The fortuneteller took a set of black cards with gold designs, shuffling them briefly before placing the stack on the table. She flipped over the first card. “The Tower.”
Westin shifted on her cushion and squeezed my hand. I had no idea what the card meant, but it seemed to make her nervous, and I didn’t like that.
The woman placed a second card down on the table, this one featuring a skull. “Death.”
“What the fuck?” I snarled, standing up. Who did this woman think she was, giving that card to my omega? “We’re leaving.”
Westin tugged on my arm, urging me to sit back down. “It’s okay. It doesn’t mean I’m going to die or anything.”
I was breathing heavily, protectiveness surging through me in a way I hadn’t experienced before. I wanted to bundle Westin up and get her out of here.
“Henry,” Westin said, her sweet voice cutting through the fog gripping me.
Her brown eyes captured mine and I took a deep breath. I finally allowed her to pull me back down to the cushions. This time, I sat as close to her as possible and wrapped both arms around her.
She cupped my jaw with her hand. “Are you alright?”
I closed my eyes, sinking into her touch until my breathing evened out.
“I’m fine,” I said.
I had been so focused on the road trip logistics and getting everyone set up at the guesthouse and lining up doctor’s appointments, I hadn’t allowed myself to feel the piercing fear that something bad could happen to Westin. Seeing that cardbrought my emotions to the forefront. I didn’t know how I would live without her.
“Please keep going,” Westin said.
The fortuneteller locked eyes with me, and the smirk on her lips set me on edge.
“So protective, and such fear of the cards,” she said. “Tell me, beta, do you fear your destiny?”
“No,” I responded curtly. “I just don’t believe you’re the one to tell it to me.”
She just smiled wider and pulled the next card. “The Lovers,” she said. “How apt.”
Two hands stretched out to each other on the card, almost touching.
“And finally, the Star.” She placed the fourth card on the table with a flourish. There was a naked woman on the card, kneeling as she poured water from a vessel underneath a starry sky. “Are you ready for your reading?” she asked Westin, who nodded.
“The Tower signifies great upheaval and suffering in your life. It speaks to the pain you’ve gone through in the past, and the people you’ve lost. The Tower stands alone, and so have you for a long time.”
Westin leaned into me, resting her head on my shoulder.
“The upheaval of the Tower followed by Death signifies great change coming. Old parts of yourself will have to die in order to plant the seeds for new life.” She started cackling, and the sound sent a chill through me. “I suspect your new life won’t be what you expect. But remember, everything that lives dies, and everything that dies lives.”
I kissed the top of Westin’s head, still disliking the card no matter what it meant.
“The placement of the Lovers following Death indicates your lovers will be part of this transformation. On one side of Death isthe lone Tower, and on the other side is love. You have a choice—step backward toward the Tower or move forward towards love.” Her voice took on a more serious tone. “It takes bravery to allow yourself to be loved.”
Westin took a deep breath and nodded.
“And the final card is the Star.” The fortune teller’s voice took on a dramatic tone filled with awe. “On the other side of all this struggle is brightness and light. If you take this journey, the Star, with all its hope and optimism and freedom, is your future. The tender universe will bring you back to the home of your body. And until that time, the galaxies will hold you up. Love will hold you up.”
The dim lighting, candles, and the fortuneteller’s breathy tone carried a contrived air, but still, there was something about the moment that struck something emotional within me. Westin’s hand moved and I realized she was wiping away a tear.
“Thank you,” she said softly.
The fortuneteller eyed me. “Do you want to see what the cards have for you?”
I shook my head. I had to admit the reading had been more powerful than I thought, but I didn’t need cards to tell me about my life.
