Luke came back at dusk. He offered no apology for leaving me behind with a stranger and forcing me to worry about him for hours. By the time he walked through the door, I was more than a bit pissed off.

Luke smiled as he walked into the room. "Hi." He was now dressed in all black— black sweatshirt, black jeans, black combat boots.

"Hey," I answered from the couch, continuing to flip through shows.

Luke had a gray duffel bag in each hand. He walked over and put them down in front of me before joining me on the couch. "How are you doing?"

"I'm great... Been here all day, watching TV and eating cereal." I turned and gave him a glare. "How's your day going?"

"I went back to Pagan's."

I gasped. "You didn't. We decided it wasn't worth the risk."

"I know we did, but there were things I need for the ritual that I can't get anywhere else. Not out here." He frowned and ran a hand through his hair. "There was no one around. They've trashed the place but didn't take anything as far as I could tell. They just went through the place and smashed stuff everything for the fun of it."

Just like they had done to the magic shop. Pagan's beautifully converted barn, ruined. "Did you find everything you needed?"

"I did." He gestured toward one of the duffel bags. "Just about everything. I stopped and did some shopping." He took in my clothes. "I figured you might want to wear something that actually fits." He looked around the room. "Where's Freddy?"

"Upstairs," I answered.

"We should get going soon. There's something else I need to get, and it may take a bit of time."

"Freddy wants to come with us," I said. "He wants to help."

Luke shook his head. "It's a bad idea."

"I know he doesn't have any magic, but—"

"I'm going to help get Darla back." Freddy's voice sounded from the stairs.

Luke stood up. "You are not coming with us."

Freddy walked down the stairs and over to Luke until he stood toe to toe with him. "I've known Darla all my life. If she's in danger, I'm not just going to sit here and do nothing." He looked over at me. "If nothing else, I can hang back and be a lookout. Or be backup. If you two get caught, someone has to be around to tell your family where to find you."

Luke's expression turned grim. "If we get caught, we'll probably be dead by the time the family comes back."

Freddy crossed his arms. "All the more reason you need my help."

"The magic they have is powerful," Luke said.

A stubborn expression crossed Freddy's face. "I'm willing to take the risk."

Luke didn't say anything for a moment. "Okay. You can help when we go after my sister. But you can't come with us tonight."

Freddy started to say, "But you might need me..."

Luke held up his hand and stopped him. "What we're doing tonight isn't something you can be a part of. We've put you in enough danger by coming here. Somehow, they keep finding us, and the longer we stay, the more likely you'll end up on their radar."

The two of them stood glaring at each other.

Freddy was the first to break the silence. "You promise you won't head off to save Darla without me?"

Luke nodded. "I promise." He reached out, and Freddy took his hand. "Thanks again for letting us use the car."

"You know whatever you need is yours," Freddy answered.

Luke turned toward me. "Are you ready?"

I nodded.

Luke picked up the bags and headed out the door.

Apparently, we were leaving. Why the rush? I had no idea. Luke didn't give me a chance to question what he was up to, nor was I going to get a chance to change my clothes. Wherever we were going, we were in a hurry. I stood up and grabbed at the sweatpants before they fell straight to the ground. With a fistful of material in one hand, I headed toward the door. Halfway there I stopped and gave Freddy a half smile. "Thanks for everything."

Freddy smiled back. "Anytime. Hey, good luck."

We need all the luck we can get. I straightened my shoulders and headed out the door.

* * *

I sat in the backseat of the car, attempting to wrestle into a pair of black jeans. Dressing was easy when you could do it standing up. Dressing in a moving vehicle, on the other hand, took agility and balance. They should turn this into a competitive sport, I thought, groaning as I tried to twist my leg up high enough to get it into a pant leg.

"How are you doing back there?" Luke asked watching me in rearview mirror.

"I'm doing just great." I finally wiggled into the jeans. My outfit now matched Luke's—black sweatshirt, black jeans, and black boots. "Where are we going?"

"There's a certain plant I need for the ritual. Well, not the plant, actually, but an ointment that's derived from it. A woman who lives out here makes a lot of ointments, teas, and tinctures for the magic shop."

I slid over the front seat and settled in next to him. I knew a lot about plants. Mama used to make her own ointments and teas for the sick. I had learned how to make most of the popular ones. "What are we after?"

"Devil's berries."

I gasped. A nightshade plant. One of the most toxic plants found in the Eastern Hemisphere. "Poisoning someone..."

He held up his hand. "This ointment isn't for the person you're helping."

"Then who is it for?" I demanded.

"It's for you."

What the hell did he mean it was for me?

"Have you heard of the twilight sleep?" he asked.

I nodded. "Something they did in the 1800s. A way of 'putting you under,' except you weren't really under—you were still conscious. They used it during childbirth. If it worked and didn't kill you, it helped fight the pain and then dimmed the memory afterward." I stared at him in shock. "Using devil's berries to bring on the twilight sleep is crazy. They're too unpredictable." I searched my memory everything I had learned about the nightshade plants. "They can cause vivid hallucinations, delirium—"

He interrupted me, "—paralysis, convulsions, and even death. I know what can happen when you take the plant, Colina."

"And you still want me to use it?"

He took his eyes off the road for a moment to glance over at me. "I do. You'll have to trust me. It's part of the ritual." He turned his attention back to the road. "I went by the place earlier, but she wasn't there. There was a note on the shop's front door that said she'd be open again after dinner."

I studied Luke's profile. He said I should trust him. I did, but I was more afraid of the third ritual than I wanted to admit. Death, possession, spirits...I'd survived all these wild things. I'd gone through each trial in hopes of gaining more power, but so far, I couldn't do anything more than talk to ghosts.

And now I was heading down another dark path—murder and poison.

***