Total pages in book: 183
Estimated words: 167196 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 836(@200wpm)___ 669(@250wpm)___ 557(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 167196 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 836(@200wpm)___ 669(@250wpm)___ 557(@300wpm)
“Domizio became very secretive after you left, Sandu. He never spoke of you to other hunters other than to talk of your past. He didn’t tell anyone where you went or why. There was trouble, a rising of power along the eastern section of the northern Alps. The Dolomites.”
Adalasia’s heart skipped a beat. There was always the direction of east given to them, but no one had ever included the northern Alps. Or specifically named a mountain range. The eastern section now made sense. They not only had a direction but a mountain range. They were slowly narrowing it down. She hoped Luiz could add just a little bit more.
“Domizio mentioned not only that there was vampire activity in the area, but that he believed there was some kind of portal between this realm and the underworld. He was very uneasy when he spoke of it and mentioned several times to be wary of insects and reptiles. He said owls were used as well. When pressed, he admitted he had no proof. The next time a De La Cruz went through the area, Domizio and Madolina had moved on to the next world, and Liona was missing.”
Sandu leaned toward Luiz. “Do you recall where that last location was in the mountains?”
Luiz nodded. “I can give you the coordinates of the cave system.” He pushed the images into both Sandu’s and Adalasia’s minds. He did so casually, as if he weren’t giving them a gift beyond compare.
“Thank you, Luiz,” Adalasia said. “This is amazing information.”
“We owe you a huge debt,” Sandu acknowledged. “Have you thought about allowing Adalasia to give you a reading?”
Luiz nodded his head, his gaze once more fixed on Adalasia. Wholly focused. “Yes, I think it would be a good thing, Adalasia, if you believe it is. Do you?”
Her belly knotted. The only reason her heart remained steady was because she was firmly anchored in Sandu and following the rhythm of his. Did she? Why had she hesitated before? The cards had a life of their own, but she believed Luiz was a good and honorable man. If she believed that, she trusted that the cards would see past the shadowing in him and they wouldn’t pass a harsh judgment on him.
“I think it would be a good thing, Luiz. The cards hold a great power, and they will react with your power. Follow your instincts. I’ll hand them to you, and you shuffle and divide them into three stacks.”
She was disciplined, and she believed in herself and her abilities with the cards. She hadn’t read Luiz wrong. She slid her hand under her shirt and found the pouch, withdrawing it and opening it to shake the cards into her waiting hands. Luiz had moved a small table made from vines next to the bench and then pulled his chair close. Adalasia reached over the table to hand him the cards.
Before the deck of tarot cards touched his fingers, there was an explosion of lights, of colors, all rain forest greens and silvers. Patterns of the jaguar. Jagged bolts of lightning like violent spears shooting from the cards as if they attempted to pierce Luiz’s skin. He didn’t flinch or pull back, but calmly took the deck from her, ignoring the wild display of power that only heightened as his strong fingers settled around the cards.
Shadows bounced through the room, playing on the vines hanging from the ceiling overhead. Thunder crashed, and hideous growls merged with snarls to add to the chaos as Luiz calmly shuffled the cards, ignoring the wild display and the sparks flying. Adalasia realized the more he shuffled, the more the deck calmed, became accepting of him, almost as if by feeling him, the cards began to know his true character. Eventually, the display faded away and all noise ceased. She let out the air in her lungs she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.
Luiz divided the cards and laid the three stacks in front of her.
“Choose one of the stacks and set the other two aside. Pull three cards from your chosen stack and set the others aside.”
Luiz followed her instructions. His gaze flicked to hers. She could see he wanted to question her. Three cards when there were so many. How could she possibly tell him where his lifemate was with three cards? She always went with her intuition. If there was a strong inclination to do a layout with three cards, that was what she went with. She indicated where to place each card and then had him turn them over.
There was his lifemate, and once again, she let her breath out. He needed patience, which she knew he had in abundance. She tapped the card and allowed the pads of her fingers to linger on it while she pressed her palm over her heart and the goddess card, asking for help in locating his lifemate. The cards indicated a short journey for him. She was somewhere in his vicinity. Somewhere close to him.