Dark Tarot (Dark Carpathians)

Eventually, the wind began to settle into fierce gusts and then dissipated as if it had never been. Sandu waved his hand toward the sconces to relight them. Siv calmly began to shuffle the cards. Adalasia kept her gaze on the deck, opening her mind so that the right reading would come.

“Divide the deck in half and set one half aside. With the other half, place one card directly in front of you, up high in this position.” She indicated where she wanted the card to go. “Then three cards straight across with two cards straight across under that. Each of the two cards is between but below the ones in the row above. Six cards altogether. Yes, like that,” she approved. “Set the rest of the deck aside. Now turn them over, starting with the top card.”

She waited. Heart pounding. There she was. So beautiful. That card they were all looking for. She pressed her hand over her heart. His lifemate was alive. She waited to see if she was there in the present. His past was one of terrible loneliness and hardship. The card depicting his present—her present—was one of the now. This time. This century. His bridge appeared to be more battles, a war of some kind. Swords. His future—it was possible to find her and keep her alive if they believed in each other and surrounded themselves with those they could trust. There was something huge blocking him from reaching that ultimate goal. He had to overcome that in order to achieve what he wanted most.

Afanasiv sat very still looking down at the six cards. “You got all of that from those cards? My lifemate is alive, in this century, I have many more battles to fight and must surround myself with those I trust in order to keep her safe. Also, there is something blocking me from finding her.”

Adalasia frowned as she looked the cards over. “Not necessarily blocking you from finding her. Blocking you from achieving what you want most. You not only want to find her; you want to be with her. Or, I don’t know, claim her. Form a partnership with her. Whatever your greatest desire is.”

Siv sat there a moment longer. “Thank you, sisarke. I know this is not easy on you.” He stood up and moved away from the table to allow Nicu to take his place.

Adalasia allowed Sandu to help her up. She took her time cleansing the cards. For some reason, she was very reluctant to give Nicu a reading. There was something in him that drew her. A wildness. A freeness. His affinity for animals. She didn’t know. Whatever it was, she knew he was just as scarred and as dangerous as his brethren. He was special.

She sat down with him and had him take the cards, not in the least surprised when the struggle manifested itself as wild beasts. The animals escaped the cards, showing razor-sharp teeth and red glowing eyes, but that would in no way deter Nicu. He merely waited calmly, almost soothing the deck, one thumb sliding over the top of it like a stroke he might do in the fur of an animal. Once the cards had settled, he shuffled and laid them out in the pattern Adalasia instructed.

Adalasia frowned down at the cards, trying to read what they were saying to her. It was the first time the meaning was murky. She was certain Nicu’s lifemate was alive, but the direction was impossible to see. She was there—and yet she wasn’t. That made no sense at all—unless . . .

Nicu began to rise, almost shoving at the little table, nearly sending the cards sliding. Adalasia stopped them with a wave of her hand, not even realizing she’d done it.

“Don’t move,” she hissed. “This isn’t easy. Everything is murky. Don’t disturb the cards.” She didn’t look up at him, keeping her eyes on the cards, afraid if she looked away, she would lose that thread in her mind.

Nicu settled into his chair. “I do not want you to tell me something that is not true. You did not take this long with any of the others, nor did you get that particular look on your face.”

Adalasia did look up then. Clearly, Nicu thought the cards told her he had no lifemate. “She’s alive, but . . .” She trailed off and looked down at the cards again, her brows going together. She rubbed her hand over her heart, silently asking the goddess card for help in her reading. “I’m going to have you shuffle again and turn over just three cards, Nicu.”

Nicu’s eyes met hers as he scooped up the cards and shuffled them. He didn’t look at them as he divided the deck several times and then chose three cards and laid them faceup on the table in front of Adalasia. The breath left her lungs in a small rush. The devil card again. The chariot. And lovers. She stared down at the cards. Three of the major arcana. What were the odds? The same cards he’d gotten before, only those had been surrounded by other minor cards.