Page 10 of Ancient Magic

Of course, it was also possible that her pissy mood was a direct result of the Benefactor sending them to the theater for no rational reason. Skye assumed the mystical patron had been bored and decided to brighten his Sunday by tossing them into a nasty demon nest to battle for their lives. It was the only thing that made sense.

Whatever the cause, Maya wasn’t ready to discuss the epic failure at the theater or the arrival of the Cabal. Which was fine with Skye. If being a seer had taught her nothing else, it was to live in the moment. There was no point in brooding on the past or fretting about the future.

It was the now that mattered.

Besides, she had enough on her plate without fretting over Maya’s bad temper, she wryly acknowledged.

Before tonight’s dinner she still had to replenish her charm bracelet with magic, dig through her closet for something halfway presentable to wear to a formal dinner, and hopefully sneak in a nap.

But first she had an important duty that demanded her attention.

Removing the apron she’d slid on before her marathon morning of grinding and brewing coffee, Skye replaced it with a bright yellow rain slicker before she opened the walk-in cooler and grabbed a wicker basket.

“Where are you going?” Maya demanded as she completed the cleansing spell that not only sanitized the shop from any germs and bacteria but purged it of any hexes that might have been cast when they weren’t looking.

Their side business of bewitching, beguiling, and occasionally cursing demons meant they made a lot of enemies.

“It’s Monday,” she reminded her friend. “I’m going to take Clarissa some goodies.”

Maya glanced toward the large windows with a frown. “It’s raining. If you’ll give me a minute, I’ll drive you.”

Skye had never bothered to learn to drive. Her visions hit without warning, momentarily blinding her. It wouldn’t be safe to be behind the wheel when that happened.

“It’s only a couple of blocks away,” Sky said, heading toward the front door. “Besides, I like walking in the rain.”

Maya clicked her tongue. “I hope that woman realizes how lucky she is to have a friend like you.”

Skye shrugged. She’d befriended the local fortune teller not long after she’d settled in New Jersey. Both Maya and Peri assumed it was because she felt sorry for the woman who struggled to make a living. And she did, but the truth was that she’d sought out the older woman because her own mother had been a fortune teller in a traveling carnival. At least until she’d died of cancer when Skye was just a child.

“She’s an old woman on her own,” Skye reminded her friend. “It’s what neighbors do.”

“Not all neighbors,” Maya muttered, still glancing out the window.

Skye frowned as she noticed the man leaning against the light pole a few feet away from the shop. He was hunching forward, as if trying to keep the rain out of his face, but there was no mistaking the velour tracksuit and oversized fishing hat.

“What is your problem with Joe?” Skye abruptly demanded. “He’s harmless.”

Maya’s jaw tightened, emphasizing the silvery scar. “There’s nothing harmless about him,” she insisted. “I don’t know who or what he is, but he’s not another homeless man wandering the streets. In fact, I don’t think he’s human at all.”

Skye considered the accusation. When she was very young she’d been like any other kid. She had no idea there were vampires or demons or even mages. And while she’d known her mother was clairvoyant, she hadn’t known that she was a practicing witch. Not until her visions started to appear.

Since then, she’d discovered there was a huge magical world surrounding her. Why wouldn’t there be creatures she hadn’t encountered yet?

“Neither are we,” she pointed out.

“True.” Maya shook her head, visibly dismissing Joe from her thoughts before she glanced toward Skye. “Call if you want a ride back.”

“I will.”

Skye exited the building, not bothering to pull up her hood as the drizzle dampened her curls. She’d nearly reached the light pole when Joe lifted his head, his eyes briefly glowing with a deep green fire before he covered them with his hand, as if he were protecting them from a blinding light.

“Yikes. You look like a lemon exploded.”

Skye glanced down at her slicker with a smile. “It’s new. Do you like it?”

“Like it?” His voice was low, but it held a distant thunder. “It gives me a headache.”

“Thank you.” She smiled, reaching into the wicker basket to pull out a muffin. “Here you go.”

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