His hair was soft and thick, the texture familiar, the way the unruly waves needed to fall, easy for me to remember.
I was a couple inches taller than him, putting us almost eye-to-eye. Here, this close, I could smell the soft green and, yes, the almost ketchup smell of his oak tree, mixed with the warm clover of his skin.
He was silent, watching me. If I weren’t tied to him through the magic of the Crossroads, I might have missed the rapid beating of his heart.
His hand lifted, and his fingertips rested lightly on my hip.
Electricityzinged through me, but I tried not to let it show.
“There,” I said, pulling my fingers away and leaning back from the unmistakable heat between us. “Better.”
He dragged his finger down my hip and let his hand drop to his side.
“Good?” he asked.
“Enough,” I answered.
And I knew we were not just talking about his hair. Somehow we were talking about us.
His smile was soft, then he looked down and away. “All right, then. Let’s go talk to Fate.”
ChapterFourteen
Card walked down the stairs,and I followed. My axe and blade wouldn’t do anything against a god, so I put a little faith in Fate keeping her word, and trusted in the magic of the Crossroads to have my back.
We walked across the field and about a quarter mile down the road to where Fate had set up her camp.
The van was strung with little golden star lights. A canopy winged out from one side, offering a nice spot out of the direct sunlight. Soft couches and chairs were gathered there, much too large to have actually fit in the van. Soft silks, pillows, and velvets further added to the comfort.
The delicious smell of cooking peppers, onion, and lamb grew stronger the closer we came to her camping spot.
Atropos was at the grill, a spatula in one hand, and her sharp gaze on the food. She’d taken off her leather jacket and wore a black tank top over which she’d donned a frilly pink apron that said:killin’ & grillin’across the front of it.
“Morning!” Clotho stepped out of the van, dusting her hands on her skirt. “How did it go? Did you find our coins?”
“Yes,” I said. I could have let Card speak for himself, but we’d agreed yesterday that I’d be his voice. I’d also given him my protection, so it just seemed natural to take the lead.
“All three?” Atropos called out. “We agreed on all three.”
“They know the agreement,” Lachesis said, walking around from behind the van. She wore flowing, wide-legged gauzy pants and a matching top, both of which were covered in watercolor birds.
She stopped in front of us, gave Card a hard look, then held her hand out to him. “If you please, Cardamom Oak.”
“We have been diligent in fulfilling our side of the bargain,” I said. “We expect you to remain so also.”
Clotho nodded. “Our agreement is sealed,” she said. “I mean, it could change, but as it stands now, we’re still agreed that if we get all three coins back—”
“—by noon today, which is only an hour away!” Atropos yelled.
“—by noon today,” Clotho added, “we’ll leave his tree in peace.”
I looked over at Card. He gave me a nod, then stepped forward and placed the coins in Lachesis’ hand.
“Ah,” she said with something like sorrow in her voice. “Mine, the silver. Atro, yours is here too.”
“As if I didn’t know.” The crone stumped over and snatched the gold coin out of Lachesis’ hand. “He just gave it to you?” she asked.
Lachesis nodded.
