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I shiver, my pussy fluttering around the cock filling me, and moan. Fuck, what a dream.
Chapter 6
Eyes are following me. I catch glimpses of the red burning eyes in the dark, empty, shadowy places within the crowds. At first, I was pretty sure I was imagining it. My dreams last night were weird to say the least and my memory of them unusually clear enough to give my imagination an overabundance of fuel. I had my first doubts when I took my first sip of my pumpkin spice latte and caught the gleam of them from the nearby alley, but it wasn’t until I was comfortably settled into the reading room at Black Crow and Bell with the curtained doorway open to the crowded the store that I truly become aware of it.
I feel them first. It’s an awareness that skitters over me and through my senses. I’m sipping my second latte for the day because Winnie, in all of her mercy, sent her husband to the café to fetch another round for us. The warm scent and taste of the spices is comforting. I’ve chosen a burgundy blouse against black skirt and a witch’s cloak and hat which just makes my pumpkin earrings with their goofy smiles stand out. Even the perfume oil I’m wearing today has a lovely mixture of autumnal sweetness and musk. The subtle notes of clove and cinnamon mix well with the earthier scents that remind me of a fall day.
I lean back in my chair and sip my coffee, appreciating the brief break between readings as I people-watch. Winnie wasn’t kidding when she said that it was busy here on Halloween. I’ve had quite a few back-to-back readings since we opened at ten this morning and the pumpkin spice cake donut in front of me is the first bite I’ve had since then. It positively tickles me that most of them are in costume, too. This is the sort of thing I love about Halloween—the celebration and otherworldliness of the holiday. Everyone is celebrating the odd, the frightening, the monstrous, and the supernatural like it’s the most normal thing in the world and I’m here for it. I love it. That the shadows seem to move around them and there is a sense of little goblins and hidden fae watching from the unseen corners gives it all a chilling note of wonder and possible danger that lurks within the hidden worlds.
I tip my cup back to take another sip when a burning red glimmer catches the corner of my eye. Frowning to myself, I straighten and lower my cup as I peer between the heavily dark cloaks of two customers chatting excitedly with their friends among the milling shoppers.
There! The glimmer of red eyes is just visible, burning with internal flames as they appear and disappear randomly. It is as if they belong to some creature prowling along the outer perimeter of the crowd. What’s strange is that they rouse a familiarity within me that has grown stronger since the first time I saw them looming over me at Blackspell’s manor. Luminous and filled with a hunger that brought back a sense of memories just beyond my ability to grasp them. And then there was that dream. My heart pounds as my eyes desperately attempt to follow their movement. Their appearance is entirely random as their owner circles closer and the small hairs on the back of my neck lift as a strange electric jolt flares through me.
A tray full of gemstones drops suddenly in front of me and I jump in surprise when it clatters loudly. Instinctively, my eyes fly to it, breaking from the gleaming red gaze watching me. Dread coils in the pit of my belly and my gaze snaps to the crowd again only to find that I can longer see the eyes. I’ve lost them completely. I expel a ragged breath as I stare searchingly through the crowd and continue to come up with nothing.
“Whew!” Winnie sighs as she drops into the chair beside me dragging my attention right back to her. She fans herself and gives me a bright grin. “Quite the turn-out, isn’t it?”
I give her an uneasy smile and nod. “You certainly weren’t lying about how busy you get. Who’s on the register?”
“My terrible other half, Jesse. He told me to take five before restocking the protection and purification crystals.” She sweeps her hand toward the tray. “I’ve also grabbed more of those good for psychic communication and drawing spirits, naturally. These things always sell out quickly on Halloween. I’ve had to restock them twice already.”
“’Tis the season,” I agree, taking another deep sip of my coffee. “You’re open to midnight tonight?”
She shook her head. “Nah. I had considered it, but the serious shoppers tend to dwindle off quickly to see to their own rituals and magic for the evening. The late people we get in are usually just the drunks and rabble rousers who are looking to be entertained and amuse themselves with Halloween spookiness. It just doesn’t pay off when we would rather be doing our own things anyway.” She gives me a considering look and bumps me with her shoulder. “You should consider coming out with us. You are clearing out of here at eight. That gives you plenty of time to go home first if you want to join our Samhain celebration.”
I give a tiny shake of my head and smile apologetically. “I kinda had plans to just go home and chill tonight. Take an evening to decompress and soak in the energies, ya know?”
Her lips purse but she doesn’t push or try to guilt me into it which is why Winnie has become one of my best friends. Instead, she sags in her chair and hooks one leg over the arm as she considers the crowd. “Well, there’s definitely merit to your plans after dealing with this all day,” she chuckles.
“Pshhh,” I snort with amusement. “Who are you fooling? We both know that you love this chaos.”
She smirks as she stands and gathers up her tray. “Well, I best get back to it then.” She pushes out of the curtained-off area, her laughter rising above the sounds of customers as she jumps into the fray.
My amusement is short-lived because the frenzy hits me next as the first small group comes in for their readings and it doesn’t let up again. Although I have a few individuals, most of my clients come in pairs or small groups of three or four, sometimes as many as five. When the last of them leave just before eight, I’m relieved when I’m finally able to sneak out with a quick wave to Winnie. She barely glances over at me as she waves at me in return, her attention fixed at the small crowd of young women gathered around the counter in front of her. They aren’t the only ones remaining in the shop either. As expected, business is still booming, and it takes me a minute to push my way through before I’m able to make my getaway.
The sun is already down as I step out onto the street, and I hurry from the main drive onto the neighborhood backstreets, comforted by the glow of the jack-o’-lanterns and the laughter of the small groups of children flocking from door to door. I watch them for a minute as I walk down the road at a brisk pace, a smile tugging at my lips. After the steady decline of trick-or-treaters, I’m both surprised and delighted to see so many out and about. The sight of them lightens my mood considerably as I hurry along the streets toward my building, my witch’s cloak swirling around me.
