Bianca placed a hand against her chest, staring at the card.
“I’ve always wanted children of my own,” she said. “But I never dared to dream it could possibly happen.”
“Why not?” Sky said.
Bianca shrugged. “My mother struggled to get pregnant. It took her seven years to have me. It’s likely that I will have the same problem.”
Her smile faltered and she plucked at her skirt.
“It’s caused quite a bit of grief in my relationships,” she said quietly.
The pain in her voice was evident and for a moment, Sky forgot her concern over the Queen of Wands. To imagine anyone breaking up with Bianca was unfathomable.
Sky may have been intimidated by her for years but sitting across from her now, Sky realized that Bianca wasn’t cruel or unkind. She was soft-spoken and lovely. She hadn’t complained about the weight of stress she was carrying and bore it with silent strength.
“Anyone would be lucky to have you in their life,” Sky said.
A pleased flush spread up Bianca’s cheeks. “That’s very generous of you. But not everyone feels that way.” She pointed to the card. “At least now I know there are good things to come for me in the future. It seems I’ve been worried over nothing.”
Sky tapped the third card. “We can stop the reading now if you like.”
Please say yes, Sky thought.
But Bianca was relaxed now, comforted by Sky’s readings.
“Two cards of goodwill out of three,” Bianca said. “Whatever that last card holds, I think I can handle it. Please, continue.”
Sky glanced down at the third card. Its silver and blue back gleamed, hiding the prophecy that waited on the other side.
Sky didn’t have Bianca’s bravery. She didn’t want to see what the card would say. But she couldn’t formulate an excuse fast enough to get out of it. The cards had been cooperative, unlike the tea. She couldn’t say that the cards had suddenly gone cold and stiff. That wouldn’t make sense. And she had no other clients waiting in the wings.
The future was coming for Sky, one way or the other.
She turned over the card.
Bianca covered her mouth with her hand to stifle a sharp inhale of joy.
“The Lovers,” she breathed.
There was no doubt what that card meant for Bianca.
But for Sky, it was the third and final jab of the reading session. In reverse, the card scolded her for avoiding responsibility for her actions. Even if the love spell was an accident, every decision she had made afterwards to conceal the truth only served to dig her grave even deeper. She needed to make better choices in the future, or she would only continue to make a muddle of everything.
A knock at the door drew Sky from her thoughts.
“Hello? Is the tearoom open for readings?”
Sky’s eyes went wide. She knew that voice.
CHAPTER SEVEN
“Aiden?” Bianca said.
She stood, smoothing her hands down her skirts to clear away any wrinkles or dust. Aiden met her at the threshold of the sitting room and his gaze slid right past Bianca’s shoulder to where Sky was seated on the couch.
If she had been better at magic, she could have conjured a spell to make the cushions open up and swallow her whole.
“I didn’t know you would be here,” Bianca said, her voice light and happy.
It seemed the reading had gone exactly as she had hoped it would—taken the weight of worry off of her shoulders. Instead, the weight had transferred to Sky’s shoulders.
“Well, I don’t have an appointment or anything,” Aiden replied. “I thought I would drop by on my way to The Eye of Newt for dinner.”
“I was going there for dinner, too,” Bianca said with a blinding smile. “We could go together if you like.”
For the first time, Aiden dragged his attention away from Sky and turned to Bianca.
“I wouldn’t want to make you wait through my reading,” he said. “So I’ll catch you another time. Maybe after Mabon?”
Bianca placed her hand on Aiden’s arm.
“I would love that,” she said. “I look forward to it.” She turned to Sky. “What do you I owe you for the reading?”
Sky waved her off. “You can settle with me later.”
Bianca blew Sky a kiss of gratitude and patted Aiden’s shoulder.
“You’re in good hands with Sky,” she said. “Enjoy your reading.”
Then she walked out, leaving Sky and Aiden alone in the sitting room. The door clicked shut and silence descended.
