Page 111 of Nemesis

“That makes sense.” I shake my head and toss my card.

He smirks and takes it from the discard pile. For a second, I think he might win and end the game. Ihatelosing. But he just takes his time, then the shot, and considers me.

“Burning building, and Kade and Tem are both trapped inside. Who are you rescuing?”

I stare at him.

Back to the hard questions, then. If I say Kade, he might kick my ass on principal.

If I say Artemis… That’s a whole new can of worms that I’m not ready to talk about with him.

“I can’t answer,” I mumble.

He shakes his head and plucks a card from his hand. He places it down gently, although everything else about him is tense.

When he removes his hand, I groan. The card is facedown.

I lose.

“Now you’re definitely answering,” Saint says with a hard smile.

“Kade and I have a…” My attention goes to the window. We’re so high up, the only things at our eye level are other buildings in the financial district. And beyond, North Falls justover the hill, the main street in that neighborhood creating a faint, distant glow. “An interesting relationship.”

“So he’s who you’d pick?”

“I’m not saying that.” I meet his gaze. “I’m saying I just don’t fucking know. It’s complicated.”

“This isn’t a Facebook relationship status question,” Saint snaps.

I laugh. “Okay, asshole. Artemis or Apollo?”

I down the shot waiting for me.

Saint glowers at me. “Artemis. Apollo would simply murder me if I didn’t save his baby sister.”

“They’re twins,” I point out.

“But he’s a few minutes older.” Saint shrugs. “I’d save Artemis.”

“Great. You save her, I’ll save Kade, and then we’d be square.”

He mutters something I don’t catch.

I gather the cards and shuffle, then deal again. He pours more liquid into my glass.

We haven’t taken that many shots, and yet the pull of alcohol is strong. I haven’t eaten enough today—or, fuck, the last two months—to be drinking this heavily.

I get up and grab the leftover pizza from the fridge, dropping it to the table next to us, and my thoughts inevitably turn to Artemis.

She went to Bow & Arrow after I kissed her.

You were afraid of him, and now you kiss him?

I guess I can’t blame Saint’s cutting question. I was the cause of her panic attacks. I broke in here and scared her, but it wasn’tme, it was our past.

The way we met, and… interacted.

I touch the side of my nose. You’d never know she broke it when she was fifteen, because I was whisked to an elite privatedoctor who set it and assured my parents the break would heal straight.

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