The woman I had turned down only minutes ago stepped into view. She slowly slid onto the bench and scooted somewhat close to me, keeping her eyes on the table and a frown on her face. I leaned in close, removing the gap that still settled between us. It was only a move to get Charlotte off my back.
And it worked. Charlotte adjusted her skin-tight dress that hugged her curves and swiped a strand of hair that came free from her French bun before turning and walking away.
I cast my gaze on the girl next to me and leaned in closer. “I apologize for my behavior earlier. Bad breakup.”
She barely met my gaze and nodded. “I’m sorry to hear that. And your apology is accepted.”
I smirked at her. She blushed.
She didn’t deserve what I was about to do. But preying on the desperate kept Charlotte in the black and my body intact.
5
CASSIDY
I had never been to a psychic before. Of course, I had never believed in them either. But I figured I should at least humor Maxine. She was being nice by offering a reading as a thank you for helping her. Who the hell was I to turn her down?
“Are you coming?” Maxine asked, standing in the doorway. “I promise I won’t bite.”
I settled my gaze on her and then chuckled. “I’m coming. Sorry.”
She shook her head. “No worries. I take it you’re new to this sort of thing?”
I stepped toward the door, and as I moved inside, I smelled something spicy in the air. It made my mouth water. “You can say that.”
“Well, rest assured you are in good hands. I’m not going to let anything horrible happen to you in my shop. I’m going to head upstairs to drop this off. Go ahead and make yourself at home,” Maxine said before disappearing down a hallway.
I nodded and softly said “okay” as I slowly turned in a circle, taking in everything my eyes touched.
The shop itself was painted in dark colors, like the night sky or what I would imagine deep space would look like. Small orange Christmas lights were hung in the crease between the walls and ceiling. It created a peaceful atmosphere, which I found interesting. The wall to my left, standing just inside the door was filled with shelves holding books on the occult, herbs, and crystals.
As I stepped closer to analyze a few of the spines, I noted a collection of tarot cards stacked against each other. They wrapped in plastic and had a bright orange price tag stamped on their sides.
I gaped, not realizing there were so many different versions.
Large posters featuring constellations and their meanings took up parts of the walls. There were some more decorative posters as well. Things like dragons and castles, and paranormal creatures. Ones that truly didn’t exist, like werewolves. There were wolf shifters, as I found out about Weylan, but not werewolves. The whole concept of shifters was still a little confusing to me.
A long display case stood in front of the far wall with enough room between it and the wall to stand and move. Within the case were crystals, statues, and short knives with decorative blades and sheaths. The hallway Maxine disappeared stood behind the long display case. And it had a long, deep purple drape mounted to the top and pulled to the side, showing white walls and bright, offensive light compared to the muted lighting in the store. I even spotted the staircase that led up to Maxine’s home.
The wall on the left featured different talismans and dream catchers in various sizes. I was surprised to find something like that in a store like hers. But, then again, I knew very little of the occult.
The center of the shop held display shelves with crystals, mortars and pestles, figurines, and incense burners. Several circular display racks were filled with clothes. And in the corner to the right, at the front of the store, sat a round table with a few plush chairs surrounding it.
Maxine joined my side and gestured toward the area. “Take a seat, please.”
I did so. She joined me and pulled a deck of cards from somewhere underneath and started shuffling them. “Clear your mind. I want you to open yourself to your spirit guardian.”
“My what?” I asked.
Her eyes closed and she smiled. She continued to shuffle which I thought was impressive. “Everyone has a spirit guide or guardian that follows them around and helps them make decisions. Think of it as your own personal ‘Jiminy Cricket’.”
Her explanation only made me have more questions. But instead of dragging this out more and testing the limits of her patience. I said, “Okay.”
I closed my eyes as requested.
As the deck was being shuffled, I heard some cards fly out and land on the table. I opened my eyes to peek, finding a few of them had landed haphazardly between Maxine and me.
“Okay,” Maxine said, sliding the deck back to its spot under the table. She then takes the cards and places them in a row, flipping them over in the order they fell. One at a time.