Wed to the Wild God (Aspect and Anchor)

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(Author’s Note: If you are reading this on a device and it skipped straight here, please page back to read the content warnings if needed. Thank you! — xoxo Ruby)

CARLY

"I'm telling you, sweetie. Be careful out there. You never know who to trust in a city like this."

I lift my shoulder, using it to hold the phone to my ear as I clean a mug behind the bar. It's almost opening time, so I need to make this call to my mom short, but I can hear the worry in her voice. "Have you seen anything weird outside your apartment, Ma? Any weirdos at work?"

"No! I'm not worried about me. I'm worried about you. You know they never found those two girls that went missing from that building." Her voice drops a worried note. "They were both young and pretty like you."

It's nice of my mom to think I'm pretty, but that might be a mother's love affecting her there. I'm sure I'm cute enough—my shaggy reddish blonde hair with thick bangs and my sprinkle of freckles across my snub nose ensures that I get decent tips—but I'm not a model. "One of them was a client of yours, wasn't she?"

"The blonde one, yes. I did a card reading for her right before she disappeared. Weirdest thing." My mom pauses. "Carly…I didn't tell you, but I did a reading for her after she disappeared because I wanted to see what would come up. I did a three card spread and do you know what I got?"

"No, what?" My mom lives by her card readings.

"Death. The King of Pentacles. And The World."

"Okay."

"I remember reading her and she got Death and King of Pentacles that day, too."

I pick up another mug, wiping it down to get rid of any water spots. "I thought you told me that didn't mean actual death."

"It doesn't. It means a big change in life. But…Carly…" I can practically hear my mother swallow on the other end of the phone. "I've done three more readings for that young lady and those three cards come up every time."

Goosebumps prickle over my skin. "No shit?"

"No shit."

"Did you shuffle well?"

"I know how to use my cards, Carly." My mother sounds offended. "This is what I do for a living."

"I know, I know. I'm just trying to understand how that could happen."

"The cards are trying to tell me something. That's how it happened. She's dead. I know it. I just don't have any proof and her killer is out there somewhere."

"Did you do a reading for the other girl?" I ask absently, glancing at the clock. Five minutes until four pm, which means I need to get a move on. I've got to cut some limes and change out one of the kegs, and it's easier if I get it all done before we open our doors. Charlie saunters in from the back with a fresh load of beer steins for me to wipe down, and reaches over to turn on the TV behind the bar. I gesture at my phone, indicating I'll end my call, and he nods and walks away. "The one you didn't know?"

"I did."

"And?"

"Death keeps coming up on hers, too. First card I turn over every time. And then the Lovers. The Hanged Man is always the third card—self-sacrifice. Do you think she gave her life to save the other girl?"

"If she did, it didn't work, judging by your other cards."

"Carly!" My mother admonishes me in a sharp voice. "I'm worried!"

"I know, Mom, and I love you, but we're about to open up and I can't be on the phone." I glance over at the doors to the bar, and I see one of our regulars peering inside, waiting to get his first after-work beer. Shit. I set the mug down. "I really have to go," I tell her, hopping out from behind the bar and grabbing my phone before it drops from my shoulder. I head for the door. "Can I call you tomorrow?"

"Stay safe, baby girl," my mother warns me. "I did your cards, too."

That makes me pause. It shouldn't bother me, because my mother is a psychic. She has the little shop downtown and everything, and rubs crystals to channel her energies. That's just who Mom is, and ever since I was a kid, she's been reading my cards and giving me advice. I don't believe in it like she does, but maybe it's our conversation, or the timing, but goosebumps prickle up and down my arms. "And? What did you see?"

"The Lovers—a relationship. The Fool. And Death."

I frown, my hand on the handle of the front door. "You sure there isn't something wrong with your deck? Sounds like the same cards keep popping up all the time. Maybe they're too worn out. Or the cards are stuck together."