Chapter 10
Chapter
Ten
Fiona
K ann leaned back and tossed his cards onto the table. “That’s it for me.”
I glanced at the cards that were fanned out in my hand and ran one finger across the tops of them as I considered my next move.
Before I could, Ariana put down her cards. “I’m out, too.”
Volten, who’d bowed out of the game two rounds earlier, grinned at her. “Too rich for your blood, as well.”
I eyed the pile of credits, coins, and even paper dollars from Earth that sat in the middle of the table. Then I glanced at Vyk, who was the only one left in the game with me. “It’s not too rich for you?”
He cut his gaze to me for only a beat before sliding a metal bar that represented a hundred credits into the pile to call the bet. “It is not.”
My heart trilled in my chest as I allowed myself another peek at my hand, scanning the Drexian emblems that adorned the glossy surfaces. It was good. Not the best I’d ever had, but really good. There wouldn’t be many hands that could beat it. I forced myself not to smile. I didn’t want to give any indication that I was already counting the money in the pot as mine.
It had better be mine. I had almost everything I’d brought to the game in the pot that had been growing bigger and bigger as the game had progressed. I’d won one game early on, but then Vyk had taken two and the Iron instructor had taken one. Kann and Volten seemed to be in it for fun, making small bets and not risking too much or staying in games too long.
I took a sip from the glass that I’d been nursing the entire night, very aware that Vyk’s glass had been refilled. Good, I thought, let him drink while I keep my wits about me.
I slowly lowered my cards to the table, fanning them out so that Vyk could see my hand. It took all my self-control not to reach forward and scoop the pot toward me, but I finally smiled at Vyk and waited for him to show his cards.
“Nice hand, Captain.” His voice was a rumble as he stared at the cards splayed on the table.
I tipped my head at him in acknowledgment, my fingers already buzzing with the anticipation of gathering my winnings.
He then lowered his cards to the table and spread them out so everyone could see his hand. My heart sank. His winning hand .
I clenched my teeth together as I forced myself to keep smiling. How had he pulled off one of the few hands that could beat mine?
“Nice hand, Commander,” I managed to say without sounding hostile or bitter.
Vyk took another swig of his whiskey before pulling his winnings toward himself as everyone around the table murmured appreciation of the hand he’d played and some of the same surprise I’d felt.
Ariana, who was just there to support me, clearly wasn’t enjoying the competition as much as I was. If it wasn’t flying, she didn’t consider it a thrill. She stood and unwound herself from the bench, stretching her arms overhead and groaning. “I think I’m done for the night.”
Volten stood and joined her, on the other side of the table wrapping an arm around her waist. “Good timing, because I am out of credits.”
“As am I.” Kann poured the last drops of Noovian whiskey into Vyk’s glass. “It looks like you deserve this, Commander.”
Vyk swirled the liquid in his glass before tossing the entire contents back in a single gulp.
Fucking showoff.
I took a sip of my whiskey, glad I still had all my judgment intact. “I guess this means you’re done too?”
Vyk met my gaze and cocked his head. “Why would you say that? ”
Now that startled me. Everyone else was standing and gathering their things, clearly done for the evening. “You want to continue playing?”
“I owe you a match.” He said it very succinctly, but the intensity of his words made my pulse flutter.
I could have argued that we’d been playing all night, and we’d never decided that we had to play a solo game, but there was no way I was going to walk away from a challenge. And the way Vyk held my gaze with his own blazing one, it was a challenge.
“Then let’s play.” I pushed my glass away, as if to let him know that I wasn’t going to be easily distracted.
Ariana leaned down and rested a hand on my shoulder. “Are you okay with us cutting out? I can stay if you want me to—”
“I’m good,” I told her before she could finish. “I don’t think it will take long. One more game, and I’ll be back in our tower.”
She made a sound that sounded doubtful but patted my shoulder. “Remember, it’s just a game.”
I almost laughed at that, as I gathered the discarded cards and started to shuffle them. Vyk’s eyes did not leave me, and his expression did not soften. This was so much more than a game.
The Iron and Blade who’d sat across from me were already gone by the time Kann picked up the empty bottle of Noovian whiskey and looked from Vyk to me. For a moment, I thought he was going to stay and watch, but Vyk slid a stern gaze his way, and the Blade backed up a few steps.
“I wish you both a good night,” he said before hurrying to catch up with Ariana and Volten, who’d left arm in arm .
Neither of us responded as I dealt the cards, put the deck in the middle, and picked up my own cards. I steeled my face so Vyk wouldn’t see my reaction as I realized what bad cards I had. I exchanged three while he traded in the same amount.
So, his cards aren’t great either. Maybe his luck is finally running out.
That made me feel better as I looked at my much-improved hand and slid my remaining credits into the pot. Vyk matched my bet, flicked a glance at his cards, then raised the bet.
I stared at him. “You know I can’t match that.” I looked at the empty table in front of me. “Everything I have is in the pot.”
“Not everything.”
I met his gaze, the heat of it making my breath catch. “You want an IOU?”
His brow wrinkled, and I wondered if his universal translator implant knew what to do with those initials. “You have not played games where players wagered things other than credits?”
So, he didn’t want an IOU.
“I don’t have much here at the academy, unless you’re into vintage romance novels.”
He didn’t crack a smile. “I was thinking of something else.”
I didn’t know what the commander had in mind, or what I could possibly give the Drexian that he would value. All I knew was that my plan to put the security chief in his place was not going according to plan. He was frighteningly good at cards, but there was no way I could back down. Not after everything I’d said. “What do you want?”
“You win, you take everything in the pot.” He locked eyes with me, giving me the sensation of being hunted by something much bigger and stronger. Something that would not stop in his pursuit. “I win, you spend one night with me for every point I take.”
Outrage flooded me instantly, and I glared at him. “What the fuck kind of bet is that?”
“One you don’t have to take.” He leaned back as if this was a normal wager, and he hadn’t just propositioned me.
Me . He hated me. He’d done nothing but treat me with disdain since I’d arrived, and how he was making a bet to get me into his bed? It made no sense. But I didn’t really care, because he wasn’t going to win.
“I accept your bet,” I said, before I could talk myself out of it. I was moments away from having a huge pile of credits and bragging rights, although I don’t think I was going to tell anyone what Vyk had asked me to wager. As if anyone would believe me.
He nodded, his lips twitching at the corners. A tremor of panic teased the base of my spine just before he unfurled his cards and lay them onto the table. Then my stomach dropped.
Fuck me.