Page 62 of Amber Gambler

“Yourtree?” Moore spluttered then snarled at me. “How many people have you told?”

Crimson infused her cheeks, and fresh threats poised on the tip of her tongue.

“None.” I bottled up my amusement. “How many haveyoutold?”

Her flush brightened to the shine of a ripe tomato fresh from Josie’s garden.

“That’s classified.” She puffed up even more. “I warned you what would happen if?—”

The words cut out as Kierce lifted her off the ground by his grip on her throat. She clawed at him, her eyes bulging, her feet kicking. Tears sprang to her eyes that didn’t move him. Not one bit.

The eruption of violence, so unexpected from him, stunned me.

“Threaten her again,” he dared her, warning rumbling through his chest.

“Kierce.” I found my voice and placed a hand on his arm. “Let her go.” I pressed down, and he let me. I guided him until her toes brushed gravel. “She’s only doing her job.”

“The tree ismine.” He turned her loose then angled his head sideways toward me. “I created it for you.”

For me? The tree was a gift? Forme?

Now I felt terrible about revealing it to Moore and earning a paper trail for my troubles.

“Y-y-you created it?” Moore melted into a puddle before him. “Y-y-you’re a…?”

For someone who studied divine flora, she didn’t act like she had ever met a god.

Or someone god-adjacent.

“I am the personal assistant to a death god who does not suffer fools.”

Personal assistant.Her lips moved over the words. Then the last part registered, and her jaw went slack.

“Perhaps it’s for the best if you come for your inspection later.” I offered her a hand up, and she clung to my fingers like they were individual lifelines, convinced one of them would save her. “Maybe call ahead next time.”

Bobbing her head, she backed away until her spine hit the van’s panel, and her colleagues yanked her in.

“That was atadover the top,” I remarked as they peeled out of the lot.

“She threatened you.” He watched her go, his fingers crackling with energy. “I didn’t like it.”

Sharp and shattered pieces moved around the chessboard of my heart. I didn’t need him to defend me. I would be lying if I said I didn’t like it, though. Kierce was so calm, so uncertain. It was nice to watch as he unraveled, proving the tight stitches holding him together had room for give if I kept tugging on them. I wasn’t sure what I would find or if I could handle him undone. But I was starting to think I wanted to try.

“There you go with the jealousy again.” I rested my head on his shoulder. “So, tell me about my tree.”

Turning his face into my hair, he breathed deep, and his posture relaxed a smidge. To know I centered him wasn’t a power I was sure I ought to have. I also wasn’t certain I would choose to give it up either.

“I couldn’t come to you, so I sent this instead.”

We stared at the tree together, but I was too curious to savor the moment. “The fire was a nice touch.”

“I’m glad you think so.” His shoulders shook with laughter. “Did your friend tell you what it does?”

“She was waiting for it to bear fruit.”

“That was smart of her.” He took my hand. “She was wise to ward it.”

“The lightning strike was you.” I could accept that part. “Why the cold fire, though?”

---