I took the box from him, opening it carefully and pulling out the cards. It’d been so long since I even held them, let alone pulled cards. My reading at the fair had helped ease some of my anxiety around them, but I still couldn’t shake the feeling that the universe was punishing me for something. Why else would all of this be happening?
“Pull a card for me,” Henry said.
“Why? You think it’s all crap.”
“Darling, no.” He cupped my face, stroking his thumb over my cheek. “I’m sorry I acted like that at the fair. This is important to you, and what do I know? Maybe there is some magic in it.”
“I don’t know that there’s any magic left in the universe.” I ran my fingers down the cards.
Bear moved onto the bed and wrapped his arms around me. “Baby,youare the magic. Now come on, read Henry’s fortune.”
“It’s not fortune-telling,” I grumbled. “But fine.”
I shuffled the cards, trying to get in touch with the feeling I used to have when I did tarot. I might have been imagining it, but it felt like the cards tingled in my hands.
“What question do you have for the cards?”
“What do you mean?” Henry asked.
“You ask the cards a question and the universe provides an answer. It could be something like ‘What do I need more of in my life?’ or ‘What am I missing right now?’”
“Okay,” Henry said, looking pensive. “How about, ‘How can I be a better partner and packmate?’”
I melted at his sweetness. I gave the deck one final shuffle and pulled a card, placing it on the bed in front of him.
“The Fool?” he asked, cocking his head.
I couldn’t stop myself from smiling. “The Fool is all about spontaneity and fun. When it comes to love, the Fool tells you to embrace new experiences, particularly ones that challenge you to let go and trust your heart. The Fool is also a bit of a rule breaker.”
“Sounds like the universe wants the beta to let go.” Bear grinned.
Henry shifted in his seat. “I can do that.” He sounded adorably determined, like he was going to add “be spontaneous” to his to-do list.
I reached out and grabbed his hand, giving it a squeeze.
“Thanks for that, darling.” He leaned in and kissed me softly.
“Okay, my turn.” Bear hugged me to him. “My question is, ‘What should we do this evening?’”
I pulled another card and snorted when I saw it was the Ace of Wands.
“The universe has spoken,” I said. “This card means you should break your omega out of the hospital and give her orgasms.”
“Huh… I didn’t think the cards were quite that specific,” Bear said with a chuckle.
“I didn’t either,” Henry said, grinning.
“I’m the magic expert here and that’s what the card says,” I said, crossing my arms.
“Well, we can’t risk pissing off the universe,” Bear said slowly.
“We definitely can’t,” Henry added.
Bear played with a curl of my hair as if deep in thought, and then pulled me in for a hard kiss. “Wait here.”
“Where are you going?” I called out after him.
“To make some magic,” he shouted over his shoulder before the door closed behind him.
