Page 25 of Venom and Bind

“My nemesis.” Eros laughed like an evil villain and scooped her up in his arms. “Maybe I need to lock you up, Miss Quinn, for looking so damn sexy.”

Jules’s cheeks flushed, and I chuckled at Eros’ blatant flirting. Oh, something was going on with them for sure, and I couldn’t wait to find out what.

Heat rushed by my head, and I gasped at the fire performer on the stage next to us. Damn, that felt too close for comfort. Valik herded us away from the stage and towards the lounge, where we ordered drinks. I ordered Bleeding Heart shots for the group and something else called a Vampire’s Kiss. Whatever it was, it was fucking delicious, and we kept the drinks coming as the conversation flowed between us all.

I glanced up at the security room window, where I knew Cian would be, and found him watching me, just like he had promised. I blew him a kiss, which he pretended to catch and stick in his pocket, and my heart melted. He’d said he only had to take care of some minor business tonight but would come down and join us as soon as he could. And I couldn’t wait to dance with him.

Next on the stage was a group of contortionists, who began twisting their bodies in crazy shapes that made my back hurt just looking at them. Of course, the men all seemed to be captivated by it, their eyes wide as they watched the performers bend and twist.

Thora grabbed Juliet’s and my hands and dragged us to the dance floor, where we danced around to the dark music, moving our bodies from side to side.

“No way!” Thora’s eyes got big, and she pointed to a sign over a private room behind us. The neon sign read “Fortune Teller,” and she bounced with excitement. “Let’s check it out.” She dragged me over to the room before I could even respond.

Past the door and red velvet curtain, an older-looking woman dressed in a black lace dress sat at a table, tarot cards spread out in front of her. We couldn’t make out what she was saying to the other woman dressed as a gothic vampire, but the vampire’s eyes were shining as if she had been crying. After a few minutes, the fortune teller waved us over, and we sat down at the table.

“Welcome, welcome, ladies. I’m Deandra. Care for a fortune?” she drawled.

“Yes.” Thora’s leg bounced with excitement.

“OK, my dear. Shuffle the cards as your heart desires, and then cut them into three different stacks.”

Thora did as she was told, and I couldn’t help noticing the peculiar look Deandra was giving me. Must be the mask. I slipped it off and laid it in my lap, offering her a smile, but she appeared wary, as if she was bothered by something. Thora placed the three stacks in front of Deandra, who flipped three cards over.

“Ah, yes, I see a new love interest is on the horizon.” She pointed at the Lovers card.

“Felix,” Thora whispered to me. “She must be talking about the vanilla accountant.”

“Ah-ah, no, my dear. This is a man of mystery and intrigue who has a lot of secrets.” Deandra flipped over another card, a crease in her forehead. “Two of Cups reversed. Hmm, yes, you must be careful with this man. It will be a great love between you, but a lot of conflict and pain if you’re not careful.”

Thora scrunched up her nose and peered down at the cards. “Well, sounds like I’m getting laid soon, so I can deal with a little bit of pain,” she chuckled. “What does the last one mean?”

“Four of Wands… a wedding may be in your future, my dear.” Deandra flipped over another card and muttered something that we couldn’t hear. “But I must warn you to be careful with this new man. I see danger ahead. You must make the right choices.”

Thora gulped and raised her eyebrows at me. I had never had my tarot cards read or been to a psychic before, so I didn’t know if Deandra was the real deal or not, but she certainly seemed to know what she was talking about.

“OK, kinda weird, but I guess we’ll see what happens.” Thora shrugged. “Now you, Nova.”

Deandra watched me as I shuffled the cards and cut them exactly how Thora had done. We waited in silence as she flipped three cards over, her fingers trembling when she got to the last one. I lost my voice for a moment as I stared down at the cards. You didn’t have to be a tarot expert to see the ominous message waiting for me. The Devil, Death and a card that looked like a man holding onto a bunch of spears.

Deandra’s eyes searched mine, the room falling quiet as we waited for her to say something.

“Well, this doesn’t look that good.” I tried to chuckle, but it came out more like a croak.

She tapped her fingers over the cards. “Not necessarily. Death represents change. The end of one chapter and the beginning of a new one. You must let go of the past, dear.”

I swiveled around in my seat, suddenly extremely uncomfortable. She pointed to the Devil card, sliding her finger over it. “You’ve been living in fear for quite some time and have been through quite the ordeal.”

You could have heard a pin drop at that moment, and I suddenly realized that maybe I didn’t need to have my cards read. Maybe, just maybe, I was better off not knowing anything about my future from a stranger at a nightclub after downing five shots of Devil’s Blood.

“It’s not the cards that I’m worried about, Nova.” She reached over and gripped my hand, closing her eyes. A chill ran up my spine as she started shaking her head, letting out a deep breath. “Oh, no, no. He’s coming for you.” Her eyes flew open. “Soon. You must prepare. All of you.”

I yanked my hand out of her grasp and stood, my chair tipping over. “OK, um, no. You don’t know what you’re talking about, lady.”

“The knife…” She tapped her lips, her eyes darting left and right. “Remember the knife.”

Thora reached down and picked up my mask, tugging me towards the door. “Thanks, Deandra… I think,” Thora called over her shoulder and pushed me out the door.

“What the fuck, Thora?” My whole body was shaking, on the verge of panicking. “That was fucked up.”

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