I stepped into the tent, which smelled of cinnamon and incense. It took my eyes a couple seconds to adjust to the meager light shed by half a dozen dim candles floating in the air.
A young woman in a ’90s jean jacket sat behind a table hung with purple and gold cloth. She gave a knowing smile. “Jaxson Laurent. I see you found your Strength. Let me see her.” The woman motioned me over, and a dozen gold bracelets jingled around her arm.
I didn’t move a muscle.
“What’s the matter? I won’t bite.”
“I…saw you in a dream.”
She swept the braids of her long black hair over her shoulder and extended a hand. “Oh, that’s highly probable. The fates have been trying to lead you to me. I am Lady Fortune, after all. But you can call me Dominique. I’ve been looking forward to meeting you.”
I cocked my head in confusion as I extended my hand to shake hers. “Savannah Caine. What do you mean?”
She started inspecting my palm. “The fates have plans for us all. Some of us need a push. You were in danger, so I sent Mr. Laurent to you after I read his fortune—though to be honest, I did not know if he would make it in time.”
“Oh, he showed up. Right after I ran my attackers over with my car.”
I glared at him, and he tensed. I could practically smell his irritation.
Lady Fortune raised her eyebrows and gave me a wide grin. “Well, the card I pulled for you certainly seems accurate, though maybe I should have pulled the Chariot.”
My curiosity flared to life, burning away any apprehension I’d had. “What card did you pull for me?”
“Strength,” Jaxson said, his voice low and hard, almost hitching.
Lady Fortune released my hand and flipped over the top card of the large tarot deck sitting on her table.
Strength. It showed a woman taming a lion.
“Don’t let your success so far go to your head,” she cautioned. “You are not out of danger. Far from it.” She slid the card to the bottom of the deck. “Sit, and we will discuss your fate.”
The seer pointed at the chair in front of her table and snapped her fingers. The chair shook itself like a wet dog, and suddenly, a duplicate chair sprang out and skittered over to me like a crab. I jumped back with a yelp.
She raised her eyebrows. “Sorry. I forgot that you’re new to town. I should have warned you.”
I nodded. The entire fair had been wondrous from a distance, but now that I was caught up in it, I was completely overwhelmed.
The seer gestured to sit, so I slowly lowered myself onto the chair, making sure it wasn’t just an illusion. Solid. I breathed a sigh of relief. Not t
hat I should be surprised by anything at this point.
Jaxson took the other chair and laid a stack of bills on the table. My heartbeat picked up, and my palms went damp. I hadn’t ever seen so much cash in one place.
He just walked around with that in his pocket? Then again, he could rip someone’s throat out in a second. He’d probably savor it.
Lady Fortune bowed her head slightly. “You have anticipated my next request. Perhaps you have a little seer in you, Mr. Laurent.”
She went to snap her fingers, but she paused and looked at me. “Just to warn you, I’m going to do another magic thing. Okay?”
“Okay,” I said.
She snapped twice. A little pink purse ran out of the back room, hopped up on her lap, and started wiggling like a small, over-excited dog. It popped open and trembled with restrained excitement. The seer plucked the cash from the table and dropped it in, and the pouch snapped shut, jumped down, and scampered back to the other room.
“He’s very excitable,” Lady Fortune mused.
My heart hammered with excitement. “Oh. My. God. How do I get one of those?”
“It’s tough. They’re very expensive and hard to train.”