I turned to Hazel, nudging her forward. “You know, Ruby, Hazel used to drag me to readings all the time. Shelovesthem.”
“Come sit.” Ruby waved to the lounge chair behind us, then floated the cards into her travel-sized cauldron. Hazel beamed, waiting for the coveness’s crystal to stop swinging above the bubbling brew, then reached into the black goo inside. Just watching her reminded me of the slippery animal entrails sliding around the scattered deck.
“Have your intention, dear?” Ruby asked her.
Hazel nodded and drew three cards that floated up between them, the black ichor dripping back into the pot.
“The first—”
“Is about me, second is my life, and third is my love,” Hazel cut in eagerly.
“I see you are no stranger to the cards.” Ruby smiled like a cat that’d gotten the cream, then her gaze narrowed. “But no, you can’t opt out of seeing the third.”
Hazel jolted. “How?”
“She can apparently read your thoughts while you hold her cards,” I whispered to her. “High witch magic.”
Hazel raised her brows up in surprise, then turned back to the coveness. Reaching up for the first card facing Ruby, she pulled it down and flipped it over.
The Devil.
She held it in her hand, looking over the image of the dark prince, shallow carvings covering his skin like all of those in the Morningstar line. Ruby said nothing at all, which was perhaps the strangest thing. Just watched Hazel as she grabbed the second, twirling it in her palms with a frown. A set of mismatched wings with a heart in their center spanned the card.
The Lovers.
Still, Ruby was silent. She even gave me a look as if to remind me to hold back any commentary, like the two were in some strange unspoken conversation that I wasn’t part of.
“Wicked, ready to get out of here? I think our little wildling wants to hibernate.”
My eyes darted toward the gated corner to Lynx bouncing along with Aspen, who was beginning to fuss. Pressure swelled in my chest, and I knew it was time to get him fed and settled into bed.
“Yeah,”I replied.“Besides, we need to get things together for Atlas.”
“Can you not talk about me like I’m not here?”Atlas hissed through the line.
Saros came up from behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist and kissing me on the shoulder.“Well, you aren’t technicallyhere, Thorne.”
“I can still hear you all.”He sighed, his tone more impatient than usual.“I do own this little frequency we all use.”
“Someone sounds hangry,” I teased, heading over with Saros toward Lynx and Aspen.
My witchling reached for me, and Lynx settled him into my arms, patting his back a few times as I took him. “Make that two someones.”
“We’re on our way,”I told Atlas before heading with the guys back to the corner of the room where Hazel and Ruby were. The cards had already been shuffled and spread out again on the table.
“Hey, Haze, are you good to close up here? Aspen needs to get back and we do too.” I paused a moment for quiet emphasis so she’d understand my meaning.
“No problem. I’ve got it covered.” She stood, giving me a hug and Aspen a quick kiss. “I’ll round up everyone to get them out of here.”
“Thanks.” Relief washed through me, ready to be home and put Aspen to bed, feeling the waning effects of my magic needing replenishment under the full moon tonight. It was going to be a long one—something that had me both wanting to yawn and salivate in equal measure. “What was the last card? I never got to see it.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Hazel said nonchalantly, ushering us toward the door. “I’ll lock up. Have a blessed full moon, sis.”
“You too, Haze.”
* * *
An hour later,I’d gotten Aspen fed and asleep in his crib after watching his eyelids flutter, staring at the gossamer wings on the wall while Atlas read The Little Hearse That Could. Luckily, he’d been sleeping for longer stretches recently, so we had at least three hours to recharge before he needed us. Now that we’d officially moved into 5 Blessed Crescent, the place that made the most sense for the five of us, we had a backyard that received plenty of moonlight and still gave us privacy. We could have all gone in shifts, but all my husbands were excited to recharge together for our first newly vowed full moon.
