Page 1 of Dark Witch: Entangled Fates

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JASMINE

Jasmine pushed the pile of Fritos away from the edge of the table. "It's a shame that you ladies cannot stay longer and win back some of your losses." She collected her playing cards, reshuffled them a few times, and then returned them to their cardboard box.

As Lina translated what Jasmine had said into Russian, her two other poker buddies regarded her with mock animosity. Grabbing a handful of the winnings, Jasmine stuffed the chips into her mouth while mock-glaring back at the two and crunching loudly.

Lina was the only one of the three who was semi-fluent in English, but Jasmine had a feeling that the other two understood more than they were letting on.

Panya snorted and released a string of words in Russian that made the other two laugh.

"What did she say?" Jasmine asked Lina.

The girl's cheeks reddened, which happened often because her skin was so pale that it appeared almost translucent. "Panya said that if you keep eating your winnings, you are going to get thunder thighs, and it will serve you right for cheating."

Jasmine frowned. "I'm not cheating. I'm just good."

The two older women snorted derisively, and then Panya released another rapid-fire string of Russian words.

Lina translated, "She says that mind reading is cheating even if you are not doing it on purpose."

Panya must have gotten the idea that Jasmine could read minds from Amanda's visit to the lounge the other day.

Rumors about Jaz's uncanny streak of poker winnings had reached the neuroscientist who specialized in paranormal abilities. She had gotten curious and had come down to the staff lounge to test Jaz for telepathy and precognition.

The results had been unimpressive, and when Amanda had insisted on bringing others to test her further, the results remained underwhelming.

So, Jasmine might have fudged them just a little to avoid suspicion, but not by much. She really wasn't a telepath or a seer.

She was something else. She was a conduit for the divine spirit of the goddess.

Right.

It sounded good, but was it true?

Probably not.

Jasmine was just exceptionally good at reading people without having to peek into their minds.

"I'm not a mind reader. I'm a body language reader, and as much as the three of you try not to project what you are thinking, you still do."

After Lina translated into Russian, Panya retorted again, but this time her tone sounded more good-natured than derisive.

Lina translated. "She doesn't mind losing because it doesn't cost her anything. Even the potato chips are free. She says that playing with you teaches her how to guard her expressions and body language so that when she gets back home, she will win real money playing with her friends."

"I only play for fun." Jasmine cast Panya a mock glare. "Tell her to have mercy on her friends and not play for money. It will only bring her bad luck."

Under the table, Jasmine curled her thumb between her index and middle fingers, forming the malocchio sign to shield against negative energies and ill intentions.

Playing poker professionally could have made her rich, but after all the lectures she'd heard from her father about how it could get her in trouble with bad people or even killed, she only played for fun, or in this case, for Fritos and information.

Not that the Russians were particularly forthcoming. The bits and pieces she had collected so far were pitiful compared to what she could usually gather with nothing more than a few charming smiles and several carefully spaced questions.

As much as she was grateful to these people for rescuing her from the cartel and giving her a ride back home, she was dying of curiosity about them, and all the secrecy they insisted on was just ridiculous.

She was stuck in the crew quarters, not allowed to go to the upper decks, and no one was willing to tell her anything.

Panya waved a dismissive hand as she rose to her feet with Lina and Anya following her. "Nevezeniye—eto yerunda," she said before heading toward the door.

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