Page 76 of Unveiled

I pad toward him with my slippered feet and slide into a chair directly across from him.

"I didn’t know your house was the home to ghosts."

"There are lots of things you don’t know about this house. Or ghosts," he says with a hint of a smirk.

I smile to myself and watch him.

"So, who’s winning? You or the ghost?"

His eyes dim, and the hint of a smirk leaves his face.

"The ghost," he says in a little whisper. "Always the ghost."

Semyon leans forward, his fingertips pressed together as he studies the chessboard. “The key is to think several moves ahead. Control the center, predict your opponent’s responses,” he says, his voice calm but focused.

Is he talking about chess?

I bite my lip, watching the pieces shift in his mind as he contemplates his next move. “Sounds like you’re always playing a game,” I say softly, tracing a finger along the edge of the board. “Even when it’s not chess.”

He gives me a faint smile. “Maybe life isn’t so different.”

I pretend to notice a speck of dust near the corner of the board and flick it away, casually nudging a piece. “Maybe you’re overthinking it,” I tease. “Sometimes the next move is simpler than you expect.”

His eyes dart to where my finger lingers near the knight, realization sparking in them. He shifts his position, his gaze snapping back to mine, bright with excitement. “Brilliant. You’re full of surprises,” he murmurs.

“Sometimes.” My cheeks warm under his steady gaze.

"Do you still play, Anya?"

"Not often. But yeah, I’ve been playing ever since you gifted me with a chessboard. I just never had the time or enough people interested in playing with me."

His eyes meet mine across the board. Wordlessly, he makes a move.

"Checkmate," I say softly.

I’m leaning closer to him. His eyes are on me. I want him to touch me. To kiss me. But this moment feels sacred, and I don’t know if I want to shatter it with the combustive energy that happens when we touch.

"I want to play with you," he says in a voice tinged with so much heat that I don’t know if he means my body or the chessboard.

"Is strip chess a thing?"

He laughs out loud. I jump, startled because I don’t know when the last time I heard him laugh out loud was. His whole face lights up—an absolute transformation—as his eyes dance, his mouth curves up, and he grins at me.

"Strip chess? It’s a thingnow."

And that’s it.

The last trace of ice around my heart melts.

I made him laugh.

Maybe he isn’t cold—the Ice King everyone speaks of. Maybe he’s just broken.

Like me.

"You look troubled, Anya."

He looks down at the board as if trying to process my emotions.

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