Page 44 of Cursed Sight
With the deck in hand, she set her mind on the matter and shuffled the cards. She grabbed the card on top, flipped it over, and stared at the word written under the image. “Defense.” Serena nodded and passed the cards to Ethan. “Shuffle.”
He closed his eyes as he shuffled. The vibration around him increased, and she couldn’t stop the glowing smile from her lips. He was beautiful when he tapped into his gift.
Satisfied, he placed the deck on the table and flipped the top card. “Illusion.”
“Now you, Ryan,” Serena said.
“Freedom,” Ryan stated after he went through the same motions. “But why is it upside down?”
“When the card is reversed, its meaning is directed inwardly. What were you thinking about?” Serena asked.
“We’ve not dealt with real enemies until Volark. After he started coming after Brandy, it was him, witches, werewolves, and lycans, and now it seems someone’s coming for you too.”
Serena nodded. “You want to be free of all the enemies. Ethan, you’re the true oracle. Center yourself and use these four cards as tools. Tell us whatyouthink.”
He sat forward and set the four cards before him. No one spoke as his hands hovered over the cards. When the centerpiece on the table rose an inch into the air, Brandy’s surprised eyes met hers. Serena shrugged in response.
Minutes passed before Ethan spoke. “Protection. Defense. Illusion. Freedom. These cards are all tied together. The warning at the coven gathering is also connected to this, as are my visions. One person is behind all of this. Brandy… You are the strongest one here,but, Serena, you have the most knowledge to wield that power. What I’m seeing is some sort of an illusion, and Ryan’s freedom card is related to his actual physical freedom.”
When Ethan sat back and met everyone’s curious faces, they watched as a glaze lifted from his eyes.
“We all hold a piece of the puzzle then,” Serena said and rubbed her hands over her face. “I don’t like pulling you two into this, especially not with the baby involved.”
Brandy smirked. “I guess you’ll have to yield some of that knowledge so we can keep the baby and all of us safe.”
Chapter 25
Ethan smirked, excited he’d be able to surprise Serena as he tiptoed up the stairs. In one hand, he held a bouquet of wildflowers, which reminded him of her wild nature, and in the other was a key to his apartment in a velvet box.
As he reached the top landing, something hit the ground, causing him to pause. Reaching out both with his hearing and telepathy, he became concerned. A shield stood between their link, effectively severing his connection to Serena, and he did not understand how he’d missed it. Whimpers traveled across her apartment, and his legs moved on their own.
His gut screamed that Serena was in danger. Ethan neared the noises as something shattered on the ground.
“Please…”
That one broken word caused him to sprint the last few feet. When he shoved the door aside, the scene before him devastated him. Both the flowers and box slipped from his grip as Serena’s green eyes met his.
“Don’t stop,” she pleaded to the large man pinning her to the wall. Her slender pale legs were wrapped around his waist, and the muscles across his body tensed with each thrust.
Peter grunted. “Gonna come.”
Frozen to the spot, Ethan watched the werewolf take her. He knew all too well what it felt like to have Serena wrapped around him. She was his soul mate, and the scene was all wrong.
Gasping for breath, Ethan shot up to a sitting position. The images from his dream, or vision, or more like a nightmare still vividly played in his mind.
“Babe? What’s wrong?” Serena’s voice was husky from sleep, and his dick began to stir at her sound.
Her fingers wrapped around his bicep, but he could not stand the touch. Pushing the covers to the side, he stood from the bed. With his back to her, he stared at the ceiling and sucked in deep breaths. He willed the images to go away so he could think clearly.
“Hey?” she called, this time her voice coated in rejection.
“Can’t,” he stated firmly and left her behind to find water he could splash over his face. When he did and it did not ease the unsettling pressure on his chest, he chugged a glass of tap water.
Logically, Ethan knew the images made no sense, but the betrayal his dream-self felt was still fresh. He could not decide if it was a dream, vision, or nightmare. A sound drew his attention to the doorway where Serena stood in her robe. Her wavy red hair fell to her waist, and in the dim light, she looked like a tempting creature, something his hardening dick seemed to agree on.
“What did you see?” she asked, ignoring his growing erection.
“You,” he said in frustration before filling his glass once more. He could feel her eyes on him as he chugged the room-temperature liquid. “And Peter fucking.” He filled the glass yet again, wishing it were something stronger—not that it would help. When she did not react, he met her eyes.
