piles."
As
Ilona shuffled, she listened as Carlie explained how she'd learned to read the
cards. Ilona had never put much faith in this type of superstition, and she
didn't think this reading would change that. But Carlie had been the kindest of
all the women she'd met in Terek's household, and it seemed only right that she
should return the kindness to her new friend.
Cutting
the deck, she said, "Okay. I'm done."
"Great!
Let's begin. I'll do a simple spread since that's what I'm best at. I want you
to think of a question and hold it in your mind, okay?"
Before
Ilona had a chance to consider what question she'd ask, the memory of Terek
standing outside offering her the world appeared in her mind, bringing with it
a question. Will he ever love just me?
Instantly,
she felt embarrassed. What was she? Some silly teenage girl with a crush on the
popular boy? She was acting stupid.
Carlie
was oblivious to her inner tug of war and continued placing the cards she'd
picked from the deck in a cross formation next to a line of four other cards.
Looking
up, she chirped, "All set. You ready?"
"Sure.
Give it your best shot."
Touching
the two cards in the center of the cross, she smiled. "These are the cards
that tell us the present situation and the challenge you face right now."
So
the eight of sticks means you're in danger of acting like an immature girl?
The
bottom card was the Star card, a beautifully colored picture of a woman gazing
up at one silver star in the night sky. Ilona liked the image, but it reminded
her of Terek.
"Your
present is the Star card. It symbolizes spiritual love. And the Eight of Wands
is reversed, which is showing jealousy around you."
"Maybe
one of Terek's women doesn't appreciate the newest addition?" Ilona asked.
Carlie
raised her eyebrows in disbelief. "Hmmm...let's keep going."
Moving
her hand to the card to the right, she touched the Eight of Cups. "This is
the distant past. The Eight of Cups is about loss."
Ilona
studied the card's sad story. A man was walking away from what looked to be
eight gold chalices. The scene seemed neutral except for the moon, which wore a
frown as it watched the man leave his cups.
She
understood loss. No cryptic meaning there. Not an hour had passed since she'd
arrived at this house that she hadn't thought about the life she'd left behind
when he'd made her vampire.
But
that was recent and Carlie had said distant. Ilona let her mind go back to a
year earlier when Alberto had told her he'd met someone new. The memory didn't
hurt as much now, but it was still there—the sting of loving someone who loved
another.
"You
okay, honey? You look a little sad. The Eight of Cups mean something to
you?"
Looking
up, Ilona forced a smile. "Nope. Nothing. But it's a pretty card with the
moon all sad like that."
Carlie
moved to the next card she said meant the recent past. "Another cup. The
Two of Cups this time. This one's easy to figure out. A new love has come into
your life."
Ilona
raised her eyebrows in disbelief this time.
"See
the man and woman pledging their love and Hermes' caduceus above the cups? The
caduceus is positive because it symbolizes health."
Ilona
folded her arms across her chest. "You don't honestly believe that, do
you? A new love? I'm assuming you're speaking of Terek."
"Of
course."
"Well,
that might be your idea of love—it might be every woman here's idea—but it's
not mine. I don't share when I'm in love."
Carlie
gently placed her hand on Ilona's knee. "Honey, don't you think love is
just that? Love? Does it matter how it manifests itself?"
Ilona
didn't have an answer to that. All she knew is that even thinking of Terek with
another woman made her stomach twist into knots.
"And
I know you don't know us well yet, but every single one of us love Terek enough
to want to see him happy. I mean truly happy with that one soul who makes his
own come alive again."
The
way Carlie described him made him sound lonely, but how could that be in
As
Ilona shuffled, she listened as Carlie explained how she'd learned to read the
cards. Ilona had never put much faith in this type of superstition, and she
didn't think this reading would change that. But Carlie had been the kindest of
all the women she'd met in Terek's household, and it seemed only right that she
should return the kindness to her new friend.
Cutting
the deck, she said, "Okay. I'm done."
"Great!
Let's begin. I'll do a simple spread since that's what I'm best at. I want you
to think of a question and hold it in your mind, okay?"
Before
Ilona had a chance to consider what question she'd ask, the memory of Terek
standing outside offering her the world appeared in her mind, bringing with it
a question. Will he ever love just me?
Instantly,
she felt embarrassed. What was she? Some silly teenage girl with a crush on the
popular boy? She was acting stupid.
Carlie
was oblivious to her inner tug of war and continued placing the cards she'd
picked from the deck in a cross formation next to a line of four other cards.
Looking
up, she chirped, "All set. You ready?"
"Sure.
Give it your best shot."
Touching
the two cards in the center of the cross, she smiled. "These are the cards
that tell us the present situation and the challenge you face right now."
So
the eight of sticks means you're in danger of acting like an immature girl?
The
bottom card was the Star card, a beautifully colored picture of a woman gazing
up at one silver star in the night sky. Ilona liked the image, but it reminded
her of Terek.
"Your
present is the Star card. It symbolizes spiritual love. And the Eight of Wands
is reversed, which is showing jealousy around you."
"Maybe
one of Terek's women doesn't appreciate the newest addition?" Ilona asked.
Carlie
raised her eyebrows in disbelief. "Hmmm...let's keep going."
Moving
her hand to the card to the right, she touched the Eight of Cups. "This is
the distant past. The Eight of Cups is about loss."
Ilona
studied the card's sad story. A man was walking away from what looked to be
eight gold chalices. The scene seemed neutral except for the moon, which wore a
frown as it watched the man leave his cups.
She
understood loss. No cryptic meaning there. Not an hour had passed since she'd
arrived at this house that she hadn't thought about the life she'd left behind
when he'd made her vampire.
But
that was recent and Carlie had said distant. Ilona let her mind go back to a
year earlier when Alberto had told her he'd met someone new. The memory didn't
hurt as much now, but it was still there—the sting of loving someone who loved
another.
"You
okay, honey? You look a little sad. The Eight of Cups mean something to
you?"
Looking
up, Ilona forced a smile. "Nope. Nothing. But it's a pretty card with the
moon all sad like that."
Carlie
moved to the next card she said meant the recent past. "Another cup. The
Two of Cups this time. This one's easy to figure out. A new love has come into
your life."
Ilona
raised her eyebrows in disbelief this time.
"See
the man and woman pledging their love and Hermes' caduceus above the cups? The
caduceus is positive because it symbolizes health."
Ilona
folded her arms across her chest. "You don't honestly believe that, do
you? A new love? I'm assuming you're speaking of Terek."
"Of
course."
"Well,
that might be your idea of love—it might be every woman here's idea—but it's
not mine. I don't share when I'm in love."
Carlie
gently placed her hand on Ilona's knee. "Honey, don't you think love is
just that? Love? Does it matter how it manifests itself?"
Ilona
didn't have an answer to that. All she knew is that even thinking of Terek with
another woman made her stomach twist into knots.
"And
I know you don't know us well yet, but every single one of us love Terek enough
to want to see him happy. I mean truly happy with that one soul who makes his
own come alive again."
The
way Carlie described him made him sound lonely, but how could that be in
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