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I drained my drink. “We have time for tea leaves if you want to do that now.”

Soren put his arms behind his head and wiggled his eyebrows. “I’m all yours, darling.”

I rolled my eyes, ignoring how delectable he looked all rumpled and handsome like that. “Yes, well, I don’t need much other than someone to keep an eye on things while I’m concentrating.”

A slow smile curved his lips. “I’m always happy to watch you.”

I sighed. This was going to be a long couple of weeks. Or more.

Chapter

Twenty-Nine

“Are you sure I shouldn’t sit behind you and hold you?” Soren asked.

“This is not Ghost, and I am not Demi Moore.” I pointed to the other side of the coffee table. “You sit there and hush your mouth.”

Soren winked and dutifully made his way around the table. He groaned as he folded his massive frame onto the floor.

I winced. “You can take the couch. I always forget what a brute you are.”

Soren shook his head. “I’m fine right here.”

I sank to the floor on the opposite side. My tea had finished brewing—Earl Grey, but made with no strainer this time. A purple candle scented with lavender flickered to my right. A black candle scented with a mix of oils burned to the left. I’d changed into a pair of silk pants and a cotton tank top and left my feet bare and my hair down. Over my clothing, I wore a cashmere duster cardigan. All natural fibers, all designed to connect me closer to my consciousness and the source of all knowledge. What that was, I still had no idea, and since I hadn’t practiced tasseomancy in many years, I was no closer to finding out than I was when I’d been a young girl.

To stay safe from my mother, I’d suppressed much of my magic, afraid she’d find me if I went too deep. Now it no longer mattered. She’d shown she could get to me regardless of what I did.

So now I thought I’d show her the same could work in reverse.

“Relax,” Soren murmured. “I can almost hear your thoughts from over here.”

“I’m nervous,” I said as I crossed my feet underneath me.

“Nothing will get to you,” he assured me. “You’re strong, and I’m wonderful backup.”

My lips twitched. “Good to know.”

We fell silent as I sipped my tea. Soren watched me thoughtfully, occasionally glancing around my apartment—studying me, I thought. My life and my new world.

I hadn’t done the same for him, wrongfully assuming Soren was only interested in chasing women and having a good time, something he never really tried to dissuade me from believing even as he tried to get into my pants.

I had a feeling Soren truly was an onion, and I’d only peeled off the paper.

Once I had about a teaspoon of liquid left in the cup, I turned it over and let the leaves and liquid drain onto the plate before I set it completely down.

“Now we wait,” I said as I closed my eyes.

I’d never been taught tasseomancy formally. Tea had always been one of my favorite things. I wanted to learn about it. What it was, the varieties, how it was grown, how it tasted, but I also wanted to know how you could use it to read the past, present, and future. Turned out I had quite the knack for it.

Tasseomancy helped me escape my mother, and I’d always felt guilty that I stopped the practice that day even though it helped me get away from her.

Clearing my mind of all thoughts, I focused on the image of Minka Belyaev, as she liked to call herself these days aka my mother. Her dark hair swam in my vision, her piercing green eyes watching me like a raptor. Her wide, carefree smile, and her pale skin.

Where is my mother?

Where is my mother?

Where is my mother?