Page 35 of Pride: Kneel Before None

One detail stuck out that I hadn’t noticed before now—my clothes. Looking down the length of my body, I was no longer in the little black dress from the tournament but a set of silk pajamas.

The black shorts hung loose on my hips, and the matching button-up top remained unbuttoned, revealing the basic violet tank top underneath.

Who the hell had changed⁠—

No. I didn’t want to know.

The hand towel I used to hastily dry my face was the softest I’d ever felt. Turning the white cloth over in my hands, I noticed an embroidered spade in silver thread. It fit right in with the rest of the bathroom, all white marble with lilac and grey veining.

Every fixture, every detail, all looked inviting at first glance, but the devil was in the details. At a distance, one might mistake the subtly shaped designs for hearts at a mere glance. Up close, however, the telltale stem of a spade always revealed itself.

This man was as obsessed with spades as he was with me. Though I’d argue that at least his fascination with me made more sense than a stupid suit in a deck of cards.

Returning to the bedroom, I finally noticed the object I had heard fall earlier. It must have tumbled off the edge of the bed closest to the nightstand, then rolled a foot away to come to a rest near a modest, two-shelved bookcase.

I crouched down, picking up the familiar cryptex—the same one Val had brought with him. My fingers skimmed over the ridges of the design, attempting to turn the blank dials with no luck.

Still balancing on the balls of my feet, I sighed at how damn useless this piece of junk was. Looking ahead of me at the books lined up along the top shelf, the collection was unexpectedly well-versed. Various genres were represented across both fiction and non-fiction.

One brow-raising title caught my eye: Ravished Realms. Setting the cryptex on top of the bookcase, I reached for the spine of the book but paused when I heard voices echoing from downstairs. Both were low-pitched, one smooth and placating and the other brusque and demanding.

I rose to my feet and padded over to the door.

Intentionally twisting the handle slowly to keep the latch quiet, I drew the door open just enough to hear pieces of the conversation transpiring on the first floor of the penthouse.

“…it takes time, it’ll happen when she’s ready…”

A lowly growl accompanied the sound of ceramic being set down against glass with impatience.

“…she’s been out for two days…”

Were they talking about me? No way. That amount of beauty sleep should have left me glowing like a goddess.

I slipped out into the hallway, my bare feet silent on the hardwood as curiosity drew me closer to the conversation that sounded like it was unfolding at the bottom of the stairs.

Voices halted into silence.

“Miss Bechette,” Val’s voice traveled up to where I stood at the top of the steps. “Glad you’re finally awake.”

But it was Ace’s voice that froze me in place.

“Little Spade, it’s rude to eavesdrop,” he chided roughly. Then a bit softer, he added, “Coffee’s fresh.”

Was that supposed to be an invitation? Pitiful.

Though the allure of caffeine was effective anyway.

Bastard.

CHAPTER 12

My eyes tracked her the same way a predator watched its prey. The way she shifted on her bare feet, her grasp too firm on the banister, and the cadence of her breaths slowed to be shallower than her norm. All while she seemed to contemplate whether or not my offer of coffee stemmed from kindness or came laced with an ulterior motive.

I couldn’t blame her for questioning it. Everything I did benefited me, but what she didn’t know was how much of it revolved around her—around us.

The past couple of days had been a new form of torture, watching her lie unconscious in her bed. It had been a necessary evil, one that I’d force upon her again without a second thought—if I had the time.

All of this had been done with her best interests at heart, even if mine was wrapped in barbed chains blackened by hell’s inferno.