Page 47 of Theirs to Rule

For the first time in what felt like forever, I wasn’t worrying about Kage or Ty or the mess that was my life. I was just Camille, a girl at a Halloween party, having fun with her friends. And for one night, that was enough.

We left my room and headed to the next. Tarot cards lay scattered on velvet cloths, crystal balls glowed dimly on tables, and the air was thick with the scent of incense. Then, three figures emerged from the shadows, their costumes so elaborate they momentarily stole the show. Frankenstein’s Monster, Dracula, and a werewolf. It took me a second, but my eyes widened when beneath their make-up, I recognized Kage and Ty. The Werewolf was hidden behind layers of fur and prosthetics but his size…

Seriously, was that Dante?

Kage walked his monster self up to me. “Happy Halloween, Rebel.”

I blinked, still not sure what was happening. “What…Why?”

Kage’s expression grew serious. “I’ve been giving you space, but I can’t take it anymore. I figured if I did something big, something to show you how fucking crazy I am about you, you’d finally talk to me.”

I shook my head. “You dressed up in a Halloween costume, Kage. Not quite enough to make me forgive you for lying to me about being engaged.”

“Maybe, but I got Ty and Dante to dress up too. That must count for something.”

I glanced at the others. Ty’s expression was impassive.

"And exactly what did you have to offer Ty to get him on board?"

"Let's just say he made me an offer I couldn't refuse," Ty said, his voice bored. I raised an eyebrow but decided not to press. The less I knew about their deals, the better.

The werewolf remained silent, his head tilting slightly, but as I peered closer, I confirmed the man in the costume was Dante. His bright blue eyes winked at me through the mask’s eye holes.

Just then, a tarot reader, draped in flowing robes that made her look like she stepped right out of a fantasy novel, approached our group. "Care for a collective reading?" she offered.

I was still speechless from seeing the guys in their costumes. Bianca nudged me. "Why the hell not? Let's see what the cards have in store for us. You willing to leave your fate with Camille to the cards, Kage?”

“I don’t leave my fate up to anyone or anything other than myself,” he said. “But sure, let’s see what the cards say.”

“Forget it. I don’t want to be around you, Kage.”

I went to turn but he caught me by the arm. He bent down to murmur in my ear. “Remember what I told you back at Dante's house? You run, I chase. You really want me to prove I’m a man of my word right now?”

I glared at him and looked around, but it didn’t look like anyone was going to intervene or come to my rescue. “Fine,” I said. “One reading and then leave me the hell alone.”

“Never, Rebel, but you can take your reprieve while you can.”

We all sat down in a semi-circle around the tarot reader, the air heavy with anticipation and the incense that seemed to permeate the room. The reader shuffled the deck with practiced ease, then spread the cards out in front of us with a flourish.

"Who wants to cut the deck?" she asked, looking at each of us in turn.

"I'll do it," Simone volunteered, reaching out to split the deck. She handed the stacks back, and the reader combined them again before laying out the cards in a complex spread.

"The first card," she said, flipping over the card at the center of the spread, "represents the present situation." It was The Fool, and she looked at us with a knowing smile. "A journey begins, but with it comes the risk of folly and new experiences. You're all embarking on something new, something that will test your bonds."

We all exchanged uneasy glances.

“Interesting,” the reader murmured, studying the card she had just flipped over. Her eyes fell on Kage, and she looked at him thoughtfully. “There is trouble brewing in your family. Something unsettling will be happening that you need to prepare for.”

I bit my lip. It was silly, but I couldn’t help but think of Daniella. Was the reader talking about their wedding? Anxiety pooled inside me. I couldn’t even think about Kage marrying someone else without getting all worked up. I took a deep breath and did my best not to think about it, but it was damn near impossible. Maybe I needed to go back and down a few more of those elixirs.

Kage just rolled his eyes, obviously not a believer. “Yeah, I’ll do that,” he said.

Unaffected by Kage’s attitude, the reader flipped over another card. “More than one of you has lost someone close to you. You feel responsible because they died much too young.”

I glanced from Kage to Ty. She could be talking about either of them. Both lost family way too young, and in a way, both probably felt responsible for not protecting them. My gaze fell on Dante, just in time to catch the flicker of pain pass through his eyes. Had he lost someone close to him too?

Hell, were the cards talking to me, acknowledging that I’d lost my mother when she still had so much life to experience yet?

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