As I stared at Adessa’s Herb’s and Spice’s, I noticed a crescent moon outlined by a black star sketching the window of the door. I glanced at the tattoo on Aislin’s shoulder. It was exactly the same as what was on the window.
“What is that?” I asked, pointing at her shoulder.
She traced the lines of the tattoo with her finger. “It’s the witches mark. After I became a witch, it appeared on my skin.”
“Like the mark of immortality?” I inquired.
Her eyebrows dipped down in perplexity. “How do you know about that?”
“Laylen told me while we were at the Black Dungeon,” I explained.
“Oh great,” Alex scoffed. “What else did he tell you?”
“Nothing,” I said, which was a lie since I now knew what a Black Angel was. “So does everyone have a mark?”
Aislin nodded. “I actually have two. One because I’m a witch.” She lifted her foot onto the center console and flipped the ceiling light on. A black circle trimmed by fiery gold flames tattooed the side of her ankle. “And one because I’m a Keeper.”
“And what? They just all of a sudden showed up?”
“Yeah, my Keeper’s mark appeared when I was about twelve. It was also about the same time I really started learning about what it is to be a Keeper. And my witches mark showed up when I was about fifteen, which is when I first found out I possessed Wicca magic.”
I wondered how many marks Alex had. Was he more than just a Keeper?
“If you’re wondering if I have one, the answer is yes,” he said, like he’d read my mind or something.
Hold on. What if he could read minds? I mean, with everything else I’d learned over the last twenty-four hours, I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if there was such a thing as mind-reading abilities. If Alex could read minds then that would totally suck, considering how my thoughts tended to center around him and his beautifulness.
“I only have one mark, though,” he said, meeting my eyes “The Keepers mark.”
Phew. What a relief. “Does it look the same as Aislin’s?”
He nodded. “Same mark, just in a different spot.”
Why, for the life of me, did his remark fire up the electricity was beyond me. I chewed on my bottom lip, severely distracted by my thoughts of where his mark could be.
A sly grin spread across his face. “If you want, I can show you where it is.”
“Alex,” Aislin hissed. “What are you doing?”
“Relax,” Alex said. “There’s no need to get all wound up. I was just teasing her.”
I came to the conclusion right then and there that maybe Alex had some kind of a bipolar disorder or something. First he hated me. Then he’d kissed me. Sometimes I irritated him. And sometimes he was teasing me. For someone who didn’t want me to feel, he was sure sending my emotions all over the place.
Looking out the window, Aislin heaved a huge sigh of relief. “Oh good, we can go in.”
I followed her gaze and saw Laylen, standing in front of Adessa’s, waving us in.
Inside of Adessa’s Herb’s and Spice’s, the air smelled of sage and a few other spices that I couldn’t quite identify. Black and white tile checkerboarded the floor, the witches mark painted largely in the center. Glass countertops, displaying simple things like jewelry, candles, and incense, outlined the room. There were, however, some things inside the display cases that looked rather questionable. A black pot with a creepy looking eye painted on it (I swear the thing was watching me), a miniature figurine of an Egyptian pyramid, and a statue of a cat with two heads. I couldn’t help but wonder what these strange looking objects did. Were they merely for display? Or did they hold some kind of magical power to them?
“So…” Aislin skimmed about the room with a puzzled expression. “Where’s this Adessa?”
“She’ll be down in just a minute.” Laylen leaned back against a display case and rested his elbows on top of it. “She had to run upstairs to get something.”
I walked around the room, trailing my finger aimlessly along the glass countertop as I gazed down at all the peculiar looking objects. On one of the counters, I spotted a crystal ball that looked like what Fortune Tellers use to see into the future. I peered inside it, curious if I’d be able to see what my future held. Violet ribbons floated gracefully in a sea of shimmering water. Through it, my reflection stared back at me. Apparently, I possessed no psychic abilities. Either that or this particular ball was a dud.
“If you’re not careful, you might get stuck inside it,” Alex said, practically appearing out of thin air and scaring the crap out of me.
I threw my hand over my accelerating heart. “Jesus. You scared the heck out of me.” I paused, catching me breath. “So what were you saying about me getting stuck inside something?”
He tapped his fingers on the crystal ball. “Stuck inside here. It’s a Foreseer’s crystal ball. The kind they use to see visions. But to see the future, they actually have to go into the future.” He flicked the ball with his finger. “By going inside this.”
“But why would I get stuck inside it? I’m not a Foreseer.”
“Yeah, but you’re…different. I don’t think you touching it would be such a good idea.”
“But you keep touching it,” I pointed out.