Page 15 of Prodigal Son

“How much?”

“First, I must understand what it is you will need. You’ll tell me your story and I’ll listen—for one thousand dollars.”

Juniper’s eyes widened then she silently chuckled. Her aunt didn’t mess around.

“To listen?”

“My energy has value, Jonas. I’m careful about permitting access to the wrong clients, and you are not, exactly, what I’d call my ideal client.”

Squinting through the beaded curtain, Juniper watched in stunned amusement as the man withdrew a leather wallet and counted out several bills. “How soon can you start?”

Her aunt held out a hand. “We’ve already begun.”

CHAPTER 5

“My wife, Abilene, no longer recognizes my scent,” the man, Jonas, explained. “Six decades together and I now feel like a stranger to my own partner.”

Juniper studied him through the beaded curtain, taking in every detail. There was no way this guy was over forty, and even that was a stretch. But her aunt kept a straight face and humored him, playing her role of concerned witch to perfection, as she should for a thousand bucks.

“Many couples experience a disconnect when fidelity is broken.”

“I’m not an adulterer.”

“Perhaps there’s been an emotional break. There are more than carnal affairs, Jonas. Sometimes, the bonds of the heart carry more threat than physical bonds.”

“I’ve never loved anyone more than I love my wife.”

“Explain how the bonding works.”

Juniper’s phone buzzed and she pulled it from her back pocket. Trent’s text hit a second after Zoey’s, both of them asking if she had finished work. She quickly texted back, telling them she would need a little more time.

“The longer an immortal goes unanswered, the more they risk losing their humanity,” Jonas finished. Juniper pocketed her phone, unsure what she’d missed.

“Feeish.”

“Correct.”

“And you were suffering some of these symptoms in the end?”

“Yes. I’d…wake up in the woods with no recollection of arriving. I would find…carnage in my wake.”

Juniper’s nose wrinkled. Her gaze shifting to the athame display on the wall. This guy better not try anything. They might have knives in the store, but her aunt was a total pacifist who couldn’t even kill a spider. That left Juniper as the heavy, and she really didn’t feel like breaking a sweat today.

“Human?”

“No. Not that I know of. Mostly small woodland creatures. But our order makes a point of preserving life whenever possible. It’s frowned upon to bleed an animal dry.”

“And it harm none through what thou wilt.”

“Pardon?”

“It’s one of our most ancient vows. Witches are healers. Despite the lies his-story likes to tell, we rarely practice in blood magick or sacrifice. Our power is three-fold. Whatever we send out into the cosmos will return to us stronger. We must do no harm if we wish to avoid harm upon ourselves.”

Jonas lowered his voice. “I’ve harmed.”

“I’m not a priest. I have no need to hear your confessions.”

“I…I attacked her.”

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