Page 16 of Legend

Now that startled me. Everyone else was standing and gathering their things, clearly done for the evening. “You want to continue playing?”

“I owe you a match.” He said it very succinctly, but the intensity of his words made my pulse flutter.

I could have argued that we’d been playing all night, and we’d never decided that we had to play a solo game, but there was no way I was going to walk away from a challenge. And the way Vyk held my gaze with his own blazing one, it was a challenge.

“Then let’s play.” I pushed my glass away, as if to let him know that I wasn’t going to be easily distracted.

Ariana leaned down and rested a hand on my shoulder. “Are you okay with us cutting out? I can stay if you want me to—”

“I’m good,” I told her before she could finish. “I don’t think it will take long. One more game, and I’ll be back in our tower.”

She made a sound that sounded doubtful but patted my shoulder. “Remember, it’s just a game.”

I almost laughed at that, as I gathered the discarded cards and started to shuffle them. Vyk’s eyes did not leave me, and his expression did not soften. This was so much more than a game.

The Iron and Blade who’d sat across from me were already gone by the time Kann picked up the empty bottle of Noovian whiskey and looked from Vyk to me. For a moment, I thought he was going to stay and watch, but Vyk slid a stern gaze his way, and the Blade backed up a few steps.

“I wish you both a good night,” he said before hurrying to catch up with Ariana and Volten, who’d left arm in arm.

Neither of us responded as I dealt the cards, put the deck in the middle, and picked up my own cards. I steeled my face so Vyk wouldn’t see my reaction as I realized what bad cards I had. I exchanged three while he traded in the same amount.

So, his cards aren’t great either. Maybe his luck is finally running out.

That made me feel better as I looked at my much-improved hand and slid my remaining credits into the pot. Vyk matched my bet, flicked a glance at his cards, then raised the bet.

I stared at him. “You know I can’t match that.” I looked at the empty table in front of me. “Everything I have is in the pot.”

“Not everything.”

I met his gaze, the heat of it making my breath catch. “You want an IOU?”

His brow wrinkled, and I wondered if his universal translator implant knew what to do with those initials. “You have not played games where players wagered things other than credits?”

So, he didn’t want an IOU.

“I don’t have much here at the academy, unless you’re into vintage romance novels.”

He didn’t crack a smile. “I was thinking of something else.”

I didn’t know what the commander had in mind, or what I could possibly give the Drexian that he would value. All I knew was that my plan to put the security chief in his place was not going according to plan. He was frighteningly good at cards,but there was no way I could back down. Not after everything I’d said. “What do you want?”

“You win, you take everything in the pot.” He locked eyes with me, giving me the sensation of being hunted by something much bigger and stronger. Something that would not stop in his pursuit. “I win, you spend one night with me for every point I take.”

Outrage flooded me instantly, and I glared at him. “What the fuck kind of bet is that?”

“One you don’t have to take.” He leaned back as if this was a normal wager, and he hadn’t just propositioned me.

Me. He hated me. He’d done nothing but treat me with disdain since I’d arrived, and how he was making a bet to get me into his bed? It made no sense. But I didn’t really care, because he wasn’t going to win.

“I accept your bet,” I said, before I could talk myself out of it. I was moments away from having a huge pile of credits and bragging rights, although I don’t think I was going to tell anyone what Vyk had asked me to wager. As if anyone would believe me.

He nodded, his lips twitching at the corners. A tremor of panic teased the base of my spine just before he unfurled his cards and lay them onto the table. Then my stomach dropped.

Fuck me.

Chapter

Eleven

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