Page 41 of Unmarked Magic

“Do I have to say it out loud?” I asked.

She shook her head, and her auburn hair shone in the light above her. “Not at all.”

You. I want to know about you, I willed the cards silently. I held her gaze for a moment too long. That point where the uncomfortable forces vulnerability to bleed.

I shifted in my seat. Feigned unbothered. “Okay, go ahead.”

I watched as again she continued to shuffle the cards.

“Spirit, what advice does Reid need in love right now?” she asked.

Three cards fell out. My past, present and future.

Red’s finger lingered above the first card. My past. “This card is The High Priestess. It speaks of something hidden or an unspoken truth.”

I stiffened, not expecting her card to resonate.

Her brow furrowed, she paused, then her finger landed on the corner of the card. “It could symbolize a secret, or a lie, yours or someone else’s. Someone could be acting quietly, observing more than they reveal.”

My skin prickled in awareness, and it took every ounce of me not to look at Colt. His scrutiny hit my skin at once, crawling over my limbs.

“The card symbolizing your present is the Seven of Swords, in reverse.” Suddenly, her spine straightened, lips pursing. “This card speaks of a deception being revealed. Through a truth being exposed or a confession.”

I didn’t miss the cough beside me from Colt. Again, I didn’t look at him. So far, this tarot thing had been scarily accurate, although I could not reveal this to the group. Opting for light humor, I leaned forward, tapping the last card. “Surely, this means I get to meet my soulmate, too?”

What. A. Fucking. Joke.

Nothing about that sentence spoke my truth.

Red met my eyes with unexpected softness. Her darkly stained lips parted as she pushed her hair behind her ear. “I’m afraid not. The Judgement card usually speaks of alignment. It symbolizes clarity, resolution, or a moment of awakening.”

I fucking hoped not. Because nothing about my life needed clarity right now, only suppression. I dragged my eyes off her and emptied my beer. It dangled between my two fingers like the High Priestess staring at me on the table. Red was good. She’d hit the nail on the fucking head. Split it down the middle, even.

Without missing a beat, she gathered up the cards into a neat pile, stacking them back in their holder. As if she knew I couldn’t handle seeing them a moment longer.

I ran my thumb over the sticker of the beer bottle. I had secrets. I knew it and was pretty sure she did, too. The elephant lodged between us blew its fucking stack–full trumpet.

She picked up her wine, taking a long drink from it. I found myself enthralled in the way her thumb swiped the remaining residue off her bottom lip.

Her next comment came dripping in sarcasm. “Guess you’re about to admit to the guys your roommate buys your jocks for you.” Another hard glare. The softness was momentary.

“So it seems,” I said evenly.

She leaned in as if making a show to keep the ‘secret’ between us. “I won’t tell if you don’t,” she whispered.

I couldn’t help it. My gaze dropped to her mouth, where her dark cherry lips were smudged with equal parts bite and banter. That one sentence held so many hidden meanings. The underwear. Our moment. My scars. The secrets she didn’t even know about that could kill her.

Fuck.

I dragged my eyes off her, making to stand. A hand landed on my thigh, pausing my actions. I stared down at Red. She looked back up at me. “I need to go,” I said, and her hand fell off me. I was about to say goodbye to everyone when her fingertips subtly brushed the underside of my forearm this time.

“We need to talk,” she said, low enough for only me to hear.

I steeled my face, trying to ignore the way her touch felt on my arm. My pulse slammed my skin, and I felt it like a poison hitting my bloodstream. Fast, potent. Deadly. My blood rushed, my magic stirred. But this time, it felt different. It felt awake. “No. We don’t.” I made for the stairs, not looking back. There was no way I would drag her into this.

When I pulled the front door open, a brittle cold blasted my face. It was snowing again. Just my fucking luck. Trudging down Ty’s driveway, my boots scuffed the layer of snow along the ground. I zipped my jacket up.

“Reid!”