Divination (Spells and Sins)

Chapter 10

Chapter

Ten

"A circle unbroken is a heart unguarded."

Lunara

“ S o, where should we look first?” I asked the instant I reclaimed my seat in Elysia’s car. I did my best to ignore the judgmental gazes that stared back at me from the yard.

“I figured we’d check the lighthouse.” Elysia peered over her shoulder as she checked the street for passing cars.

I glanced at the rearview mirror, seeing Elysia’s coven finally disband once we were off of the property. “The lighthouse.” My murmurings were just a small indication of how uncomfortable this entire situation made me.

While I knew fae who had disappeared before, I’d never met a human who had crossed planes. But, then again, these witches must be some of the most powerful in existence if the elders sent me here.

Elysia snickered. “Are you okay?” She turned my way for a brief moment then looked back at the road.

Meanwhile, I chewed the inside of my cheek, more unsettled than I wanted to admit that Thalia’s trail had just gone cold. “Can I be completely honest with you?”

“I’d accept nothing less.” Her half-smile did nothing to settle the unease I felt.

“I know I didn’t say so before, but the fact that Thalia just disappeared without a trace is a little concerning.” I crossed and uncrossed my ankles as I stared at the sidewalk rapidly passing by.

“But you said that people can disappear. That if she disappeared from that spot, she could’ve reappeared somewhere else.” Elysia’s driving grew more erratic, only adding to my anxiety.

“I know what I said.” As Elysia’s tension grew, so did my own and I just couldn’t think with all of this angst passing back and forth between us.

When Elysia continued to pick up the pace, I reached across the center console to rest my hand on her thigh. “Try to stay calm.”

“Stay calm? Stay calm?” Her head whipped in my direction and her piercing green eyes seemed to burn a hole right through me.

I pulled my hand from her thigh, realizing that point of contact only intensified the nervous energy I felt rushing off her. “Look, it’s possible that Thalia is still out there, but in order for her to cross planes, she would’ve had to be taken.”

“Is that so?”

I continued to study Elysia’s face, but her sudden defiance made me hate myself for keeping this from her back at Thalia’s. “I’m not trying to upset you more —”

All it once, Elysia jerked the car to a stop, turning her intense, judgmental stare on me. “Then you shouldn’t have lied, and you definitely shouldn’t underestimate the power of our coven.”

The weight of that judgmental ogling only reminded me that I didn’t belong here–or anywhere. “Look, I’ll get out here. Then you can carry on with your search for Thalia.” I reached for the door, prepared to walk away, but Elysia’s hand stopped me.

“Wait.” Her hand clung to my arm, keeping me in my seat. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you, it’s just…” She blew out a breath, grudgingly releasing my arm as she turned her attention to the road.

I sat in silence, pressing my back against the door as I put enough space between us to take a full, stabilizing breath.

With her head hanging, Elysia said, “I’ve been lied to a lot in my life.” Slowly, her head lifted, but her stare stayed pointed straight ahead. “Before I met Morgana, my boyfriend told me he wanted a future with me, a life.” She sighed, her shoulders sagging as she continued. “Then, one day I found him in bed with our next-door neighbor.” Her hands tightened on the steering wheel as the memory took her back to a place that I didn’t want her to go right now.

“It’s okay. We don’t have to–”

“I want to.” Her brows lifted as she finally looked at me again. “I told him I was leaving —that I refused to be manipulated, but he fed me some sob story of how she’d come over searching for her lost cat and they’d somehow ended up in bed together.”

If I ever found the guy, I’d make sure to remove his genitalia, inch by inch.

“I shouldn’t have believed it. After that betrayal, I should’ve known he was a snake.” Her upper lip curled into a sneer and her nose crinkled as she recounted the events. “When I came home from work the next day, our house was empty, and so was my bank account.”

When her head fell this time, I did the one thing that felt natural; I reached for her face, pointing those beautiful green eyes back at me.

While my thumb swiped back and forth across her cheek, I said, “What an asshole.”

Her face grew tense, as if she felt guilt or shame for what happened. “If it weren’t for the coven, I don’t know what I would’ve done.”

