The Midnight Wish

A witch fated for greatness, her faithful warrior, and a wish that might not come true ...

Things are finally looking up. Hazel succeeded in her quest to find the powerful items, she recovered her magic and memories, and she was able to save Sean from the darkness.

But Sean isn’t the same. Sean is plagued by all the evil he committed while under the darkness’ control, and he can’t even look at himself in the mirror, much less look Hazel in the eyes.

Hazel is determined to help him no matter what, though their enemies might not wait until she solved everything with Sean. The dark witches and the Brotherhood are closing in and it’s just a matter of time until a big battle starts.

And right now, Hazel isn’t so sure what side will win.

The Midnight Wish is the sixth book in the Rite World: Lightgrove Witches series—full of magic, romance, mystery, and excitement! Grab your copy today and start this new adventure!

Chapter One

I stepped into my bedroom and looked around—it had only been a couple of weeks since we were here last, and yet it felt like an eternity.

After recovering the necklace, the grimoire, and bringing Sean back to himself, we left Europe in haste, afraid that more Brotherhood of Purity members or dark witches would find us again.

On the flight back to the United States, the sisters bought us all first-class tickets. I hated those because they were all separate and I couldn’t hold Sean’s hand or talk to him without a narrow corridor between us.

However, I wasn’t sure if Sean would have spoken to me, even if he could. He barely looked at me.

“What’s wrong?” I had asked, worried he was in pain or a remnant of the darkness remained inside of him.

“Nothing,” he had said quickly. “It’s just … my head hurts and my thoughts are confusing.” Then he had marched out of the crumbling house and avoided being near me.

The only time he interacted with us was while waiting in the customs line at the airport. The sisters were discussing where we should hide, and Sean mentioned the house where they told us we were Arianna and Thales. 

“But what about the Darkmist?” Anna asked. “Don’t they know about that place?”

Sean shook his head. “I didn’t tell them or anyone else.”

That was surprising but welcome. That house was the perfect hiding place, and since it hadn’t been compromised, we didn’t hesitate.

I dropped my duffel bag on my bed—we had stopped at the inn in Terentia to pick up our things—and turned to the door as Sean walked by. He had stayed in this room with me, but apparently, that was done. He asked the sisters for one of the other empty suites. Of course, they didn’t object, but I was sure they were wondering the same thing I was: What the hell was going on?

Tired of this shit, I marched into the corridor and saw Sean stopped in front of the last door, the farthest from mine. The window beside the door shone a dark gold as the sun started to set, creating a gilded halo around Sean.

For a moment, I stared at him, in awe of his beauty. Tall with broad shoulders, hard muscles in all the right places. And his face … puckered lips, sharp chin and jaw, and his bright blue eyes contrasted well with his fair skin and his chestnut brown hair. The sides weren’t as short as before, but the top was still longer.

I shook myself and put my hands on my waist. “Are you going to ignore me?” Between traveling and whatnot, it had been almost two days since he was back to himself … two entire days that he had avoided me.

Sean let out a long sigh but didn’t turn to me. “Drop it, Hazel. I’m not in the mood to talk.”

“What happened? You woke up, remembered who you are, who you were before, and suddenly you don’t love me anymore? I disgust you?”

He faced me, his eyes hard. “I disgust myself. I should disgust you. All the things I’ve done … it’s everything in here.” He tapped his forehead. “And here.” Then his heart. “I can’t erase it; I can’t forget it. I still feel it … all that anger, all that rage. The hunger for power, for death. I remember all the people I killed and how it didn’t faze me at all.” He winced. “I don’t have a choice but to be here, but right now, I want to be left alone.”

He entered the bedroom and slammed the door shut.

I stayed frozen in place for a moment, whiplashed from his words. No, this wasn’t how our story went. He was supposed to be at my side, helping me, and fighting all the evil beings with me. I took a step forward, determined to talk to him, but a firm hand on my shoulder stopped me.

I turned.

Shade squeezed my shoulder gently. “He needs time, Hazel.”

“Well, we don’t have time,” I snapped.

“Think about how you felt after killing that witch to save him. Now increase that tenfold. Who knows, maybe even more? And you did it to save someone you love. Some of his killings were for pure enjoyment. That has to take a toll.”

My shoulders sank. By the light, I had almost drowned in sorrow after killing that witch. I couldn’t imagine doing it repeatedly. And he remembered it all. I shuddered. Jeez, that couldn’t be easy.

“I hadn’t thought about that.” And now I felt bad. How selfish of me. All I had thought so far was that he was the love of my life, and I was supposed to be his, and he was ignoring me.

“Come on.” Shade took my hands in his. “I’ll make you some tea.”

Numb, I let Shade guide me downstairs to the kitchen. He helped me sit on one of the chairs around the kitchen table while he went to the pantry and grabbed whatever he needed to make the tea.

Holy shit, I hadn’t put myself in Sean’s shoes yet. I had been so focused on getting the items, getting him back, getting the hell out of there, I hadn’t considered anything else.

Was I a bitch, or what?

I wanted to be there for him. To comfort him, to support him, to hug him. I wanted him to know I loved him no matter what, and that I would be here for him forever.

Shade put a mug in front of me, then he sat down across from the table with a mug for himself.

“I know what you’re thinking,” he said. “Don’t. I meant it. He needs time.”

“He sure does,” Anna said as she entered the kitchen. Britta was right behind her. They went to the range, grabbed the kettle, and prepared tea for themselves.

With their mugs in hand, they sat with Shade and me around the table.

I glanced at my phone. It was six in the evening, and we were having tea. My stomach was growling, but I didn’t have the energy to make dinner.

Sean was probably hungry too, right? I should make dinner for him. I glanced at the fridge and started getting up.

“If you’re worried about dinner, I’ve got it covered,” Shade said.

Frowning, I sat back down. It was weird knowing about his connection to me and now feeling it. He couldn’t tell my exact thoughts, but he certainly could guess what they were about, what feelings were associated to them. 

“How?” I asked.

“I’ve ordered takeout. In about fifteen minutes, I’m going to pick it up.”

“Good,” Britta said. “I’m hungry.”

“We all are,” Anna stated. “Hungry and tired. We should go to bed after dinner, and sleep until noon tomorrow. The light knows we need the rest.”

“But we’ve got a lot to do,” I said, my voice low.

Anna nodded. “Yes, we do. But we can’t do anything if we’re barely standing. First, we rest. Then, we act.”

I took a sip of my tea. I would act in two fronts: our main, joint mission, and also with Sean. Somehow, in some way, I would help him, and he would feel whole again. It wouldn’t happen overnight, but I was sure that with time and love, he would overcome his demons.

I set my mug down. “So, what’s the plan now? Storm the Light Castle and get my ashes? And then what?”

“First we need to assess the situation,” Britta said. “Grace caused trouble and framed you, and the Light Order is searching for you.”

I picked up my phone. “I know someone I trust. I'll ask her to meet me, and she can tell us what’s going on.”

Anna’s brows knotted. “Who do you trust?”

“Sadie,” I said, positive Sadie wouldn’t betray me, even if she didn’t agree with me. “I’ll text her.”

“Speaking of texting.” Britta held up her phone. A moment later, she looked at me. “They will arrive tomorrow around noon.”

A mix of relief and apprehension coursed through me. During the trip back, Britta and Anna talked to their friend who was taking care of my mother and sister. I didn’t like the idea of keeping them spelled while this mess was going on, and who knew how long it would take? So, I asked them if my mother and sister could be brought to us. I would explain everything, and hopefully, they would understand. If they didn’t, then I would spell them to keep them locked inside the house without communication with the outside world.

I nodded. “Thank you.”