A Kingdom of Blood and Betrayal (Stars and Shadows #2)(45)

Thalia shot a look in my direction before her gaze slid to Evren. Did she know? Was she more than aware of how foolish I was when it came to her prince?

Evren barely paid me a bit of attention for the rest of the game, his focus solely on winning, and mine was on my anxiety as I watched Sorin flip his coin in the air. The score was nine to eight, and I had been the only one to miss my shot the entire game.

“It was fun playing with you ladies.” Sorin laughed before catching his coin back in his hand. “But you all should practice before going up against us again.”

“Just go.” Thalia crossed her arms, and Sorin chuckled before launching the coin toward the mug. It bounced once, twice, a third time before making its way toward the mug. My magic flared inside of me as if it knew the deal I had just made. The foolish, reckless deal.

I stared at the mug and the only thing that could run through my mind was please don't make it.

The coin hit the lip of the mug before slowly rolling across the edge, and I felt like everyone in the entire pub was silent as we watched it. It rolled and rolled until it paused, standing on the edge with perfect balance, before slowly falling over and landing on the table.

Silence rang out through the pub before Sorin destroyed it.

“That's shit!” He looked between the three of us. “Which one of you used your magic to make sure I didn't make it?”

Thalia laughed. “You can't just admit that sometimes you aren’t very good at things?”

Sorin's gaze swung in my direction, and I held up my hands. “You saw me training with Thalia. I do not have that kind of control of my magic.”

I felt a hand caress down my spine, my mark sparking to life, and I turned in Evren's direction. But he wasn't touching me, it was his magic.

“We haven't lost yet.” Evren ran his hand over his jaw. “Let Adara have her turn.”

His gaze slid toward mine, and I could see it hiding there. The lie he had just told. It was his magic that stopped that coin. It was his magic that took away their win and refused to take away my choice.

I watched him as he smiled at me softly, and he was so unlike his brother in that moment. His brother who would take anything from me that he had deemed his own.

But Evren didn't want that.

Evren wanted me to choose him because I wanted to. Of course, I was a part of the plan to save his kingdom, but this was more than that.

I guess we had been since the moment we met.

I lined myself back up with shaking hands as I grasped the coin. I had no idea what I was doing. No idea what I wanted, but I still lifted the coin and threw it toward the mug.

It hit the table and bounced four times before making its way toward the mug. I held my breath as I watched it land on the other coins that the mug held.

“We’re tied.” Evren smiled and rolled his coin through his fingers. “Which means this is for the winning point.”

“It is.” I pressed my hands against the table and leaned back against it. “If you make it, you win. If you don’t, then our fate will be in Thalia’s hands.”

“It seems that’s the way our fate always goes, isn’t it? Left in the hands of others.” He ran his hand over his jaw as he stared down at my mouth.

“I hate that. Don’t you?” I cocked my head and studied him.

“Despise it.”

“Yet we do nothing to change it.” I crossed my arms, and Evren’s gaze fell to my breasts.

“Haven’t we?” He leaned forward and pressed a hand to the table on either side of me. He leaned forward, his mouth close to mine. “You are here with me instead of with my brother which fate promised you.”

“I was never meant for your brother,” I answered, and Evren’s breath rushed out of him. “A promise between mothers is not fate.”

“No.” He shook his head. “It’s not.”

Evren stared at me for a few long moments, and his gaze fluttering over my face until it lingered on my lips. For a moment, I thought that he would push forward and kiss me. Right here in front of all these people, but he seemed to catch himself at the last moment before he pulled away and stood to his full height.

He held the coin between his fingers, and he stared down at it before looking toward the mug. He hadn’t missed a single shot all night, and I knew that he wouldn't miss this one. His coin would land in that glass mug, and my fate would be sealed even more so than it already was. My fate would laugh at me for making such a foolish deal, a deal I couldn't back out of.

Evren lifted his arm, ready to throw, and I still hadn’t moved from my spot at the table. I watched him as he looked over at me, and there was so much hesitation in his eyes. So much doubt. And he didn't take his eyes off me as he flung the coin from his hand, not once looking to the table. I didn't turn around to look, I didn't need to. I just stared ahead at my mate and my soon-to-be husband.

“Oh my gods!” Thalia’s voice rang out, and I pulled my gaze away from Evren to look behind me. To look at his coin that had missed the mug and laid on the other side of it.

I swung my gaze back to meet his. “You missed.” I wasn't sure if it was a question or an accusation, either way, a small grin graced his lips.

“Even princes make mistakes.” He shrugged simply. “I didn’t have it in me to take away your fate. So, let's leave it up to someone else.”