Page 39 of Cursed Touch
The warm sun seeped into his skin as he loosened the tie around his neck. He tossed his things into the trunk, dropped his tie on top of his bag, and rolled up his sleeves, then he slid into his leather seat and pressed the car on.
Carter cranked up the music, hoping to drown his thoughts, and drove toward Sage Beginnings. The drive was easier than the one to work that morning. The extra cars in the parking lot warned him she had customers.
The bell chimed, announcing his arrival.
“Welcome to Sage Beginnings! Look around and let us know if you need any help,” a woman said. He’d never seen her before, but her kind smile was welcoming and soothed some of his nerves.
He looked around for flowy auburn hair but frowned when he only found a man flipping through a book and two women discussing the stones before them.
“How can I help you?” the woman asked as he approached her.
Carter glanced around again before offering her a pathetic smile. “I’m a little bit out of my realm here, and I was actually hoping to speak with Serena.”
“Oh, I’m sure I can help, unless there was a specific thing you needed from her?” she asked.
He grinned. “I’m Ethan’s brother, Carter.”
“Oh…oh!Let me go tell her—” She paused and offered someone behind him a smile. “I’ll be right back.”
Carter placed a hand over hers. “I don’t want to take you away from your customers. If it’s okay with you, I can go in the back or up to the apartment to find her.”
The woman bit the corner of her lower lip as she considered her options, and Carter realized she was not sure of his identity. He removed his wallet from his back pocket and pulled out his driver’s license. “See, Carter Broderick. I’m who I say I am.”
“Sorry, I’ve just never seen you before, and well, only Max has come by.”
Carter nodded as he chuckled. “Well, in case you didn’t know, there are a total of seven of us.”
He offered the man behind him an apologetic smile and walked to the curtain hiding the store from the back room. The room was empty, so he continued to the stairs leading up to the apartment. “Serena?” he called, hoping not to scare the high priestess.
“Carter?” she answered, confusion clear in her voice.
“Yeah!” he said, reaching the top of the stairs.
Serena kissed his cheek and smiled. “What do I owe the pleasure of two visits from my soon-to-be brother-in-law?”
He chuckled. “Well, I was hoping you could help me with something.”
“Would you like some tea?” she asked, waving a hand toward the kitchen.
Carter shook his head. “No, not this time.”
She nodded and waved him toward the couch. “Okay, how can I help?”
He sat next to her but near the edge of the couch. Placing his elbows on his thighs, he clasped his hands and sighed. “As you know, my mate, Vanessa, attracted some danger. As of right now, my sole power is healing. I have no way to protect her.”
“You know how to set up protection wards, don’t you?”
“Well, yes, but I was hoping I could domore,” he said, pinching his lips together.
She nodded. “I see. Well, you are a witch, so there are of course spells you can learn. I understand you haven’t been given telekinesis or other powers like your other siblings?”
He shook his head. “I haven’t. I honestly hadn’t cared until now.”
She laid a hand on his forearm. “It’s okay to feel helpless, but don’t worry. You’ve come to the right person,” she said and winked.
He chuckled and offered her his thanks. Serena excused herself and slipped down the stairs. As he scooted back on the couch, his gaze landed on stones similar to the ones two women downstairs had been looking at. He reached forward and plucked one from the coffee table in front of him and turned it around in his hands.
“Black tourmaline. It’s a stone used for protection as well as for grounding. You can have it if you’d like,” Serena said as she placed a few items on the table next to it.
