Page 22 of To Sway a Demon Heart

“Yes,” I said, pushing up to kiss him and letting him take me over the edge again and again.

Tyrwasreluctanttoleave the bed, convincing me more than once to lie back down in a number of creative and pleasurable ways.

Eventually, I insisted I bathe, lest I smell of nothing but sex and sweat at the final trial.

“I don’t really see how that’s a problem,” Tyr grinned, his head resting on one bent arm as he surveyed me from the bed, still completely naked. His scars were both tragic and beautiful, and fully on display like this, he was like a fallen god brought to earth to tempt me.

I couldn’t resist kissing him once more, and he scooped me up in his arms so that we could bathe together.

It was after this, while we lazed away the late afternoon awaiting the final trial, that I sat shuffling my tarot cards on the little settee. Tyr was reclined with his head in my lap, his damp hair leaving a wet patch on my leg that I didn’t care about in the slightest. A fire in the hearth made the dark and dreary room feel almost cheerful.

“How do they work?” Tyr asked, reaching up to tap the deck as I shuffled.

“I can show you if you like,” I offered, smiling down between the curtain of golden hair I had left down to dry from the bath.

“Hmm,” Tyr said, smirking up at me with mischief in his expression. “I could think of other things I’d like you to show me instead.”

“No more of that,” I hissed, batting away his hands which were attempting to snake their way under my robe. “You can have meafterthe final trial.”

“Cruel female,” Tyr pouted, putting on a show of great patience as he forced himself to sit up. “Fine then, show me this magic.”

“It’s less magic and more interpretation,” I said, ignoring his teasing as I became engrossed in the craft. “Divination is not an exact science. One needs to feel out the meaning of the cards to have any idea what they foretell, and it’s often hard to know what they mean until after what they foretell has already come to pass.”

“You’re very sexy when you lecture, you know,” Tyr mused, brushing my hair away from my shoulder. I gave him an exasperated look, and he lifted his hands in surrender with a laugh. “Alright, no touching. Tell me my future, then.”

“I think you rather know your future,” I said, trying to summon a coy smile and blushing at my own daring.

Tyr looked utterly delighted. “Brigid, my innocent dove, did you just make a suggestive innuendo?”

“Hush,” I said, flicking his hand away where it had strayed again to my hair. “Now concentrate. You must select one card from each of three deals. The first represents your past, the second your present, and the third your future. If you don’t focus, you’ll choose incorrectly.”

“I’m very focused,” Tyr said, looking at me in a way that told me he was the opposite of focused. “Deal my hand.”

I rolled my eyes and placed six cards face down on the table before us, gesturing that Tyr should choose. He gave me a quizzical sort of smile, then tapped one of the cards.

“The past,” I intoned, collecting the cards and setting his chosen card to the side. I shuffled again, laying out six cards. He tapped another. “The present,” I said, trying to stay completely serious as Tyr smirked at me and chose his final card. “The future.”

I put the remaining cards away and laid the three chosen cards out before us, inexplicably nervous about what they might show.

I bit my lip, and Tyr’s hand came to rest gently on mine. “We don’t have to look.” I looked up at him, and his eyes were soft again in that way I realized was reserved only for me. “Regardless of what the cards say, I know my future.”

I smiled, feeling the warm buzz of the Pull settle my anxiety. I flipped over the first card.

“Ten of cups in reverse,” I said, frowning at the first card and the image of ten cups stacked in an upside-down pyramid. “Upright, this means happiness and fulfillment, but reversed it symbolizes broken dreams. Disharmony.” I looked up at him, worried that we should stop.

“That’s my past,” Tyr pointed out, tapping the card lightly. “Let’s see the present.”

“Seven of swords,” I said, feeling my gut sink with panic over the meaning of the seven crossed weapons on the card. “Someone is deceiving you. Lying to you to get what they want.”

“We also knew that,” Tyr pointed out, catching my hand and pressing a comforting kiss to the palm. “And we will deal with it shortly. What’s the future?”

I bit my lip, hovering over the card before finally forcing myself to flip it and examine the image. My heart soared in relief at what I saw, and Tyr clearly didn’t need much of an explanation to understand its meaning.

“I believe this may be my favorite card,” he teased, picking up the image of two bodies intertwined. “The lovers.”

“The meaning could be symbolic,” I teased, pretending to squirm away as Tyr closed the distance between us and caught my waist in a firm grip. “Not literal.”

“Oh, it’s literal,” Tyr purred, catching me in a kiss that I didn’t try very hard to resist. “And if it’s not, then I intend to change the future tonight.”