I stumbled in the dark as I got out, and silently cursed myself.
Have a mojito or two, you said; it’ll take the edge off, you said.My inner voice was thoroughly disgusted with me right about now.
“Here,” Luna said from my side and I jumped.
“Damn it, Luna, you’re like a cat,” I swore, reaching out to grasp the velvet bag she was handing off to me.
“Sorry – natural grace, I suppose,” Luna whispered, then motioned for me to follow her down the lane. Soft moonlight filtered over us, and I could hear the waveslapping against the rocks of the beach. The air – heavy with humidity even at this late hour – pressed thickly against my skin as I followed Luna down the rocky path, stepping carefully onto the beach.
Now, here’s the thing about the Keys – you don’t really get a lot of sandy beaches. In fact, most sand beaches are man-made by the resorts because it’s what the tourists want. So when I felt my feet sink into sand, I grabbed Luna’s arm.
“Is this a sand beach?”
“Yes, just a bit of one. There’s a long rocky outcropping that kind of conceals this sandy part. That’s why they’re developing the new condos here,” Luna explained, bending down to slip her sandals off.
I slid my feet from my flip-flops and stepped forward onto the sand, observing my surroundings. A line of palm trees jutted out from the rocky point, providing some privacy to the beach. Though the lights from town twinkled between the trees, we were essentially shadowed from anyone being able to see us.
“I can see why the turtles like this beach,” I said, feeling a wisp of sadness sneak through me, knowing they would have to find another spot to lay their eggs.
“I know. It’s really private – which I like. We’ll have to figure out a way to preserve some of this land down the coast. I think Miss Elva and I should be able to come up with something that will at least protect a chunk of it,” Luna said, and I beamed at my best friend.
I knew there was a reason I liked her.
“Well? Let’s get naked,” Luna said.
Did I just say I liked her? I lied.
Chapter Nine
“Don’t we needto,like, work up to that?” I asked, running my hands up and down my forearms as I searched Luna’s face.
“Why don’t we get a few things set up first, then?” Luna said, sending me a reassuring smile. I nodded, following her a little further down the beach. Luna turned a circle on the beach, then nodded to herself before using her toe to outline something in the sand. I drifted closer to watch.
“A pentagram?”
“A pentagram facing up, or north, in this instance. I’ll finish by drawing a circle around it for our protection.”
“Far out,” I said and then clamped my mouth shut. Maybe two drinks and only a cup of soup – we all know I hadn’t eaten that salad – hadn’t been the smartest choice.
Luna pulled out what looked like white pillar candles from her bag and set them up at various points around the circle.
“Let’s go, sweets. I don’t know how much longer I candelay this. Time to go skyclad,” Luna said sweetly as she reached for her dress and pulled it over her head. I followed suit, closing my eyes and groaning softly as I whipped the dress over my head and dropped it in a pile at my feet.
Okay, so the night air felt kind of good on my naked skin. Maybe there was more to this skyclad thing than I had originally thought.
Steeling myself, I opened my eyes and looked over to where Luna waited patiently, her hands cocked on her hips, the moonlight making her skin seem to glow softly.
“This is a good light for you,” I said.
Luna laughed and then motioned me forward so that I stood next to her outside the circle. She had several items in her hands, things I couldn’t quite make out even when I squinted.
“So,” Luna began and I forced myself to focus on her words even though I was a little lightheaded from the cocktails. “I’m going to teach you the correct way to cast a circle. There are abbreviated versions of this for when you’re in a rush, but it’s smart to know the full process first.”
I nodded, motioning for her to go ahead.
“First I purify the space,” Luna said, flicking a lighter on and making me jump. She held the flame to the end of an incense stick and the scent of frankincense filled my nostrils. Luna began to walk around the circle, tossing something from her bag into sand as she went.
“I’m sprinkling water and salt, and following the circle with incense. And I light each candle as I pass it,” Lunaexplained as she poured water from a bottle into a small bowl.
