one of Sam’s old shirts, a loose black tank with a colorful sugar skull on the front. Except what had looked edgy and dark on Sam appeared trendy on the naturally beautiful blonde. The loose, almost white locks and fair skin made everything softer and more feminine. “I’m not in a mood,” said Sam finally.

  Claire raised a brow as she picked up the menu and scanned over the options. “You’re allowed to have a bad day. It’s not like I’m going to go running to the families.”

  Sam smiled. It was true. Even though Claire had been accepted into the families, she was still a relative outsider. One who wasn’t going to gossip to anyone who would listen about all the trouble Samantha Harris was having. “Fine. But what I’m saying stays between us, okay?”

  “Well, yeah.”

  “I’m meeting with Claudia today.”

  “Your grandmother? The horror,” said Claire in a mocking tone.

  “This isn’t a family get-together. She just found out I’ve made no progress in the past three months and now she wants to see me.”

  Claire’s eyes narrowed. “So what’s she going to do? Fire you from being a witch? From what I hear, that’s something you’re kind of stuck with.”

  Sam let out a laugh. It really was nice to have someone to talk to who had outside perspective. “She offered to train me. If she thinks I’m a lost cause, then she might change her mind. And I’ll be right back where I was. A witch who can’t control any of her powers.”

  Claire still didn’t seem fazed. “You have been fine until now. You’ll get by.”

  Sam took a drink of her water but didn’t say anything. Claire didn’t realize how hard it had been in the years before they’d met. How hard it was to contain herself so no one got hurt. The constant pain and headaches not even a steady stream of drugs could hold back. But that was something she didn’t want to go into now. “How about your training? You make anything light as a feather lately?”

  Claire snorted. “I’m not exactly a straight-A student either. I’m actually meeting a new instructor they’re hoping can connect with me more. They said their magic is more like mine, whatever that means.”

  “New instructor? What’s her name? Maybe I can give you the inside scoop.”

  “I’m all for inside scoop.” Claire pulled her phone out of her purse and scrolled until she found whatever she was looking for. “Not a girl. Some guy named Jackson Benedict.”

  “Jackson? You’re training with Jackson?”

  A look of concern flashed on Claire’s face. “Oh no. Is that bad? Should I be worried? Maybe I can get out of it....”

  “No,” said Sam with a maybe too forceful shake of her head. “It’s not bad. Just surprising.”

  “Surprising in a bad way?”

  “Jackson and I— We, um—”

  Understanding widened Claire’s eyes. “You had a thing.”

  “Yes, but it was a while ago. Except for a one-night thing a few months ago.”

  Claire burst out laughing. “Is your booty call seriously going to be training me?”

  “Heh,” said Sam softly as she felt the embarrassment creep up her cheeks in the form of a blush. “That was a mistake and we’re changing the subject now. So what’s new, Claire?” she asked in a much too cheerful voice.

  Claire gave her a knowing smile. “Oh, nothing new. Ran into Derek this morning.”

  The blush left as quickly as it had appeared as the sobering sentence hit her. “Oh? How is he doing?” She could tell Claire was studying her intently for her reactions, and Sam refused to encourage the girl any more than she already was.

  “He’s doing good. He’s been back at work for a while.” Claire paused as she looked over the menu once more. “He misses you.”

  Sam leaned forward. “He misses me? He said he misses me?”

  “Well, not in so many words....”

  “Then he doesn’t fucking miss me, Claire. He knows my number. He could call any time he wanted to.”

  “You have his number too.”

  “I’m not the one who told him to get out of my life. He made his choice and I’m fine with it. I’m happy. We’re too different anyway.”

  “Okay,” said Claire in the tone that let Sam know she was anything but okay with it. “So this Jackson guy. Is he hot?”

  “He’s gorgeous. Everyone’s going to be jealous of you.”

  “So you’d be okay if I, you know, took training to the next level.”

  Sam snorted. Claire never talked about guys like this, but she was more than willing to encourage some bad behavior from the Good Witch of the East. “Yeah. Go for it.”

  “Great. I’m glad you’re not one of those possessive types with your exes. I haven’t had a lot of girlfriends, but I’ve heard horror stories.”

  “You’re in good company. I haven’t had a lot of girlfriends either.”

  Claire smiled from across the table. “So does that mean I can make a pass at Derek too?”

