After promising another three times, grandma finally left to beat dad home. He had no clue she’d overheard him talking to Flora on the phone and found out about their get together, even though he should’ve realized you can’t hide anything from grandma.

Rowena slipped away to her bedroom after making me swear an oath I’d tell her, or Cordelia should something like that happen again. She left the three of us to eat grandma’s leftovers and brush through various sigil books. Beneath each hand drawn symbol was a tip to help make the spell stronger.

Many called for white chalk or paint, others wanted black, and the harsher sigils called for animal blood. Some of the symbols became so complex my eyes couldn’t discern where one line began and another ended.

There was one sigil that sent my thoughts veering towards the marks on my neck. It wasn’t Asher’s on my mind, even though I showed off the cobalt mark every chance I ha