Blood Moon by Angela Roquet Page B

porcelain. Hazel’s vanity
and magic went hand in hand. It was how she had managed to maintain
her modeling career past her prime.
    Zelda’s throat tightened. “How?”
    Hazel’s wizened face creased deeper. “The
consequences were different for us all. Though I can’t quite peg
what it is you’ve had to suffer—other than your own stupidity.”
    Zelda looked down at her exposed hand and
arm, the blisters barely visible in the low light. The pain paled
in comparison to what she’d woken to the morning after resurrecting
Theo.
    Hazel tilted her head. “Whatever happened to
that boy you were so quick to sacrifice your sisters for?”
    Zelda’s eyes watered as she cleared her
throat. “He’s gone.”
    Hazel sighed and nodded softly. “You were
the best of us, but even you should have known better than to play
god.”
    Zelda’s tears blurred her vision and
streamed down her cheeks. “I’m sorry. It was selfish and cruel. I
should have let him go, but I couldn’t.”
    Hazel waved her off. “I didn’t come here for
an apology. You left the coven without the ritual bond-breaking. I
thought maybe you’d died trying to save that boy. I hadn’t felt the
pull of your will for damn near two years. The curiosity got to
me.”
    Zelda frowned. “How are the others?”
    “ I’m not one for crowds
these days,” Hazel said, narrowing her eyes. “But we stay in touch.
Maggie and Sarah still work together occasionally. Honestly, I
thought I might run into them here. They haven’t forgotten about
you.” She gave Zelda a stern look. “If you plan on doing any more
dabbling, I suggest you take the proper precautions and sever your
ties to the coven. That’s the only bit of advice you’ll be getting
from me.”
    “ Thank you.” Zelda took a
small step forward, stopping when Hazel hissed at her.
    “ That’s close
enough.”
    The older witch stood abruptly, gripping the
back of the barstool to support her hunched over frame. She
grimaced and touched a charm dangling at her neck.
    “ I forgive you, Zelda Mae
Fulmen. May we never meet again.” Hazel twisted the charm in her
arthritic hand and disappeared with a faint pop.
    Zelda’s ears rang, and her stomach cramped.
She had vowed never to use magic again. Severing coven ties hadn’t
seemed necessary at the time. But if Hazel could find her, that
meant Sarah could too. And Sarah didn’t do forgiveness.
    The teapot whistled and Zelda dragged
herself back into the kitchen. First, she needed to regain some of
her strength. Then she had some shopping to do. Coven severance was
a delicate ritual.

Chapter
Fourteen
     
     
    Zelda took a quick shower, painfully washing
her wounds. When she redressed them, she stopped at her wrist so
the blisters along her palm could breathe. Then she pulled on a
pair of jeans and a long-sleeved tee shirt, hiding the worst of her
condition.
    It wasn’t quite eight o’clock yet, so she
let Logan sleep in, leaving him a note to let him know she’d be
back by nine with coffee. The tea had left a sour taste in her
mouth that only intensified upon brushing her teeth. It seemed to
be working well enough, but she needed something stronger. She
slipped out the back door and made her way across town.
    Spero Heights kept odd hours. A good thirty
percent of the town consisted of vampires and other nocturnal
species. They kept to the north end of town, referred to as the
Midnight District. Businesses that catered primarily to day-walkers
were situated along the south side, and the in-between businesses
were clustered in the middle.
    The Crimson Moon sat to the west of town
square, a bit more south than north, since Zelda kept regular bar
hours. There was no sense in staying open all night for the
nocturnal crowd. The vampires of Spero Heights had their own bar in
the Midnight District.
    On the outskirts of the
Midnight District, the only occult shop in Spero Heights was tucked
between a used bookstore and a salon. Nightshade and Morning
Glory was