Sky gathered up the teapot and cups. The dishes made an obscenely loud clattering noise as they tumbled into a mess on the tray.
“I’ll just…” Sky said. “Just make a fresh pot of tea. Be back in a moment.”
Sky ducked her head as she hurried past Aiden and tried to ignore the way he smelled so good—cloves, sage, and smoky incense.
Once she was in the kitchen, she spilled the dishes into the sink and touched her lips with two fingers. The tea leaves had been far too cloudy to read for Bianca. How could she possibly read for Aiden when standing in the same room with him for more than a second or two made her flustered?
Then there was the problem with the cards.
If she took the cards at face value, they meant only good things for Bianca’s future. But the reverse meanings had been too bright and bold to ignore. And that reverse reading had torn Sky to shreds, exposing her behavior and pinning her like a bug to a board in shame.
A light footstep echoed behind her and Aiden cleared his throat. Sky turned to see him standing in the doorway of the kitchen.
Sky’s tearoom had been built for her. Since she was so short, the ceilings were low and the doorways were wider than they were tall. Aiden’s head almost touched the top of the doorframe.
“Something smells amazing,” he said.
His gaze fell on the vats of tea resting on the kitchen table.
“Harvest tea,” Sky said. “For Mabon.”
Aiden moved into the room and lifted one of the lids off of a vat. He breathed in the steam and closed his eyes.
“I haven’t had a good cup of harvest tea in years,” he said.
“Didn’t you celebrate Mabon in New York?”
As soon as Sky said the words, she clapped a hand over her mouth. Aiden raised his eyebrows.
“Now, how would you know that I came from New York?” he said, amused. “I never said anything about that before.”
Sky scrambled to save herself. “I could have sworn you said something about it…”
Aiden smiled and Sky faltered, the words falling away. Why did he have to smile like that and make her forget how to speak?
“So, Wildemoor is talking about me,” Aiden said.
Sky let out a little laugh. You have no idea, she thought.
“Yes,” she said. “But not behind your back or anything. It’s just…”
“It’s just that I’m new and witches and warlocks tend to be suspicious of anyone they haven’t known for years. Perfectly understandable.”
Sky stopped mid-reach for the cup cabinet.
“You’re not…upset?”
Aiden shrugged. “Not really. Unless the gossip isn’t favorable. Is my name getting dragged through the mud?”
“Hardly,” Sky said. “I’ve only heard good things.”
Aiden returned the vat’s lid into place and rested one hand on the back of the chair beside him. He wasn’t wearing that form-fitting turtleneck this time. Instead, he wore a crisp plum purple button up shirt with the sleeves rolled back to his elbows. The buttons at his collar were undone, revealing a glimpse of his throat and the flash of a silver pentacle resting between his collarbones.
Sky tore her gaze away and turned to the safety of the cabinet. But she couldn’t get the image of that silver pentacle against Aiden’s pale skin out of her mind. She thought about tracing the circle’s curve with her fingertip, thought about placing her hand over it, trappi
ng it between the heat of his skin and hers.
Why couldn’t she stop thinking about him?
“In that case,” Aiden said. “I’m flattered that Wildemoor has welcomed me so willingly. And in answer to your question, I did celebrate Mabon in New York. But it’s so much…faster there.”
“What do you mean?”
“There’s magic galore in New York, don’t get me wrong. I always thought I wanted to be where magic was so thick in the air that you could taste it and feel it vibrating on your skin.”
Sky tried to imagine what that would be like but she couldn’t do it. Her magic was faint and the only time she felt the aftermath of a spell was the crackling sparks of heat at her fingertips that faded all too quickly.
“Out here,” Aiden continued. “There’s still magic but it’s a different kind. It’s…”
He floundered, searching for the right word.
“Softer,” he finished at last. “Gentler. Like a dream.”
A smile slipped across Aiden’s face. Sky’s stomach dipped. He really needed to stop doing that around her.
