Page 30 of A Promise of Peridot
“She is intense,” I said. “But she protects her kingdom and her people with that intensity. She’s twice the ruler her father is.”
Kane raised his brows at me, and I offered him a small shrug. It was true.
“More importantly, she’s a famous beauty,” Crawford said to Fedrik. “You’d be lucky to own such a woman. I’d bed her every morning and night.”
“He wouldn’t own her,” Mari said, and I remembered that she didn’t know how dangerous Crawford was. “They’d be wed to each other, as equals.”
Crawford regarded Mari with curiosity, as if just seeing her for the first time. “Did the commander call youwitchearlier because of your grating voice or can you truly do magic?”
“She’s an exceptional witch,” Ryder chimed in. “More power in this one than I’ve ever seen.”
Mari’s eyes filled with warmth before she caught herself and looked down at her cards.
“What would you know of it, thief?” Griffin leveled his gaze at my brother. I couldn’t tell if he had bristled against their flirting or wished to hide Mari’s abilities from Crawford or both. The bizarredynamics of this game were starting to hurt my head. I had another sip of my foul drink.
“When will you let that go?” Ryder huffed. “It was one time.”
“He stole from you?” Crawford asked Griffin, interest piqued.
“He stole fromme,” Kane amended, before giving Ryder a bland smile. Ryder fidgeted in his chair.
Crawford glowered, unamused. “I’ve stripped men of their skin for less.”
Tension dripped off the walls of the game room like the condensation on Crawford’s mug. Only the sounds of coins being stacked and cards being dealt echoed in my ears.
“You’re getting pretty decent at this, Arwen.” I appreciated Fedrik deftly changing the subject, and with that same relaxed ease. “Do you gamble often?”
“No.” Kane drained his drink. “She’s not a degenerate like you, Prince.”
Fedrik ignored him. “What do you think of Azurine?”
I took in a breath to answer but Kane cut me off again. “Not much.”
“Does he always speak for you?” Fedrik asked lightly.
“No,” Kane and I said in unison. I glared at him, trying to slice his tongue off with my mind.
“Your city is breathtaking,” I managed. “I’ve never been anywhere like this.”
“Well, I’ll have to show you around sometime—”
“We leave tomorrow,” Kane interrupted.
I spun to him. “We do?”
“Yes.” His mouth cut a tight grin. “Bit too hot for my liking.”
“Well, I’m staying.”
“You are myhealer.You will do as I say.”
My blood boiled.
“Raise.” Crawford threw fifty more coin onto the table.
I looked down at my cards. Two hearts. And two already on the table. All I needed was one more to make a flush. “Re-raise.” I pushed in all the rest of the coin I had won.
“I’ll raise both of you,” said Rhett, adding at least a hundred more.
