I shuffled my tarot deck for the seventh time this beautiful Friday morning, letting the cards speak to my fingers, feeling their energy pulse against my palms. The worn edges were soft from years of use, and I’d cleansed them just this morning with sage and moonwater that I’d collected during the last full moon.
“Any day now,” someone muttered behind me.
I ignored them. People were always muttering around me. It was like background noise at this point, almost like traffic or birds or the gentle hum of the universe itself.
“Come on, cards,” I whispered, closing my eyes. “Show me. Where does the universe want me to go today?”
“Literally anywhere else,” another voice said. That one sounded like Donut. Or maybe Thore. I could never tell them apart when they were grumbling.
I opened my eyes and smiled at my deck. “Okay, babies. Let’s see what you’ve got for me today.”
The first card I flipped made my heart skip. The Fool. New beginnings, spontaneous adventures, taking a leap of faith. I gasped softly, pressing my hand to my chest.
“Oh, this is good,” I murmured to myself. “This is very good. The Fool is such a beautiful card. So full of possibility and—”
“Is she leaving?” someone whispered urgently.
“Shh! Don’t jinx it!”
I flipped the second card. The Lovers. My breath caught in my throat. “Oh my Goddess.”
Behind me, I heard what sounded like six grown men collectively holding their breath. The energy in the room shifted and became almost... hopeful? Desperate?
It was hard to tell.
I was too focused on the cards.
“The Lovers,” I breathed, tracing the image with my finger. “A divine union. A soul connection. The universe is bringing me to my person.”
“Her person,” someone—definitely Worm this time—said with barely contained excitement. “She said her person. That means she’s going somewhere to find him. It is ahim, right? Not that I care if it’s a woman. Women are great. Love women!”
“Shut up, Worm,” Gator’s deep voice rumbled from behind the bar.
I flipped the third card, and my entire body lit up as if I’d been struck by lightning. The Sun. Joy, success, celebration, vitality. And there, in the background of the card, barely visible but definitely there—a building that looked suspiciously like a casino.
“Las Vegas,” I whispered.
The bar erupted.
“YES!”
“FINALLY!”
“Praise the Lord and all his angels!”
“I’m not religious, but I’m about to be!”
I blinked, looking up from my cards to find all six members of the Bourbon Kings MC staring at me with expressions of such profound relief that you’d think I’d just told them they’d won the lottery.
Gator, the club president and the man who’d been giving me increasingly pointed looks for the past several weeks, was gripping the edge of the bar so hard his knuckles had gone white. “Did you say Las Vegas?”
“The cards are very clear.” I gestured to the spread. “The Fool, the Lovers, and the Sun. The universe is sending me to Las Vegas to meet my soulmate.”
“Your soulmate,” Gator repeated slowly, like he was testing the words. “In Las Vegas.”
“Yes! Isn’t it wonderful?” I clasped my hands together, practically vibrating with excitement. “I knew something big was coming. I’ve been feeling it for weeks. The energy has been so intense, and my dreams have been full of bright lights and—”
“When?” Donut interrupted. “When are you going?”
