Free Phoenix in My Fortune (A Monster Haven Story Book 6) by R.L. Naquin Page B

tipped her head at Riley and Andrew. “You guys find something to do, if you don’t mind. We won’t be long.”
    Riley hesitated, but Andrew was familiar with Sheila’s readings and signaled for Riley to follow him. “Come help me tally the two sales I’ve made today. My math is terrible.”
    They moved away so Sheila could concentrate.
    I watched the fake gems in her rings sparkle, hypnotic in their quick movements. A shiver went down my back. “Stop.”
    Her movements fast and smooth, she dealt cards across the table in an arc.
    She pointed to each card. “Past, present, future, a warning and a blessing.”
    I groaned. “Ah, come on.”
    She looked up, her face alarmed. “What?”
    I tapped the card she’d indicated as my future card. A beautiful red bird surrounded by a halo of fire held its wings to the sky. “I kept getting the Phoenix card when Aggie did a reading for me.”
    A lump formed in my throat at the thought of my lost friend. Aggie had pulled the Phoenix card for me. And a few days later, she’d come to say goodbye to us. She’d burst into flames, burned to ashes, then emerged as a phoenix, leaving behind what she’d told us was supposed to be the sacred Covenant between Hidden and humans.
    The pages of the book had been blank, though. Completely worthless to us. We’d lost Aggie for nothing. Her loss still left an ache.
    “So, that makes it all the more valid, don’t you think?” Sheila gave me a sideways look like I might be a little touched. “Do you want me to reshuffle?”
    I gave her a slow nod. “Yeah. If you don’t mind.”
    She mixed the cards again, this time stopping when she felt it, rather than when I did.
    Past. Present. Future. The phoenix stared up at me from the glossy card.
    “Dammit. One more time?” My heart fluttered in my chest. Why was I being such a baby about it? If I got it a third time, I’d sit back and let her read the stupid cards without a fuss.
    She shuffled. I felt a shiver, waited a beat, then told her to stop. She laid the cards flat, and I didn’t think either of us was surprised to see the phoenix card in the future spot again, though each of the other cards had changed with every shuffle.
    I took a deep breath, held it, let it out. “Okay. Tell me. No, wait. Can Riley come back?”
    She shrugged and waved at the guys to come back. Riley settled in next to me, and Andrew stood off to the side with his arms folded.
    Sheila eyed me carefully, then tapped the card that stood for the past. “The Lamb. Innocent, cared for—you took things at face value. Your hardships were those of other lambs. Money. Loss. Men.” She flinched and touched her head. “Definitely men.” She sucked air between her teeth. “Oh, honey, you’ve been through some shit, haven’t you?”
    I snorted. “You could say that.”
    “Well, it’s not quite over, but nearly so.”
    Riley shifted in his seat. “Hey!”
    She flipped her hand in his direction. “Not you, honey. Something from her past isn’t finished. Nothing major.”
    My mouth went dry and I sipped my tea. “Great.” With everything else going on, the last thing I needed was a visit from my ex-husband, Brad. Or any of the other guys I’d had trouble getting rid of in the past.
    She touched the surface of the card in the spot representing the present. “The Dragon.” She smiled, but the expression carried some sadness with it. “You’ve been fighting very hard. Your belly furnace burns strong and bright. But see how the dragon lies near its cave and the sun sets behind the mountain? The fight is almost over.”
    “That’s a relief.” I set my mug on the table. “Okay. Let me have it. Tell me how the Phoenix card represents new beginnings, blah blah blah.”
    Sheila chuckled. “Fine, Miss Smartypants. It’s all about rebirth and new beginnings.”
    “I’ve already seen it happen, though. Aggie burned up and was reborn as a phoenix four months ago.”
    “What, literally?” Sheila’s eyes grew