Page 30 of Death Card

“Done.” She takes her phone back and I stick my hands in my pockets to keep her from seeing how shaky I am. “So, later, then?”

“Later.”

And with that, she’s gone. For now. My shoulders slump as adeep fatigue settles into my bones. Being around her is so electric that when she leaves, I feel sapped dry of all my energy.

Out of pure curiosity, I flip over the next card in Joelle’s reading. It’s the You card. On the front, a blond woman sits on a throne with a giant sunflower in one hand. A black cat perches at her feet. It’s the Queen of Wands.

Joelle is a force to be reckoned with. But you know what? I can be, too.

13

After our shift,Orion swiftly disappears, off to do God knows what. I’m not overly eager to head home yet, so I drift through the streets like a ghost. I don’t have a destination in mind. Instead, I allow fate to guide me.

I walk past bars and restaurants, boutiques and art galleries. I stroll through groups of old people laden with shopping bags and fanny packs and stop to admire an artist painting vibrant caricatures of a family.

In a city as lively as this, how could anyone ever feel alone?

But Iamalone, in my grief and my fear and my responsibility.

I’m the one who will bear the weight of the coven on my shoulders, but that’s only if I can figure out why Joelle will end up attacking me. She seems nice enough. In another life, maybe I would even have a chance with her.

What could possibly lead a girl like that to murder?

If she loves magic so much, maybe that’s the key. Desire is a powerful drug, and sometimes it’s easier to destroy what you can’t have.

A spark of electricity flares up my arm as the back of my hand brushes against someone else’s skin. When I whirl around, I lock eyes with a slender white girl with a sharply pointed chin andchestnut-colored hair that falls at her shoulders. Her icy blue eyes are calculating as she assesses me.

At first glance, I could convince myself that she’s no one special, but the wind whispers,“You know who she is.”

One moment she’s standing in front of me on the sidewalk, and the next, she’s been swallowed up in the crowd.

“No!” I bolt after her, determined not to miss this opportunity to confront a Hightower in the flesh.

Our paths have never crossed, but I’ve heard her name uttered in hushed whispers during rare mentions of the Hightower coven. There was talk of a young heiress the same age as Orion and me.

There’s no doubt in my mind I just stood face-to-face with Aria Hightower, the granddaughter of her coven’s Matron.

It seems like no coincidence to run into her right after the Council meeting. For all I know, I could be racing straight into a trap, yet she doesn’t glance over her shoulder to ensure that I’m following. In fact, I can barely keep up with her.

I weave through the crowds, shoving past slow walkers in an effort to keep up with the flash of dark hair. I follow her for several blocks until she crosses the street and disappears into a storefront. Blurriness takes over my vision until I avert my gaze from the store.

That’s strange. Every time I shift my eyes back in that direction, a haze slips over the building’s facade. I squint and blink to clear it, but nothing works.

Something isn’t right here. My sight is being directed away from this store, which means someone really doesn’t want me going inside.

If I hadn’t been following Aria, I likely never would’ve paid any attention to this place. When I cross the street, a force repels my body in the opposite direction. This isn’t a glamour but a full-on ward, meant to keep me away. It isn’t impossible to disable another witch’s ward, but it does take a fair amount of energy.

I’m not sure if I’ll be able to do it alone.

I cross back to the opposite side of the street and dial Orion’s number. The line goes straight to voicemail. I stare down at my phone, frustration crawling up my throat. Even after everything that’s happened, he can’t be bothered to keep his phone on! Sure, maybe the battery died, but that isn’t a good enough excuse. Not when witches are dying.

I need him, and he isn’t there. I guess I’m going to have to do this myself.

My eyes slip shut as I send my magic shooting toward the ward. I search for a weak spot in the foundation. Once I identify a crack, I force all my magic into it, sending hairline fractures spiderwebbing through the ward until it shatters.

When I open my eyes, my view of the storefront is clear and unobstructed.

Whoa, did that really happen?I stare down at my hands with fresh eyes. If others in the coven could see what I did, maybe they wouldn’t question my ascension.