I polished off the last of my cappuccino and rose from my seat. Victoria led me to the door off to the side of the dining area. Only instead of pressing her hand to the pentagram, she stood to the side. When I looked at her in confusion, she gestured at the door. “Go ahead.”
I returned my attention to the aged wood in front of me. “Ican open the way? I thought this door was…”
“Protected,” she finished for me. Then she indicated the front door that I’d come through when I arrived. “But so was that one. Only a witch could have opened it. The venom is already activating your powers. Try it.”
I gulped. If I could open a protected door without even trying, what could I do after I turned? As thrilling as it was, I had to admit that it was intimidating.
Raising a shaky hand, I pressed my palm to the wood like I’d seen Victoria do earlier. My skin tingled. Then the lock gave a softclick, and the door swung open.
“Sit down at the table,” Victoria said.
I shoved my still quivering hands in my pockets and cautiously stepped into the room, which was the source of the incense I’d smelled when I first arrived. It was much stronger in here, emitting from a dragon on a high shelf, the woodsy-scented smoke pouring from its nose. More jars and bottles lined the walls, their contents unrecognizable.
Deciding that those were a conversation for another day, I dropped into a chair at the round table in the center of the room. A soft, celestial-patterned tablecloth lined the surface, and I half expected to see a crystal ball in the middle of it.
Victoria selected a deck of cards and a candle from a shelf and took a seat across from me. She lit the candle, then fanned the stack of cards in front of me with her left hand. “We’re going to do a classic three-card spread. Using your left hand, think or say your question while you select the cards that call to you the most, flipping them over one at a time. You won’t be able to explain the feeling—you’ll just know. Your hand might even drop of its own accord. The first card is the past, the second is the present, and the third the future.” She sat back in her seat. “Whenever you’re ready.”
I thought of what I wanted to know: Why the hell wasn’t I turning into a vampire? My neck seemed to pulse at the question, and I raised my left hand over the splayed deck. The cards were inky black with foiled phases of the moon on the backs of them, edged with a brushed antique gold.
Victoria was right. As I waved over the table, my hand selected the first card, and I flipped it over. The Moon.
My hand dropped to the second before I could even blink. The Eight of Swords. The third, the Ten of Cups.
I only knew what the cards were because Victoria read them out as I flipped each one. Once I had the three in front of me, she swept the rest of them away.
“Okay, first up is your past.” She pointed to the card on my left. A gold-lined moon sat in a dark sky, although it looked more like a sun with its coloring. Two animals stood below it. Wolves maybe? “The Moon. Your past is shrouded in darkness, and you needed light to see your way. The moon is about balance, or multiple paths. You had to trust your intuition to get where you are.”
Her hand slid over to the middle card. A Roman Numeral eight was etched at the top. In the middle, a person sat bound by something that resembled rags. They were blindfolded and surrounded by eight swords stuck straight into the ground. “Your present, the Eight of Swords. This means you’re trapped. Escaping is possible, but it’s like you’re blindfolded. These sorts of traps are often created by ourselves, and with a little creative thinking you might find a way around it. Shifting your perspective is key. Pay close attention and look for your glimmer in the dark.”
Finally, the card on the right. “Your future, the Ten of Cups. This one signifies harmony, unity, blessing, and familial support. It’s basically your dreams come true. There’s a heavy significance on family and unity.” That card portrayed a happy family, dancing below a sky of fluffy white clouds and a rainbow of goblets painted across the surface.
“What does it all mean?” I asked.
“I think,” Victoria began, “that your answer lies in your families. Both of you are close with them, yes?” I nodded, although James was a bit of a different story. He spoke often—and fondly—of Elizabeth, and how we would have gotten on like wildfire.
“I thought so. I have seen this before. The block is both internal and external. In short, you need the blessings of your loved ones.”
“For me to be avampire? There’s no way my parents would agree to that—not withouta lotof discussion.”
Victoria smiled. “It’s not as complicated as that. They just need to approve ofJames.” She paused. “It works both ways. You’ll need to earn the approval of his family too.”
That, at least, wouldn’t be too difficult. James’s loved ones were long gone, save for descendants that would be nearly impossible to track down and knew nothing about him. I doubted I was supposed to get any blessings from his side.
“This is… a lot,” I finally said. “Thank you, Victoria. I think I need to go home and process everything I’ve learned.”
She stood and walked me to the door. “Don’t mention it. If you ever need anything, my door is always open.”
I stepped into the frigid night air, immediately missing the heat from inside. I wondered what it would be like when I could adjust my body temperature any time I wanted. How would that factor into my being a… witch? Was I even called that?
“Ryder?” I turned, seeing Victoria cross her arms to shield herself from the cold. “All magick comes with a cost—don’t forget that.”
I froze on the sidewalk. What the hell was that supposed to mean?
Grimacing, she continued. “That’s just a saying to remind new witches that magick is a privilege. Remember the two golden rules: Be careful, and don’t get caught.”
Without another word, she closed the door.
Well… right now wasn’t the time to decipher that. It was dark, I was cold, and I had someone soft and warm waiting for me at home. I flipped up the collar of my leather jacket as it started to rain, beelining for my car.
