Chapter 119

“Whoa,” Laila says, grinning widely at me and squeezing my hands as I sit back on my rump. “This is crazy.”

“Can you feel it?” I ask, laughing a little as Laila – a bit absurdly – looks up, sensing something different on her forehead and trying to see it. I conjure her up a hand mirror and hand it over so she can inspect my work.

“Oh cool,” Laila whispers, her dark eyes going wide at the sight of what looks like a very delicate, elegant new tattoo, even though it shines just a bit in a way that ink cannot. “I love it.”

“You can hide it,” I say, dropping her hands and leaning back on my palms, grinning at her. Somehow I know that it’s right, though I don’t know how. “Vanish it away, if you want to keep it secret.”

Laila quirks her head and concentrates for a second. The mark fades. But then she brings it back, turning to me with a smile. “I think it looks cool. I’ll keep it on for now.”

“Amazing!” I say, laughing and sitting up again, excited. “Now let’s do the divination and see if it works –“

“Not so fast,” Faiza says, shooting a hand out between us and narrowing her eyes at me.

“What?” I ask frowning a little and petting a hand over Blythe’s soft little squirrel head. “What’d I do?”

“You’re forgetting that this is supposed to be transactional,” Faiza says, shaking her head at me before turning her gaze to Laila, who puts the mirror down next to her. “You’ve put your life, inexorably, in Juniper’s hands. And while you may have foolishly done it for the sake of girlish friendship, you’re supposed to ask for something in return.”

“Oh,” I say, my face falling with guilt. “I’m sorry, Laila, I didn’t mean to leave that out. Is there anything you want?”

“Um, what are my options?” Laila asks, her shoulders straightening with nerves.

“She got like, five hundred years of extra life that she split between herself and her family,” I say, jutting a thumb towards Faiza. “Do you want that?”

“Can you do that?” Laila breathes, staring at me, awed.

“I don’t know, probably,” I mutter, looking down at my hands with a frown. But I feel magic welling up in my soul, I think in response to this new connection with my priestess – like the power was conjured by it and is ready for it. My wolf gives a confirming little yip, letting me know that…I probably can give her something that big.

“Um, can I have some time to think on it?” Laila asks.

I turn my eyes up to her and shrug. “Sure,” I say. “As much time as you need. But when you’re ready, don’t hesitate, okay? I want it to be right.”

Laila nods to me, pretty and eager, and then gathers up the divination materials in her hands. Pride swells in me as I see her gather up the rocks and bones, feel her pull almost instinctually on the well of power in my soul. Her own voice goes two-toned as she asks the same question as before – which way do we go when we leave the inn in order to find the temple?

But when she drops the materials this time, the answer is quite clear when all of the stones bounce and roll to the left side of the space we’ve cleared for our experiment, all of the bones lining up neatly to point in that direction as well.

“Oh holy shit,” Laila whispers, thrilled.

“She’s a powerful mystical divination priestess!” I laugh, clapping with delight. Even Blythe stands on my knee, chittering and looking down at the divination supplies with interest.

Faiza just sighs and crosses her arms over her chest, clearly unhappy about this development but unable to do anything about it. “Can you at least get rid of some of these chains now?”

I smile at her and wave my hand, vanishing all but her usual shackles away and calling the cup of coffee back into her hands. She grins at that, taking a long sip like it might disappear again at any moment.

“So, if I make Tony a Priestess too,” I say, pointing at the door, “can he wish for a body?”

“You want your boyfriend to be your priestess?” Faiza asks, raising an eyebrow at me.

“Anton would look very handsome with a new crescent moon tattoo on his forehead,” I say, pressing a hand to my heart.

Faiza smirks at me but shakes her head. “Honestly, Princess, it’s too rich a question for me. I don’t like to see the kid dead as much as you, so you can believe me when I say that I’d tell you if I had any information. You’ll have to go higher up than me to get an answer for that one.”

