Also by Shannon MacLeod
Arcana Love Series
The Celtic Cup
The Gypsy Ribbon
Rogue on the Rollaway
THE GYPSY RIBBON
Suit of Wands: Arcana Love, #2
By SHANNON MACLEOD
LYRICAL PRESS
KENSINGTON PUBLISHING CORP.
http://www.kensingtonbooks.com/
For Taylor and Nolan, the two halves of my heart
And
To Angela Bird, for more love than I could ever return in one lifetime.
Acknowledgements
My amazing editor Antonia Tiranth, who has talked me off the grammatical ledge more times than I can count
The multi-talented Renee Rocco for making the cover artwork match my vision
Carrie Clevenger and Nerine Dorman for being so damn good at what they do
The fabulous Tricia Warren, asker of hard questions, catcher of OOC faux pas, fashion consultant and hooping genius
Alisha Fairley for having the courage and fortitude to stay true in the face of danger and almost certain death (from questionable desserts items)
The usual suspects - supportive, brilliant friends and writers – George Pappas, Eden Baylee, Ashen White, Sharon Buchbinder, Tony Riches, Brian Bohls, Janet Boyer, Lorna Suzuki, Sonya Clark and Sidney Peck
Richard and Virginia, who love me anyway.
And last but not least…
To my favorite rock star who texts me in the middle of concerts, shares his grilled cheese sandwiches, inspires me daily and never fails to make me smile. Thank you, ET.
Forward
Tarot: (ta-roh) n. - a set of seventy-eight cards used for divination and meditation.
Tarot cards are divided into two groups–the Major Arcana and the Minor Arcana. The twenty-two Major Arcana cards represent the archetypes of life. These are the steps all must journey through, the lessons we are to learn. The fifty-six Minor Arcana–forty Pips and sixteen Court cards–are divided into four Suits.
Swords: The element of Air, representing Intellect, Communication, Conflict, and Thought. The Swords are associated with the astrological signs of Libra, Aquarius, and Gemini.
Wands: The element of Fire, representing Passion, Creativity, Courage, and Energy. The Wands are associated with the astrological signs of Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius.
Cups: The element of Water, representing Love, Intuition, Psychic Ability, and Dreams. The Cups are associated with the astrological signs of Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces.
Pentacles: The element of Earth, representing Prosperity, Fertility, Security, and Manifestation. The Pentacles are associated with the astrological signs of Capricorn, Taurus, and Virgo.
The Tarot Court is divided into four groups.
Kings are mature men, and can represent authority figures or situations where one has to deal with those in positions of power.
Queens are mature women, and can represent women in positions of authority, or situations where powerful women are involved.
Knights are young adults. While they take on the characteristics of the Kings or Queens, they are not yet mature enough to always reach the correct decisions.
Pages are usually children or youths, and are associated with messages and information coming into one’s life.
The Tarot is never carved in stone. It is merely a snapshot–a moment in time showing a possible outcome if the present course is not altered. You are the one in charge of your life, and the master of your own destiny.
Prologue
New Orleans, Louisiana–Early Spring
James Kelly didn’t like it, not even a wee bit.
The lead singer for the world-renowned rock band Horizon slouched against the back wall of the crowded and dimly lit room, graced only by a round table with a fringed tablecloth and two folding metal chairs. The tarnished wall sconces held small light bulbs that attempted to look like candles but fell embarrassingly short. Whoever had the bright idea to go to the French Quarter to have their fortune told needs an ass-kickin’, James thought morosely.
The acrid smell of stale incense made his nose itch. He leaned in closer to one of the matching blonde groupies gripping his arm. The cloying scent of her expensive perfume was only slightly less offensive than the old patchouli. “Jaysus, gal. What did you do, bathe in it?” he muttered, recoiling from the cloud surrounding her. The matching blondes clinging to each arm purred and rubbed against him, but he silenced them both with a sharp “Sssh.” Pouting, they stilled but didn’t lessen their protective grip. “I can’t hear a goddamn thing,” James whispered to Blonde One, but in spite of his complaints he made no move to inch closer.
The old woman dealt the Tarot cards with practiced ease, speaking quietly to the young drummer, DJ, seated across from her. Turning the cards over, the gypsy pointed to each and he nodded eagerly in answer. The rest of the band plus their Miss Right-Nows were scattered about the room, watching and awaiting their own turns. One by one, they approached the table and sat across from the woman while she spread their cards.
“I need some air. I need a drink. I need to not be here,” James muttered. The rest of the band cracked jokes about having their fortunes told, but he was willing to bet his moderately obscene annual salary none of them had his background. His grandmother back home in Ireland had been a witch–a real one–and she read the cards for him throughout his life until she crossed over a couple of years before. Everything she said came true. She had foreseen him dropping out of school and joining the band that had shot like a meteor to the top of the music world, but she saw no farther than that, or if she did, she never shared it with him. He believed in this stuff, even if he’d never admit it to any of his friends, and it made him uncomfortable to hear others poke fun at forces they couldn’t even begin to understand.
He toyed with the notion that maybe he inherited a little something extra from his grandmother. James saw things before they happened - pictures, images, once in a while random words would run through his mind. Sometimes he figured out what they meant beforehand, but usually not until after the event had already occurred. It would be nice if he had a bit more control over it. It would be right useful. Like now, for example. He could have stayed at the hotel and avoided this shit altogether.
The last querent stood from the table and nodded his thanks. As a group, they began to move toward the door until the deep voice of the bassist stopped them. “Wait,” said Randy, “James hasn’t had his fortune told yet.”
Smothering the urge to choke his well meaning friend, James shook his head and pasted a wide grin on his face. “The only future I’m needin’ to know about is whether or not I’m gonna get lucky tonight. What