Page 24 of Fight or Flight
“Not bad.” His grin sends a little zing of awareness through me, but I shake it off and focus on the cards so I can get him the hell out of my room.
“I’m pretty good at shuffling,” I tell him, shifting the cards so they rain down in a cascade as they mix together and fall into my waiting hand.
“I bet you are.” He chuckles, still watching my hands as I do a different cascade shuffle, then a few of my more impressive shuffle techniques. They’re not that difficult after years of practice, but they look fancy. Hopefully Jace will leave me the fuck alone if I play this stupid game with him.
“That can’t be it,” he says when I pause. “What else you got?”
“This is kinda fun.” Using one hand, I bend the cards at just the right angle, then release the top one so it flips out of my grip and flies a few feet before neatly falling into my waiting hand.
I don’t miss a beat as I re-grip the card and flip it back onto the top of the deck. Then, just to be fancy, I do it again with the top three cards but leave out the flip so the cards shoot from one hand to the other in rapid succession.
Jace flicks his gaze up to meet mine, and the intensity in them sends a weird shiver through me. “More,” he says, his tone dark and heavy with something I can’t quite place.
I swallow involuntarily as our eyes lock. I’m so used to seeing Jace play the role of the chill and sarcastic frat boy that this complete one-eighty in his personality is as unnerving as it is exciting.
Shaking off that insane thought, I show him a few more tricks, adding in some sleight of hand just because, and I’m not sure what to do with the little thrill I feel at having his undivided attention on me like this.
“Were you entertained?” I ask when I’m done.
He grins in response. “Not bad, Shaney.”
“Are we done now?” I ask, holding the pack of cards out to him.
“Not yet.” He pulls a silver dollar out of his pocket and rolls it over his knuckles in a motion that’s so fluid it looks like the coin actually bends around his fingers. “What can you do with this?” He stops spinning it and holds it out to me.
I take it and put the deck of cards in his open palm.
“Same as you.” I spin the coin like he did, only not quite as smoothly, as he tucks the cards in his pocket.
“Can you make it disappear?”
“Make what disappear?” I ask innocently and slip the coin into my closed fist in a practiced move that’s pure muscle memory at this point.
“Smooth,” he says, a hint of admiration in his voice. “But I’m going to be really disappointed in you if the coin is in your hand,” he tells me.
“Now I wish it were in there because maybe then you’d leave me alone.” I shift the coin so it’s hidden and open my hand to show him it’s empty.
He flicks his gaze to my hand, and his eyes widen the slightest bit. It’s not much of a reaction, but it’s still a reaction, and while I really don’t like the rush of pride that goes through me at his shock, I can’t deny it feels good to have surprised him like that.
Jace and his brother either have no fear or they have nerves of steel. In the two and a half years I’ve been forced to share a dorm with them, I’ve never seen either of them jump at a loud noise or get startled when someone sneaks up on them. I’ve never even seen them flinch or show any kind of shock that wasn’t one of their obvious attempts at emoting and pretending to be human.
Jace’s shock right now is genuine, and something tells me that doesn’t happen to him often. And the fact that he didn’t cover it up, or couldn’t, makes his reaction that much more of a victory.
“Where is it?” he asks as he meets my gaze again.
“Where do you think it is?” I can’t help my smirk.
More of that unnerving darkness flares in his eyes, and my heart rate speeds up as a strange awareness prickles at my skin, like a little burst of energy.
Taking advantage of his momentary distraction, I shake off whatever the fuck that was and move the coin to my free hand so I can be done with this conversation.
“Did you think it was here?” I open my fist to show him the coin.
He slides his gaze to my hand, and the smile that tilts his lips sends more of that weird awareness through me.
I do my best to look bored and unbothered as he takes the coin from me and spins it around his fingers a few times. “Impressive.”
I shrug. “It’s a fun party trick.”
