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I thought of Lauren and Maya, and I started shaking all over again. I found a video of a shaggy doodle howling to piano music and sent it to them. They both hearted it. No sign of distress. I exhaled.
The peony still sat on the kitchen table.
Throwing it down the garbage disposal felt like repeating some hideous cycle I didn’t understand. Instead, I let it float in a small bowl of water.
That night, my bed felt too wide, too open, too close to a window. I fell asleep on the sofa under a blanket, my hand resting on the pendant at my collarbone, a kitchen knife under the pillow.
Chapter Twenty
The next day, work flew by in a blur, my neck in a crick from sleeping on the sofa. Vivienne was in a good mood because of her date with Rafael.
“I know what you’re going to say,” she said, inspecting a tiger lily in a vase. “I know there’s an age gap. But you have to understand Rafael is not a young soul. He is ancient. He’s been a temple guardian, a poet, and a Sufi mystic. The body he’s in now is just a vessel. Also, the sex is incredible. Spiritually, I mean.”
The day had been mostly drama-free. The pool party was coming together. I had mailed invitations and found a caterer who could serve heirloom tomatoes in seven colors, arranged like a Renaissance still life, and burrata from a small herd of organically fed water buffalo.
By the time I pulled up outside my apartment, it was five-thirty-five. I parked, resisting the urge to look over my shoulder, and walked inside.
Reflexively, I checked every room. Nothing was out of place. There were no new gifts on the table. I sat on the sofa for thirty minutes, just as Damian had instructed, and to kill the time, I pulled out my phone. The group chat was busy.
Callie: officially in love
Jess: that was quick
Priya: I think I might be too, and it’s been like three days
Callie: seriously???
Priya: he’s amazing. he’s so attentive. I didn’t think they made guys like him anymore. he stays late when I do so he can walk me to my car
Jess: I met someone too. he’s incredible. he makes this amazing jewelry. he’s already taught me some stuff
Callie: what if it’s real
Priya: what
Callie: I don’t see how it could be a coincidence. we all got our flames
Jess: I told you witchcraft is powerful
Callie: I keep thinking about the retreat. it’s weird because it was super creepy at the time but now I’m kind of grateful. Is that insane?
Priya: yeah kind of LOL
My fingers clutched the phone as the room faded, and all I could do was stare at those texts. I was watching the coven’s work in real time. Maybe it was just Kai’s persuasiveness, or maybe the coven really was sending some dark spell our way. Whatever they were doing, it was already working. I wanted to scream at them over text, but I couldn’t say a damn thing. I sent a few emojis, then threw on a heavier sweater and left out the back door.
I spotted the white truck, two blocks east. My pulse picked up. I glanced over my shoulder once, casually, and saw nothing but parked cars and trees, and opened the truck door.
We stole one long glance at each other, then Damian eased onto the road.
“You’re alright?” he said, in a way that told me he needed to hear “yes.”
“I’m fine. Today was okay. You?”
“I’m okay tonight.”
“Tonight?”
He glanced in the rearview mirror.
