“Well, times up, and I’ve gotta go.” Just because he was a teacher didn’t mean shit to me when it came to them running over, and honestly, Connor had eyed me several times throughout the class, and I didn’t want to deal with him. “See ya Wednesday.” I turned and walked out of the class with a few students snickering behind me. I wanted to visit the witch before my next class started.
It only took a few minutes for me to make my way back to my car and get moving. I needed to get to the store and fast. I just hoped she got there on time. Sometimes she ran late, but I’d wait. At least there was a Qdoba nearby if I needed to grab something to eat. My stomach grumbled at the thought.
The storefront wasn’t too far from campus, so I rolled into the parking lot ten minutes after ten. I turned the car off and climbed out, heading straight to the door. I scanned the window for the open sign, and my heart skipped a beat when I saw the sign was lit.
At least that was one win for the day. I quickly opened the store’s door and stepped into the dark room.
This place always gave me the willies. The overpowering stench of rosemary always made me want to gag. I passed the rows of bowls, herbs, and cards to head straight to the counter.
“I dreamed about you last night.” Rose appeared from the back room. Her long black hair waved down her back, and her amber eyes were mesmerizing. She had to be only a couple of years older than me, but you could never be sure. Witches could glamour themselves and appear to people however they wanted. To see a witch’s true face was rare, and only those as close to her as her coven were the ones who received such honor. For all I knew, she could have gray hair and be hunched over. “Something happened last night to weaken the magic.”
Yeah, reliving my parents’ death was a doozy. “So you knew I’d be here today.”
“Of course.” Her red lips spread into a big smile. “The usual payment if you don’t mind.”
“Fine.” I held my hand out on the counter. “I forgot the herbs this time.”
She laughed again. “No worries. The blood is what I need most. We have vampires sniffing around our coven.”
That was the most information she’d given me before. “That sucks. Good luck with that.”
“You’re one interesting girl.” She pulled a knife from her black dress pocket and held it above my hand. “I can feel the strength and will inside you. Why do you keep wanting to hide it?”
“If you’re going to ask questions, I’ll find someone else.” She handled the exchange as a mutually beneficial arrangement. Now, she was getting nosey, which wasn’t part of the deal. And witches were the worst gossipers of every supernatural race.
“Fine.” She huffed and held my pointer finger with her left hand. “No need to get all grumpy.” As she inserted the dagger into my skin, a drop of blood puddled on the tip of my finger.
The metallic scent swirled in the air, but that was par for the course.
She released my hand and grabbed a small bottle. “Pour some in here.” She twisted the lid off and handed the glass container to me.
“Yeah, I know.” I squeezed my pointer finger, making sure several large drops coated the bottom. “Here you go.”
“Good girl.” She chuckled as she took the bottle and placed the lid back on.
“No dog jokes.” I wasn’t sure how comfortable I was with her changed attitude. “Now, let’s do this. I'm hungry.”
“Ahhh…” Rose pointed at me and nodded. “That’s what your problem is today. Next time, eat before you get here. It’s hard enough to handle you when you aren’t hangry.”
I kept coming back here due to her blunt nature. We knew exactly what side we stood on. “Yeah, yeah. Just do it.”
“Fine.” She grabbed some herbs and crushed them in her hands. She mouthed some words silently and placed the herbs in my hand. “There. Done.”
I’d always wondered what she said for the spell, but she told me only coven members are allowed to hear one another’s spells. Something about trade secrets or some shit like that.
As the magic settled in me, my wolf began to retreat back into her cage. She hated it, but this was the best for both of us. If we were meant to be rulers, fate wouldn’t have intervened.
“You need to be careful.” Something flashed in her eyes. “Were you around anyone today? You have a wolf scent on your skin.”
“What? No.” In all transparency, I made myself not scan for other supernaturals. The more you were attuned to the world, the more you became a target. “At least, I don’t think so.”
“If you’re beginning to make contact with new wolves other than your two caretakers, it’s going to make the magic wear off faster, so you’d better be careful. Your wolf grew beside those two and doesn’t feel threatened.” She grabbed a pink sticky note and wrote down her name and number. “Look, we’ve been doing these charades ever since you were a little girl. I don’t want to see something bad happen to you, so take my number. Call me if you need me, no matter the time.”
“So what will this cost me?” With witches, you had to be careful. They were sneaky as fuck and strong as hell.
“A future favor.” She crossed her arms and stared me down. “I’ve always been able to see glimpses of people’s futures. Even yours. But now when I look at you, all I see is black.”
“Huh.” Black wasn’t usually a good color when tied to magic. “Maybe I’ve escaped death once, and it’s coming back around for me.” I should’ve died that day with my parents. It seemed wrong to live. They died way too soon. The world still needed them. Hell, I
