London. But I wasn't about to ask her. While we were about the same age, I found spending time with Lilith exhausting. Her physical appearance was striking and attractive. But she was filled with neuroses and grief which, according to Kamaria, she was attempting to control through meditation, hot yoga, and magical study. Personally, I didn't think it was working.
I leaned on the front counter and handed Lilith the extra latte I'd brought for Kamaria. "How's business?"
She gave me a doleful look. "We have an appointment with a new customer in just a few minutes. I hope Kamaria gets here before then. I shouldn't have to handle it by myself."
"I won't keep you then," I said, trying not to roll my eyes. "Enjoy the coffee."
As I turned to leave, Kamaria opened the door, holding it for Nicholas, who carried a box of books in his arms. He set the box on the counter and we regarded each other in silence. After a moment, he pursed his lips into a tight smile. "Have you ventured back into a ritual circle since your…unfortunate Samhain experience, Miss Danroe?"
I gave him my sweetest smile. "As a matter of fact, I have, Mister Orenda. I went to this month's full moon. It was lovely."
Kamara listened to us as she unpacked books, and said, "We also had a most interesting séance. Samantha organized it to attempt to contact her mother, since she didn't get a chance to talk with her during Samhain."
Nicholas lifted his chin and stared down his aristocratic nose at me. "Were you successful?"
"Um, yes." My smile fell off my face, and I swallowed the lump in my throat, recalling my mother's warning.
Nicholas crossed his arms across his chest and studied me carefully.
But before he could interrogate me, Lilith slid between us, her face more animated than I'd ever seen it. It appeared she had forgotten all about being put upon to meet with a new customer. In fact, if she had a tail, it'd be wrapped around his leg. "Hello," she purred. "You must be Nicholas." She shook his hand, held it in both of hers and didn't release it. Instead, she pulled him out the door with her to retrieve the rest of the boxes from his car.
Kamaria watched them, a bemused expression on her face. "My, my, she certainly captured his attention. Well, I suppose there could be stranger matches." Seeing the look of disgust on my face, she hastily amended. "On second thought, no, he seems the type more attracted to intellect, don't you think?"
" No man ignores a short skirt," I said, watching them through the front window.
The current skirt of interest was hiked up Lilith's thighs as she bent into Nicholas' car. He leaned against the door and watched as she wiggled out of the back seat, her arms around a box. He took the box from her and straightened in time to see me watching them. His lips twitched into a sardonic smile.
I turned away from the scene. "Do you have time to help me answer a question?" I pulled the raven statue out of my bag. "Standing Bear's friend made this for me. Are you familiar with the symbols on the shield?"
"It's a beautiful piece." Kamaria pulled a magnifying glass from her counter drawer for closer examination. "It's a medicine shield. Yes, I know this symbol." She pointed to the thunderbolt. "It represents Wakinya , the mythic thunderbird."
"Why do you think Sinclair would carve this symbol on a gift for me?"
"Well, the medicine shield shows the unique gifts the owner brings on his or her life's journey," Kamaria mused. "And the thunderbird is a shapeshifter." She gave me a speculative glance. "Are you?"
I shook my head emphatically.
"Then perhaps Sinclair is reminding you to look for information in other, shifted, forms?" Kamaria tilted the statue in her hands, running her thumb over the carved feather. "This creature is also a servant of Waken Tanka , the Great Spirit. Its role is to deliver messages." She gestured for me to follow her and led me to a bookshelf in the back labeled Native American Studies. "I have to write a
I leaned on the front counter and handed Lilith the extra latte I'd brought for Kamaria. "How's business?"
She gave me a doleful look. "We have an appointment with a new customer in just a few minutes. I hope Kamaria gets here before then. I shouldn't have to handle it by myself."
"I won't keep you then," I said, trying not to roll my eyes. "Enjoy the coffee."
As I turned to leave, Kamaria opened the door, holding it for Nicholas, who carried a box of books in his arms. He set the box on the counter and we regarded each other in silence. After a moment, he pursed his lips into a tight smile. "Have you ventured back into a ritual circle since your…unfortunate Samhain experience, Miss Danroe?"
I gave him my sweetest smile. "As a matter of fact, I have, Mister Orenda. I went to this month's full moon. It was lovely."
Kamara listened to us as she unpacked books, and said, "We also had a most interesting séance. Samantha organized it to attempt to contact her mother, since she didn't get a chance to talk with her during Samhain."
Nicholas lifted his chin and stared down his aristocratic nose at me. "Were you successful?"
"Um, yes." My smile fell off my face, and I swallowed the lump in my throat, recalling my mother's warning.
Nicholas crossed his arms across his chest and studied me carefully.
But before he could interrogate me, Lilith slid between us, her face more animated than I'd ever seen it. It appeared she had forgotten all about being put upon to meet with a new customer. In fact, if she had a tail, it'd be wrapped around his leg. "Hello," she purred. "You must be Nicholas." She shook his hand, held it in both of hers and didn't release it. Instead, she pulled him out the door with her to retrieve the rest of the boxes from his car.
Kamaria watched them, a bemused expression on her face. "My, my, she certainly captured his attention. Well, I suppose there could be stranger matches." Seeing the look of disgust on my face, she hastily amended. "On second thought, no, he seems the type more attracted to intellect, don't you think?"
" No man ignores a short skirt," I said, watching them through the front window.
The current skirt of interest was hiked up Lilith's thighs as she bent into Nicholas' car. He leaned against the door and watched as she wiggled out of the back seat, her arms around a box. He took the box from her and straightened in time to see me watching them. His lips twitched into a sardonic smile.
I turned away from the scene. "Do you have time to help me answer a question?" I pulled the raven statue out of my bag. "Standing Bear's friend made this for me. Are you familiar with the symbols on the shield?"
"It's a beautiful piece." Kamaria pulled a magnifying glass from her counter drawer for closer examination. "It's a medicine shield. Yes, I know this symbol." She pointed to the thunderbolt. "It represents Wakinya , the mythic thunderbird."
"Why do you think Sinclair would carve this symbol on a gift for me?"
"Well, the medicine shield shows the unique gifts the owner brings on his or her life's journey," Kamaria mused. "And the thunderbird is a shapeshifter." She gave me a speculative glance. "Are you?"
I shook my head emphatically.
"Then perhaps Sinclair is reminding you to look for information in other, shifted, forms?" Kamaria tilted the statue in her hands, running her thumb over the carved feather. "This creature is also a servant of Waken Tanka , the Great Spirit. Its role is to deliver messages." She gestured for me to follow her and led me to a bookshelf in the back labeled Native American Studies. "I have to write a
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