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Jasmine shook her head. "If the universe didn't want you two together, it wouldn't have arranged for us to find you while we were rescuing my mother."

"That's true," Fenella conceded. She hadn't thought of it that way. "Although I really don't want to fall into the trap of believing in destiny or some other nonsense like that. It's like putting blinders on and pretending everything is made out of rainbows and unicorns."

That was a little ironic coming from her after all her talk about bad omens. If she believed in that, she should also believe in all the sunny crap, but in her experience, there was much more of the dark than there was of the light.

Jasmine and Kyra exchanged another one of those irritating knowing glances.

"Stop that," Fenella snapped. "You two have known me for all of five minutes. You don't get to have silent conversations about my love life or lack thereof."

"Sorry," Jasmine said, not sounding remorseful at all. "It's just that you keep protesting so loudly that it's comical. You want it to be the real thing as much as Din does."

Fenella groaned. "Don't you see? That's the problem. Neither of us should turn this into a chick flick in our heads. This is real life, and we are both adults."

"That's very mature and responsible," Jasmine said, and Fenella wasn't sure if she was mocking her or being serious. "Now, about the tarot reading you asked for."

"Yes, please." Fenella steepled her fingers. "I could use some insight, even if it comes from pieces of cardboard."

"They're not just pieces of cardboard." Jasmine glared at her. "In the right hands, the cards are tools, conduits for the initiated to connect to the Goddess, to the Mother of All Life."

Apparently, Fenella had stepped on the proverbial toe. "I believe you. Otherwise, I wouldn't have asked for a reading. Sometimes, I just say things in a way that sounds offensive. I'm sorry if I insulted your beliefs."

Jasmine's shoulders lost their stiffness. "That's okay. It's just that my father used to taunt me about the cards, so I'm a little sensitive about people mocking them."

Fenella lifted her hands. "I'm not mocking, I swear, but I've never had a magical anything guiding me, and I did fine. Well, until I crossed paths with that devil-spawned Doomer, that is." She sighed. "I thought that it was the worst thing that could ever happen to me, and it was, but on the other hand, it led me to finding out who I am and this entire world of immortals, aliens, and gods."

It had also led her back to Din, but it still remained to be seen if that was a good thing or not.

4

KIAN

Kian stood at the head of the oblong conference table that dominated the center of his office, arms folded over his chest, as he waited for the last of his guests to arrive.

He wished this meeting could be about the successful completion of the mission and the safe arrival of Kyra's family at the village, but as always, trouble was brewing, and this time its shadow was so big that he wasn't sure he could find a way out from under it.

He'd underestimated Navuh again.

"Good morning," Onegus said as he entered, looking sharp as always.

"Morning, chief." Kian motioned to the table. "Take a seat and make yourself comfortable."

Both of them had already received briefings from Yamanu, Max, and Jade, but this meeting was not about the mission they had just completed. It was about the situation they'd uncovered, which needed to be addressed.

"Is Turner joining us?" Onegus asked.

The strategist had his own security business that wasn't connected to the clan, and as much as Kian would have liked for him to dedicate his time fully to clan operations, Turner refused.

After this meeting, though, he might reconsider.

"I told Turner that this meeting would determine the future of the human race. That got him intrigued."

Onegus arched a brow. "Dramatic much?"

"I wish." Kian sighed. "But let's wait for everyone to get here so I don't have to repeat myself."

"I'm here." Yamanu entered the office. "Jade and Max are coming up the stairs. Are we waiting for anyone else?"

"Just Turner," Kian said.