Page 43 of Pride: Kneel Before None

Such little faith for someone who thought she walked on water.

I merely responded with a non-committal grunt. She’d see soon enough.

A quiet thought in my mind lifted the shields I kept locked tight around me in her presence. Not enough for her to get a read on what I had in store for her, but enough leeway to perform where it mattered most—where I wanted.

Without prompting, she closed her eyes. The warm prickle of her precognitive power surged as she reached out to turn this game of luck into one of skill.

Her head tilted, a subtle tell that she had seen something behind her eyelids. Opening her eyes, she placed her chips onto the black twenty. Her fingers idly drummed against the felt tabletop while the other players placed their bets.

The table attendant gave the abomination of a roulette wheel a spin. No turning back now that the game was in motion. Instead of a nondescript white ball being dropped, a pulsing red orb hopped along the inner track. In a long moment of defiance, it refused to commit to a winning number—until it did.

The orb settled on its chosen pocket, and much to the chagrin of others, Eve’s sole bet on the black twenty became validated.

Her head whipped around, staring at me as if I had rigged the damn wheel myself or planted the thought in her head.

There had been so much more than merely allowing her abilities to slip through the shields I placed around us. It was to test the stability of her precognition, to taste the flavors of it more thoroughly.

My hand settled on the crook of her shoulder, my thumb caressing the nape of her neck in small circular motions. The confident hum of power radiated throughout her spine from the accurate prediction of the winning number. Raw satisfaction from the thrill of successful foresight.

It was fucking gorgeous, just like her.

“You did this,” she accused.

Guilty as charged.

Leaning over, I whispered in her ear, “Technically, you did it. Now, try again.”

I straightened, but not without pressing a quick peck to her cheek. For guaranteed luck, of course.

More predictions, more bets, more wins. The chips were stacking up nicely.

To my delight, it didn’t take long for us to attract the attention of casino staff, most notably my dear friend Argian, the proprietor of this not-so-fine establishment.

“Ace,” Argian greeted me curtly. The absence of his ashen hand being offered didn’t go unnoticed. Like most crypt demons, he rarely engaged in physical contact. The social faux pas was welcomed if it saved my suit from attracting the fine spiderwebs that followed him everywhere.

His shadowy eyes drifted to Eve, lingering on her for longer than I could tolerate. Forcing myself into his line of sight, I offered a tight-lipped smile that never reached my eyes.

“What do we owe the pleasure of your company, Argian?” Spoken as though I didn’t already know.

“This table is closed,” he said flatly. His pathetic security team stepped forward to stand on either side of him.

Unfazed by the performative intimidation, I replied, “That’s a shame, we have a decent winning streak going. I suppose we will have to select another table to play.”

I turned and offered my hand to Eve. After a brief hesitation, she placed her hand in mine as she stood from her seat.

The crypt demon’s gaze didn’t deviate from me this time.

“The other tables are also closed.”

Glancing around, the entirety of the casino floor operated in full swing. Players remained oblivious to the standoff happening at this roulette table while they continued to gamble their funds away.

“Funny, they look open to me.” I broadly gestured to the activity bustling around us.

Eve reached over to gather her winnings, the stack of chips totaling an obscene amount.

“Leave those,” Argian demanded when he noticed Eve gathering her hard-earned winnings from the obscene stack on the table.

She paused, looking at him with the stubborn fire that always burned in her soul. “Like hell I will, I won these⁠—”