Page 23 of Love Summoned

“I—what?”

“The tea doesn’t lie.” She smiles, tapping the side of her nose, then continues walking past us.

Her reading.

Edith predicted someone close to me would get hurt, that there’d be challenges I’d need to face, but also success, pleasure.

“Hey, wait!” I run after her. “Do you think you could do another reading?”

“Have you always lived in Hemlock?” I ask, as turned earth and spicy herbs overwhelm my senses. Various plants hang from a rack over a table in the center of Edith’s open kitchen. Shelves are lined along the walls with books, vials, and candles.

“Take a seat,” Edith says, ignoring my question and assuming the chair at the head of the table as she picks up a deck of cards.

Nix and I take a seat on either side of her, facing each other. Edith shuffles the cards before striking them twice with a closed fist and dividing them into two piles. She places half the deck in front of me, the other in front of Nix.

“Are there other witches here, or have there been before?” I try again.

“The answers you seek are here.” She smiles then taps the cards in front of me. “Shuffle those.” Picking up an incense stick from the tray in front of her, she dips it into the flame of one of the candles.

“What will the cards tell us exactly?” Nix asks as he clumsily passes them from hand to hand.

“What you need to know.” Edith gestures for us to hand them back.

With a corner of each pile butting against the other, she draws her thumb along the edges with a satisfying zip until they’re blended into one. She shuffles them in her hands and draws out ten cards, one by one, laying them over the table in a Celtic cross pattern.

Tension is thick and hot as it swells in the room. My eyes stray to Nix as his gaze runs over each card.

“You’re in a time of upheaval,” Edith says, touching the Tower card. “Sudden. Chaotic. Like a lightning strike to the world you had known, and now it’s crumbling, forcing you to face fears and shift your path.” She taps The Hanged Man card that sits sideways over the first one. “You may try to fight this change with logic, but this card is telling you to let everything happen as it should. See the people, problems, obstacles from a different angle.”

Edith’s hand shifts, hovering over the third card. “Death is a necessary ending. You cling to old ways, but sometimes you must let go so that new growth can happen. Do not fear the unknown.”

She points to Judgment next, before looking up, calm blue eyes questioning. “Someone is carrying deep guilt. It’s affecting your ability to trust yourself and step into your higher power.”

My visions. Am I the reason they won’t show me their truth? If I weren’t so stuck on them, could I have seen Sloane’s injury and prevented it from happening? If I were stronger, better, would I have been able to save Bridget?

A foot nudges mine beneath the table; the pressure settles against me. The warmth of Nix’s skin through his sweatpants rubs against my calf, his strong presence like an anchor in the here and now instead of letting me wander around with the what-ifs. I don’t bother to fight the pull. I press my leg firmer against his and take a deep breath before Edith continues.

“The Two of Cups in your current position, now that’s lovely. Think of this card as your compass.”

“What does it mean?” Nix asks.

“It represents a deep bond between two entities, one that’s built on mutual respect and emotional equilibrium. Simply put, it’s the card of soulmates.”

Nix’s eyes shift to mine. His energy is thick with turmoil and fear. I can’t influence the emotions of supernaturals, but I take a chance anyway and push my magic forward, imagining my hand in his and offering comfort and strength. My own heart starts to hurt less, beat more calmly in my chest, so I hold on tighter.

Edith talks about trying to fight changes and necessary endings. Are we denying the inevitable every time we try to push away and diminish our connection? What if we leaned into it? Embraced it? We’re natural enemies, but destiny has paired us together for a reason.

“The Nine of Wands in your near future. There is a battle ahead, possibly the worst one you will face, but you have The Star in the seventh position. This shows how you need to approach your problems. This is the card for faith. Believing. Resilience.” Edith taps the next card, The Moon, her face growing solemn. “This, however, is hidden motives. Deceit.”

My head feels like it’s trying to ride the waves in a hurricane. One minute, my hopes soar, and the next they come crashing down. I try to find the surface, and the second my feet are steady, the board is pulled from beneath me.

“Ten of Cups is your hopes and fears. You long for contentment and finding your true place, but you fear that allowing yourself that happiness is too good to be true. It could never be yours. But this—” Edith holds up the last card. “The Lovers. If you trust the path,” she waves her hand over the entire pattern of cards, “true love is your destiny.”

11

A thrashing lead guitar and the trill of a well-placed riff are the tune my fists play to as I strike the punching bag. My chain bounces against my sweat-soaked skin as I throw continuous jabs, uppercuts, and hooks with the occasional spinning back kick. Most of my day has been spent down here, the gym in the basement of the record store.

I forgot what it was like to be mortal, the simple pleasures as well as the complexities.