Page 95 of Bonded By Tea and Tarot

“Hayden put them in a guest room. We weren’t sure where would be safe, but figured you’d want to cleanse them before bringing them near any of your other ones. I’ll show you,” Aury says, snagging my hand.

I set this deck back down and grab some Palo Santo. I follow him to the guest room, then bundle up my altar cloth, cards, and crystals, and lead him and Jayce outside. I have a water fountain for the birds near the willow tree, and I sit down next to it with the creek a few feet away.

“Flowing water, wind, sun, and moonlight can all be cleansing,” I say. “Salt and smoke as well.”

I spread out my altar cloth and arrange everything on it, touching the crystals reverently and thanking them for their protection and service last night. I do the same with my tarot deck, then focus my thoughts on cleansing as I light the Palo Santo and swirl each item through the smoke.

Aury and Jayce watch in silence, having sat down on either side of me. I’m grateful for their quiet respect and support, surprised to feel happy that they’re here with me.

When I’m done, thoughts of my phone tug at me.

I can’t ignore it any longer. The anxiety will only continue to build if I do, so after placing my newly cleansed items back in the reading room, I settle down on the couch and open my phone.

So many notifications that all it says is 99+ at the top. I suck in a deep breath, focusing on maintaining calm, then start with my pinned messages.

From a witchy influencer group, there are countless messages asking if I’m okay, sending love and support, offering healing thoughts, among a decent amount of outrage towards Hels Spells who has reportedly been removed from the chat. My tagged posts are similar, with some pretty popular witchy influencers posting videos in support of me and calling out Helen for her poor behavior, denouncing the way she practices her magic, and rallying around keeping the community a positive and healthy space.

My recent posts are flooded with comments that don’t have anything to do with the posts themselves, and my follower count has skyrocketed. It was already high before, but there are tens of thousands of new followers within the last twenty-four hours. I scroll through the comments, which range from calling Helen terrible names and wishing death on her (appalling) all the way to asking if they can send me healing flowers, crystals, tinctures, etc. I do have a PO box, but I don’t need or want everyone to start sending me things.

Bunny noses her way onto my lap and starts purring, bringing a welcome sense of calm. I quickly type up a message with my thoughts, focusing mainly on how thankful I am for the support and that I’m okay physically but need some time to mentally recover, then I post it with a simple picture of me holding my tarot deck from last night. The comments and messages keep pouring in, too fast for me to keep up.

My heart starts pounding, and my hands turn clammy. “Can one of you distract me from this?” I toss my phone onto the furthest couch cushion.

“How about we go out for tea?” Aury says, bending over the back of the couch to run his fingers through my hair. “Get some fresh air, take in the pretty fall colors?”

“That sounds great.” I doubt anyone in town knows what happened last night. I’d be surprised if anyone other than the omega gardening club follows my socials. “Maybe we can stop at the library after?”

Aury shoots a suspicious look at me, and I hold up my empty hands. “No crystals this time.”

“Uh-huh,” he says with an amused head-shake. “Sure, Moonbeam. Sure.”

Chapter Fifty-One

Jayce

While I hate leaving my omega, I need to finish up preparations for our bond proposal this weekend, so I kissed her sleepy lips goodbye this morning and head back to my and Hayden’s place. Siobhan’s wand is finally sanded to my specifications, so I mix some turpentine with a dark walnut stain (because walnut symbolizes protection and enlightenment, one of my new witchy books told me). I soak a rag and then wipe down the wand, giving it a lovely two-toned texture. I set that to rest with the kitchen-grade oil I snagged specifically for this purpose waiting on the bench next to it.

While it’s curing, I head inside to wash my hands and prepare the other items. I call the local florist, ensuring the flowers will be delivered on time and that the correct ones were ordered. They assure me—for the third time—that everything is as it should be. Then I turn to the package that arrived on my doorstep today. It’s from a local Michigan apothecary that mails out various herbs and loose leaf teas for people to make their own tea blends.

I unpack and check each bag, then open them and start compiling my tea sachets. Lavender for devotion and peace, rose petals for love, and mint for rejuvenation, all in equal measure—one teaspoon of each goes into each little tea bag. Then I add a pinch of cardamom, adding warmth and earthy connection. I finish off each sachet with a heaping scoop of white tea leaves. I chose white because it’s lighter than green or black, and it felt more like the freedom our omega values and the vibrancy she brings to our lives.

Satisfied, I tie off each bag and arrange them in the picnic basket along with the teapot, cups, and saucers. Those will keep until Sunday, but I need to get the snacks prepared still, too. I turn to the fridge, pulling out fruits and cheeses, then set to making our charcuterie board.

Everything goes back into the fridge or the basket once it’s ready, and I take a step back, mentally checking items off my list.

Wand.

I dart back out to the garage to oil the wand, then let it rest again. Ideally, I’ll give it another one or two coats, but I need it to be done in time and I’m going to be cutting it close. I send a text to the group chat I created, getting a chorus of confirmations in response, and my anxious anticipation eases the slightest bit.

It’s going to work out. Everything will be fine, she’ll say yes, and we can be a true pack like we’re meant to.

Hayden comes home after their work shift late that night and their aura immediately saturates the air when they walk in the door. I decided to lay down in their bed tonight, and I’m rewarded with a low growl when they freeze in the doorway, greeted with my bare chest, lower half covered only with a sheet. I sit with my back against the headboard and meet their hungry gaze with one of my own. They’ve had a new intensity about them since the incident with Siobhan at the full moon a few nights ago, and I figured we could both use some stress relief tonight.

“You have everything ready?” Hayden asks, slowly stalking into the room while they slip out of their paramedic uniform.

“Yes. You’ll be waiting at her place for when Aury brings her back, then you’ll drive her to the library.” They wait patiently, listening intently to every word despite me having already gone over the plan with them multiple times. “Don’t answer any questions unless she seems genuinely distressed. No falling for her cute pleas or ferocious eyes.”

Hayden nods once, and I sigh. “I know you know all this already.”