Throne of Scars (Lost Kings MC 20)

Well, fuck. It never occurred to me Serena might want something other than a diamond engagement ring. I can’t think of a way to ask her that won’t alert her that I’m planning to propose, though, so I remain quiet and absorb what I can from their conversation.

“Have you seen one of those morganite rings in rose gold? So pretty.” Serena’s voice takes on a dreamy tone and my ears perk up. “Pink on pink with diamonds as the accent instead of the main show.”

“Oh, I love morganite.” Shelby tilts her head. “Not just because they’re close to my name. They’re supposed to attract an abundance of love to the wearer.”

“That’s neat. I didn’t know that.”

“Pink sapphire would probably make a nicer engagement ring than morganite, though. Durable. Oh! You know who has the prettiest sapphire engagement ring?” Shelby’s voice lowers. “Mallory. Chaser’s wife. Have you met her?”

“I don’t think so.”

Jesus Christ, I remember meeting Mallory not long after Chaser slipped that ring on her finger. My gaze strays to Shelby and Serena. These two weren’t even born when that went down.

Fuck, I’m old.

Serena

If Grayson and I had to be trapped in an underground bunker for hours and hours, I’m glad it’s with Shelby. She’s bubbly and has tons of stories to share about touring and singing. She’s really into Tarot cards and even though I’m suspicious, I agree to let her do a reading for me.

“Here, hold these for a moment. Try to clear your mind and center yourself. If you have a burning question, ask it. Or if you’re just open to guidance, sit with that.”

Feeling a little silly, I close my eyes and try to clear my mind. But the more I try to clear it, the more I keep worrying that I look stupid or Gray will think I’m an idiot.

“Breathe,” Shelby says gently. “Focus on your breathing.”

The reminder helps and I release my anxiety. “Okay.” I open my eyes and hand her the deck.

“We’ll do a simple past, present, and future spread,” Shelby says, expertly shuffling the cards.

She lays three cards on the table in front of us from left to right. “Past.” She flips over the card on the left. “Eight of Swords,” Shelby murmurs. I can’t tell if that’s good or bad. But when I drop my gaze to the image representing the eight of swords, I’m stabbed in the chest with the pain of my past. Emotions, events, the people from my childhood who never protected me—all of it seems reflected in the image of the woman on the card. Bound, blindfolded, and trapped by the eight swords surrounding her. The gray background reminds me of the misery I felt when I thought there was no way I’d ever break free. An overwhelming sense of being powerless and helpless clings to me.

“Serena?” Shelby’s soft voice pushes away the awful memories. “Are you ready?”

I’d been so wrapped up in the first card, I hadn’t noticed she flipped over the other two. “Sure.” I force some cheer into my voice. “Sure.”

She taps the first card. “Eight of Swords. In general it means feeling trapped or victimized. Or that you feel powerless to change your situation.”

My eyes burn. “That’s what it reminded me of.”

“Well, the good news is, see these spaces here? If she removes the blindfold, she can free herself and take back her power.”

“Or find it,” I whisper.

“Sure, that too,” she answers quickly.

I seem to be freaking her out. This was supposed to be an entertaining way to pass the time in a weird situation and I’m sucking all the fun right out of it.

“The present, Queen of Cups,” Shelby continues, smoothing over the awkward moment. “I like this one and don’t see it a lot. It can represent seeing yourself in a new light. Trusting your inner voice. Thinking with your heart and using your intuition. Or she can guide you to seek help from those around you, allowing you to focus on your well-being first so that you can help others.”

Gray lets out this knowing hmm sound. I flick my gaze his way and his mouth slides into a told-you-so smile.

The corners of Shelby’s mouth twitch. “It can also mean your caring and kind nature helps to anchor and deepen relationships.”

“That sounds right,” Gray says, sliding his hand over the table and resting it on mine.

Shelby chuckles and moves on to the next card. “The future.” She stares at the card for a minute. “The Empress is one of my favorites.” Shelby taps the card. “Mother Earth. She represents unconditional love and abundance. Also,” Shelby winks, “sensuality. For the future she could represent love, harmony, and fertility.”

I almost choke.

“So quite positive if y’all are planning to make some babies in the future.”

Gray sits back, laughing, while I stare at the card that depicts a goddess archetype with long, flowing hair.