Page 45 of Veil of Blood and Bone

Audra’s question comes from a distance. Without blinking or tearing my gaze from the man, I hum in my throat.

“I said I hope you don’t mind. I brought the bag. I thought, well, I felt like we needed it. I’m not returning it.”

Her voice swells with defiance.

How did she know?

How did she not?

Still staring at the strange man with his tawny skin, I reach into the satchel she holds out for me. “I'll need you to pay Esmerelda for these.”

"Sure." She stretches the word like taffy, sticky and unbelievable.

Another reading. Another answer to a question I have no clue how to ask.

When I drag a glyph from the pouch, it’s Eihwaz (ᛇ)—death, rebirth, the axis between worlds.

I break the standoff to study the stone, running my thumb over the gold engraved symbol. “This is weird as hell.”

First Thurisaz, then Perthro, now Eihwaz. Why can’t I put together a complete picture?

Why does the rune, and the man, bring another tremor?

At Audra’s questioning noise, I toss her the sigil. She holds it up to the light and shoots me a confused look but says nothing.

“Some dude,” I explain. “He’s looking at me.”

“Makes sense. People always watch you. And me. But for different reasons.”

They do. They stare at her like people do a car wreck.

Audra throws the rune back, and I catch it with hardly a look behind me.

“I’m going to talk to him.”

“It’s a hell of a way to use your lunch break.”

“A friendly conversation.” My hand wraps around the doorknob but by the time I pull, the man is gone. “Oh. I guess not. The problem solved itself.”

“He probably saw the look of deadly intent in your eye and turned tail and ran. A deer caught in headlights,” she jokes.

“No.” My voice goes soft. “I don’t think he’s the kind of person to run.”

Now I’m getting reads on people. The next thing will be seeing auras, the way Mom started to see them around the time she was pregnant with Audra.

Soon I’ll start hanging sigils of protection on all the windows along with hex bags. I can’t let myself go down the way she did.

I have to be there for her, whatever happens.

“Doesn’t matter, anyway.” I turn to her with a grin and shove the rune into my pocket with the other. “Now get the log books while I do inventory. I think we⁠—”

The door opens, and we pivot in unison at the garish floral print. Seal and Bunny wave me out of their way.

“Candlesticks,” Bunny says in lieu of hello. “Barnes said he was getting new ones in.”

“Ah, yeah.” I clear my throat. “He did. I haven’t had a chance to stock them yet.”

“Candlesticks and Poe.” Seal lets out a throaty groan of pleasure that has Audra shuddering. “Please tell me you didn’t sell my Poe yesterday.”