Under the table, Kheelan’s hand squeezed hers as everyone engaged in small talk. She couldn’t imagine how hard it must be having his long-lost parents show up and not be able to tell them he was their son.
His mom was shaken. She kept stealing glances at Kheelan and had trouble keeping up her end of the conversation. When their family finished desert and rose to go home, Mrs. Jeffries hung back. Before leaving, she placed a hand on Kheelan’s cheek, so much like Kyle’s.
She knows something.
“Katie’s told me how kind you’ve been to Kyle these last few weeks, taking him to the movies and out to eat,” Mrs. Jeffries said. Her eyes – so similar to Kheelan’s—were moist. “You’re welcome in our home anytime.”
“I’ll take you up on that that,” Kheelan said, his voice gruff.
Skye looked away, feeling like an intruder. Gathering dirty dishes, she carried them over to the kitchen where Mama D was loading the dishwasher.
“Why don’t you go home?” she said. “I’ve got this covered. When I’m done, I’ll lock up.”
Mama D dried her hands on a dish towel. “That’s an offer I can’t refuse. I don’t know what I would have done without you lately, what with Claribel’s death and all. I can’t get over how quick it happened. One weekend we were having a grand time at the psychic fair and the very next week she falls down the stairs at home and twists her neck.”
Skye shuddered. That was no accident. “A shame,” she said quietly. But she knew it was no freak accident – the Dark Fae had punished Claribel for letting Skye escape.
“I hope wherever she is, she’s with her precious fairies.”
“I’m sure they have a special place for Claribel,” Skye assured Mama D. In some deep, dark pit. Skye thought of Finvorra and wasn’t sure the Seelie fairies had been any less harsh. His punishment for abusing Kheelan was to be stripped of all fairy powers. Now human, psoriasis of the liver worked its poison. Finvorra wasn’t long for the world of mortals either.
Mama D slipped out and Skye reentered the coffee house. Kheelan again stood alone by the window. He had much to learn about human social interaction. She went over and wrapped her arms around him, felt the solid warmth of his body. “You’re not alone anymore,” she whispered fiercely.
He stared straight ahead. “The first time I saw you I knew that.”
“Because you recognized I was The One who could rescue you from the fairies,” she teased.
“No, even before that. I caught a glimpse of you through the store windows the first night I came to town. There was something about you . . .” He laughed self-consciously. “I followed you to your apartment.”
Skye pulled back in surprise. Kheelan wouldn’t look her in the eyes. “Stalker,” she laughed.
He kissed the top of her head. “See what you do to me? I stood out there in the dark, miserable cold listening to the fairies taunt me. I never would have thought –.” He paused, fumbled in the pocket of his jacket, and pulled out a tiny box. “For you.”
Skye lifted its lid with trembling fingers. The goldstone she’d once given him was now mounted on a braided gold chain and shone as brilliant as a sliver of sunshine, warming her palm as she picked it up.
“You told me the stone helped people remember their dreams and destiny.” Kheelan slipped the necklace over her head. “You are my destiny, Skye.”
Kheelan kissed her. A mind-bending, toe-curling kiss that Skye swore could steam up the nearby window. And when it was over she held him tight.
A tiny flash of light flickered in the darkness. Skye blinked. No way it could be firefly this time of year. She wiggled her fingers in a wave where the light had shone and it reappeared, flashing in response. A pixie.
Kheelan stepped away. “Let’s clean up and get out of here.”
At the table, Skye started putting the tarot cards in its box. “You’ve never read my cards,” said Kheelan. He pulled up a chair and tapped the deck. “Hit me.”
“It’s not a poker game.” Skye shuffled and pulled two cards – Six of Wands, and Eight of Cups. “You have the strength to overcome any obstacles and obtain victory through your powerful will.” Skye pointed to the Eight of Cups. “You let go of the past and look toward the future.”
Kheelan whistled. “What do the cards foretell for you?”
Skye spread out all seventy-eight of the tarot and ran her hands over them until she felt a warm tingling in the palm of her left hand. “This one.” She set it aside, face-down, and gathered the rest of the cards back together.
“Well, what is it?” he asked.
“I don’t have to look. It’s the Knight of Pentacles.
Kheelan flipped it over. “Neat trick. I’m impressed.”
“It’s no trick. The card represents someone very important in my future.”
Kheelan’s brown eyes darkened to a deep sable. “Do I know this person?” His right hand, free of its tattoo, roamed over her wingless back.
Skye touched his lips. “It’s you,” she whispered. “The cards and crystals tried to tell us all along that we belonged together.”
The End