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Sharp, angular jaw.
Down, girl.
“I know you do.” Jewel smiles patiently. “But this year the festival falls on the same night as a meteor shower. I was hoping the two of you could plan something.”
I freeze.
The Perseids. How could I forget? Dad and I used to witness them together as a ritual. And now… now she wants me to invite this entire town into my rituals. No way. I haven’t done anything like this in three years.
Jewel is throwing me in the deep end.
“Right,” Sterling says slowly. “Star witch.”
At least he remembers that about me.
But what he doesn’t know is that I haven’t been able to do a damn thing with the stars in years. Not since my father died.
I pick up my teacup and drink to distract myself, but—
“Ah,” I hiss, setting the cup back down.
“Still hot?” Sterling asks, his eyes narrowing.
“Mhm. Little too hot for me.”
Jewel sets her cup down, fixing me with a concerned stare. “What do you think of the idea, dear?”
“Like… what did you have in mind?” I twirl a piece of hair around my finger. “Blankets and pillows kind of vibe? Just a viewing? We can probably figure it out—I mean, he could probably do that without me.”
She shakes her head slowly. “I was thinking you could lead the way on a communal spell. What sort of magic can one perform with a meteor shower?”
Damn it.
“I’ll have to get back to you,” I say smoothly. “It depends on the configurations of the other stars.”
Yeah, right. I don’t remember the first thing about what kind of magic we can perform during a meteor shower. They’re chaotic, so they can usually be used for hexes or jinxes, but something tells me they don’t want town-wide mayhem.
Maybe Sterling will have a better idea, but I doubt it.
“You can start with research, then.”
“And what am I supposed to do?” Sterling grumbles.
Jewel’s lips tug up at the corners. “Do your job. Pick the prime location, let people know it’s happening—”
“Right. All of that.” He looks at me and shrugs, and for a moment, it feels like he’s asking me permission.
What is he doing that for? This is his town. I still don’t know if I belong here.
“Sure.” I nod slowly. “We can do this together. Sounds fun.”
Not. It sounds like hell for so, so many reasons.
Pulling this off? Impossible. And doing it with Sterling’s so-called help? Annoying.
But I’ll find a way to come out on top if it kills me. And with my bad luck, it probably will.
Chapter 7
