business, and we’d each provided our own desk—Peyton had taken one of her grandmother’s antiques, and I’d confiscated one I found in the attic at the Veil House.
“How’s your mom?” I asked. Anadey had become intricately involved in our fight against the Shadow Hunters.
“Tired. The diner is running her ragged. She doesn’t say anything, but I know she’s afraid that I’ll quit before she can find someone to take my place. She shouldn’t worry, but she does.” Peyton paused for a moment, then quietly asked, “But how are you? You’ve been through a lot in a short time.”
“Yeah.” I blinked. Returning to New Forest had been like being tossed in a pot of boiling water. Learn to handle the heat or die. “I’m taking it day by day. I have no idea where this is all going and I’m in too deep to consider taking off again.”
“Have you been flying lately?”
I smiled shyly. “Yeah . . . every night that I can. Finding out I’m part Uwilahsidhe has been the only saving grace. It’s the only thing helping me keep it together. When I’m out there on the wing, nothing else matters. Lannan, Grieve, Heather, Myst . . . nada. In my owl form, I can find a little taste of freedom. There are times I never want to turn back. It would be so much easier to just fly off to a different forest and live in my owl shape.” I paused, lifting my gaze to meet hers. “But I always come back.”
“I can understand that. When I was a little girl and being teased by the Lupa Clan, all I wanted to do was turn into my puma and race off into the forest. I tried a couple times and my mother would come out, hunting for me. Of course, by then I’d be so scared that I’d run for her and she’d see this cougar cub bouncing over and know it was me. Once a female puma—full grown—found me, and after figuring out what was going on, she carried me home by the scruff of the neck and dropped me on the doorstep.”
Nodding, I laughed. Animals and Weres and shifters understood one another in ways that needed no language. Or rather, we had a language but it just wasn’t the one two-leggeds used. Even though I was new to the life, I caught on quick, especially since I could already listen to the wind.
“Think we’ll be ready to open on Monday?” Peyton arranged a bouquet of roses she’d bought on my desk.
We’d scheduled the opening of both Wind Charms and Mystical Eye Investigations for two days from now and were scrambling to finish last-minute preparations.
“All I have left to do is create a few more premade charms and to arrange all the candles and spell components that Marta left to me.” Marta had been Peyton’s grandmother, but there hadn’t been a lot of love lost between them. Nor between Anadey and Marta—the two had always been at odds.
We got back to work and within half an hour, the room was ready for clients. I squeezed a card table into the corner and snapped a black tablecloth over it—Peyton was good with the cards and she could schedule readings. As we were setting up a display of charms to ward trouble away, I looked up to see Kaylin in the doorway, looking strange.
“What’s wrong? You okay?”
“I don’t know,” he said, his voice husky. “I feel . . . strange. It started just a few minutes ago. I’m . . . it’s hard to think—the room—” And then he let out a low groan and slumped against the door.
Peyton and I rushed over to his side just in time to catch him and keep him from sliding to the floor. His eyes were open, but he was unresponsive.
“Crap, help me get him onto the sofa in the living room. Then go call Rhiannon and ask her where Leo is—he’s the healer.”
As Peyton helped me carry Kaylin to the sofa, I stared at his open eyes, rolled back in his head, and wondered if he was dead. We got him onto the couch and knelt by his side, feeling for his heartbeat. There it was, slow and steady. I shook him by the shoulder but nothing, no response.
“I’ll get
“How’s your mom?” I asked. Anadey had become intricately involved in our fight against the Shadow Hunters.
“Tired. The diner is running her ragged. She doesn’t say anything, but I know she’s afraid that I’ll quit before she can find someone to take my place. She shouldn’t worry, but she does.” Peyton paused for a moment, then quietly asked, “But how are you? You’ve been through a lot in a short time.”
“Yeah.” I blinked. Returning to New Forest had been like being tossed in a pot of boiling water. Learn to handle the heat or die. “I’m taking it day by day. I have no idea where this is all going and I’m in too deep to consider taking off again.”
“Have you been flying lately?”
I smiled shyly. “Yeah . . . every night that I can. Finding out I’m part Uwilahsidhe has been the only saving grace. It’s the only thing helping me keep it together. When I’m out there on the wing, nothing else matters. Lannan, Grieve, Heather, Myst . . . nada. In my owl form, I can find a little taste of freedom. There are times I never want to turn back. It would be so much easier to just fly off to a different forest and live in my owl shape.” I paused, lifting my gaze to meet hers. “But I always come back.”
“I can understand that. When I was a little girl and being teased by the Lupa Clan, all I wanted to do was turn into my puma and race off into the forest. I tried a couple times and my mother would come out, hunting for me. Of course, by then I’d be so scared that I’d run for her and she’d see this cougar cub bouncing over and know it was me. Once a female puma—full grown—found me, and after figuring out what was going on, she carried me home by the scruff of the neck and dropped me on the doorstep.”
Nodding, I laughed. Animals and Weres and shifters understood one another in ways that needed no language. Or rather, we had a language but it just wasn’t the one two-leggeds used. Even though I was new to the life, I caught on quick, especially since I could already listen to the wind.
“Think we’ll be ready to open on Monday?” Peyton arranged a bouquet of roses she’d bought on my desk.
We’d scheduled the opening of both Wind Charms and Mystical Eye Investigations for two days from now and were scrambling to finish last-minute preparations.
“All I have left to do is create a few more premade charms and to arrange all the candles and spell components that Marta left to me.” Marta had been Peyton’s grandmother, but there hadn’t been a lot of love lost between them. Nor between Anadey and Marta—the two had always been at odds.
We got back to work and within half an hour, the room was ready for clients. I squeezed a card table into the corner and snapped a black tablecloth over it—Peyton was good with the cards and she could schedule readings. As we were setting up a display of charms to ward trouble away, I looked up to see Kaylin in the doorway, looking strange.
“What’s wrong? You okay?”
“I don’t know,” he said, his voice husky. “I feel . . . strange. It started just a few minutes ago. I’m . . . it’s hard to think—the room—” And then he let out a low groan and slumped against the door.
Peyton and I rushed over to his side just in time to catch him and keep him from sliding to the floor. His eyes were open, but he was unresponsive.
“Crap, help me get him onto the sofa in the living room. Then go call Rhiannon and ask her where Leo is—he’s the healer.”
As Peyton helped me carry Kaylin to the sofa, I stared at his open eyes, rolled back in his head, and wondered if he was dead. We got him onto the couch and knelt by his side, feeling for his heartbeat. There it was, slow and steady. I shook him by the shoulder but nothing, no response.
“I’ll get
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