Page 54 of The Witch and The Blood Oath

“Please, Walker?” she said in a voice like syrup. “We’ve never gotten to travel.”

Walker actually appeared conflicted. The power Cadence held over him transcended magic.

“Have you forgotten we’re here on a dangerous, life-or-death mission?” he finally said and lifted his hat to run his fingers through his hair.

Cady frowned, but a bustling coffee shop quickly snagged her attention. She pointed at it and grinned.

“Okay, fine,” she conceded. “No ghosts, but everyone has to eat. Can wepleaseget beignets?”

Walker shrugged, and Ryder claimed he was hungry enough to be on death’s door. As we veered toward the legendary Café du Monde, I nudged Cady with my elbow.

“Nice work,” I whispered.

She frowned, but mischief danced in her gaze. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“You gave them a ridiculous idea, so your slightly less ridiculous idea would sound more reasonable. Those are pretty solid manipulation tactics, kid.”

Cadence giggled and reached down to scratch Arion between his ears. “Just wait till you try the sugar-coated, fried goodness, and you’ll be thanking me. I looked this place up on the way here and wehaveto try it.”

Like usual, Cadence wasn’t wrong. Twenty-five minutes later, I inhaled at least two cups of coffee and lost track of how many beignets I consumed. My coven would’ve been repulsed by the sheer gluttony, but for once, I didn’t care.

Cady groaned. “That was delicious, but I think I might be sick.”

“I told you to stop at beignet number five,” Walker said and sighed.

“Bathroom,” Cady muttered and raced through the café.

Walker stood, but I waved him off. “I’ve got her.”

I found Cady stuck in a dense line. As the young witch clutched her stomach, she accidentally bumped into the woman in front of her. The woman turned, and my breath caught.

She was so beautiful, she didn’t seem real.

In the light that filtered through the windows, her rich brown skin shone like lost treasure. Her upturned eyes mirrored the elegant slant of her broad cheekbones, and her hair was coiled into delicate braids that trailed down her back. She wore a simple yellow sundress that failed to hide her lush figure.

As her dark gaze met mine, I shook myself.

“Hi,” I greeted. My voice snapped Cadence out of her own daze. “Would you mind if she goes in front of you? She’s a bit sick.”

The strange, lovely woman chuckled. There was something familiar about her, yet I was certain we had never met.

“Of course,” she said, “that’s actually what I was just offering.”

As the bathroom door swung open and a middle-aged woman walked out, Cadence didn’t give the woman a chance to second-guess her decision.

“Thanks!” she said and hurried into the bathroom.

“Your sister?” the woman asked with a confused expression. Cady and I looked nothing alike.

“No,” I said, “um, a friend’s sister.”

The woman smiled bittersweetly. I wanted to ask her what was wrong, but my own urge surprised me. I wasn’t one to pry into strangers’ lives.

What’s with this girl?

Something about her made me want to be unnecessarilynice.I cast out my magic to try to sus out some strange power she possessed but found nothing. If she had any magic, it was hidden by the city's power.

“She’s cute,” the woman said. Her voice was like music. Her accent wasn’t quite American, British, or African, but some strange combination of each.

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