Page 63 of Shift of Morals
Ben deserved better than me.
When he disappeared from sight, I turned and pressed my hand against the door jamb, taking a moment before I went inside.
My hand flickered, briefly shifting from a claw-tipped paw to a scaled one. I gasped and clutched my hand to my shirt, hurrying inside before anyone noticed. When I was safely inside, I pressed my hand on the desk and stared, but it remained smooth and tanned, the hand I saw every single day.
Unnerved, I tried to will the shift again, but nothing happened. I hadn’t tested my Floromancy yet. Even with Cernunnos’ promise, I was terrified to find out if my innate magic had changed. If it had, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to go on. Plants had been my life from the moment I could touch the earth. If the Chimera had ripped that away from me, I might lie down and die, letting myself be with the earth one final time.
So I couldn’t try today. I was too emotionally fraught and still felt like crap.
Tomorrow I’d see how much my life had changed once more.
The bell rang again. Moira breezed in with a steaming to-go cup of tea. “That shop down the road ran out of that spiced blood! I wanted chai, and I had to get Earl Grey.”
“Tragic,” Hazel drawled.
Moira blinked. “I keep forgetting you’re here.” She waved a hand at the witch. “Don’t you have some bats to play with or something?”
Hazel shoved another bite of donut in her mouth before she raised her middle finger.
Moira cracked a laugh and came behind the desk, gently nudging me with her hip.
Tess came in next, holding a massive bouquet of roses.
I gasped. “Do not tell me those are grocery store roses!”
Tess rolled her eyes. “I would never. These are for later. I’m planning a visit to the graveyard to see if I can lure out that other banshee I keep seeing. She might need a friend.”
“You bring roses to the graveyard?” Hazel asked.
“Why wouldn’t I?” Tess asked. “Banshees and ghosts deserve flowers, too.”
Hazel opened her mouth, then closed it just as fast. “I suppose they do,” she said in a musing tone.
I turned to hide my smile. Seeing Hazel speechless was a rarity.
Ash came in next, holding a massive box that clinked when he walked. Tess put her bouquet down and rushed over to hold the door open.
“Thanks.” Ash brushed a kiss against her cheek making Tess blush furiously.
Moira and I exchanged low fives under the register desk.
He plopped the box on my work table. “I bought these from an estate sale at that haunted house down the road.”
I peeked inside the box and gasped in delight. “That’s real crystal!”
“Yup. I got the entire box for fifty bucks. Thought we could use some of them for the seasonal arrangements.”
“Our customers will love them.” I held a smaller one up to the light, marveling at the brilliant colors refracting as I turned it back and forth. “Reimburse yourself from the petty cash, okay?”
“Not worried about it.” He plucked a smaller, single stem vase from the box. “I’ve been eyeing a few for myself.”
“Take whatever you want,” I said as I dug through the rest.
Tess spotted the donut box and floated over to take one. “Anyone else?”
My stomach let out an embarrassing growl.
“Evie first!” Moira announced, taking the box Tess passed, and opening it, displaying an array of goodies.
