Keeper(41)

I nodded and tried to take the words to heart, but when Serena tried to wrap a comforting arm around my shoulders, I couldn’t help but pull away. I knew Serena’s words were genuine, but the betrayal I felt still burned around the edges. “No more lies, okay?”

Serena nodded her head gravely. “I promise.”

I turned my attention back to the book in my lap, focusing once more on Josephine’s smiling face. “So what happens now?”

Serena stood up from the couch and ran her fingers anxiously through her hair. “That part, I don’t know. This is practically unprecedented, and I’m no expert on witches.”

“Well, Gareth will know what to do, right? I mean, he’s my uncle, so that makes him a witch, too—or rather a warlock.”

Serena’s eyes darted around the room, her shoulders tense. But almost immediately, she relaxed her posture and looked at me with a knowing smile. “Yes, you’re right. Gareth will know what to do.”

I closed the book and stood up, wiping my hands on the fabric of my jeans. “Guess I’m just gonna have to talk to him, then.” A feeling of dread washed over me at the thought of confronting him.

“In the meantime,” Serena interrupted my thoughts, “please be careful. Don’t attempt anything foolish.”

“Oh, right, my powers.” I looked down at my hands and laughed—the alternative was to succumb to the panic that gnawed at the back of my mind and burst into tears. “Don’t worry. If I have the sudden urge to yell ‘Expelliarmus!’ at passersby, I’ll try to refrain.”

It was a terrible attempt at a joke, and Serena didn’t laugh. “I’m serious, Lainey. Don’t do anything stupid. There are eyes everywhere.”

Serena’s words knocked the smile right off my face. If anyone finds out about you, you’re likely to share her fate.

I gulped. “What do I do?” I held out my hands away from my body, afraid magic might start shooting from my fingertips.

“First of all, don’t panic,” Serena answered. “That will only make things worse.”

My head was beginning to throb, and I wasn’t sure if it was the massive brain overload or my body going into shock. I pinched the bridge of my nose and squeezed my eyes shut.

“I’m going to keep consulting the cards,” Serena continued. “See if there’s anything I missed and reach out to some fellow Seers. Something is going on, I can feel it. Go home, now. You need to talk to Gareth.”

I nodded. I was suddenly exhausted in every possible way. All I wanted was to sleep until the world made sense again.

Practically in a daze, I shuffled over to where Ty and Maggie were standing stiffly by the bookcases. Maggie looked as overwhelmed as I felt; Ty’s face was unreadable. His shoulders were tense. He had his hands intertwined behind his neck, and his eyes were trained on the ground.

“You guys ready?”

Maggie nodded and Ty looked up, his strained eyes softening. “Yeah, let’s go.”

“Just a second, young man,” Serena called as they headed for the door. “A word, please.”

Ty muttered something under his breath and then jogged back to where Serena was standing.

“What do you think that’s all about?” Maggie asked, watching as Serena and Ty spoke in hushed tones.

“I’m too overwhelmed to even guess,” I said. I swayed a little, leaning on Maggie for support.

“Well, whatever it is, he doesn’t look happy,” Maggie observed.

Ty said good-bye to Serena and made his way back toward us. “It was nothing,” he said in answer to our expectant faces. “Something she saw in my aura or whatever.” He waved his hand in dismissal and pushed open the door to the shop.

I took one last look at Serena, who was already hunched over her tarot cards, and followed Ty out into the bright sunlight.

The car ride to my house was quiet, but I was grateful for the silence. Now that the adrenaline from everything that had happened had drained away, I was physically and emotionally spent. I doubted that I could’ve carried on much of a conversation even if I’d wanted to.

Maggie was passed out in the backseat, and I was having a hard time keeping my own eyelids from drooping. The radio was playing softly in the background, and as I stared out the window, I tried to not to think about anything other than the reassuring pressure of Ty’s hand holding mine.

It wasn’t long before he pulled the car into my driveway.

I glanced at the clock on the dash. It was a little after eleven in the morning. Gareth’s truck was missing from its spot in the driveway, and I was relieved. I wasn’t ready to face that conversation just yet.

“Thank you for the ride home.” I turned to Ty. “And . . . for everything else, too.”

Ty inclined his head. “Anytime.”

I gently shook Maggie’ shoulder, waking her. “I’m leaving, Mags.”

She sat up, looking bedraggled. “I’ll call you soon.”

I opened the car door and managed to keep myself upright long enough to unlock the front door and stumble inside. I gave a small wave to Maggie and Ty as he backed his car out of the driveway, and then I turned and fumbled up the stairs toward my room.

Sinking down onto my bed, I shrugged off my clothes and pulled my favorite worn sleep shirt over my head. The picture of my parents, of my mother wearing Josephine’s necklace, stared at me from the bedside table. I’d forgotten to ask Serena about the necklace.