Geomancist (Seven Forbidden Arts 5)

When she turned, he caught her wrist. “Don’t do this.”

She looked at where his fingers were curled around her arm. “I didn’t give you permission to touch me.”

“No? Did I give you permission to touch me? If I’m not mistaken, your hand was on my arm not a minute ago. An eye for an eye?” He held fast for another second, but dropped his hand when alarm set into her eyes. “Look, Asia. This is a dumb move. You don’t know what you’re getting yourself into.”

“We’ll see about that, Mr. Rivers. I never back out of a challenge.” Inching closer, she continued in a soft voice, “And you just threw one at me.”

He reached for her again. “Listen to me—”

Of course, the feisty little kitten did exactly the opposite, stomping away with her blond curls bouncing to the rhythm of her feet.

Becoming aware of the amused stares of his supernatural audience, Sean mumbled, “To hell with all of you,” before he turned for the office with Maya in tow.

Chapter 2

A suitcase lay open on Asia’s bed in the cramped apartment she shared with her grandmother, Emily, and half-brother, Matthew. In the low-income, crime infested district of Cartagena, it wasn’t much of a home. They’d only moved from Copenhagen three months ago. Asia had managed to secure a job as a massage therapist in one of the hotels, but the hours were long and the pay low. She couldn’t sustain them on that salary for long. Their meager savings were almost depleted, a worry she kept to herself. There was no point in torturing Emily and Matt with the knowledge of something they couldn’t do anything about. It was up to her. She had to make ends meet. The glorious Colombian sun was a bonus, though.

Emily sat in the chair by the weathered dresser, watching Asia scurry between the closet and bed, folding and packing the few outfits she owned.

“Are you sure it’s safe?” Emily asked, fumbling with a handkerchief. “I’ve heard stories about this so-called Juan from the neighbor.” She gave Asia a meaningful look. “Not good stories.”

“It’s good money. I’ll never make that much anywhere else, not even in a year, and I need this location if I’m going to make the spa work.” Besides, with what she’d earn, she wouldn’t have to take such a big loan for material and converting the premises.

“I don’t like that you have to work so hard. It shouldn’t be such a struggle.”

“I’m not giving up on Matt. He depends on me.”

Matt only had her to fight for him. She wanted to give him the best shot at life. Since the day her mother had walked out on them, choosing her boyfriend over her children, it had been a battle to survive. Most days, they’d barely had enough to eat. Her grandmother, bless her soul, had done what she could, but Asia had taken the reins the minute she’d turned a legal employable age.

Putting food on the table and a roof over their heads weren’t enough. Matt needed a good education. He wasn’t going to master a manual craft like she’d been forced to do. He had too much talent. He was going to enter the best private art school in the world, which is why they’d moved here. She’d give everything to make it happen. She wouldn’t sit back and watch his brilliance go down the drain because their parents decided to bolt on them. Neither her father nor Matt’s had stuck around to see their mom to the end of her pregnancies. Asia’s crying and pleading weren’t enough to make her mother stay, either. Matt wasn’t having any of that. He’d be loved and cared for, even if it meant she had to work her fingers to the bone.

“I don’t want you to go.” Emily sniffed and wiped her nose with the handkerchief. “I have a bad feeling about this.”

“It’s only a week. I’ll be back by Friday.” Asia straightened from her suitcase, new worry invading her mind. “Will you manage alone?”

“I’ve got Matt. He’s hardly a child anymore. He should start pulling his weight. You’re spoiling him.”

“He should focus on one thing only—his studies.”

Matt was seventeen and could probably help by carrying some of the responsibility for the household chores, but she wanted him to remain carefree for as long as possible. When her mom had left, she was ten and Matt only a year. They’d gone to live with their grandmother in her small flat in Copenhagen, but the task of raising Matt had fallen on Asia. She’d put herself through school while taking care of her half-brother. She didn’t resent it, not for a minute. She loved him more than anything. Besides her granny, he was all she had.

“It wouldn’t hurt him to earn a few extra dollars,” Emily said.