Guardian of Monsters by Catherine Stine

Author:Catherine Stine
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Konjur Road Press

Back home, she shifted to human form in the kitchen, pulling on a robe and assessing the damage to the things in her pack. Her new stained-glass—style tarot deck was ruined, warped with the inks running. Her jersey dress was ripped to shreds. Just things, she decided, and tossed them. She was damp and shivering. Yet her pride was buoyed by her sheer nerve during the back-and-forth with Blade. He had not managed to mangle her. She had stuck to her guns this time.

Though upstairs, soaking in a hot tub to warm up, her nerves and her confidence began to unravel. He would surely wreak revenge. How can I possibly anticipate his every move to protect myself and the ones I care about?

Nola Jaye would tell her to carry on. She’d say, “Witchling, use your skills. You were born for this. Defeat this sickening demon and his mad plans!”

Her father and mother would be scared for her, yet they’d give her a pep talk, not beg her to stop. She would not consult with them this time. She would stand in her power no matter what it took.

Ray would tell her to be more careful. She already sensed him hovering like a helicopter parent. But she was an adult, and he wasn’t her dad. And was “more careful” the answer? Back in his day, Ray and his Jekyll Clan had waged a supernatural battle royale. Irma Mae had hinted at it when she relayed what Harwood had told her years ago. Somehow, Celestine needed to find out much more about it. Whatever they’d done, they had totally riled up Bastard Vex Blade. So Ray hadn’t exactly followed the “careful” path.

Shuddering, she stepped out of the tub and wrapped herself in a downy towel. What if she performed another divining ritual? Visualized the battle with the help of more poultice balls? The idea of chewing those foul weedy things right now made her gag. Plus, she was dog tired. Nola Jaye had said that magic evaporated rapidly. Celestine hadn’t used much in that cemetery. But she might want to have Oryn by her if she went into a serious divining trance since it wasn’t her specialty. Oryn would be her rock, her evergreen, her grounded mage.

She got out her drawing pad and a soft graphite and slipped into bed, the vellum balanced on her legs. Her last art class was tomorrow, and maybe if she satisfied the automatic impulse tonight, she could finally draw something normal in class.

She closed her eyes and took slow, deep breaths. Thought of the first card Nola Jaye had pulled. The Empress is the artist who finds answers in pictures… the Empress is the artist who… Celestine’s fingers began to twitch this way and that. She was along for the ride, her preternatural mind the conduit between the ether and concrete, visual clues. “Pull them in, pull them in,” she intoned as her hands warmed and their movements sped up. Finally, when the pulsing energy seeped out of them and her heart slowed, she opened her eyes.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.