heard from the Corsican yet?” Zahkar asked.
“If you don’t shut up,” Pavel said. “I will get one of these scissors and stab you in the throat.”
Zahkar growled back. “I would like to see you try.”
“Gentleman.” David’s voice rose. “Enjoy the evening, while you can. Tomorrow or next week, war and all things that happen with war will come. Tonight, we celebrate new life and these exquisite cigars.”
“And what of the Devil?” Zahkar asked.
“I don’t think he deserves a cigar,” David replied. “I saw what he did to that woman in Paris. He can stay under the house where he belongs.”
Zahkar remained silent.
Ignoring them all, I enjoyed lounging in my chair. These past weeks had forced me to undergo many fears—the Emily’s kidnaping and later our possible breakup, the death of one twin, and the oncoming birth of the other. With tragedy, one was forced to look deep within and discover their strengths that they didn’t know existed.
She’s changing me. And this baby will too.
When I opened my core, I discovered more than power and strength. Within I held forgiveness, undying love, and compassion flowed through.
Emily’s love had triggered me to see my dark world with more light. My black and white existence with more gray.
Therefore, when it came to the French, I had no idea what I would do.
Suddenly, my conversation with Baba returned. I thought back to the cards that had appeared. The first was the Moon.
“The Moon. Everything is not what it seems. The moon says to trust your dreams.” She touched the card’s edges. “Your fear overwhelms your decisions. There are illusions and distractions all around you.”
The next card was the Magician.
“The magician tells you that you can manifest all you’ve dreamed of without exerting much energy, but again. . .you must be wary of misdirection.”
And then there was the Devil. I’d scowled at that one.
“You must be wary of the Devil.” Baba had tapped the card with her jeweled stick. “This is literal and metaphorical all at the same time.”
Pressure had built in my chest. “Meaning?”
“Metaphorically, your shadow self is dark. It walks with you, feeding off of your negativity and hate. It grows the more you seek revenge.” She looked at me. “And then there’s the Devil that you have chained below this house.”
And then there was the High Priestess.
“God is on your side, if you will let him do his work.” She had circled the priestess with the gem. “She is the guardian of the subconscious mind and the teacher of sacred knowledge. She sits at the threshold of the conscious and subconscious mind.”
After the miscarriage, I gave up on the Universe. I placed my back to God and embraced Death. I wanted all to be in pain. Everyone had to suffer.
Days later and everything had changed. Hope renewed. A future of family and love in place.
For now, I will do nothing, but sit back and. . .see.
There was power in waiting. Strength in not making any moves. Sometimes silence and no action produced more results and defeated more enemies.
Let’s see what happens.
Chapter 7
The Queen of Diamonds
Emily
I woke up to an empty bed, not sure what time it was. Yawning, I checked the clock and realized that I had slept yesterday away. It was now the morning of the next day.
A note lay on the nightstand.
Mysh,
Today we leave for Prague. Call me when you wake. I want to eat breakfast with you. I love you more than you will ever understand.
Your mighty lion.
I shook my head. “My mighty lion? Really, Kaz?”
I missed the mornings where he woke me up with his cock. Granted, there could be no sex for a while. At least several more days.
After the medical appointment, the nurse had talked to me without Kaz in the room. She had explained that a miscarriage could be destabilizing, even if I had not been trying to get pregnant. That truth had made me feel better. I had felt stupid for being so sad.
The nurse had also explained that not wanting to be intimate after experiencing a miscarriage was totally normal.
“Give yourself permission and room to grieve your miscarriage.” She patted my hand which rested on my lap. “You may not even want to be touched, intimately or otherwise, let alone engage in intercourse. How long this grieving process takes varies greatly for everyone. It is important that you take as much time as you need to.”
“Thank you for talking to me.”
“You can call anytime.”
So far, Kaz’s arms provided strength and comfort. I also