Page 41 of Summoned
Yeah, right. Not happening. I press my lips together, weighing my next move. Well, it’s not like he’s going to go blabbing my secrets to the tabloids…
“Fine.” I sigh. “Daria was my best friend in elementary school. We did everything together, dressed the same, had matching hairstyles, and pretended we were twinsseparated at birth. She even went along with my ridiculous plan to summon the Black Joker…” I shoot him a pointed glare, which makes him laugh. “But then, in high school, everything changed…”
He tilts his head toward me, his tone laced with sarcasm. “Let me guess, you fought over a boy?”
“Our friendship wasn’t something a boy could undo,” I grit out. “I just stopped pretending the world was the fairytale she so desperately wanted it to be. Some people live in dreams, but I…”
I pause, my fingers curling into a fist. “I never had the luxury of being that naïve. At some point, I decided I didn’t need that distraction in my life. I ceased reaching out to Daria. Ignored her calls. Broke the promise we’d made as kids—that we’d always be there for each other.”
A strange, unexpected wave of guilt rises in me. I can’t take the weight of Gaetano’s attention, so I glance away.
“So I can torture her with memories of you?” His dark voice drifts to me.
My head snaps up. “Is that why you suggested we play this game?”
“I offered so you could earn your privacy. You’re the one who brought up the harvest coming up on my list.”
“Harvest.” My jaw clenches. “That’s all we are to you, right? Souls to be harvested?”
His black gaze locks onto mine without a trace of emotion. “Is that your next question for me?”
I fight the fireball swelling in my chest.
“No.” I lean back in my chair and exhale sharply. “What’s the answer to the riddlefrom my first trial?”
I’m so focused on the faint smile tugging at Gaetano’s lips that the sudden jab into my skin takes me unaware. “What the hell—?” I gasp, dropping the card to the carpet.
Thorns.Thorns had sprouted from the card. That’s where the pricking sensation had come from.
“I thought some boundaries didn’t need spelling out,” Gaetano says.
I glare at him, my pulse thudding in my ears.
“Oh, come on, Baroness,” he drawls. “Don’t sulk over a few restrictions. There are countless questions you could ask. Like…the most depraved thing I’ve ever done. My favorite pose…”
I ignore the heat stirred by his last words.Get it together, Nicole.I’m not going to lose this game.
To me, this has become a microcosm of the greater game between us. Gaetano holds all the advantages, at least on the surface, but I’ll find a way to win.
I smooth my hair down with my palm. “What was your greatest betrayal?”
He rests his bound hands over his stomach, taking his time. For a second, I think he’s about to do something to manipulate the game—even though the enchanted chains should prevent him. “My greatest betrayal was against the woman for whom I collect souls. We were close, and I acted behind her back.”
“Close? As in lovers?” I ask.
A shadow falls over his features. “Yes. As in lovers.”
I lean forward again, excitement and tension swirling inside me. I might be close to uncovering how to break free from our contract. “What do you mean, you collect souls for her?”
“I already allowed you an extra question.” Chains clink as he draws the next card: the same mirror with the question mark. “What did you feel when your father was mean to you? What brought on the tears?”
I’m disappointed my turn ended so fast, but I expectedthis question, so I don’t hesitate. “Anger. I was furious. Completely enraged.”
“I thought it was fear,” Gaetano says.
The suggestion straightens my spine. “Fear? No. It was rage at having to endure that kind of treatment.”
He presses his lips together, unimpressed. “Then why not leave your home?”
