Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 109033 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 545(@200wpm)___ 436(@250wpm)___ 363(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109033 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 545(@200wpm)___ 436(@250wpm)___ 363(@300wpm)
Luka had released Iain, who had so far completely avoided Naomi. Still, Tobe had taken it upon himself to confront the psi-demon and issue some warnings of his own. Iain had admitted that his obsession with Naomi had been a result of her song and had claimed he was deeply embarrassed. He’d also assured Tobe that he had no intention of making contact with her.
Here’s to hoping.
Naomi crossed the street and strode toward Tia’s shop. A black awning shaded the storefront. Two red neon signs hung in the window—one saying Psychic Readings, while the slightly smaller one below it said Open.
Oblivious humans and demons popped into the store all the time, either for consultations, out of curiosity, or to buy merchandise.
Tia was always available to do readings. The angel cards, crystals, and supposed palm readings were all for show, though. Really, she used a mix of her exceptional intuition and her demonic ability to pick up surface thoughts. Some people had natural shields that kept their thoughts protected—Naomi was one of them —but her mother was still damn good at reading her.
Naomi had spent a lot of time here as a kid, since her mother had liked to do the whole “And this is my daughter—she inherited the family gift” thing. Tia would telepathically tell Naomi something about the human, such as what they were thinking at that moment. Naomi would then repeat it aloud and watch the client’s face go slack in wonder.
Maybe she should have felt bad about fooling all those people, but Tia had made it seem like a game, so she’d initially found it fun. Later, though, it hadn’t felt right. Her mother had said, “We’re part of an imp-dominated lair, sweetie—we never do what feels right.”
As a kid, watching her mother work, Naomi had admired how well Tia could read people. Even as an adult, she still found it impressive. Tia took in every micro-expression; noticed anything about a person’s voice or body language that gave away details. But it had been somewhat annoying for Naomi when she was a teenager who wanted to sneak off and do unadvisable things, because it was hard to get a lie past Tia.
Naomi pushed open the shop door, causing the chimes there to jingle. The smells of herbs, scented candles, and incense tickled her nose.
The color scheme was all blues, purples, and pinks. Framed ethereal pictures hung on the walls. Soft mystical music played low in the background. A seating area was set directly across from the cluttered cashier’s desk. The lighting was gentle—a combination of flickering candles and old lamps that featured purple shades.
Various merchandise was scattered around—some in glass cases, some on shelves, some near or on the cashier’s desk. There were also candles, crystals, angel statues, books, herb packets, pendulums, charm bracelets, essential oils—on and on it went.
Naomi blinked in surprise at the sight of Tobe leaning over the desk, smiling at the blonde imp behind it, who wore a gypsy-style dress. “I thought we were meeting up at the jewelry store,” she said to her anchor.
He gave a dry look. “Oh hi, Nome. Yes, I am fine, thanks.”
Naomi rolled her eyes. “I know you’re fine. I spoke to you, like, two hours ago when we agreed to meet up.”
“Yeah, and I knew you’d be late—which you are, in case you haven’t noticed—so I figured I’d wait for you here. It gives me an excuse to chat up Yuliya.”
The receptionist grinned at him. “You never need an excuse to do that, honey.” She looked at Naomi. “Don’t let him give you crap for being late. He walked in here no more than thirty seconds before you.”
He gaped at her. “I can’t believe you threw me under the bus like that.”
The blonde gave an unapologetic shrug. “Sisters before misters.”
A snort popped out of Naomi. “Is my mom around?”
“She’s in the back room getting ready to close up,” replied Yuliya. She switched off the music. “You can go in there if you want; her last client of the day just left.”
“Great.”
“I’ll wait here,” said Tobe, his eyes fixed on Yuliya like she’d disappear if he looked away.
Smiling to herself, Naomi made a beeline for the back room. Pushing aside the privacy curtain, she slipped inside. Dressed in her usual bohemian getup, her mother was in the process of blowing out the candles that were set around the room. “Are you ready, Madam Tia?”
Her mother cast her a smile. “Almost. Thanks for picking me up, sweetheart.”
“Not a problem. You wiped my ass for, what, two whole years? The least I can do is give you a ride home when you need it.”
Tia chuckled. “Well, when you put it like that . . .” She crossed to the circular cloth-covered table that had center-stage. “I haven’t spoken to you much this week, so I didn’t get a chance to ask . . . How are things going with you and Luka?”