CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Maggie held me long enough for the shaking to subside.
“Are you okay?” she asked me when I pulled away.
“I don’t know,” I whispered. The weight of that horrible conversation between Gareth and Serena weighed down on me, but I sucked down a large gulp of air and exhaled slowly. I would not let it crush me. “But I’m going to find out.”
Neither Maggie nor Ty said anything as I pushed past them and out the door.
Who am I? What am I? Like a cadence, the words bolstered and guided my steps as I marched past the rows of bookshelves.
The wooden planks of the floor creaked as I walked into the main room of the shop. Maggie and Ty walked wordlessly behind me.
“Serena?”
Serena’s head popped out of the office. She was holding a ledger and small stack of papers. She looked at me first with confusion; then her eyes widened. “Lainey, what are you doing here?”
I ignored her question. “I heard what you said to Gareth. I heard everything.”
The color drained from Serena’s face.
“You need to tell me what’s going on.” My voice wavered but grew louder as a rush of adrenaline coursed through me. “You said I deserved to know the truth. What truth?”
Serena squared her shoulders. “You need to talk to Gareth. He—”
“No, Serena,” I said, the volume of my voice causing us both to jump. “I want the truth now.”
We stood staring at each other, locked in a silent showdown, but then Serena lurched forward, closing the distance between us, and yanked me forward. Her other hand reached up to grip my chin, angling it to see better.
“Your eyes,” she whispered. “They’re green.” She let go of my chin. “It’s happening.” The words were barely more than a whisper. The hand that held my arm tightened.
I squealed as Serena jerked my arm closer and forced my clenched fist to open. Behind me, Maggie muttered a curse word under her breath and Ty moved closer, his eyes darting between the two of us as if he were trying to decide whether or not to intervene.
“What are you doing?” I squirmed, trying to pull my hand from Serena’s surprisingly firm grip. “Stop!” I tried to push her away, but Serena was unhearing as she pored over my hand, her fingers tracing over the lines in my palm.
Abruptly, Serena gasped and dropped my hand as though it were on fire. She muttered something incomprehensible under her breath, swept past Ty and Maggie—whom she seemed not to even notice—and rushed back into her office.
“Where are you going?” I cried out, my hands clenching into fists. “Serena!” I bellowed. “What the hell is going on?”
She didn’t answer me, but when she came flying back out of the office, she had two lit candles in her hands. She was still murmuring under her breath.
“Serena!” I tried again, louder this time.
If Serena heard me, she didn’t acknowledge me in any way. She walked over to the large table between the two blue reading couches and pulled a stack of thick, colorful cards from the front pocket of her long skirt. She cut the deck, shuffled the cards with nimble fingers, and placed the cards on the table.
I marched over and yanked the remaining cards from Serena’s hands. “Talk to me! What is going on?”
At my touch, Serena seemed to snap to her senses. “Oh, Lainey,” she whispered. “I’m so sorry.” Her large brown eyes were full of sympathy and regret. “We should’ve told you. It’s not supposed to happen like this.”
“Told me what?” I cried out. Hot tears burned my eyes as emotion after emotion slapped me in the face. Anger. Frustration. Confusion, Fear. “Please . . .”
Serena’s shoulders slumped in resignation. With a sigh, she pointed to the cards in my hands. “Choose one.”
I was about to protest, but Serena eyed me fiercely. “Choose one,” she repeated, her voice firm.
I wanted to scream, but instead I clenched my teeth together and pulled a card facedown from the stack.
“Place it on the table,” Serena instructed.
Rolling my eyes, I slammed the card down on the table. A pair of pillar candles sitting nearby rattled from the vibration. Serena swooped in and carefully flipped the card over so its image was facing up. Her eyes grew wide, and as I peered down at the image, I didn’t need Serena to tell me that it wasn’t a good sign.
The tower itself looked innocent enough, sitting atop a mountain, but the bolts of lightning and flames that rose from the windows made my stomach turn. On both sides of the tower, a body was pitched forward, falling to the craggy depths below.
“The Tower,” Serena whispered, her tone eerily reverent. She turned to me, her eyes brimming with tears. “It’s worse than I thought.” She leaned forward, as though to embrace me, but stopped suddenly when she saw the look on my face. “Please,” she said, indicating the sofas. “Sit down. There is much to say.”
It was then that Serena seemed to notice Ty and Maggie standing stiffly near the wall, their faces narrowed in seriousness. She looked at me with raised eyebrows. “Perhaps we should speak privately.”
“No,” I said, surprised by the strong tone of my voice. “They stay with me.”
Serena nodded, though her eyes were still narrowed in suspicion. After a moment, she turned back to me, her face grave. She took a deep breath before she spoke again, her expression both serious and concerned. “What do you know about your mother?”
“I know there’s some connection,” I said. “Am I right? Did my mother have something to do with whatever secret you and Gareth are keeping from me?”
“She has everything to do with it, I’m afraid.” Serena began to wring her hands. “Lainey, your mother didn’t die in a car accident like you were told. She was murdered.”
“What?” I stared at Serena. Her words made no sense to me. “That’s impossible. My mom was a schoolteacher. Why would anyone—”
“She wasn’t just a teacher, Lainey,” she interrupted. “She was a witch.”
“A witch?” The word tasted bitter on my tongue. “My mother was . . . a witch?”
“Yes. A very powerful one.” The look on Serena’s face was absolute.
This can’t be real. I’d always know Serena was a little . . . well, kooky, but she didn’t actually believe all that hocus-
pocus mumbo jumbo, did she? “This has to be some kind of a joke, right?”
“I wish it were, dear, but the truth is even far more complicated than the mere fact that your mother was a Supernatural.” Serena leaned forward, grabbing my hands. “Lainey, your mother was killed by someone very dangerous—someone who, if they knew of your existence, would come after you also.”
She paused for a moment and looked at our clasped hands. “I knew your mother. We were all friends, Gareth, your mother, and I.” She broke off and sniffed. “When she realized she’d have to go, she came to me for help, and I’ve done what I can for you all these years. I’ve done my best to watch out for you like she asked.” A single tear rolled down her cheek.
“Please understand that Gareth and I swore to keep you safe, and so far we have . . .” She trailed off.
All the moves, never staying in one place for too long. It was all starting to make sense.
“Events are in motion,” Serena continued. “Things that are beyond our control. It’s only a matter of time until they discover the secret that we’ve kept hidden these sixteen years.” She heaved a sigh and placed a palm on my cheek. “You, Lainey.”
“But why . . .” I trailed off.
She’s her mother’s daughter and she is capable of far more than we can possibly imagine. The words poured over me like a bucket of ice-cold water.
“I’m a witch, too.” My voice was barely stronger than a whisper as the realization came spilling out. “Like my mother.”
“Yes.” Serena pulled her hands away and stared down at them, picking at the dark blue polish. Her voice was soft as she spoke, indicating that the next part was both important and painful for her to say. “And if anyone finds out about you,” she pointed to the card lying ominously on the table, “you’re likely to share her fate.”