Page 71 of A Pack of Pumpkins
I wait with bated breath. I know they’re just cards, but they’ve been pretty fortuitous so far. Plus, being in a pack with a ghost really makes you reevaluate what you know.
"It’s a card that represents light after a long time of darkness. Joy," she whispers.
It’s my turn to look away. That kind of outcome is something I haven’t allowed myself to imagine since the car accident. I don’t realize Clara’s moved until she’s sliding into my lap.
I’m too stunned to move for a moment, but then she wraps her hands around my shoulders to cup the back of my neck. My hands come to rest against her hips, and I lean forward to nuzzle into the soft skin at her collarbone. Her fingers thread from my neck into my hair, pulling lightly. An alpha growl rumbles up from my center. Her perfume rises around us, and my cock aches for her. She wiggles in my lap, and I have to clench my eyes shut and grasp her hips just a little too firmly.
"Myempress," I purr, referring to the card on the table. "If you don’t stop, you’re not going to be able to do any readings."
"Why’s that?" she asks, looking at me with hooded eyes.
"Because I’ll bend you over this little table and show you good fortune," I rasp.
Her eyes flare, and slick-soaked scent mixes with her perfume. My hands on her hips flex.
"Are you open?" A voice cuts through our moment, effectively breaking it.
"Sunny," my Spooky Girl murmurs, her forehead falling to my shoulder.
We extract ourselves from the chair.
"I’m going to be around the fair,” I say. “I’ll swing by at the end to take you home."
"It’s okay if you want to go back to the house. I’m sure I can find a ride."
I clutch her chin between my fingers and then internally scold myself. Thankfully, she doesn’t flinch.
"I am your alpha. I can take my omega home."
Her perfume swells again, and she nods. I groan but force myself to walk away. Sunny glares at me as I leave, and I can’t help but wink, laughing as I walk away from her scowl.
Clara
Thefestivalisstartingto wrap up. I feel like I’ve read the fortunes of nearly everyone in town. Some of them revealing far more than I ever wanted to know.
Stella leaves my tent, dragging her oxygen tank behind her and muttering about ungrateful grandkids, when the next person enters. I look up and freeze.
Deputy Henry stands in the entryway. "Can I get a reading?"
My heart is thundering in my throat. He’s in full uniform. Am I even allowed to refuse him?
"Actually, I was just packing up—"
"Oh, I’m sure you have time for me. Right?" On the surface it’s a friendly request, but it’s a mask of the man I knew. Was it always a mask? I think it was. How do some alphas do that? Pretend to be someone their not just to get the omega. His whole aura since I rejected him at the café for a date gas been toxic. There’s a definite undercurrent of malice. My breaths come in soft gasps, afraid that if I breathe too hard, he’ll fly into a rage. Everything about him screams unstable.
"O-okay." My hands shake as I pick up the deck, dropping a couple of cards in the process.
He chuckles, and it’s not a pleasant sound. "Nervous, Little Girl?"
Thenickname grates, making me feel ill. "Clara is fine, thanks." I may be frightened, but I’m not a complete doormat.
A low growl rumbles from his chest, and I flinch.
"Cut the deck anywhere, please,” I say.
He does, and I gather the cards back up. I flip the first one, it’sThe Lovers… but reversed.
"Ha. I knew it. Of course the first card would be The Lovers between you and me."
