Chapter 9 #2
“New Orleans,” she whispered, then dropped her gaze to her plate once more and took a deep breath. “I grew up all over the Gulf Coast, but the pickings are easiest in the big cities, so that’s where I—we’ve been living these last few years.”
Huh.
I propped my elbow on the table and watched her eat mechanically, her attention carefully on her food and not me. This was going to be uncomfortable for her, and I wondered how I could make it easier.
“When we played, Hendricks told me that he’s a professional poker player.”
She snorted softly, then finished eating her eggs. “He’s not a professional anything. He’s never held down a real job, but he’s pretty good at poker. His mom taught me too, so he had someone to play against.”
Huh.
“Do you play on the professional circuit?”
Stevie snuck a peek at me, and when she saw me studying her, she flushed and exhaled.
“A bit, yeah. Not the big-stakes games—I do a lot of other jobs. Bartender. Server. Courier. That’s what I thought Dad wanted me to do for him.
” Her expression eased into a scowl as she attacked her sausage. “I’ve never whored before.”
My fingers curled into fists, my claws digging into my palms to keep from showing my anger. My Kteer raged at the pain and helplessness I heard in her tone, and I wanted to hurt her father for his actions. I wanted to fix this.
Unable to sit still any longer, I shoved away from the table and stalked around to her side. Maybe it would be easier for her to talk without looking me in the eyes?
“You’re not a whore, Stevie,” I promised her, stopping at her back. “Last night was for your pleasure, not mine.”
Did she whimper slightly and sway toward me? I placed my hands on her shoulders. I remembered the way she’d responded when I’d called her a dirty little slut, and my cock twitched as I leaned down to place my nose beside her temple and inhale.
“You don’t have to worry about him, dkaar,” I murmured. “You’re mine now.”
“I—” Her voice caught, and the fork fell from her fingers. “I wish it worked like that. I made a stupid mistake, and now he’s got me. If I fuck up, or if I don’t do what he wants—”
“He’ll tell the LeClair brothers that you helped him cheat? And you think they’ll punish you for that?”
I’d looked them up. The LeClair brothers were genuinely bad guys I wouldn’t want anything to do with…and it looked like they were going to be in the same game I’d been invited to in a few weeks.
“The LeClair brothers wouldn’t see any reason not to kill me for what I did,” Stevie whispered to her plate.
“Your father would be dead too, then.”
“Maybe, but that’s not going to make me feel any better.”
I snorted and squeezed her shoulders slightly. When she groaned and leaned into my touch, I took that to mean it felt good, and did it again, this time pressing the pads of my thumbs into the tight muscles at the base of her neck.
“Sweetheart, your father can’t tell them that you helped him cheat without revealing that he was the one to cheat them.”
She gave a little shake of her head as she pushed her almost-empty plate away from her. “You don’t know my father that well. He’ll have a story—he always has a story. He’ll tell them it was my idea. Or that I did the cheating, but someone else was the beneficiary. He’s sneaky.”
He was a bastard is what he was. But I kept my voice as steady as my movements. “He would do that to you? His own daughter?”
“I’m not really his daughter,” she whispered to her plate, and I sighed.
There was a lot more here that I didn’t understand. I allowed my claws to extend just slightly, and I dragged my touch up the back of her neck. She shuddered, and when I began to massage her scalp, she groaned in pleasure and slumped back against me.
“Tell me how you cheated, Stevie,” I ordered. “I can’t help you until I know everything.”
From this angle, I could see her eyes close as her head lolled back into my touch.
“My mother died of a drug overdose when I was a baby. Her mother raised me. Grandma was…” Stevie sighed.
“She didn’t see anything wrong with people using their talents to get ahead.
Her older son was my uncle Trevor—Hendricks.
When I was seven, she had him adopt me, so he could legally care for me after she was gone. ”
Huh.
Thoughtfully, I continued my massage, my claws stimulating her sensitive scalp. “How did she use your talents?”
Stevie was quiet for a few moments. I smelled her hesitation, and I tightened my hold on her momentarily. “You don’t have to lie to me, sweetheart.”
It wasn’t an order, but I felt the way she relaxed under my fingers.
“I’ve…um. I’ve always been good with people. Understanding them, being empathetic, I guess. I like learning about them and hearing their feelings.”
I thought about all the insights she’d shared with me, and all the ways she’d been right. “That makes a lot of sense. You’re good at it, dkaar.”
“Yeah, well, Grandma thought so. She and Dad sent me to college to study psychology. I was going to go to clinicals after, get my certification to do counseling and actually help people, you know?” She sighed and tipped her head forward.
“After his mother died, Dad told me there wasn’t any more money for college, and I needed to come home and help with the family business. ”
I saw her fingers twitch when she said that, and knew she was quoting her father. The male who was supposed to protect and care for her, even if he hadn’t sired her.
“And the family business is cheating?”
Stevie snorted slightly. “I’m good at reading people. I can’t do it right away, but if I play poker with them, or if I watch them play enough, I can guess at their intentions—well, I can guess if they’re bluffing, or are eager, or what.”
My hands had stilled. “That is…a valuable skill.”
An understatement.
And the secret to my success; humans didn’t realize how acute my sense of smell was, and I could scent their eagerness or desperation or excitement. This could usually tell me if they were bluffing or pushing with a good hand or what.
“I win more than I lose,” she admitted. “But Dad worked out a series of signals. I could sit across from one of his opponents and read them—if I knew them well enough. One of the LeClair brothers has a particular tell that isn’t obvious to many people.”
My hands rested on her scalp. “So you watched that game, read him, and communicated it to your father?”
“And he won.” Stevie exhaled, then twisted in her seat to wince up at me. “See what I mean? He couldn’t have cheated without me.”
“Why did you do it?”
“Because he’s my father.” She dropped her chin again. “And I’m supposed to help him. Look out for him. That’s what Grandma said.”
Oh for fuck’s sake.
With a little growl, I clamped my hand around Stevie’s chair and pulled her away from the table. I leaned down, scooped her up, and when she gasped and clutched at my chest, my Kteer gave a little rumble of smugness.
“Your parent is supposed to care for you, sweetheart. Not bruise you because he likes to feel strong.” I glared fiercely. “He’s a poor excuse for a male, and he should never have made you feel like you needed to do something you were uncomfortable with for him.”
Like fucking a monster.
Her fingers curled around the cotton of my shirt as she stared wide-eyed up at me. “I came here for him,” she whispered, “but I stayed for myself.”
“Good girl.” I nodded with an arrogant smile. “This is about you. Your pleasure. Your happiness.”
“It is?” She was breathless, and when her little metal tongue piercing swiped across her upper lip, I nearly groaned as I crushed her to me.
“You’re mine, Stevie. I’ve accepted the invitation to that game in two weeks, and you’re not going to New Orleans without me. We have two weeks to figure this shit out.”
Now I smelled her arousal again as she wriggled against me. “This shit?” she repeated.
“Your father. The cheating. You.” I hefted her higher. “Me. Together.”
“Together,” she breathed.
“You’re mine, dkaar. There is a knowing. That’s what my mother always said.” About finding my Mate. “I would just know. I know you.”
Blue eyes stared back intensely. “And I know you.”
Together.
Mate.
“You’re mine,” I repeated. “My good girl.”
Stevie’s fingers were caressing my chest, and I watched her lips curl wickedly. “And maybe your dirty little slut?”
“Come here,” I growled, lifting her lips to mine.
Mine.