Page 56 of Death Game: Supernatural Battle

That I didn’t deserve.

I curled my legs under me, glad I wore ankle boots today. The days were getting chillier now. A woollen blanket rested beside me, and although heat poured off the fire, I draped the throw over my legs. Blood loss would do that to a gal.

Kyros didn’t push the issue as he dished the food onto plates and poured the wine.

My hands were shaking when I took the glass from him.

His green eyes settled on me.

I turned my face away, sipping on the white wine. Crisp fruitiness exploded on my tongue. I hummed in approval. “Yum.”

That satisfied him enough to sit on the seat beside me. I eyed the seat springs, wondering if this thing could hold him.

“What do you want?” he asked, picking up a plate.

Peeking at him, I set my glass down on the small table and reached for the plate. “I’ll get it.”

He grabbed my hand.

Blinking, I glanced across at him. “What?”

We locked gazes.

Sighing, he let me go and passed over the plate.

Frowning, I loaded it with papaya salad and grabbed a fork.

He poured Tom Kha Gai into one of the two small bowls and I breathed in the rich coconut scent of the soup.

I was ruining the dinner he’d organised because I couldn’t get a handle on my guilt. Swallowing my bite of the spicy and sweet salad, I asked, “How was your day?”

“Hectic,” he answered.

Every Sundulus roll was hectic these days. Their clan was working overtime, all of them believing the deaths of their royal family was a near certainty. “Is everything going downhill then?”

He knew I was speaking about the bluff.

“If you don’t mind, Basilia, I’d like to leave work for later.”

My brows shot up. Kyros didn’t want to talk aboutIngenium? I didn’t know the concept existed. Not that he couldn’t talk about other things, but he enjoyed the game—even if he hated the potential outcome. He loved the challenge of conquering and understanding the complexities of economy.

I took another bite.

We ate in silence, and I set my plate down after, staring at the dancing flames.

This area was beautiful, and imagining endless nights like this, just me and Kyros, was a hell all of its own.

“So young and so serious,” he murmured, stroking the top of my cheekbone.

He’d set down his bowl.

I frowned at the boxes of food. “You haven’t eaten enough.”

“Neither have you, my beauty. You never eat enough.”

“I’m not an oversized vampire. I’ve seen what you can put away.”

Kyros smiled. “How about a deal then?”

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