A Game of Fate (Hades Saga #1)(9)

“It’s brave to sit down at a table without knowing the game,” he said.

He thought that she might have sensed the warning in his tone, because she arched a brow at him and asked, “How else would I learn?”

“Hmm.”

She was right, though Hades would not advise running before learning to walk, especially when it came to bargains with him. Still, her response illustrated her cunning and willingness to try new things, and he found that insanely attractive.

“Clever.”

Now that he was close to her, he could not stop staring. He wanted to know why she smelled like wildflowers. What was her connection to Demeter? It felt intrusive and wrong to strip away the barriers that barred her soul from his eyes, but he would be lying if he said he did not want to know who she was beneath that perfect exterior.

She quivered, her lithe shoulders shaking. Was she cold or uncomfortable?

“I have never seen you before,” he finally said, hoping that explained his stare.

“Well, I have never been here before,” she replied, and then narrowed her eyes. “You must come here often.”

He smirked at the tone of her voice, tinged with suspicion.

“I do.”

“Why?” She sounded curious rather than disgusted, then blushed and tried to recover by adding, “I mean—you don’t have to answer that.”

“I will answer it.” He met her gaze, challenging. “If you will answer a question for me.”

Say yes, he silently begged, though he would never compel her. Say yes so I can learn all of you.

A small furrow appeared between her brows as she considered his proposal. An answer to a question is a small price to pay if she lost, Hades wanted to say. Others put their soul on the line. But he remained quiet.

“Fine,” she conceded.

It was a challenge not to smile.

He answered her earlier question, “I come because it is…fun.”

It was not a complete lie, and it sounded like something a mortal would say, and for this moment in time, that is what he intended to be—fragile and human.

“Now you—why are you here tonight?”

“My friend Lexa was on the list,” she explained, looking at her hands as she twined her fingers together in her lap.

“No,” he said. “That is the answer to a different question. Why are you here tonight?”

She met his gaze, a mischievous glint in her eyes, and he found himself desperate to chase it—that flicker of defiance, that hint of passion.

“It seemed rebellious at the time,” she answered finally.

“And now you aren’t so sure?”

“Oh, I am sure it is rebellious,” she said as her fingers trailed the felt table. Hades’ gaze followed them and he thought he would have liked for those fingers to explore his skin. After a moment, he lifted his gaze to hers.

“I’m just not sure how I’ll feel about it tomorrow.”

Now he was curious. “Who are you rebelling against?”

Her smile was like an arrow to his chest—devastating, secretive, enticing. “You said one question.”

“So I did.”

Well played, darling, he thought with a smile.

She shivered again.

“Are you cold?”

“What?” She seemed surprised by his question.

“You’ve been shivering since you sat down.”

She flushed, fidgeted under his gaze again, and then blurted, “Who was that woman with you earlier?”

He frowned but then remembered. “Oh, Minthe. She’s always putting her hands where they don’t belong.”

She paled, and he realized he had said something wrong.

“I…think I should go.”

No.

They had not spoken long enough. He did not know her name, and he wanted to teach her—he wanted to teach her so many things. Before he knew what he was doing, his hand was on hers and something volatile sparked between them, eliciting a gasp from her perfect lips. She pulled away quickly.

“No,” he said, but it came out as a command, and she glared at him.

“Excuse me?”

“What I mean to say is, I haven’t taught you how to play yet.” He lowered his voice, forcing away the hysteria that had caused him to reach for her. “Allow me.”

Please.

She glanced away from him, and he thought she might bolt. Trust me, he wanted to beg, though he knew that was a ridiculous thing to ask. He was the last person she should trust.

Finally, she seemed resolved and relaxed, lowered her lashes as she spoke in the most erotic voice he had ever heard, “Then teach me.”

I will. Everything, he thought.

He shuffled the cards and explained the game. “This is poker. We will play five-card draw, and we’ll start with a bet.”

“But I don’t have anything to bet with,” she said, glancing down at herself.

I would happily take the dress.

“A question answered, then. If I win, you will answer any question I pose, and if you win, I will answer yours.”

She grimaced, but her expression seemed in conflict with her body, because as she spoke, she leaned toward him. The air between them thickened, and Hades found it hard to breathe.

“Deal.”