Aw, that's nice of Mom. She's five foot two soaking wet and can't defend me from a flea, much less a god, but that's thoughtful. I squeeze her hand. "No, but I need advice. We have to get him back home and right now the only way for me to be free of him is for me to die."
Mom's eyes go wide. She releases my hand and goes to the door, then turns off the neon psychic reading lights and flips over her 'Out to Lunch' sign on the door. Then, she turns back to me. "Tell me everything, Carly. Start at the beginning."
8
Because she's my mother, I don't tell her everything.
I don't mention that Kassam's touch makes me orgasm instantly. Or that we've had sex (or something close to it) multiple times since I've met him. I don't point out that he got me off in a coffee shop bathroom. There are some things a mother just doesn't need to know about her daughter. But everything else Kassam has told me? I don't hold back. All the while, she pulls cards, tutting when the same ones come up over and over again.
The Lovers.
The Fool.
Death.
The cards pop up over and over again, a silent message that returns no matter how often my mother shuffles. "What do I do?" I ask my mother, worried.
She sucks on her bottom lip, thinking. "I'm not entirely sure." Her gaze flicks to me, and then over to Kassam, who is eating a bag of chips I found in my mom's back office. He licks each one with lascivious attention, casting looks over at me between savoring each chip. I'm doing my best to ignore him and pay attention, but it's hard. Even with crystals all around us, it's hard. My mother's starting to sweat. "It's difficult for me to think clearly right now. I'll keep working your cards and see if I can get any answers, but for now, maybe it's best if you head out?"
I sit back in the folding metal chair in her reading room, hurt. She's getting rid of me? "We just got here, Mom. Can't you help me?"
"I know, sweetie. I know." She reaches out and squeezes my hand. "It's just…he's very distracting." And she shifts in her seat.
I glance over at Kassam, who gives me a sultry look and licks his fingers.
Okay, she's got a point. I hate to leave, though. For some reason, things feel under control when I'm in my mother's presence. "I guess we can go. You'll text me?"
My mother nods. "I will. I'll pull more cards and see what I can find out. Is there something specific you think I should ask? How he gets home? Or how you break the bond?" She gives Kassam another look and shifts in her chair once more, her face flushed. "Maybe I should write this down."
"I know how we get back to my world," Kassam offers, speaking up.
We both turn to him, surprised. "I thought you said you didn't know how you got here," I bring up. "You told me it was all a mystery to you."
"And it is." He licks a fingertip again, smiling devilishly at me. "But the answer as to how to get back should be obvious." Kassam peers down into the bag of chips. "Are there more of these?"
"Focus, please." I snap my fingers. "How do I get you home without killing myself?"
"Your beautiful mother has the right idea." My mother makes a sound that might be excitement, might be an orgasm. Shit, I hope it's not an orgasm. Kassam smiles at her, all gorgeous silver eyes and sexy beard, and my legs go liquid. Yeah, these crystals definitely lose some of their power over time, I decide. Every time he looks at me, I'm feeling the urge to get up from my seat and go rub up against him. Kassam continues, "It is the webs."
"The webs," I echo blankly.
"We are connected by threads tied to a web, yes? This is how it works?" At our puzzled looks, he shrugs. "This is how it works in my world. And that web must be tied somewhere. We find where the web is tied, where the walls between worlds are thin, and send out a call. Once they know I am stranded here, surely they will pull me back into my world."
"And what happens to me?" I ask.
Kassam grins. "You can come with me. Serve me there like you do here." The look he gives me makes no bones about the kind of serving I'd be doing.
I clench my thighs together, because that should make me angry, not turn me on. "What if I don't want to go to your world? Don't they want you back in the heavens? And to get you back there, I have to die, right? So it's safer for me to be here."
He licks his thumb again, shrugging. "You are the one that wanted to send me back."
"And what do you want?" my mother asks, her voice throaty and in a tone I've never heard before.
Kassam gives us that languid, sexy smile. "I want to enjoy myself, of course."
"He's Hedonism, Ma. This is useless." I've learned that it's hard to keep Kassam on course. He's far too easily distracted by food and sex. I get to my feet and hug my mother's shoulders. "See what you can find out and text me, all right?"
She nods, a worried look on her face. "Are you going straight home? That's probably best."
"For now." I don't point out that I have to work tonight. I still don’t know how I'm going to figure that part out. I can't leave Kassam unattended—actually, I can't leave him at all—but if I don't work, my fridge stays empty. I need those tips. "Love you."
"Be safe," my mother says, and pats my arm.
I feel a little lost as I grab Kassam by the arm and head out of my mom's shop. Immediately, the full force of his magnetism hits me, and I wish I'd brought the box of crystals along. I suck in a breath, glancing over at him.
Kassam just smiles that same wicked smile he always has. "Feel better?"
“Better” is not the right word. Visiting my mother solved nothing. She can't help us, and all I've done is make my mom incredibly horny for my new lover, which makes me cringe to the depths of my soul to think about. Nothing was solved just now. I'm still adrift and alone, and my clothes feel far too constricting in certain areas. I just shake my head and head for the car, unable to voice how frustrated I am. I need answers, and I need help, and all I'm getting is more turned on by Kassam's presence.
The moment I sit in the car, my phone buzzes with an incoming text. I pick it up and glance at the screen.
* * *
MOM: Whew. I couldn't think while he was in the room. That man is potent, Carly. Be careful when you're driving.
* * *
CARLY: I haven't even left the parking lot yet.
* * *
MOM: I had an idea.
* * *
Oh thank god.
* * *
CARLY: I'm listening.
* * *
MOM: You should get married.
* * *
I stare down at my phone, wondering what autocorrect has changed. We should get…martinis? We should get…marked-down sushi? What? My mom keeps typing slowly, so I wait. As I do, Kassam puts his hand on my knee. He squeezes it, and when his hand stays, I realize it's both comfort and need. I want to snap that Hedonism needs to give me a break for an hour, but I know it's not his fault. If he's telling the truth, he's cursed.