She picked up the tray but before she could speak, Aiden reached out and placed his hands on the tray, too. His thumb brushed across the back of her knuckles and it took every ounce of willpower in Sky’s body to stop herself from snatching her hands away.
“Let me get that for you,” he said.
Sky opened her mouth to protest but Aiden had already coaxed the tray to slide out of her grip.
“It’s no trouble.” He stepped aside to clear a path to the door. “After you.”
Sky led Aiden to the sitting room where she took her positon on the couch again. Aiden took Bianca’s chair and Sky quickly set to pouring the tea to keep herself busy.
“I have a confession to make,” Aiden said.
Sky fumbled the teapot and hot water splashed over her fingers. She sucked in a pained breath and the teapot clattered to the tray. Aiden reached out and cupped her throbbing red fingers in his hands.
“Let me take a look at that,” he said.
“It’s…fine,” Sky said, her voice faltering at Aiden’s touch. “It’s not that bad.”
Aiden closed his eyes and whispered under his breath. Warmth pooled from his hands over hers as his magic spread across her inflamed skin.
Then he slowly opened his eyes and his gaze met hers. Sky’s mouth went dry. He still wasn’t letting go of her hand as his thumb skimmed back and forth over her fingers.
“Better?” he said.
Mutely, Sky nodded.
For an interminable second, she didn’t move and let her hand remain where it was, nestled in Aiden’s palms, the heat of magic still warm and lingering between them.
She dropped her gaze to the tabletop and there, next to the tea tray, were her tarot cards. She had tucked the other two cards back into the deck but she hadn’t put The Lovers away yet. It mocked her now, knowing she was allowing herself to dabble in a romance that didn’t belong to her and never would be.
Sky withdrew her hand and cleared her throat.
“Thank you,” she said.
Aiden sat there with his elbows on his knees, hands folded in front of him. Then he leaned back, his hands open on top of his knees.
“My pleasure,” he replied in a low, rough voice. He scrubbed a hand over his face and blinked. A flicker of confusion darted across his eyes, as if he couldn’t quite grasp what had just happened.
The echo of Bryony’s words came back to Sky.
It’ll fade eventually. I say enjoy it while it lasts.
Is that what was happening now? Was Sky’s love spell fading and Aiden was waking up? She was running out of time if she wanted to break that spell in a way that would save them both from potential embarrassment and resentment.
Sky poured the tea and offered a cup to Aiden.
“Drink that,” she said. “And when you get to the bottom, I’ll read the leaves for you.”
As Aiden took the cup, a small part of Sky hoped that their fingers might brush one more time. She would be breaking the spell in two days’ time and she wanted to remember every detail she could about what it was like to be in love.
But Aiden’s fingers never touched hers.
He stared at the cup for a moment then raised his head.
“I’m afraid I lied, Miss Sangrey,” he said.
Sky paused, the teacup half way to her lips.
“About what?”
“I didn’t come here for a fortune reading,” he said.
Sky gripped the handle of her cup a little tighter. Don’t, she thought. Don’t tell me you love me. This is already hard enough as it is.
Aiden inched forward on his seat and set the cup on the table.
“I stopped by to ask if you’d like to go to the Mabon celebration with me,” he said.
“Oh,” Sky breathed. “Oh, I—“
Yes was on the tip of her tongue.
But at the forefront of her mind was Bianca, perched on the edge of her seat, her eyes bright for the good fortunes that Sky had predicted for her. That fortune had to include Aiden, Sky was sure of it.
“I realize,” Aiden added. “That we don’t know each other all that well.”
“We’re practically strangers,” Sky agreed.
“And it’s rather last minute. If you’re busy or if you already have plans to go with someone else, no hard feelings, of course.”
It wouldn’t be fair to say yes and lead him on.
But then Sky stopped.
This would be perfect.
