Page 71 of Vengeful Guard

“I’m not tired.” I cross my arms over my chest, and he looks at me for a long moment.

“What’s this about?” he asks, his tone almost suspicious.

“It’s not about anything.”

“You can’t stand me. Or better yet, you tolerate me because of our training. Or did you forget not that long ago, you did everything you could to convince your brothers not to make me your bodyguard? And now you come up with ways to spend time with me? Watching movies? Playing cards?”

“Maybe you’re not so bad,” I mumble. “Plus, you’re the only available poker partner.”

“Fair enough. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to play with you."

“Why not? Is it because you can’t play? Because I can teach you.” I touch my chin, wanting to go for the jugular. “I know. You’re afraid you're going to lose, aren’t you?”

He laughs. “Yeah, right.”

“I have a hell of a poker face.”

“No way.”

“Scared to find out?” I step closer to him, and he looks up at me with half-lidded blue eyes.

“All right, princess. I’ll play with you. Just a few hands.”

His voice is low and raspy, and his words suddenly sound dirty somehow.

I bite my lip and go to grab the deck of cards, bringing it back and dealing us each five cards.

I have three of a kind, which is great, but I try to keep my face neutral.

Kael looks completely blank, in fact so blank that he almost looks uncanny.

I study him to try and figure out what to bet, but in the end, I just go all in. Surely, he can’t have better than me.

Kael grins and lays his cards down. A straight flush.

“What the fuck? On the first hand?”

“I told you that you didn’t want to play poker with me.”

“That’s not even skill, that’s just a lucky hand!”

“Don’t be a sore loser, princess.” He grins.

“Why not? You’re a sore winner.”

I am actually pretty competitive, and him winning the first hand doesn’t bode well.

“Deal again,”

Kael raises an eyebrow. “Yes, ma’am.”

I pick up my cards and have to fight a smile. Two queens and a pair of threes. Two pair isn’t the world’s best hand, but it’s certainly a start.

I discard and draw one card, hoping for a full house.... Yes! I draw another three.

I look coolly at Kael, but his face is completely unreadable, perfectly blank. Even his eyes seem dull.

He has the best poker face I’ve ever seen.

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