Lucern grimaced. "Or in my past."
He had spoken in his usual surly tone, but there was a teasing glint in his eyes Kate found she was beginning to recognize. Jodi apparently recognized it, too, because she laughed. Still, Kate wondered. Lucern had a long past. Six hundred years. That was a lot of time. She found herself wondering about all the years he'd lived. Had he ever loved someone? Been married? Had children? He was single now—at least he seemed to be. Dear God, she wasn't even sure about that. He might have a wife. He might have kids. He might…
"So, how have you managed to avoid marriage so long, Lucern? Or are you married?" Jodi asked, as if she'd been reading Kate's thoughts. The woman had always had a way of doing that, which made Kate a tad nervous. Perhaps the writer had a touch of psychic ability. Heck, she might even be a mind reader, and know that Lucern was opening Kate's mind to all sorts of possibilities she would have laughed at before. Kate decided she would guard her thoughts around the woman from now on… just to be sure.
"And how old are you, anyway?" the author continued. "Thirty-five or so?" .
Kate watched Lucern's mouth quirk in a rare crooked smile.
"Or so," he answered. "And no, I've never been married."
"Why not?" Jodi apparently had no problem in being nosy. Much to Kate's amazement, Lucern seemed more amused by the question than annoyed. It seemed Chris was right. Luc was loosening up.
"Who would have me?" he asked lightly. There was a wicked glint in his eye.
Jodi glanced at Kate then, and Kate felt herself flush. Had the woman picked up on her attraction to Lucern? Dear God, she really had to be more careful.
"Here we are," she announced with determined cheer. Ahead was the sign to the room with the psychic and astrological readings.
A number of small tables were distributed around the room. Each table was assigned to a psychic or astrologer, their signs and paraphernalia set up around them. There was only one chair at each table besides that of the reader. One client at a time, thank you. There were also tables where one could buy crystals and such. It was rather like a psychic fair.
"I'm going to have my astrological chart done," Jodi announced. "Then I'm going to have an astrology reading, too. And a psychic one." The writer's green eyes were shining. She was obviously excited.
Kate had never been to a psychic in her life, and she didn't have a clue where to start. One glance at Lucern showed him looking bored, so Kate nodded at Jodi and smiled. "Lead on, MacDuff."
"You're a very young soul, light and bursting with love and enthusiasm to experience all the world has to offer."
Lucern remained silent as the supposed psychic batted her eyelashes at him, but Kate snorted with derision behind him. The psychic stopped fluttering over his hand long enough to glare at her, then went on, "You have lived many, many lives."
Kate snorted again. "When has he had time?"
"I beg your pardon?" The psychic sneered up at her.
"I thought he was a young soul," Kate pointed out. "How can he be a young soul who has lived many lives?" She touched Lucern's arm. "Come on. This is a waste of money."
Lucern was on his feet at once, ushering her and Jodi away under the psychic's baleful gaze. He was steering them toward the exit when Jodi stopped, forcing Kate and Luc to stop as well.
"No, wait. I want a reading from her." The author pointed toward a table where a white-haired lady sat alone, without a line like at the other tables. Kate supposed it was the lack of a flashy display that had made her less popular. The rest of the psychics wore bright clothes and had dramatic signs and flashy tablecloths; this woman hadn't bothered with a tablecloth, and wore a beige outfit guaranteed to fade in a crowd, and a plain sign.
"Her?" Kate asked doubtfully. The woman didn't look very successful, if she did look serene.
"Real talent doesn't bother with flash," Jodi said. They all walked over.
Kate and Lucern watched solemnly as the woman took Jodi's hand. She said Jodi was a writer—which Kate didn't think was hard to work out, since this was a writing conference. It was a fifty-fifty chance that Jodi was either a writer or a reader. The woman next said she was quite successful at it, which wasn't that big of a revelation either. She might have recognized Jodi's picture from the back of her books.