A Relic Of Magic And Gold: Relics and Legends by H.M. Hodgson

Author:H.M. Hodgson [Hodgson, HM]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-11-08T00:00:00+00:00

As soon as they left the shop and its stuffy owner behind, Eve flipped her grip of Raph’s hand—suppressing a chuckle when his brows rose in alarm—and pulled him toward the café at the end of the arcade.

“Don’t be a wuss,” Eve said over her shoulder. “I’m not going to break your hand.”

“Not for lack of trying anyway.” He wriggled his fingers in her grip, and as much as she was battling disappointment that the relic hadn’t been at the shop, she couldn’t stop a grin.

“That’s what you get for calling me darling and making out that I’m some bimbo who’s only with you for your money.”

“And my good looks.”

“Hmm … no, that didn’t come to mind.”

Raph laughed, and Eve had the insane urge to laugh with him. What was it about this man? Somehow he was getting under all her barriers and making her … happy. Which was the last fricking thing she should possibly be.

Focus. The relic.

She walked faster—almost jogged—and forced Raph to keep pace all the way to the café, where she stalked to the farthest table in the corner of the building.

The café looked like an old-fashioned tearoom with stenciled artwork on the glass-paned doors and old lamps scattered through the room.

She let Raph order them both a coffee, and as soon as they were on their own, she took the tarot deck from her bag of goods from Southern Moon.

“What are you doing?” Raph asked from across the table.

“I need to do this quickly,” she muttered. “No time to explain.”

She opened the deck and split the major and minor arcana. From there, she shuffled the major deck. Goddess, please let this work.

“Does the woman in the antique shop speak the truth about the gala event?” she whispered.

Eve dealt the twelve cards all facedown, then let her hand hover from left to right. An invisible tug in her belly made her pause midway through the deck. She completed the run and started again. The tug happened again. She stopped this time and turned the card over.

“The sun,” she murmured.

“So?”

Eve looked up at Raph. His green eyes were locked on hers. This was the serious Raph, the one she liked—but didn’t know exactly how real he was. “The sun is a sign of positivity. In a reading like this, I’m taking it as confirmation Eleanor’s telling the truth. The gala is sold out.”

“Damn it.”

“Yep. She might be a bitch, but she was being honest.”

“You think?”

“Yep, takes one to know one. So I can see that easily enough.”

“Hey, you’re not a bitch.”

“That’s pretty much what every trainee in the coven called me, behind my back and to my face.”

“They sound like a sucky group of trainees.”

“Not really.” Eve cut Raph a look and shrugged. “I was … distant. Focused on being the best, and nothing and no one else got my time. In their eyes, I was a bitch.”

“How old were you when you started?”

“Sixteen. Basically, as soon as my magic manifested strongly enough that the coven felt my presence.

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