Gideon was speechless–same as me, though my shock was mostly at how bold this hustle was.
Cassie tilted her head, and I swear I saw her roll her eyes for half a second before snapping right back into
her “devout disciple” character.
“Mistress Zephira’s mercy knows no bounds, overflowing with love! Such kindness–Lydia, you’re blessed!”
Lydia, practically drowning in gratitude, reached for the prayer beads like they were made of gold.
Mistress Zephira leaned forward, voice earnest as could be.
“Lydia, remember: a true heart makes it work. Without sincerity, even the relics can’t help you.”
“I get it, I get it!”
Lydia nodded so fast her hair flew, slipping the beads onto her wrist and clutching them tight. She paid an astronomical “faith fee“-I nearly choked when I saw the number–and stumbled out, still covered in ash and that fake pig blood, like she’d just survived a miracle. They even set a follow–up for next week, Mistress Zephira promising to “think of more solutions” to her problems.
Talk about fleecing a mark.
I watched Lydia’s retreating back, muttering to myself, “Is it too late for me to switch careers?”
Gideon just stared at me, still speechless.
Next door, Cassie pulled off her veil, and there was her sharp, elegant face–no more fake piety, just that familiar, confident glint in her eyes.
“Mistress Zephira, my plan was way better than your usual tricks, right? You made bank today.”
Mistress Zephira opened her eyes then–and just like that, the “blind” act was over. So the old she–wolf had been faking it this whole time.
“Not bad, Cassie. You’ve got a knack for this.” She leaned back, tone casual. “How about joining me for good? We split it fifty–fifty.”
“I’m gifted at everything,”
Cassie smirked, flipping a strand of hair over her shoulder, “but I’m more into cutting down the strong and lifting up the weak. Justice is my thing–not just cash.”
“Fair enough.” Mistress Zephira shrugged, picking at a loose thread on her robe. “I want the cash, you want justice. We both get what we want. Do your thing–I just want the money when it’s done.”
“Deal.” Cassie held out a hand, and Mistress Zephira shook it. I leaned back from the wall, staring at Gideon- so that’s what this was. Cassie wasn’t just “joining the mystic’s crew“-she was using them to take down Lydia.
The two master mystics kept hashing out their hustle. Gideon tugged Vivian out, slipping back to the waiting
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room.
They barely sat down before the robed she–wolf appeared. “Your turn, folks. Follow me.”
I glanced at the others–my look saying it all: You coming?
Gideon gave me a calm, easy smile. “Lead the way.”
If he was on board, no one else dared object. Gotta commit to the act, right?
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The robed she–wolf led us to a new room–not the wrecked altar space from earlier. Makes sense; that place
was trashed beyond use.
This room was smaller, with a sleek, minimalist vibe–no cluttered statues or torn banners, just a simple incense table and four wooden chairs. Mistress Zephira sat behind the table, her hands folded in her lap, and there was no sign of “Nessa” anywhere.
The four of us took our seats–me, Gideon, Sabrina, Caleb–sitting up straight like we were actually here for a
“reading.”
“What do you wish to know?”
Mistress Zephira asked, her smile warm but sharp, like she was already sizing us up.
I opened my mouth, ready to toss out a random, harmless question–something to keep the act going, to bu us time to figure out our next move.
Before she could speak, a smooth, polite voice with a hint of amusement cut in. “Tell me about my ted
bond.”
All heads whipped toward Gideon, eyes wide like they’d just spotted a UFO–equal parts shock and horror.
Fated bond?
How did those words slip so effortlessly, so casually, from his mouth?
Just ask about the weather or something! I thought, panicking a little–anything to keep this fake reading low–stakes.
Sabrina shot Gideon a sharp look, her tone dry even in a whisper.
“Slow down, lover boy!”
Caleb leaned in too, snickering quietly.
“Is Gideon that desperate to be bound?”
“Fated bond, huh?”
Mistress Zephira said, totally unruffled by our quiet bickering. She pulled out a crumpled sheet of paper and a pen, sliding them across the table.
“Write your name and birth details.”
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Gideon tilted his head toward me, like it was the most natural thing in the world.
“Go write it for me.”
I was speechless.
How am I supposed to know your birth chart? I’m not your mom! I wanted to snap, but instead I just stared at
him, jaw tight.
Gideon gave my arm a gentle nudge, his voice soft but teasing.
“Go on, be a good pup and help me out.”
Good pup, my tail! I fumed inwardly, but I stood up anyway–committing to the act, even if it meant making up lies on the spot. I stomped over to the table, grabbed the pen, and scribbled a random date I pulled out of thin air for him, along with his name.
Mistress Zephira didn’t even glance at the paper. Her face lit up with that fake “knowing” look, and she went through a few flashy ritual moves–waving her hands over the incense, murmuring under her breath–before humming thoughtfully.
“Gideon, your fated bond? Two words: far yet near. Cherish the one before you.”