“You’re lucky to have them.” My thumb continued stroking her face. “I wish I had just one person that I could turn to when life got hard.” I’d spent so much of my life wandering the forests while I wished for more, but I always ended up alone.

“You do now.”

Her green orbs, strikingly similar to the grass I fell asleep on each night, seemed to breathe new life into me. There was a peace there that drew me closer until our lips were pressed together, our mouths joined in a passionate kiss that I could feel to the depths of my soul.

Her soft moan radiated into my chest as my hands roamed her body, stopping only briefly when I reached her waist. Darting my tongue to the seam of her mouth, I tasted cherry Chapstick and waited for her to welcome me inside.

When her lips fell a breath apart, I let my tongue delve further, instantly tangling with hers as her hands grabbed a fistful of my shirt and pulled me closer.

I reached beneath the folds of her skirt, desperate to feel her wetness against my skin, but when my hand slid up her thigh, she reached between us, stopping its movement.

“Wait.” She eased from my grasp, taking a moment to compose herself before she opened her eyelids. When she finally set her eyes on me, she said, “I want this. Goddess, I want this, but not here. Not right now.”

I felt a little wounded, but she was right. There were more pressing matters than the feel of her naked body against mine. And, damn how I wanted our bodies mingled in a moment of intense passion. But, it would wait. As much as it pained me to say it, I told her, “You’re right.” I eased my hands back to my side of the car, forcing those tempting thoughts to the deepest recesses of my mind until the current situation was resolved.

While it took a few minutes for the two of us to regain our composure, Elysia finally pulled away from the curb. “So, the lighthouse?”

“Sounds like a plan.”

We searched high and low, literally, and found no hide nor hair of anything even remotely magical. As we descended the numerous steps on our way out of the lighthouse, Elysia said, “Maybe you were right. We should’ve checked the clock tower.”

I snatched her hand, stopping her on the staircase before I spun her around and pressed her back against the wall. “Say it again.”

Her brow furrowed as her breathing slowed to a crawl. “Say what again?”

“That I’m right.” There was no containing my smirk as she smacked my shoulder then continued her trek down. “Come on, babe. It was funny.”

Her head shook as she kept her back to me.

“A little funny?” Teasing Elysia was just too easy and I loved how her cheeks flushed every time I made her uncomfortable.

“Even if you were right, I won’t make the mistake of saying it again.” She flipped her dark, wavy hair over her shoulder as she reached the ground floor and marched for the exit.

“Oh, come on. Was it really that painful?”

Elysia stopped in her tracks, spinning on her heel to face me. “Are all fae as headstrong as you, or are you just a rare specimen?”

I shrugged. “You could say I’m pretty rare since I’m the only half fae, half human I’ve ever met.”

All humor left our conversation as Elysia slowed, allowing me to catch up with her. When I fell in stride alongside her, she asked, “Is it hard being the only one like you?”

“Being alone, in any capacity, is never easy.” To say my existence had been lonely was definitely an understatement, but I’d managed. “After a while, you get used to the quiet.”

“I’m sorry.” Elysia’s sincerity reminded me just how alone I’d been.

After so many years living in the faery lands by myself, I’d started to get accustomed to being alone, but her apology reminded me how nice it was to have someone to turn to, even if just for a little while. “It’s okay.”

I picked up my pace marginally, only stopping when I reached the passenger side of the car. Once it was unlocked, I took my seat, closing myself inside with the quiet surrounding me once again.

Holding my breath, I waited for Elysia to join me, needing her presence to ground me, to help me feel like I wasn’t alone. It hadn’t even been a full day, and I was already growing used to having her around. This could be dangerous.

The moment Elysia was closed inside the vehicle with me, she fired up the engine and backed out of the lighthouse parking lot, never sparing me a glance.

I got the feeling she felt uncomfortable by my revelations. Maybe it was for the best that she put some distance between us before I got too attached and was unable to fulfill my duty of returning the orb to my homeland.

When Elysia finally broke the silence, her confession alerted me to an unexpected problem. “I hope we’re able to get into the clock tower.”