Premature fury rose inside of Elyse. Killian had lost. She knew it. Her gaze flicked toward the Blade, her mind racing with how to steal it away.
Killian, cool and impassive, flipped one of his cards around to face them.
“Councilor’s one,” he said, and set the card on the table.
Elyse’s blood burned with ire.
“Councilor’s two,” Killian said as he flipped the second card and set it atop the first.
Elyse was enraged. Her lip curled into a snarl as her hands clenched into fists.
Killian revealed the final card, a Mage.
“Councilor’s ten.” He slid it beneath the Councilor’s one. “The straight rolls, and the highest card wins.”
Elyse had to stare at the cards for a moment before realization assaulted her. He’d won. He’dwon, the lucky, insolent bastard. And Death was now frowning, even as she congratulated him.
Julian clapped his hands together. “Oh, what a dramatic reveal!” He beamed at Killian, utterly delighted by the theatrics. Elyse was certain Julian would be inviting Killian to the next game night.
“Good match,” the others chimed in. But Elyse didn’t care. She was unsettled, her nerves alight as she waited for Killian to choose thefucking Blade.
Julian stood and slid a key from his pocket. “What prize shall you claim?”
“He wants the Blade of Hanael,” Elyse answered—or rather, demanded.
Killian shot her a look that she couldn’t read. She stared right back at him, willing him to remember her promise to exact vengeance if he fucked this up.
Unfazed, Killian turned his gaze toward Julian. “I choose the Blade,” he said coolly.
A smug grin slithered its way across Elyse’s lips. She watched with contentment as Julian unlocked the glass case and lifted the Blade. He held it out to Killian, who stood and took it in both hands. He examined it with the curiosity of a soldier, testing its weight in his hand.
“Out there,” Killian mused, a hint of savagery in his voice, “each of you has magic that can overpower my own.”
He lifted his eyes first to Elyse, then the rest of the room, who stared at him with an unnerved attention. Even Death seemed to recoil ever so slightly at his tone.
“But in here,” he went on, that savagery building. “In here, I’m a god, and you just handed me a weapon.”
In a blink, he shoved Julian aside and yanked Death out of her chair. Elyse stood, her chair scraping loudly against the floor, and reached for her dagger, realizing too late she hadn’t brought it. By then, Killian had Death pressed against the stone wall, the Blade of Hanael pressed to her throat.
Gone was Death’s sultry indifference. Her stormy gray eyes, the same shade as the Blade’s hilt, were instead filled with panic.
Killian’s voice was feral as he whispered in Death’s ear, “I hear you like to make bargains.”
19
Killian
Killian held the Blade of Hanael to Death’s pale neck, the curved tip fitting perfectly around the slender column of her throat. Judging by the terrified look in her eyes and the way her chest heaved with panicked breaths, his hunch had been right.
He’d noticed, even as subtle as it was, the way she had tensed at the sight of the Blade. There had been no awe in her expression, only unease. He hadn’t thought much of it, or how it could be used against her, until she revealed Elyse’s soul. She had brought it right to him, and he’d decided in that moment he would be leaving this room with both the Blade and the soul. It had taken him half the game to formulate a plan, to winnow down the details of the bargain. But now he had Death pinned, and it was time to act.
“I will not bargain with you,” Death scorned. Her voice had taken on a darker quality, like it was feeding off the shadows in the room.
Killian smirked. He had to admit, he relished the power he felt as he held Death hostage. Was this how Elyse felt without her soul weighing down her conscience? There was no time for conscience now, not when he was so close to having his Elyse back.
“I think you will,” Killian taunted. “I think this knife is capable of killing not only demons, but you as well.”
Death flinched. It was a confirmation that Killian hadn’t needed. He already knew his theory was correct. But that flinch meant she understood exactly how serious he was.
