Page 64 of The Glittering Edge

A breeze moves through the store with their arrival, rustling the dark purple velvet that hangs from every wall. It muffles all sound from outside, and it’s as if they’ve stepped through a portal to another dimension.

Penny walks up to the cash register, her footfalls soundless on the thick carpet. Corey follows her, his eyes darting all around as if someone might appear out of thin air. There’s a service bell, and a piece of paper propped up next to it withRing mescribbled in messy handwriting. Penny hesitates before she taps the bell. The sound is piercing at first, but it’s quickly lost in the velvet hangings.

A rustle comes from somewhere in the back of the store. A disembodied hand appears between two of the curtains, and then the velvet sweeps aside to reveal a tall, skinny guy in his twenties. His locs hang in his eyes, and he’s wearing a magnetic name tag on his IU basketball jersey that readsMILTON P.

“Hey, guys,” Milton says, sliding onto a stool. “How can I help you?”

Penny takes the lead. “Hi. Um, sorry, are you moving?”

“No, why?”

“Because…” She gestures at the empty store.

“We keep our stuff in the back. Way too many valuables that would do bad things in the wrong hands, you know?”

That makes Corey feel sick to his stomach.

“Right,” Penny says, the terror barely hidden on her face. “Um, we’re looking for the Pierre coven.”

“You got us. Or one of us.”

So this guy is a witch. It takes all Corey’s self-control to stand still when every instinct is telling him to run out of the shop. He’s spent his entire life avoiding magic and witches because a coven ruined his life before he was even born. But unlike Alonso, this guy seems normal. You’d never know he was a witch if he hadn’t admitted to it.

Corey swallows his fear. “I’m Corey, and this is Penny.”

“How’s it going?”

“Fine!” Penny says, a little too eager.

Milton quirks a smile. “Mortals don’t come here when things are fine.”

Corey glances at Penny, who looks as nervous as he feels. “You can tell we’re mortals?”

“Sure. It’s an energy thing.”

Corey nods, even though he has no idea what that means. “And you don’t care that we’re here?”

Milton shrugs. “People aren’t as quick to believe in magic as you think. But if you blab to too many people, we have our ways of doing damage control.”

Now he’s threatening them. Corey glances at Penny, hoping this fits her definition of a conversation that “doesn’t go well.” But Penny hasn’t looked away from Milton, and her jaw is set with determination.

“We’re not going to tell anyone,” she says, her voice a little unsteady. “We came here to show you something.” She slides her phone across the counter. On it is a picture of the burn on Alonso’s hand.

Milton grabs the phone, holding it a few inches from his face. He looks from the picture to Penny, his expression wary. “What did you say your names were?”

Corey sighs, because he knows what Milton is really asking. “Last name is Barrion.”

Before Milton can say a word, the floor vibrates. Like, actually vibrates. Milton’s full attention is suddenly on the front door. Corey instinctively steps in front of Penny again in case someone—or something—comes charging through.

“What was that?” Penny says.

“Someone tripped the alarm,” Milton says.

Corey doesn’t need three guesses who that might be.

Milton is already walking to the door, and Penny tries to stop him. “Wait!”

But Milton doesn’t wait. He swings the door open and stops short. “The hell is this?”

---