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“Don’t tell me.” Kiss. “You’re tired.” Kiss.

I wet my lips as my eyes blink open, fighting what I’m sure is a sex-induced coma. “Why?”

“Because I’m just getting started with you.”

I giggle as Nix grins, pulls the blanket over our heads, and starts all over again.

20

“Are you sure about this, Thea?” A woman with long, dark hair follows behind another. They move around a small, old kitchen, lit only by an open fire below a stove and the first hint of dawn.

“It’s the only way,” Thea says as she searches through the vials. “We can’t defeat him, but this will.”

She adds rose petals to a pot. A small charm on her choker dangles back and forth as flames flicker over a symbol pressed into the metal. Her finger trails down the old pages of a book before she turns back to the vials and keeps searching.

“What if he knows what we’ve done?” the first woman says, peering through the heavy drapes over the window. A dim, golden glow illuminates her face, and her deep brown eyes are filled with worry.

“Cassandra.”

The woman turns from the window, joining her friend by the fire.

“Trust me.” Thea makes a shallow cut across her palm with a dagger before doing the same to Cassandra. She removes her ring, then both women hold closed fists over the bubbling pot. “A daughter of Solomon will heed our call.”

They open their hands; a chain falls free from Cassandra’s grip, and a ring from Thea’s. A small burst of light explodes, sending tendrils of gold dust weaving up into the air.

“They both will.”

I wake to my body shaking as the vision slips away. Early sun fills the room, and my bed is empty except for me.

Cool air hits my naked skin when I throw back the covers. I don’t know when Nix left. All I remember is his kiss against my forehead when he told me he had to go home. I hurry to put on a long skirt and a thick, cable-knit sweater before lacing up my boots and crossing the hall to Sloane’s room.

I knock on her door, three hurried taps. Nothing. I try again before pressing my ear to the door, but it’s silent on the other side.

I need caffeine anyway. Taking the steps two at a time, I walk into Tea Alchemy and find Sloane and Celeste already seated at a table, deep in discussion.

“Hey, you guys are already up.”

“Morning, sweetie.” Celeste lifts her cheek for me to kiss it. “We just sat down five minutes ago. I stopped by your room, but you didn’t answer.”

“I had another vision.” I drop into the last empty seat at their table. “I saw Theodora and Cassandra. They knew each other. It wasn’t really a vision, more like a memory of the moment she created the curse on Catori. They both did. The talisman we’re looking for is a ring.”

“You’re certain?” Celeste asks.

“Pretty sure.” I nod. “They were talking about how they can’t defeat Catori, but a daughter of Solomon will. There was one other thing I saw.”

It’s still early. Only half of the tables in the teahouse are full.

A waitress passes behind me. “Excuse me,” I say, stopping her. “Do you have a pen I can borrow, please?”

She pulls a pen from the front pocket of her apron, handing it to me with a smile.

I thank her before grabbing a napkin from the holder in the center of the table and sketching the symbol from Theodora’s necklace. When I’m done, I turn it around to show Sloane and Celeste.

“Mom’s ring?” Sloane picks up the napkin, studying the drawing.

I turn to Celeste. “What year did Theodora’s bloodline end?”

“1968.”