Chapter 3
Rowan could have taken an Uber like the others, but the night was warm and her head was full.
The girls’ night had been a lot. Not bad, just a lot.
Seven women with seven opinions and seven sets of energy, all bouncing off each other for hours.
Cat had spent half the night trying to convince Orla to let her set up a dating profile, and Elspeth had brought a box of lavender shortbread that made the whole room smell like her grandmother’s kitchen.
She loved them, every one of them, but sometimes she needed to walk it off.
Hyndland Road was quiet. The red sandstone tenements glowed amber under the streetlights, solid and familiar. She breathed in the evening air and let the warmth of the wine settle into something softer.
A couple crossed the road ahead of her, and Rowan thought she recognised the woman but couldn’t quite place her.
She sent out her energy to them and was surprised. She had been expecting to feel two energies. Instead, she felt three distinct energetic signatures.
Their paths were about to meet on the pavement, and as they got closer, the woman looked up and her face broke into recognition.
“Rowan, is it?”
Rowan frowned slightly. “Yes. I thought I recognised you, but I can’t remember where from.”
“I’m Jessica. Jessica Campbell. Remember, I came over with Genevieve Hunter?”
“Of course,” Rowan said, the memory clicking into place. “How are you doing?”
“Oh, I’m doing great,” Jessica said. “It’s so good to see you. How have you been?”
“Yeah, brilliant. I’m just heading home after meeting with the other girls. All the ones you met as well.”
“Oh, that’s great.” Jessica turned to the man beside her. “Sorry, by the way, this is David Hunter. I think we mentioned David before.”
“The infamous David Hunter,” Rowan said, smiling as she held out her hand.
David shook her hand with a firm grip and smiled. “Well, yeah. I’d say I was infamous.”
Jessica nudged him.
“What are you up to?” Jessica asked.
“Oh, I just had a drink and our weekly catch-up with the girls. I’m just walking back to clear my head. It was a bit full on tonight, so I thought I’d take the long way home.”
“We’re just going to the pub,” Jessica said. “You fancy coming for a drink before you head home? We’re going to Byres Road. We’ve just been down to see David’s Aunt Gen, and we fancied a walk since it was such a nice night.”
Rowan’s first instinct was to say no. But something about the moment gave her pause. Meeting Jessica and David here, on this road, on this night … it didn’t feel accidental.
“Actually, yeah, I’d love that. If you don’t mind.”
“No, not at all. Come on,” David said.
They cut through Prince Albert Road and walked down towards Byres Road.
“So, how are you finding this magickal life?” Jessica asked as they walked.
“It’s different. And interesting,” Rowan said, smiling. “I think you’ll know exactly what I mean.”
Jessica and David nodded.
“Oh, we do,” he said.
“Are you still working with that syndicate?” Rowan asked. “I can’t remember the name.”
“Yeah, the Cerberus Syndicate,” David said.
Jessica smiled. “We know you’re not going to say anything. We’re not too worried about telling you.”
“No, of course I wouldn’t say anything. I don’t think I could explain it to anyone anyway,” Rowan said, laughing.
“Yeah, we’ve been working with them for a while,” David said. “Just finished another case. It’s good.” He paused. “It’d be good to get your perspective on things at some point. On any new cases, I mean.”
“That sounds great,” Rowan said. She thought about actually working on magickal cases. It would be quite cool, and a good way to earn a living.
“You’ve got the shop as well, the one your grandmother left you?” Jessica said.
Rowan nodded. “Yeah. The Magick Wick. Still going strong. That’s why we meet every Thursday. Just to talk about magick, business, everything really. It always ends up coming back to relationships as well.”
Jessica smiled. “Do you have a love interest?”
“A bit personal,” David said, laughing.
“No, no, we’ve met each other before. It’s fine,” Jessica said.
It was clear to Rowan that David had already had a drink or two. He was relaxed in the way people get after a pint, easy and warm.
“No, nothing on the horizon just yet,” Rowan said. “I’m quite happy being on my own. I’ve been on my own for a long time.”
“Okay,” Jessica said. “I get that.”
“What do you mean, you get that?” David said.
“I’m just joking,” Jessica said, nudging him again.
Rowan watched them as they walked. The way David’s hand sat at the small of Jessica’s back. The way Jessica leaned into him without thinking about it.
And Rowan felt something shift inside her.
Not jealousy. Something quieter. A recognition of something she hadn’t felt in a long time.
She wanted that.
The shop was doing well. The coven was settled. She had good friends.
But that part of her life was still missing.
“So, how long have you two been together?”
“We’ve been together for a few years now,” Jessica said, glancing at David. “And I think we’re allowed to tell friends and magickal people.”
David smiled and nodded.
“I’m pregnant as well,” Jessica said.
“Oh, wow. That’s amazing,” Rowan said. “How far on are you?”
“That’ll be ten weeks now.”
“That must feel amazing.” Rowan paused for a moment. “So, you’re going to be a mum and a dad.” She thought about it briefly. “With both of you being magickal … does that mean the baby will be even more …”
Jessica and David nodded in unison.
“Yes,” David said. “That’s what we’ve been told.”
Jessica rested her hand lightly on her stomach. “There’s already some strange things happening.”
Rowan smiled. “I can imagine.”
“Right, we’re just going in for one, and then we’ll head back to David’s aunt’s for the night,” Jessica said.
“Yeah, sounds great,” Rowan said.
Byres Road was busy. The road had been pedestrianised, and on a Thursday night it was full of students and people out for the evening.
Rowan could hear laughter from a hen party somewhere ahead and a group of men shouting banter across the street.
The smell of fish and chips, curry houses, and Italian restaurants drifted through the warm air.
David held the door of The Curler’s Rest open for Jessica and Rowan.
“I’ll get the drinks,” he said, heading to the bar.
Rowan and Jessica sat opposite each other at a table near the window.
“So,” Jessica said, leaning forward slightly. “Is everything really okay? I got the sense something was off.”
Rowan hesitated, then nodded. “It’s not off. It’s just something that happened today.”
And she told her.
About the man. About the silence where his energy should have been. About the candle holder. The symbol. The way he knew her name.
David came back with the drinks and set them on the table. Jessica filled him in.
“So, what happened this morning,” David said, “do you think that’s connected to the Veil?”
“I don’t know,” Rowan said. “It’s just …
him. I couldn’t read him at all. And it’s not just unusual, it’s unheard of.
I can read every single person I come into contact with.
” She gestured slightly. “I felt both of you when I met you tonight. And I sensed the baby before you told me. Obviously I wouldn’t say that, but …
” She paused, her eyes widening slightly. “Trust me, the baby is powerful.”
Jessica instinctively placed her hand on her stomach.
“So, what do you think he is?” David asked. “Do you think he’s part of the Veil? Or from the other side of it?”
Rowan hadn’t thought about it like that before. But now that David had said it, it made sense.
If he knew the symbol …
If he knew exactly what it meant …
She looked at them both for a moment as the thought settled.
“That would make sense, wouldn’t it?” she said quietly.
“It would make sense to me,” David said, taking another sip of his pint.
Rowan felt a sudden heat flare along her arm.
She glanced down.
The sigil on her arm was glowing.
She pressed her other hand over it, but the warmth spread through her fingers. Nobody in the pub noticed. Nobody ever did. But Rowan knew what it meant.
Something was listening.