  The salt and pepper shakers exploded on the table and the splattering of glass falling caused every head in the restaurant t
o look in their direction.

  Claire smiled. “Yeah. You’re fine with this.”

  Sam smiled at the sentry at the front of Grandmother’s building. Normally there were two of the men dressed in suits to greet her, but for now it was just the one. It was strange that she still had no idea who the warlock was, considering she was technically his co-worker. The difference was that the man could actually be considered a threat to someone who wanted to hurt her grandmother, while all Sam could do at the moment was give a stern warning to leave.

  Once she was inside, she walked into the elevator, and before she pressed any buttons, it was on its way up to the penthouse level. Claudia owned the entire building, but she liked to stay up top. The only way in was the elevator. Not even the stairs led to Claudia’s quarters. A little mental manipulation was all it took to get around the fire codes when the building had been built. Normal people would consider the top floor to be a trap when this high up, but the forty-story drop would mean nothing for Claudia. There was little that could get in her grandmother’s way. Which was what made going to visit her so stressful. This wasn’t just a family member’s disapproval she was risking, but someone who could probably blink her dead.

  Even though Sam didn’t think that likely to happen, it still made her uneasy. The elevator reached the top floor. The elevator had two sides to it. One opened to Claudia’s offices, the other to her living quarters. Up until a few months ago, Sam had never been invited into the offices. That was where Claudia did business, and Sam was not part of that business.

  Until that day she’d walked out of Derek’s hospital room, still wiping tears from her face. Claudia had whisked her right into the exorbitantly decorated office and handed her the contract that every sentry signed. Except this wasn’t a normal contract. Sure, it had the fancy legal wording and clauses up the wazoo. But the people who broke this contract didn’t get taken to court. The sentries who had burned in the abandoned building they’d taken Derek to had gotten off easy.

  The elevator doors opened on the side of the offices, which meant this wasn’t a social visit. Sam took a deep breath before she stepped off the elevator. Maybe office was too small a word. The ceiling was at least twenty feet high and the walls were decorated with shelves that showed off Claudia’s many adventures. She had trinkets from all over the world, and Sam was willing to bet that every single one had a meaning and a story.

  The center focus of the room was the white desk in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows. The computer monitor on top swiveled so Claudia could either face the door or face the windows, depending on her mood and the lighting.

  This time, probably because Claudia was expecting her, she faced the door and looked up when Sam came in. “Samantha. Come in. Have a seat.”

  Sam forced a smile as she sat in the white armchair across from her grandmother. Claudia was her normal, regal self. Her long, black hair streaked with silver hung loose around her shoulders, but her striking features, the sharp jawline and cheekbones, had the boys still chasing after her, even after all these years. And Sam knew for a fact Claudia was close to a hundred, even though she looked like a well-kept fifty. Something to be said for magic.

  “Hello, Grandmother,” she said carefully, not exactly sure what tone she should be taking.

  “Do you know why you’re here?”

  Right to business. Okay. She could respect that. “I would hate to presume wrong.”

  Claudia smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “I understand we’ve hit a speed bump in your training.”

  “I wouldn’t say that.”

  “From what I understand, you have no more control over your abilities than you did three months ago. Am I wrong?”

  “Well, hitting a speed bump implies that we’ve actually moved from the starting position.”

  Claudia nodded. “Funny. But this isn’t a time for jokes.”

  Sam averted her gaze down. “I understand, Grandma.”

  “When I read the reports, I have to admit I was perplexed.”

  Please don’t let this be the “I’m disappointed in you” speech. She’d already heard it countless times from her mother. Now she was trading up.

  “I know you’re capable of great feats of strength. The building you burned down last spring was just one example.”

  “That got out of hand. I only meant for it to be a small flame.”

  Claudia picked up a manila folder on her desk and handed it to Sam. She tentatively opened it and realized the entire file was devoted to her. But Sam was willing to bet it was the first picture she wanted Sam to focus on. The charred remains of the building her traitorous sentries had taken Derek to. The one she’d burned down. “What am I looking for?”

  “Look at the buildings next to it. The damage on them.”

  Sam’s brows drew together. “What damage?”

  Claudia reached over and flipped the folder shut. “Exactly. The blaze was sudden and intense, yet there isn’t even a scorch mark on anything outside the parameters of the property. You are capable of control.”

  “I just have no idea how. Fantastic.”

  “I have an idea that might help.”

