Total pages in book: 129
Estimated words: 121324 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 607(@200wpm)___ 485(@250wpm)___ 404(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121324 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 607(@200wpm)___ 485(@250wpm)___ 404(@300wpm)
She pressed her lips tightly together, her eyes glimmering with annoyance.
Inanna let out a relieved breath and patted her sister’s arm. “Do not be so quick to give up hope. You’ve held onto it all these eons. Just cling to it a little longer.”
*
Sitting up straighter in her chair, Delilah rolled back her shoulders. “It’s going to work this time. It is.”
“No, it ain’t,” said Xavier, sitting opposite her at the table. “Let it go.”
“Never,” Delilah drawled. She snatched up his pile of tarot cards wickedly fast. And they instantly turned black. “Dammit.” She slapped them back on the table.
Rolling her eyes, Wynter took another now-clean plate from Hattie and dried it with the hand towel. “Give it up, Del.”
“But it’s not fair,” she burst out. “They won’t give me a reading.”
“The cards don’t work on me either,” Wynter reminded her, placing the plate in the cupboard.
“Because they read you as undead. I am very much alive.”
Yeah, to everyone’s astonishment. “You put them in the trash this morning.”
“Only to poke at Xavier.”
Wynter took another wet plate from Hattie. “I’m not so sure they think that excuses what you did.”
“They shouldn’t think anything, they’re cards.”
“That are imbued with sentient magick. You know this already.”
Huffing, Delilah sank back into her chair and folded her arms.
Stirring the bubbling brew in her cauldron, Anabel tossed Delilah a high-and-mighty look. “I told you not to piss off the cards. But did you listen to me? Noooo. That would require you to be sensible. You prefer to do stupid shit and then whine about the consequences later. Which makes total sense.”
Delilah’s upper lip curled. “Mind your own, bwitch.”
Anabel frowned. “Bwitch?”
“I like the word.”
“It isn’t a word.”
“It is when I—” Delilah lunged forward and grabbed the deck of cards again. Once more, they turned black. “Dammit all to hell.”
Xavier took them from her, his lips twitching. “It’s your own fault.”
“He’s right, dear.” Done washing the dishware, Hattie dried her hands with a small kitchen towel. “One never messes with the sort of magick that saturates those cards. It simply isn’t done.”
“Still, this is a total overreaction on their part,” Delilah insisted. “And just plain mean. I liked having my weekly readings.”
Anabel gave her shoulder a sympathetic pat. “Those are sadly a thing of the past. It’s okay, we’re here for you.”
Delilah made a pfft sound. “Don’t act like you care.”
“Why not? It’s fun.”
As the two females went on to argue, Wynter let her head fall back. She thought about blurting out that Cain had requested she sell him her soul—it would certainly shut them up—but she bit the words back. If she told them that, she’d have to also admit that she was giving his offer some serious thought. They’d be hurt by that. They might feel abandoned or some shit. Once she’d officially made her decision, she’d sit them all down and tell—
A brisk knock came at the front door.
“I’ll get it.” Wynter made her way through the cottage and pulled open the front door to find Demetria on the other side.
The oracle gave her a friendly smile. “Hello, again.”
Wynter braced a hand on the doorjamb. “Hi. The shop’s closed now.”
“I know, yes, I didn’t come here as a customer.” Demetria edged closer. “I wondered if maybe you’d asked Kali to cease blocking the path between myself and Nemesis?”
“Oh,” said Wynter. “Well, I did ask, yes.” Total lie. “But since you sought me out like this, I’m guessing it didn’t work.”
Demetria’s shoulders drooped. “No, it didn’t.” She let out a heavy breath. “It’s hard for me to be out of contact with Nemesis. It’s not as if we talked face to face, She communicated by sending me visions, but I still felt a connection to Her.”
Wynter frowned. “You don’t feel it anymore?”
“I do, but it’s very static. I tried reaching out to Kali myself to ask if She would please unblock the mental path, but She did not come.” Irritation flickered across the oracle’s face. “It’s so annoying to go through such elaborate rituals only for them to amount to nothing. Any tips on how best to summon this particular deity?”
Shaking her head, Wynter gave her an apologetic look that was utterly false. “I don’t use rituals.”
“Then how do you communicate with Her?”
Wynter stilled as a slight breeze ruffled over her ankles in warning, and she sensed that Kali didn’t want Demetria to know that She was a regular presence. “She comes to me in my dreams sometimes.” Though usually only when She had something to say.
Her mouth opened in an “O” shape. “I see. I wish I’d known that earlier, I’d have used an entirely different ritual. Thank you, Wy—” She cut off as the small gate to the front yard burst open.
A slender male vampire stalked down the path, a bandana on his head, his mouth set into a harsh line. His name was Eddie, if Wynter remembered rightly. And he was a bit of a prick at times.