Jake reached out his arms to steady her. His hands on her shoulders sent a series of light sparks dancing in her vision.
“Where’s the fire?” he asked.
“What? What fire?” she demanded, turning about the kitchen.
“Sade,” he said, choking back laughter as he turned her back toward him, “it’s a joke. An expression. I meant what are you baking in such a hurry?”
“Oh. Lemon rosemary cake,” she said in a rush. “It’s for clarity. Pure clarity. What are you doing here?”
“Checking on you.”
She flitted out of his reach, grabbing a dish towel and the crystalized sugar in quick succession.
“Hand me the baking soda. And flour. And grab the vanilla yogurt from the fridge.”
He laid everything on the counter as she took out measuring cups.
“You’re sure you’re okay? What do you need clarity for?”
“Everything,” she said breathlessly.
“Okay,” he said, laughing. “I love it when you go into intense mode. I’m headed back to the station. I’ve got another twenty-four hours, then I’m off for forty-eight.”
She nodded without seeing him and thought he’d gone. But a moment later she heard his voice from the door.
“Hey, Sade?”
“Hmm?” she asked, running a finger down the recipe on the page.
“Can I have my dog back now?”
“No.” She smiled without looking up, and when she turned around again, he was gone. The scent of rosemary wafted up as she ground it with mortar and pestle, and something tugged at the edge of her thoughts. Something about Jake that was trying to make itself known as the pungent herb took over her senses. But she pushed it away, focusing only on Seth and how to save his life. Nineteen days felt like forever and no time at all.
She made five loaves of lemon rosemary cake, leaving four for the café and bringing one home. She found Seth with Florence and Anne, and pulled him aside, dragging him into the kitchen, where she pushed him into a chair.
“We’re going for a walk,” Anne called from the front door.
“Eat,” Sadie said once the door had closed, pushing a slice of cake toward him and taking a bite of her own.
He stared at the plate and then back at her.
“Listen, dumbass,” she said around a mouthful. “I need your help. We need clarity. This will give us that. I’m not letting you die, got it? Now, eat.” She pointed to the cake again.
Wordlessly, Seth took a heaping bite. She watched as he chewed, and her stomach flipped as his eyes went wide.
“What? What is it? Did you think of something? An idea?”
“It’s all so clear,” he whispered. “But no, it doesn’t make sense.” He shook his head, his brow furrowed in confusion.
“What! What doesn’t make sense? Just tell me, and we can figure it out together.” Her voice was breathless. She didn’t think her food had ever worked so fast before, which had to mean something good.
“You need …” He paused.
“What?”
“To go on a vacation because you are way too uptight,” he finished, laughing.
She screamed in frustration and threw her piece of cake at him as he kept laughing.
“I’m sorry,” he said, wiping frosting from his cheek with his finger and then licking it off. “I mean, great cake, first of all. And second, you had to know that was coming.”
“Seth, you’re not taking this seriously!”
“Oh, I’m taking this quite seriously, sister. I just refuse to let it ruin what time I have left in case we fuck everything up, and I don’t make it.”
“Stay there,” she said, her voice stern. It was time for something drastic.
She grabbed a piece of paper and a pencil, sketching an intricate diagram that reached the edges and then snaked right off.
“Why do I feel like this is a bad idea?” Seth said. He may not have liked the legacy growing up, but he knew enough to know a summoning spell when he saw one.
“Shut up and grab the Thieves and clary sage while I get something of Gigi’s.”
She almost lost her nerve as she reached Gigi’s door. But she needed a charm. A totem. Something to represent her grandmother. Stealing in with silent footfalls, she quickly grabbed the knot of Isis without looking around. Next, she pulled twice-blessed salt and a pure white candle from the cupboards before forcing Seth up and outside. They trekked out past the tree line. Simon followed them to the edge, but refused to go further.