Page 27 of Death Card

My hand flies up to my chest. My heart beats steadily beneath my palm. For now, I’m still alive, but that may not be the case in a few weeks. Death is coming for me faster than I ever expected.

But it sounds like Grandma Rose thought she could warn Bernice away from her fate. This could be the proof I need that Gran might have been wrong. That means my vision might not be as inevitable as we all thought.

My resolve strengthens. I’ll find a way to stop Joelle from killing me and along the way, I’m going to make sure I save my coven from this magical illness. I may not be the Witch Queen the coven wants, but for now, I’m the one they’ve got. Like Grandma Rose wrote, I’ll keep watch over this coven for as long as I’m living. If I’m wrong and this is the last thing I’ll get to do with the time I have left, then I’ll give it my all.

And when it’s time for me to take my last breath, I hope all the women in my family who came before me are waiting on the other side with open arms.

12

A knock atthe door breaks my concentration. I slam the book shut and stuff everything back into my bag. Even though I’m not doing anything wrong, I still don’t want Orion to see what Grandma Rose wrote. Her words feel like they were written for me, and I’d like to keep them for myself as long as possible.

“Yeah?” I call out after I’ve zipped my bag shut.

Orion whips open the door, nearly smacking me in the face. “What are you even doing back here? I need you up front.”

I nod toward the rest of the books. “I was doing research to see if I could find any information about this magical illness.”

He opens the front cover of the book on top of the stack and inhales a dust cloud. As he coughs up half a lung, I peek through the door and spot a curly head of blond hair up near the register. I can’t help but let out a hiss and slam the door shut, collapsing against it.

I didn’t expect to have such a visceral reaction to seeing Joelle again.

“That’s what I was coming to tell you about.” He takes his vape from his pocket and twirls it in his fingers. “Do you really think this is a good idea? How do you know she won’t shove you into a corner and shank you?”

“Thanks for that imagery,” I retort. “I’mnot the one who wants Joelle working here. That’s all Gramps. I tried to get him to reject her application, but he thinks this is the perfect opportunity for me to dig into her past and find out her motive.”

“Okay,” he says with a sigh. “In that case, you should train her. I’ll keep an eye on you both to make sure nothing happens.”

I grind my palms against my eyes.Okay, Mikaela. You can do this.I’ve got to face Joelle. There’s still time to figure out her motives and put a stop to my own murder. I mean, the odds are slim, but they’re there.

“Thanks, Ri.” I grab a scrunchie from my bag and pull my box braids into a loose ponytail. The action clears my mind and centers me in space. I reach for the door handle and then pause. “Besides, the vision was clear. I won’t die until the full moon.”

“No,” Orion says. “You’re not going to die at all because you’re going to stop her.”

Stop Joelle from killing me, find out the source of the mystery illness, investigate the Hightowers. It’s a wonder I get any sleep at all with a to-do list like this.

Joelle leans against the counter with her back to me. She’s chatting with a customer about something, so she doesn’t notice me until I’m right beside her. Despite my sudden appearance, she doesn’t startle. Instead, a slow grin spreads across her face.

“We meet again,” she beams. “Your grandpa approved my application, although I’m sure you saw that in the cards if he didn’t tell you.”

My brain isn’t moving quickly enough to form any sort of witty response in her presence. Instead, her amber eyes trap me in their stare. The scent of her floral perfume lingers pleasantlyin the air. She’s dressed less like a tourist today, in a pair of jean shorts and a green collared shirt. It hangs unbuttoned, revealing a white tank top underneath and a delicate gold chain around her neck; a pale white moonstone between two golden crescent moons hangs from the chain.

I recognize the triple-moon symbol immediately. It’s the symbol of Hecate, the ancient Greek goddess of crossroads and magic.

The sight is like a bucket of cold water over my emotions, snapping me out of my Joelle haze. As Orion helps the customer at the register, I incline my head toward the back of the store. Joelle follows at my heels.

“I’ll be training you,” I say frigidly, shoulders stiff as I lead Joelle back to the storeroom. “Let me grab you a name tag and we can get started.”

“Okay.” Joelle shuffles her weight back and forth on her heels, fiddling with her necklace, as I rummage around for a blank Zeke’s name tag.

After I hand it to her, I grab a box of new stock items and lead her to our candle and incense section.

“You can restock today. It’ll help you figure out where everything is before you start helping customers.”

“Should be easy enough.” She kneels down and tries to use her keys to cut open the tape. I hesitate before walking back to the storeroom to grab the box cutter. My heart races as I hand her the blade.

Would Orion be able to stop her if she tries to attack me? Or should I risk using my magic to subdue her?

My thoughts don’t stop racing until she slices through the tape and resheathes the blade.