I scoffed mentally. He’s got plenty of “ones” around him–this is just classic mystic nonsense
. I smirked to myself, ready to brush it off as another scam… until Gideon’s gaze locked orig
It was deep, intense–unsettling, even.
My scalp tingled, and my smirk faded.
Why are you staring at me?
“What’s ‘before you‘ mean? I’m not following. You get it?” Gideon leaned closer, his expression puzzled, eyes blinking like he was trying to spark a heart attack.
Their reflections danced in each other’s eyes, intense as a buried seed.
Speechless.
Vivian’s breath hitched, her face burning like a kettle on boil.
Sabrina, watching, felt like she needed an insulin shot. Hanging with you guys is gonna give me diabetes!
Caleb piped up, “I know what it means!”
He started to lean in, but a flying Hermès bag clocked him on the head. Sabrina glared. Stay out of it, you clueless pup!
Caleb, baffled, wondered why she was so mad.
I stammered, my voice coming out shaky despite my best effort to sound casual.
“P–probably means someone close to you, right? It’s, uh, pretty deep stuff–real vague, y’know?” I laughed
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< Chapter 104
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nervously, trying to brush off that intense look of his like it was nothing, like my heart wasn’t racing for no
reason.
Mistress Zephira chimed in before Gideon could say a word, leaning forward with that same fake eager
smile. “Gideon, if you want to seal the deal and claim your beauty, I’ve got a relic to give you an edge.” She reached into her robe and pulled out a bracelet–silver, with tiny etched symbols–and set it on the table.
My eyes widened. It was identical to the one I was wearing, the chain and symbols matching perfectly. I blinked hard, staring at it. What, you buy these in bulk? I thought, fighting the urge to snort
. First the vajra pendant, then the prayer beads, now a copy of my bracelet–this “relic” racket was lazier than
I thought. I glanced down at my own wrist, then back at the one on the table, suddenly self–conscious. Why did she even have a duplicate?
Thought it was the “last one“! Are you Doraemon or something?
Gideon grinned, clearly amused. “I know this relic. It’s powerful, right, Vivian?”
He looked at her again.
I wanted to vanish–right then, right there, into the cracks of the floor.
“Hope it works as well for me,”
Gideon said, his eyes sparkling with that teasing, expectant glint. “Vivian, grab it for me.”
Speechless
. Get it yourself!I’m not your personal errand runner.
But then I remembered–this whole “assistant” act I’d been roped into, the one where I had to play along to
keep our cover.
Grumbling under my breath, I leaned over, picked up the bracelet, and held it out to him.
A long, elegant hand reached out–pale, with slender fingers, striking against the silver of the bracelet. “Put ::
on me.”
“Dont you have hands?” I snapped before I could stop myself, the words slipping out in a huff.
The air froze instantly, so quiet I could hear my own heartbeat thudding in my ears. Sabrina and Caleb probably held their breath too–neither of them dared make a sound.
Gideon kept his hand raised, his expression still calm, but I could see the storm brewing beneath it–his jaw tight, his eyes darkening just a fraction.
Three seconds. That’s how long I stood there, panicking, before I snapped to my senses. I fumbled with the bracelet, sliding it onto his wrist as quickly as I could, forcing a smile. “Looks good. Really good.”
Gideon pulled his hand back, turning it slightly to study the yin–yang symbols etched into the metal. His tone shifted, cool and skeptical, like he was seeing through the act now. “Mistress Zephira, this thing really work?” Mistress Zephira was unfazed, her smile never wavering. “Fated bonds take time. Be patient, and it’ll come
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Chapter 104
naturally–no rushing true connection.”
Gideon nodded, like he was buying it. “Makes sense.”
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I stared at him, confused–was he actually going along with this, or was he just biding his time? Either way. my cheeks were still burning from snapping at him, and I vowed to keep my mouth shut for the rest of this
nonsense.
Caleb, eyeing the stylish bracelet on Gideon, got excited. “Mistress Zephira, I want one too!”
Sabrina thought, You just can’t resist, can you?
“No more bracelets,” Mistress Zephira said, pulling out a box. “But I’ve got a pair of rings. You and your mate can each take one–keep your love sweet as honey.”
“Mate?” Caleb glanced around, confused.
Sabrina waved her hand. “No thanks, Mistress Zephira. I already cut him loose. Too dumb–don’t want it messing up my future pups‘ brains.”
Caleb’s jaw dropped. …Is she talking about me?
I shot him a look. Who else?
Twenty minutes later, the four of us stepped out.
Cassie was leaning by the elevator, grinning. “Well, well, you actually went to see Mistress Zep come to me–I’ve got stronger mojo.”
Her sharp eyes caught the bracelet on Gideon’s wrist. “Hey, why’d you get one of those?”
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Then her face lit up, and she clapped like she’d cracked a code. “Ohhh, you’re trying to match with me…”
T
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