  An idea? That meant she wasn’t being fired. “Great. What are we doing?”

  “I’m putting you in the field.”

  It took all of Sam’s control to keep her jaw from dropping. “Excuse me?”

  “As of right now, I’m going to put you in the field. You could control your powers when you were, pardon the pun, in the heat of the moment. So I’m going to apply more heat.” She reached for a different folder. “Here.”

  Sam took the folder and flipped it open. More pictures of burned-out buildings, but this time it was nothing she’d caused. “What is this?”

  “Last night there was a house fire at the home of Nathan and Rose Abbot.”

  “So?” Nathan was a more distant relation to one of the families, and he and his human wife, Rose, had two kids. Fires tended to happen when raising young witches, no matter how limited their power.

  “It’s the third fire in a month. All of them have been targeted at the Abbot family. Albert, Nathan, and John.”

  Sam racked her mind for the names. Albert was Nathan and John’s father. “Was anyone hurt?”

  “Not until last night. The first fire was at Albert’s, but considering his nightly intake of vodka, I assumed it was caused by negligence. John’s house going up seemed like an unfortunate coincidence.”

  “And three fires makes a pattern. What do the police say about it?”

  Claudia tilted her head and stared at Sam.

  “You made sure there was no investigation. Got it.”

  She nodded. “Last night, Rose was taken to the hospital with second- and third-degree burns. She’ll be okay eventually, but we need to get answers before anyone else gets hurt.”

  “And I’m the one who is going to be getting those answers?” Sam wanted to sound certain, but the unease had crept into her voice.

  “Don’t worry, I’m not sending you out alone.” She picked up the phone and hit a button. “Come on in,” she said to whoever answered. A minute later, a door that had blended perfectly into the wallpaper a second ago opened and a man walked out. Like any of the sentries, he wore a well-tailored black suit and long, thin, black tie. This guy stood apart from the others due to the scar that stretched from his cheekbone to the corner of his lip.

  Sam had to admit she felt better knowing she wouldn’t be alone, but considering what happened the last time she was alone with a sentry, she still had her doubts. “You want me to go right now?” Sam glanced down at the casual outfit she wore. Her standard blue leather jacket, black skinny jeans, and a gray t-shirt. Not exactly sentry apparel.

  Claudia didn’t seem concerned. “I have a suit for you in the sitting room. Bastian can stay here while you change.”

  Sam nodded as she stood. There had been no formal introduction between her and Bastian, so she gave him a quick, awkward smile as she stoo
d and crossed the room. The sitting room, otherwise known as the room Sam didn’t even know existed, lived up to its name. There were a few chairs around a table. She supposed it could double as a conference room or a waiting area. Or, in this instance, a changing room. She quickly slid out of her clothes and into the Armani suit left out for her. It all fit her exceptionally except for the button-down shirt. Sam decided that she’d rather just wear the gray t-shirt underneath the jacket than the stodgy white shirt that pulled apart at the breasts.

  Once she was changed, she pulled out her phone and, using the front-facing camera, straightened her ponytail and checked her makeup. She was still wearing noticeable black eyeliner, but she wasn’t to raccoon levels. The deep-rose lipstick was too dark for the conservative look she wanted, so she rubbed any remnants off on her hand until her lips were their natural pink. If she stepped in the sun, people might see that her hair was actually a dark blue instead of black, but that wasn’t about to change.

  Her boots had a small heel on them, just about an inch, so they worked pretty well with the look. They were designed to fit over pants and not under them, but the suit was wide legged enough to give her some wiggle room.

  She gave herself one more once-over in the camera and then stepped back out into the main office.

  Claudia’s normally stoic poker face broke out into a smile and Sam tried not to let it go to her head. It was nice to have your boss approve of you, but it was damn skippy that her grandmother was looking at her like that. She wasn’t known for making the family smile.

  “The address is in the file. I expect to be updated daily on the investigation.”

  Apparently the look of approval would have to be enough. Considering Bastian was still in the room, and he didn’t get the grandmotherly approval from Claudia, Sam was fine with the moment being over.

  Sam started to reach for the folder when she was struck with the reality. She was going to look into possible arson. She knew nothing about arson. She’d only ever been involved in the one investigation, and Derek had been with her. Derek, who actually knew what he was doing....

  “It takes more than fists and fire to be of use to me,” said Claudia softly. “You’re here because you’re smart. The rest will follow.”