“Calliope, I have more good news for you,” she said. “You’re free of STDs, and the blood test confirms absolutely you are not pregnant.”
I plopped onto my old oak desk chair and spun in a half circle. “That’s a relief. I was going to call you and let you know I went through my first ritual last weekend. Rose says I am officially in my Priestess stage. I have a pretty crown to show for it, and one of these days, I hope to have a deeper understanding of what this all means”
Rowan let out a modest squeal. “Congratulations and welcome to the Witchy Women’s Club! You’ll be in a coven before you know it and taking workshops every weekend. Did Rose talk to you about using herbs to get your menstrual cycle back on track?”
“Belle has me on drops of black cohosh, blue cohosh, and one more I don’t remember.”
“Good. Those are exactly what I would have prescribed. Also, try to stay out of stressful situations.”
I couldn’t stop the guffaw that flew out of my mouth. “Oh, my Goddess, Rowan, you have no idea what it’s been like around here.” I stopped spinning and leaned back in the chair. The wheels squeaked in protest, reminding me of Cliff’s knees. And the fact that I had news for Tanner. Lots of news. “And speaking of stress, I’ve got to go.”
“Calli, wait.”
I closed my eyes, wished I could just give the guys movie money, ask Rowan over for a glass of wine, and have a girl’s night on the back deck.
“Let me know when you get your period,” she said. “There’s something I’d like to do for you, for your Blood Ceremony.”
Blood Ceremony. The inevitability of the next step to my magical initiations hit my belly like I’d swallowed a tub of my aunt’s tomato aspic. My womb dropped deeper into the bowl of my pelvis, all saturated and heavy.
“Okay,” I answered, “but I have a feeling that once I start to bleed and Rose gets the news, it’s going to be all hands on deck.”
I hung up with Rowan and scanned the familiar shapes of the furniture and knick-knacks in my office, seeing but not seeing. I had to tell Tanner about my conversation with Cliff while I could still string words together.
Curiosity must have tugged at his shirttails. I answered the knock at my door and waved him in.
“How’s it going with the amulets and wards and whatever other crafty projects you guys are doing?” I didn’t mean to sound flippant, but I was tired. And hungry. And wobbly on my feet.
“Leilani, Harper, and Thatcher have been given temporary protective amulets. I’m sure they’ll show them off. And I spoke with Malvyn. He okayed our plan and has offered his and Jim’s help.”
I nodded my approval. “I’m curious to meet them. I don’t know that I’ve ever met a sorcerer before.”
Tanner looked around my office. I was sitting in the only chair, and my futon bed was a tumble of sheets and a blanket.
“They tend to cluster in the financial sector. And auction houses.” He gestured to my sleeping spot. “Mind if I join you?”
“Here, you take the chair.” I pushed my pillow and blanket against the far wall, and propped myself up. Any more horizontal and I’d fall asleep mid-sentence.
“Thatcher heard from Doug again.”
Crap.
Tanner continued. “I think he sees your youngest as the more malleable of the two. He’s lobbying hard for Thatch to visit him in Vancouver. And threatening to pull him from school here and enroll him in a private academy in the city.”
I covered my face with my hands. “Let me set that news aside for a moment and fill you in on a couple other things.” I scrubbed at my eyes and stood. “Would you mind following me to the kitchen? If I don’t eat, I won’t be held responsible for what comes out of my mouth.”
“Like this morning?” Tanner teased, pulling me in close to his chest. “I liked what came out of your mouth when you kissed me.”
Oh, God. I tried to bury my forehead inside his shirt, but it stayed buttoned.
“Calli, it’s okay. It was a really nice kiss.” He slid his hand over my forehead and pressed me away enough we could see each other’s eyes. “And it was really nice to kiss you when neither of us was under the influence of the trees or…”
“Or her.” I finished the sentence for him. I had been thinking the same thing, first of all questioning if kissing Tanner was solely my desire and if him kissing me back was solely his. I joked, “Kissing was never this complicated before.”
“Want to kiss again?” he asked, adding just enough heat to the question that his golden sparks started to go off like flash bulbs.
“I can’t believe I’m saying this …” My voice trailed off as I watched the light bounce across his irises. “But I need food.”
Chapter 18
One half of a fully loaded veggie burger later and I was ready to bring Tanner up to speed on my day. “Okay, first of all, Kerry has it straight from the farmers’ mouths that two other orchard owners have received offers on their properties.”
“Are these orchards for sale?”
“No. I’ll do a follow up tomorrow and get a description of the realtor and find out if they left a card.” I lowered my voice. Harper, Leilani, and Thatch were outside with Kaz, but I didn’t want them to know about the hidden folk and the frozen heads. “After I stopped at my office, I went to see Cliff. He told me he found the bodies and buried them. And he happened to mention he’s a druid too.”
“I had my suspicions,” said Tanner. “But he’s let himself age.”
I nodded and chewed and waited to continue until I’d swallowed. “He made a pact with Abigail. They fell in love, he wanted her to train
