Mated To My Ruin: The Demon King's Witch

Maeve

Seattle was cold enough to make people believe in ghosts. Rain drummed lazily against the large glass windows of Moon & Ash as I unlocked the front door and flipped the sign from CLOSED to OPEN. The tiny bell above my head chimed once before I kicked the door shut with my boot.

The shop smelled like dried lavender, cinnamon and melted candle wax. I dropped my backpack behind the counter before reaching for the old record player tucked beneath the shelves. A familiar jazz song crackled through the speakers and suddenly the shop felt alive again.

“Morning to you too” I muttered when one of my plants slapped my wrist with a leaf. The little menace looked proud of itself.

“You are lucky you’re photosynthesizing because otherwise we’d be having words” The plant slowly curled another leaf in my direction.

A customer pushed the door open before the argument could continue. She looked to be in her fifties with tired eyes and an even more tired smile.

“I hope I’m not too early” she murmured as she stepped inside, brushing rainwater off her coat.

“You’d have to show up at three in the morning to be too early” I told her with a wink.

“I need something for sleep” She laughed quietly.

“The legal answer or the effective answer” I smiled and motioned toward the shelves.

She blinked then goes. “Both”

“I like you already” I pulled down a small glass jar filled with dried lavender, mugwort and chamomile before wrapping it neatly in brown paper.

“This is herbal tea. It will help”

Around three in the afternoon the bell above the door chimed again. I didn’t have to look up to know who it was.

“You’ve been here for exactly seven seconds and you’ve already stolen one of my chocolates”

Ryson grinned from across the shop, completely unapologetic as he unwrapped the tiny square of chocolate he’d taken from the bowl beside the register.

“I was hungry” I can hear the smile in his voice.

“You are always hungry” I rolled my eyes still not looking up from my herbs.

“That is because I burn calories looking this good” he boasted.

“I think you should ask for a refund” I looked him up and down thoughtfully.

“You wound me” He clutched his chest dramatically.

“I was aiming lower”

His laugh filled the little shop. He walked around the counter before leaning down to kiss my forehead. Ryson is my boyfriend and also a member of the Lore. He is an archer, one of the very few remaining with a body that goes with his profession as a bounty hunter. He has soulful brown eyes and dirty blonde hair.

“You’ve got herbs in your hair”

“I’ve accepted that this is who I am now”

“There” He carefully picked a tiny dried rosemary leaf from my curls.

“Thank you. I was beginning to think I looked too professional” I muttered dryly because I always look like a herb seller whenever I’m in this shop.

“You have never looked professional” he joked with a grin.

“I sell rocks for a living”

“You sell expensive rocks. There is a difference” he sounded proud as he looked around again.

I shot back with a grin as I finished arranging a row of polished crystals. Ryson slipped his hands into the pockets of his jacket and slowly looked around the shop before shaking his head.

“I still can’t believe people actually buy half this stuff” he made a face that turned his already good looking face adorable.

“You wound me” I gasped dramatically and pressed a hand against my chest.

“I mean it” His lips twitched as he reached for a small rose quartz sitting on the shelf. “You convinced someone this thing would help them find love”

“It will”

“You made that up”

“I absolutely did not”

“So you’re telling me this rock has magical dating powers”

I leaned closer over the counter and lowered my voice like I was about to reveal a state secret. “No. The placebo effect does”

He stared at me for a second before laughing under his breath. “You are unbelievable”

The little bell above the door chimed softly and neither of us looked up at first.

“Welcome to Moon and Ash” I called absentmindedly while straightening another display. “Feel free to look around. Everything is overpriced”

“You’ll never be a good business owner if you keep saying that” Ryson snorted beside me.

Silence answered us. It was strange enough that I finally lifted my head. An old woman stood just inside the doorway.

She looked to be well into her eighties with silver hair neatly pinned beneath a dark hat. Her long charcoal coat looked expensive, tailored perfectly despite being a style that probably disappeared decades ago. White gloves covered both hands and a polished wooden cane rested lightly beside her.

Oddly enough, she wasn’t using it. She simply held it. Her pale gray eyes never left mine. Something about the way she looked at me made my smile falter. She looks relieved to see me and that made me uneasy.

“I’ve finally found you” she murmured, her voice sounded otherworldly and ethereal.

“Me?” I blinked before pointing at myself.

She gave the smallest nod. “That is usually who I’m referring to when I look directly at someone”

“That’s either really sweet or mildly terrifying” I let out an awkward laugh.

“I’ve been searching for a very long time” A faint smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.

“Do you know her?” Ryson glanced between us before leaning toward me.

“If I do, I’m getting really concerned about my memory” I lowered my voice just enough that only he could hear.

“I would like my fortune read” The old woman said as she slowly approached the table where I usually did private readings.

“Of course” I gestured toward the chair with a polite smile that didn’t reach my eyes anymore. “Please have a seat”

She sat with impossible grace for someone her age, folding her gloved hands neatly in her lap while she watched me with quiet patience. Ryson looked at his watch before kissing my temple.

“I should get back to work” Ryson said, I nodded and he shot the old woman a polite nod before leaving the shop.

The bell chimed again and then the shop suddenly felt colder. I sat across from the woman and pulled my tarot deck toward me.

“So” I smiled lightly as I began shuffling the cards. “Anything in particular you’re hoping to find out today?”

“Everything”

“That’s ambitious” I commented dryly trying to not let her see through my unease. I hardly get uneasy!

“I’ve waited long enough” she made a sound at the back of her throat.

“We’ll see what the cards think”

I finished shuffling and placed the deck between us. “Pick three”

She didn’t touch them and just said breezily. “They will choose”

Before I could ask what she meant, one card slid out of the deck by itself. It landed face up. Death. I stared at it before looking back at her.

“Well..” I forced out a small laugh. “That’s dramatic”

She didn’t react so I gathered the card and shuffled again. Another one slipped free. The Tower.

“You’ve either had a really awful year or my cards are trying to traumatize both of us” I said but she didn’t react.

The smile on my face slowly disappeared. I reached for another card but my fingers stopped halfway as I watched the ink start to disappear. The card turned completely blank. I frowned and flipped it over if it was my illusion. Nope. It’s gone.

I quickly pulled another. Blank. Blank. Blank. Every single card I touched had become nothing more than plain white paper. The blood slowly drained from my face.

“That has never happened before” I forced out through dry lips.

“I know” the old woman answered quietly without taking her eyes off me.

“What did you do?” My gaze snapped back to hers.

“I did nothing” she shrugged delicately.

“Then why are my cards blank?” I swallowed hard.

She studied me for what felt like forever before speaking so softly I almost missed it.

“So the rumors were true after all”

“What rumors?”

She stood without answering and reached into the pocket of her coat. For a second I tensed but instead of a weapon, she placed a single old silver coin on the table.

“You will remember eventually”

“I’m sorry. Have we met before?” I stood with her, confused now.

“No” She looked at me with something that almost resembled pity. Her fingers curled around the handle of her cane. “But we will.”

Before I could ask what that meant, she turned and walked toward the door. I hurried after her.

“Wait!” A chill crawled down my spine. She was gone.

I stepped outside into the crowded Seattle sidewalk but the old woman had disappeared as though she has never been there. I slowly looked back toward the shop. When I returned to the table, every tarot card has its image again. Not a single one was blank.  I picked up the Death card and turned it over but something was written there instead. Demonarchy.