He’d have one of his deputies watch her here at the stall. But at night…
At night, he’d keep a special eye on her himself.
Relda straightenedthe cushions in her tent, preparing for her last appointment of the day. Looking at it, no one would know there’d been a fight the evening before that had torn the place up. Or that Marshal Calder’s forensics team had worked into the night running their high-tech scanners over every inch of it.
They hadn’t found anything helpful. Some skin cells from an aquatic who clearly didn’t have a record.
This morning she’d had the tent cleaned, the slash in the wall repaired, and she’d brought in more decorative items from her house.
With a sigh, she stopped, touching a hand to her aching temple. Despite getting Alia healed and settled last night, and despite taking a long bubble bath, Relda hadn’t slept well. When she had drifted off, it was to nightmares of faceless men chasing her, demanding the Trojan Moon. But the end of each dream morphed into something different—finding herself in Marshal Hunt Calder’s strong arms.
Calder…got to her. In ways she wouldn’t let a man get to her ever again. No, the less she saw of Marshal Hunt Calder, the better.
She really hoped the idiots who’d attacked her and Alia were no longer on Souk. But she’d given up on foolish dreams a long time ago.
They’d come for the priceless artifact again.
She massaged her temples and willed the headache to dull enough so she could get through her last appointment.
Female voices at the entrance of her tent told her that her clients had arrived.
“This is silly, Eos.”
“Come on, Ria, it’ll be fun.”
Relda summoned a smile. “Ladies, welcome.” She nodded at Deputy Westin standing like a protective statue outside the tent. He’d been there all day. He gave a tiny nod before once again staring straight ahead.
She focused on the women. She recognized the beautiful brunette and tall, athletic blonde instantly. Most people in the market knew of the Phoenix brothers. The treasure hunters often purchased their supplies in the market.
Many a Soukan lady had been disappointed when the most infamous of the brothers, Dathan, had married the lovely Vedianastro-archeologist, Eos Rai. She stood smiling at Relda, her dark hair braided over her shoulder and her floral mehndi designs visible on her crossed hands. Her aura was many shades of pink—happiness, warmth, and love.
The other woman would be the former assassin, Ria Dante—now Phoenix—who’d married the youngest Phoenix brother, Zayn. Her face had been splashed across the news after a scandal in the Assassin’s Guild. Her aura was a deep indigo with edges of pink—relaxed and in love.
Relda got them settled with tea. “So, you’d like to know your futures?”
“Not me.” Ria took a sip of her drink. “I think knowing what’s coming, if that were even possible—” she shot Relda a skeptical look “—is not helpful in any way. No offense.”
Relda detected no ill will in the woman’s vibrant, healthy energies. “No offense taken.” Relda tilted her head. “Why do you think it isn’t helpful?”
“A few years ago, if you’d told me my future, you’d have told me I was going to die.” Ria held her hands out. “Yet, here I am.”
Relda had read about the terrible things that had happened to the woman in the Devil’s Nebula. “Point taken.” Relda looked at Eos. “But you’d like to know your future?”
Eos shrugged. “Sure, why not? I mean, I love my life and I have no doubt my future is going to be filled with wonderful things.” Her gaze turned slightly dreamy, a smile on her lips.
Relda didn’t need her abilities to know the woman was thinking of her husband. A sharp pang hit her belly. She’d never feel that way about anyone. Couldn’t let anyone close enough to let it happen.
The astro-archeologist smiled. “I find the history of fortune-telling and divination so interesting.” She lifted her teacup. “Did you know there are ancient Terran records that talk abouttelling one’s futures from reading tea leaves? It was called tasseomancy.”
Ria rolled her eyes. “Ignore her. She gets like this all the time. Can spout more old Earth facts than a biocomputer.”
Color swept Eos’s cheeks. “Sorry.”
Relda smiled and studied the minute color changes in the woman’s aura. She was intelligent, and loved her work almost as much as she loved her husband. Relda let her gift crack open, and a trickle of power flowed through her. It was a hot and cold sensation, and she felt her mind expand.
“You’ll have many more adventures in your life. You’ll fight with your man, make up, butt heads, and laugh together.” Everything a proper partnership should be. “You trust and love the man who is yours, and he will never betray that.”
Eos’ dark eyes watched Relda intently. “I know that.”
