The Elite followed his lead without comment though not before Grayson, Fynn, and Micah each delivered pointed warning glares at the Ravens clustered around me. The message was clear: We’re backing off for now, but she was ours first.
I watched the silent power play unfold with something between exasperation and affection squeezing my chest. Some things, apparently, never changed, even when the world turned upside down and inside out.
And honestly? I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Kreed had slept mostof the afternoon, his body finally claiming the rest it had been denied for I didn’t know how long. When he finally strutted down the stairs, hair mussed and eyes still heavy with lingering exhaustion, he found me sitting cross-legged on the plush carpet in front of the fireplace, playing cards with his brothers.
He wasn’t precisely happy about the scene that greeted him.
I shot him what I hoped was a disarming smile, my hand of cards fanned in front of me. His stormy gray eyes tracked from my face down to Mason on my left, then to Maddox on my right, and finally to Raine sitting directly across from me with his legs stretched out and crossed at the ankles.
Kreed’s scowl deepened, carving lines around his mouth. There was no space for him beside me, and he wasn’t having it. “Move,” he demanded, but he didn’t direct it at any particular brother, leaving them all to decide amongst themselves who would yield.
No one so much as flinched.
Maddox called his turn by rapping his knuckles against the floor with three quick strikes. “Not a chance, brother. That’s what you get for sleeping the day away while the rest of us entertained your girl.”
“This game is far too important to lose my concentration now,” Mason added, his eyes never leaving the cards in his hand.
Mason’s comment seemed to flip a switch in Kreed’s brain. His focus sharpened. “What exactly are you betting on?”
“Don’t ask,” I groaned.
I didn’t even know how it had happened, really. Playing cards with them had started as a simple distraction to occupy my mind while Kreed slept upstairs, but somewhere between the second and third hand, the stakes had escalated. This game could lead to a very sticky situation if I lost, which I had no intention of doing. I was confident in my poker abilities. I’d spent countless hours playing with the guys at my dad’s shop after school, but the Corvos were proving to be worthy opponents, no surprise.
“The winner gets a date,” Raine said casually.
Kreed loomed over our little circle like a dark thundercloud. “A date with who, exactly?”
I met his gaze, tilting my head back to look up at him. Even rumpled from sleep, he looked damn delectable. Unfairly so, really. What was it about a guy in sweatpants I found so attractive? Or perhaps it was just how Kreed looked in them.
I watched his brain put two and two together, saw the exact moment understanding clicked into place. His entire body went rigid. “No. Absolutely fucking not.”
Mason, Maddox, and Raine exchanged grins.
“Not happening,” Kreed reemphasized. “End the game. Now.”
“You don’t trust me to win?” I asked, batting my eyelashes with exaggerated innocence. I channeled every helpless damsel stereotype I could think of, playing the part of a girl who had no idea what game she was even playing or what the stakes meant.
Complete and utter bullshit, of course. I was a damn good poker player, and I knew exactly what I was doing.
“If you don’t win, little raven,” Kreed warned, “this room is about to get a very thorough and extreme makeover. Starting with three specific faces.”
“All in,” Mason declared with a grin, pushing his entire stack of chips into the center.
With nothing left to lose now, this would definitely be our final game as everyone else followed suit. Chips clattered against each other as stacks toppled into the growing pile. I hesitated for just a moment, long enough to let them think I might be nervous, then pushed my own chips forward.
One by one, Mason, Maddox, and Raine laid out their cards. Mason had a full house, kings over tens. Maddox revealed three aces with a smug expression. Raine’s flush looked impressive.
I was the last to reveal, drawing out the moment for maximum dramatic effect. “So... can we go now?” I asked sweetly, dropping my straight flush on the carpet with a smile of pure smugness. The cards fanned out perfectly, hearts running from nine to king in sequence.
The four Corvos blinked at my cards. Kreed’s lips twitched at the corners, fighting back a smile. “I think the three of you just got absolutely swindled by someone who’s been playing poker since she was twelve. Looks like the only Corvo taking her out on a date will be me.”
My heart performed a cartwheel at the mention of Kreed and meon an actual date. I couldn’t even picture what that would look like for us. Did we do normal? Could we?
“Fuck,” Maddox hissed, leaning back so his spine pressed against the couch leg. He ran both hands through his hair, making it stand up at odd angles. “That was impressive and infuriating.”
Mason flipped a card at me. “I think I love you. That was masterful.”
