This Wicked Fate (This Poison Heart #2)(84)

Circe turned her attention to the care and running of the apothecary, and together, we fixed it up and got back to work. We brewed vats of essential oils and distilled flower essence. We grew our poison and black flowers for the goddess, restocked the everyday plants, and even set up an online shop. We spoke often of Persephone, of Hecate, and less often of the Heart.

Mom headed out, and Mo poked her head into the apothecary.

“Y’all good in here?” she asked.

“I have something for you to try,” Circe said.

Mo tried to sneak away, but Circe caught her by the arm and pulled her in. “You keep putting this off, but I gotta put my foot down. You insist on using that natural deodorant, and I respect that, but—”

“It’s chemical free,” Mo said. “Aluminum free. No weird stuff I can’t pronounce. It’s not that bad.”

“I thought somebody was roasting onions the other morning,” Circe said.

Mo stared blankly at her.

Circe grinned. “And when I came downstairs, do you remember what you were doing?”

Mo crossed her arms. “I just came back from a walk with Roscoe. I was sweaty. What was I supposed to do?”

“No more natural deodorant, Mo!” Marie said. “Please! They don’t sell new nostrils anywhere around here, and I’m scared the ones I got now are permanently damaged.”

Mo turned to me. “Tell me the truth, love. Is it that bad?”

I nodded. “Is the natural stuff onion scented? Maybe that’s the issue.”

Marie laughed until tears streamed from the corners of her eyes.

Circe handed Mo a small round container. “I don’t know where you got the one you’re using, but please burn it and use this instead.”

Mo huffed. “I’m tryna be healthy, and y’all worried about some funk?” She pretended to be mad, but she put the container directly in her pocket. She knew it was the truth.

Circe’s phone rang in her pocket and she answered it. The smile on her face told me it was Dr. Grant.

“Don’t forget we have a date tonight,” Circe said into the phone. “Dinner and a movie. I’m paying.”

Marie walked to the door and gave me a little nod. I glanced at Circe, who waved me out the door, letting me know it was cool to take a break.

I took Marie’s hand, and she led me outside and around the side of the house. She pulled me close and kissed me. I kissed her back. Everything about her was exactly the same as it had been before, but she was changed in some way. I’d watched her cut her hand on a piece of broken glass when we were fixing up the apothecary, and her frustration at having to wait days for it to heal was hard to watch. Her mortality made her vulnerable in a way she hadn’t been in more years than she could remember. Watching her navigate this new way of existing was both heartening and scary. I worried about her safety more than I’d needed to before, but she hadn’t lost a single bit of her attitude and seemed to be finding a rhythm that worked for her.

We held each other under the vines and blooming roses for a long time. She murmured things against my ear that affirmed what I already knew—I was in love for the very first time. The thought sent a little shiver of excitement through me. We would be mortal and fragile together and there was something beautiful about that. As we returned to the house, I thought I’d like to spend all my free time kissing her under the shade of the foliage.

We had this one precious life and what we did with it was entirely up to us. I wanted to use it to love and be loved in return.





ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

What I meant to write was a story about a girl who got to embark on a magical, fantastical adventure. What I ended up with was a story about the heavy burden of generational trauma, the toll grief takes on the mind and body, and ultimately how the bonds that connect us can span time, space, and even death. I think that’s the wonderful thing about storytelling—it has the power to help us along. In my case, there was healing to be done. I’m so grateful that I get to write these stories.

Big shoutout to my agent, Jamie Vankirk, and my editor, Mary Kate Castellani. Thank you to Ksenia Winnicki, Beth Eller, Emily Marples, Lily Yengle, Lucy Mackay-Sim, Noella James, Erica Barmash, Mattea Barnes, and the entire team at Bloomsbury.

To Raymond Sebastien, thank you so much for your work on the covers for both This Poison Heart and This Wicked Fate. Your work brought these characters to life.

As always, a big thank-you to my family—Mike, Amya, Ny, Elijah, and Lyla. Love you all so much! To my brother Spencer, love you and thank you for always being there.

And of course, to my readers—I don’t get to be here without your support, so let me take a moment to tell you that I appreciate you all. From your TikToks and BookTube videos to your character art and Instagram posts, it’s all so wonderful, and on days when I feel like I should hang it up, you remind me exactly who I do this for. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.