Page 102 of Bonded By Tea and Tarot

“Oh,” I say, looking back down at the bag. “Thanks.”

I turn away from the counter and wander back to the front of the shop with Claire trailing behind me. I drop the maybe-wand, maybe-stick, for-sure-wooden-object back in the bag and pull the note out.

May this wand lead you where you want to be.

“Huh?”

I look at Claire, but she shakes her head. “I wasn’t told anything about this,” she says. “Only that I should drive you to the next spot.”

“Oh. Okay then. Let’s go.”

We hop in her car and I glance over at her, only for her to already be looking at me expectantly.

“Where to?” she says.

“I don’t know. I thought you were supposed to know.”

“Nope, I wasn’t told where. Just to drive you,” she says. She gestures at the bag with the wand. “The note doesn’t say?”

I look down at it, read it again, turn it over to check the back. “It doesn’t say.”

But… I peer into the bag and a fizzle of energy tingles in the air around me. I pull out what I now suspect is an energy wand and focus on opening my mind to it.

Immediately, I get a strong sense of home.

“I think I’m supposed to go back home.”

Claire grins at me in triumph, and I have a split second to question if she did know where we’re supposed to go, but then we’re on our way and I realize I don’t really care. I’m almost back with my pack, and the whisper in the back of my head about what’s going on is getting louder.

This is it. They’re finally going to be mine.

Chapter Fifty-Five

Jayce

I’ve had my side of the bond locked down all day so I don’t give anything away, but it’s hard not to know what Siobhan is feeling on her end. I don’t like being cut off from her like this, and I hope she’s not too suspicious. I really hope she likes the day I planned for her. I’m kind of scared that I messed up, that it’s a terrible idea. She’s going to say no.

My brain is pretty certain it’s all going to backfire somehow.

Aury and Hayden are both here, and they say their parts of the plan went perfectly.

“What if she’s hating it?” I twitch one corner of the picnic blanket, then tug it back where it originally was.

“There’s no way she’s hating it,” Aury says. His eyes turn dreamy and unfocused. “When she realized what was happening with the flowers…” He shakes his head with a wistful smile on his face. “I wish you both could have seen her face. It was like hope and fear and longing, all battling it out, and I think the hope won.”

Hayden nods. “I noticed the same when I was driving her to the library. It was like this intense, fierce want that she seemed afraid to let herself feel. But I could see it there, just barely below the surface.” Hayden smirks. “She’s going to say yes.”

I wish I had their confidence, but I haven’t seen her at all today, and this walled off bond is getting to me. I rub my chest with a grimace.

“Besides,” Hayden comments. “Does our omega do anything she hates?”

Oh. “Good point.” That actually does help. I reflect on what they said, how they described her moving through her emotions. Their confidence that she’ll accept us.

My phone chimes and I glance down to see another update from the Omega Gardening Club. I was nervous to ask them to help with this, but they were all ecstatic. I’m glad my omega has such supportive and loving friends. It’s clear they’ll do anything for her, as she would for them.

Wren: I just left them at Mystic Market. She’ll be heading your way soon.

Me: Thanks again, Wren. And all of you. You’ve made this day so much more special for her by being part of it.