I sigh, turning my head to glance up at the temple, desperately hoping that Life has some answers.

“Let’s get started, then,” Laila says, cheerfully gathering up her divination supplies and popping them all back into their little bag. “No time to waste! Let’s get that boy a body!”

I laugh, getting to my feet and holding Blythe close to my chest as I offer Faiza a hand up. She ignores me, standing with an athletic grace of which I am quite envious, but which I know takes a lot more dedication to fitness than I’m willing to dedicate. Together we go into the darkness of the bedroom and I frown, looking towards the chair where I slept, a little concerned to see that my deep-sleeping ghost boy isn’t on it anymore.

“I moved him,” Faiza says, pointing over to the bed with a happy sigh. “Just…a little something for me.”

I turn my head and burst out with a laugh when I see Anton all curled up in the big bed with Orion. They aren’t touching or snuggling in any way, but still, the way they’re facing each other, both fast asleep – Orion’s mouth adorably open, Anton’s pretty hair spread out on the pillowcase. It’s just very intimate.

Orion stirs, though, disrupting the pretty little scene. “What?” he murmurs, frowning up at us and rubbing his eye. “What’s so funny?”

“You’re just so cute, little puppies,” I say, still laughing as I pass Blythe over to Laila and clutching my fists beneath my chin. “All cozy and warm!”

Orion’s frown deepens before he looks over at Anton and laughs too. “How the hell did he get here?”

“He was probably attracted to your warmth,” Laila says, grinning and perching on the side of the bed. “Like a moth to a flame.”

Orion smirks at her and then turns his eye to me, raising a brow. “Well, Princess?” he asks, waving a hand at the open space between himself and Anton. “Are you coming in?”

I burst immediately into a vivid blush, my mind running to last night and the rather intriguing offer that Orion made. One which he is clearly reminding me of right now. My mouth falls open and my throat clicks as I try to find something to say. Orion’s grin just deepens.

Anton saves me, thank god. “Everyone go away,” he moans, turning over onto his stomach, a frown taking his lips. “Juniper had a bunch of red wine last night and I’m still sleeping it off. Go…bother Blythe. Turn him into an elephant and make him give you rides around the courtyard until I wake up.”

“But we’d miss you, Tony!” I say, laughing a little, mostly in relief to have a distraction from Orion. I grin and move to Anton’s side of the bed, sitting next to him and running my fingers through his hair. “Besides, we found a way to make Laila all powerful and we want to try it with you so we can get you a body.”

“What?” Tony asks, lifting his head to frown at me. He sits up further, turning to frown at Laila. “What did you do to her?”

“I’m a priestess now!” Laila says, laughing and lifting her hands over her head in celebration. Blythe gives a chittering little squeak of protest, not liking the new height. Faiza laughs and takes him from Laila’s hand, holding him close to her belly.

“Oh heavens, Juniper,” Anton says with a sigh, turning a lazy, sardonic gaze on me now. “I sleep in once and you go and start a legion of worshippers?”

“Very powerful worshippers,” I say, grinning and leaning close to him, quite pleased with his messy hair and bleary eyes. My boyfriend is cute in the mornings, isn’t he?

“Bloodthirsty, power-hungry goddess,” he murmurs, fond, as he runs a hand over my hair in turn. I growl at him, pretending to be displeased, flicking him away into incorporeality as pretend punishment so he can’t pet my hair anymore. He laughs, doing it anyway, the tingles that accompany his ghostly touch rushing like sparks down my spine.

But before anyone can do anything else, there’s an odd little popping sound in the room, like a bubble bursting. We all immediately spin our heads, our mouths falling open when we see a large gathering of people suddenly here with us, some of whom are fairly gigantic Alpha specimens.

My eyes go wide, a little cry stumbling from my mouth as I recognize nearly every single one of them.

“Hello, rat,” says a cunning girl at the front of the group, dark curls spilling around her shoulders, a wicked grin on her lips.