With Aiden by her side at Mabon, she would have several hours to break the spell. And if she had to resort to an altar to call upon a goddess for help, it would be required that he remained in close proximity for the best chance of cracking that spell.
It would have nothing to do with her desire to attend the celebration with Aiden.
At least, that’s what Sky told herself.
She felt as if there was a tidal wave of repercussions waiting to crash down on her. Meanwhile, she was scrambling around like an ant about to be washed away in the flood, desperate to find a magical solution to her problems rather than facing that drowning feeling head on.
“I would love to go with you to Mabon,” Sky said.
The biggest smile spread across Aiden’s face.
“Great, I’ll…pick you up at seven?” he said.
Sky nodded, lightheaded with giddiness she knew she had no right to feel.
“I’ll see you then,” she said.
CHAPTER EIGHT
The day of the autumn equinox was awash in shades of gold, peach, and crimson.
Sky’s familiar, Ceylon, curled up in a ball of long, silky gray fur on the pillow beside her and patted at Sky’s cheek with one soft paw.
Sky kissed Ceylon’s paw and flung the covers aside, eager to get the day started. Ceylon huffed and wormed into the warm indent on the mattress, left behind by Sky’s body.
Sky flew into the closet and emerged with an armload of clothes.
“What do you think?” she said. “Wine red?” She held up a plaid skirt to her body, coupled with a long-sleeved black v-neck shirt. “Or creamy white?” She held up a sheer lacy skirt, one that Hazel had suggested and Sky never had a reason to wear.
Ceylon squinted sleepily at her.
“You’re no help.”
A knock echoed at Sky’s door. Sky shoved the clothes into a ball on a nearby chair and she grabbed her bathrobe. She tugged it on as she hurried into the kitchen, peeking out the window to see who the visitor was.
Bryony peered over the window sill in a cloud of carrot orange curls. She raised a hand in greeting and Sky opened the door.
Three young Torres children tumbled into Sky’s kitchen, their knees stained with mud.
“Merry Mabon, Miss Sangrey,” they said together.
Bryony stepped in after them and pulled them back on their feet, straightening their clothes and wiping dirt off of their faces as best she could.
The children scuttled out again, tripping and stumbling over each other as they lined up on the steps, poking each other with their brooms.
“Sorry about that,” Bryony said. “Mom insisted that I take at least one of them and somehow I ended up with three.”
Sky glanced past Bryony to the children—two boys and a girl—all them mirror images of Bryony.
“I have some cookies left over from the bakery if they’d like some,” she said in a loud whisper.
The children stopped fidgeting, eyes wide. Their gazes darted up to Bryony’s face in a silent question.
“They will eat you out of house and home, Sky,” Bryony said.
Sky grinned. “You know I don’t mind. And anyway, I need helpers to move all this tea to your place for the celebration tonight.”
She retrieved the bag of cookies and opened it, holding it out toward the children.
“Seline,” Bryony said. “You first. Take only one cookie,” she added with a stern look.
Seline stepped up to the bag and gingerly selected one cookie with fat chocolate chips and gooey marshmallows. She nibbled at it as she cast a spell over a vat of tea and sent it floating into the air. She guided it out of the kitchen and onto the grass.
“Basil and Emryk,” Bryony said, waving the boys up. “You’re next. Be careful and don’t spill the tea.”
Basil and Emryk jostled each other to get to the cookie bag first. After they had each taken a cookie for themselves, they spelled the vats into the air and moved out to the grass to wait with their sister.
A spike of jealousy pinched in Sky’s chest that these young children could control magic better than she had ever been able to. But that was the nature of magic. Some witches and warlocks simply had more of it in their veins than others did.
Sky offered the bag to Bryony.
“Don’t mind if I do,” Bryony said as she reached in and took a cookie. “Mom would kill us if she knew we were having cookies for breakfast.”
Sky shrugged. “Your secret is safe with me.”
Jinxed (Coven Corner #1) Page 5
