Succubus Dreams Page 0,31

love card. It represents a romantic man, someone good-looking and charming who loves giving gifts and doing small gestures. You know the kind."

"I don't, actually," she said wistfully. "All my boyfriends have been jerks."

"Well, that's going to change," he promised.

I knew quite a bit about Tarot cards, actually. The Hierophant represented tradition, wisdom, and organized religion. He wasn't exactly a romantic figure, particularly considering he was usually depicted as a priest.

"Why is he dressed so weird?" asked the girl. "He looks like he's in robes."

"It's not weird," Dante said. "It's opulent. Remember, the Tarot is an ancient system. A guy dressed like this represented the height of fashion back in the old days. You know, a real designer label kind of guy."

I caught Dante's gaze and rolled my eyes. He maintained his poker face and flipped the next card.

"Things are looking good," he declared. "The Tower."

The Tower was pretty much the worst card in the deck.

"This shows you guys have a promising future."

"Why is it on fire?" she asked. "And why are people falling out of the windows?"

"It's all symbolic," he said hastily. "And although things look really good for when you meet this guy, it means you have to be cautious and read the signs around you."

"Oh, wow," she said. "I hope I can."

Dante gathered up the cards and stacked them neatly. "Well, I can help if you want. I could give you a package set of readings at a discount. That way, you'll have a guide as you go along. You'll be prepared for when you meet him."

I sincerely doubted she was ever going to meet this mythical guy.

"How much?" she asked hesitantly.

"Hmm, let's see." Dante turned speculative. "Well, they're normally fifty dollars. Usually, I give a five-dollar discount for packages...but, hell. I really want to see this work. I'm a romantic myself, you know? It's a stretch, but I'll do a set of six for forty dollars each. You can buy them now and then come in whenever you want to claim them."

The girl deliberated, and I wanted to yell at her that it was a scam. But I needed Dante's advice and didn't want to get on his bad side. Not that I was necessarily on his good side right now.

"I don't want to pressure you," he told her gently. "So, please. Don't feel obligated. Just do whatever your heart tells you to do. I mean, if the cards have told us anything, it's that you have to protect your heart now as you enter this important stage of your life."

That sold her. "Okay. I'll do it."

I watched in disbelief as the two of them walked to his register. She handed over two-hundred-forty dollars - plus tax - and he gave her a Tarot punch card, not unlike what you'd get at a coffee or sandwich shop.

"You should be ashamed of yourself," I told him when she was gone.

"Succubus. Nice to see you too."

"That wasn't a romance reading."

"Nope," he agreed, coming over to stand beside me. "It actually suggested she'd soon be having a sex change and joining a suicide cult."

"But you told her it was about love."

"She's twenty years old. Love's all they want to hear about at that age."

"You're going to Hell."

"I could have told you that. In fact, I did tell you that last time, didn't I? Now. What can I do for you? You change your mind about the sex?"

"No. Of course not."

He looked offended. "Of course not? What's with the attitude? I'm not that unappealing."

"No," I agreed. He looked like he still hadn't shaved in a couple days, and there was something very sexy about that and the way his indigo T-shirt fit him. I hadn't realized before what nice ab muscles he had. Probably the lack of business around here gave him lots of time to work out. "But that's not why I'm here. And honestly, if this behavior is just the tip of the iceberg, I'm thinking your soul isn't going to be worth my time anyway."

He threw his hands in the air. "She comes and insults me, then expects help. So what is it you want? Your dishwasher finally break?"

"No, but I had the dream again. And there was more."

I recapped it, and he listened, face unreadable.

"You sure you don't want a new dishwasher?" he asked dubiously.

"No!"

"What about kids?"

"What about them?"

"You want them?"

I fell silent, and despite his lopsided smile, I could see Dante scrutinizing me. He might be a con artist, but he was smart. The best