“Your name is Booker?” I asked, sliding into the seat next to him. “That’s an amazing name.” I grinned over to King. “He’s got a cool name, too.”
Carli laughed and joined us. “You three really do all have unique names.”
King swiped his hand down his face like he wasn’t sure what was happening here, and I didn’t either, but it seemed like we should just roll with it at this point. What else was there to do?
I patted the seat next to mine. “Come on.”
Patchy, who’d stayed at Booker’s side, jumped up onto his lap with a yip. “Oh shoot. Sorry, Carli. Cassi,” I said. “Should I make him leave?”
Cassi waved me off. “He’s your familiar, right? He goes where you go, I imagine. Just ask him to hide himself once the customers start rolling in, if you don’t mind.”
No, I definitely didn’t. How would I explain a dog made up of a patchwork of colors like a quilt like he was? Yeah, no. Better to just have him go wherever it was he did. “Did you hear that, boy?” I asked, reaching over to scratch behind his ears. “Once the people come, you have to hide.”
He yipped happily and licked my fingers, so I assumed that meant he understood me.
“So…”
Cassi came from behind the counter and set two steaming mugs in front of me and King. His had cold foam on the top, and mine had a big puff of whipped cream with sprinkles. We hadn’t asked for anything other than coffee, but I guessed we were both in here enough that they knew what we liked. Or there was the witchiness of it all. Maybe they just knew what we needed in this moment. Although, from the look on King’s face, a stiff drink might suit him better.
Carli inhaled deeply, closed her eyes, and hummed softly. “This is nice.” She opened them, reached over, and patted King’s hand and then Booker’s knee. “Isn’t it wonderful when things come together?”
The poor guy looked scared out of his mind. I felt for him, but I wasn’t sure what to do to ease his fear. When Carli sat up straight in her seat, her posture becoming ramrod straight, I recognized instantly what was about to happen.
“Cassi,” I yelled, panicked.
King looked at me surprised by the urgency in my tone, and Booker’s gaze narrowed on me like I’d grown ten heads until Cassi came running and words that weren’t her own began streaming out of Carli’s mouth.
“Son, your journey has been hard. It’s been long. I’m sorry we couldn’t make it easier for you. Kinder for you. But you are right where you’re supposed to be for such a time as this. Plant yourself on this land and let your roots grow deep. You will befed here, watered, nurtured, and you will bloom. Past all your circumstances, beyond what anyone in your old life could ever imagine. Here you will bloom and flourish. You will rest, you will train, and you will lead, young sorcerer. So it was preordained before your birth.”
Then Carli slumped in her seat, and Cassi pulled her head into her side, smoothing her hair back in a soothing manner. She smiled at Booker. “Well, isn’t this an honor.”
“I told you someone big was coming,” Carli mumbled.
Cassi shook her head fondly, stroking Carli’s head again. “You did. I never doubted you. I just didn’t expect it to happen so fast.”
My gaze slid to Booker where he sat pale, clutching at Patchy, who seemed more than happy to give the young…sorcerer comfort. Holy crap. Booker was a sorcerer.
“He needs to meet the High Priestess.”
Turning to my boyfriend, I bit back a snort. He didn’t look much better than Booker, but he’d never seen Carli in action either. Watching the goddesses or gods or who-the-heck-ever it was use her as a mouthpiece was pretty freakin’ cool. Both of these women were pretty awesome. I was glad they’d ended up moving to Willowhope, too. Though, it was definitely starting to feel like nothing about any of us ending up here—including Booker—was a coincidence. We’d all been drawn here by fate or destiny or whatever, which was either completely epic or absolutely terrifying. Why now? Why us?
“H-h-high P-p-priestess?” Booker stammered.
I had this one. “Yes. Rosie! You’ll love her. She’s King’s grandma.” I leaned into the big man by my side.
Booker’s gaze jumped to him. “She’s really…she can…but you’re…do you?”
King shook his head. “No, I don’t have magic.” But didn’t he? Maybe it wasn’t like any of ours, but wasn’t inheriting the title ofDreamwalker its own type of magic? I’d have to talk to Rosie and Elyse about that. “But my gran does. She always has.”
“But”—he shook his head—“they said I was lying. That I was making it up. My whole life, they said I was…” He trailed off, shaking his head again. “Then they forced me out, told me to leave. They said I had a demon in me.” His gaze dropped to the table, and Patchy scooted around, standing on his hind legs like he was trying to hug Booker. “But I didn’t. I swear I didn’t do anything. It just happens.”
Carli pulled away from her wife and gripped his knee tightly. “We believe you, Booker. You’re not evil. We know you’re not.”
“You’re one of the good guys,” Cassi added solemnly. “If you weren’t, I’d know.” She lifted her hands, and symbols flared to life on all of the walls of the shop. “Before we moved any of our things into this place, we set up all of our protections. It’s warded against true evil, and those who pass our borders with ill intent or malice in their hearts are so uncomfortable here they can barely order and wait on their drink before they double-time it out the door to never come back again.”
Carli hummed. “Tell him, Sky. Tell him he’s good.”
Startled, I gaped at her and Cassi, who both stared at me expectantly. Booker, on the other hand, looked hopeful. King wrapped an arm around my shoulders, and I felt his support bolster me, twining around… “What is that?”
