Chapter 9
CHAPTER NINE
JAX
Iknow it’s her before I see her.
By now, I can recognize her steps. She strides with confidence, as if she’s always in a rush to get places. As if she’s running out of time, yet she’s desperate to make it to her destination.
The hinges of my cell door creak in the eerie silence of the night, only disturbed by random shouts coming once in a while from other inmates in their cells. I sit at the very rear of the cell with my back pressed to the hard wall.
She gently closes the cell door and turns to me. The moment the rays of light from the oil lamp she holds in her hand illuminate me, she gasps.
“Jax! Your face. What the fuck happened?”
Phoenix rushes through the cell and kneels in front of me. I try to flash her a smile, but a weak half smile is all I can manage.
My face hurts like a bitch, for lack of a better word.
“Don’t worry your pretty head about it, Phoenix darling,” I say. My voice comes out scratchy, and hoarse. I clear my throat. “You should see the other guys.”
She blinks at me, eyes wide. “Guys? Plural? There was more than one?”
I shrug and regret it immediately. But I try not to show just how much each movement hurts my ribs.
“What can I say, this handsome face is popular here.”
With a sigh, Phoenix sits down on the backs of her heels. She has the most beautiful hazel-color eyes that I have ever seen, in all three continents.
Probably even beyond.
“Jax, I requested you be put in a solitary cell so you would be safe,” she says. “How did this happen? And who did it? Two Ezkai are always supposed to be escorting you at all times when you leave your cell.”
Resting the back of my head on the cold wall, I flash her my most dazzling smile, pain be damned. “A royal prison treatment for me? Oh, darling, I’m honored.”
She rolls her pretty eyes at me. I love it when she does that. She’s so much fun to play with.
“For fuck’s sake, can you take this seriously, please?” Phoenix whisper-screams at me. “I have so much on my plate right now with Vera gone and handling House Dzuni while I try to pass this damn law. I can’t be worried about you dying here, too!”
She exhales and braces her hands on her thighs.
I frown. Phoenix is genuinely upset about this. She truly cares about my safety and well-being.
I try not to spend too much time on that thought, despite the irresistible temptation. It poses a dangerous threat.
To my heart.
To Phoenix’s own safety and well-being.
“I’m very serious, General,” I say, as lightheartedly as I can manage. “Talbots sent a message. Message received, clearly. That’s all I’ve got for you.”
Phoenix’s gaze hardens and she presses her lips into a thin line. If I looked closer, I’m pretty certain I could see the steam coming out of her ears.
“That motherfucking family,” she says through clenched teeth. She frowns then. “Wait. Was this supposed to be a message to me again, or you?”
“Unfortunately, this time the message is for me.”
“What about?”
I avert my gaze. Not sure I want to share.
“Jax, come on,” she says, her voice softer now. “I thought we were supposed to be a team. Cursed Trio, remember? I think after everything we’ve been through, there’s nothing you can’t share with me.”
Slowly, I turn to face her. I jerk my chin. “Did you bring the deck tonight?”
She blinks. “What? Ah, yeah, of course.”
“Want me to deal, or you take the reins?”
Phoenix rolls her eyes again, and I chuckle.
“I hate this fucking card game. I’m so bad at it,” she mutters, but pulls out the deck from her pocket and tosses it at me. “At least you could teach me how to win.”
Now that I have something to keep my hands busy with, I can think easier.
“I have been trying. You asked me not to let you win, and show you how it’s done. That’s exactly what I’ve been doing every time we play.”
She settles down more comfortably on the floor, tucking her crossed legs under her.
“I guess I suck as a student, then,” she says, watching my fingers shuffle the cards. She looks up, and our gazes meet. My heart skips a beat. “Don’t think I’ll leave the subject alone just because we’re playing cards.”
I smirk. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”
Once I’m done shuffling the cards, I deal her a hand and then one for myself. I put the deck face down on the stone floor.
Phoenix picks up her cards and inspects them. “Can you remind me again how you always know when you have the winning hand?”
“You can never know for sure. You can only guess, and calculate your odds,” I say, glancing at mine. “Remember, it’s all about calculating the possible combinations your opponent might have that would win against your best hand.”
She shoots me an unfriendly glance. “Yeah, no shit. Last time, I thought I would win against Noire because there was only one combination he could have had that would have topped my hand. And guess what? It turns out that’s exactly the hand he had!”
I chuckle and shake my head. “That’s something one might call an unlucky hand, darling.”
She reorders her cards. “Turns out one might have an unlucky hand every time they play.” She breathes out a laugh. “Since I was a child and first played this game with my family, I can count on both hands the times I won!” She shakes her head. “Unbelievable.”
I settle more comfortably against the wall. The warm calm seeps into my bones and aching muscles when I’m around Phoenix.
Every morning when I open my eyes and the first thing I see is the ragged stone ceiling that reminds me where I am, I wait for the nightfall.
Even if Phoenix doesn’t visit every night, only the hope that she might is enough to get me through the day.
“You can always learn to cheat,” I say. She narrows her eyes at me. “Just a suggestion, if you’re so desperate to win.”
“Not sure learning to cheat the cards is appropriate for an Ezkai General.”
“Probably not. In fact, it might be scandalous.”
A corner of her plump mouth curves up. But any traces of the amusement vanish in a blink.
“Actually, it might be fitting considering my government is infested with damn Caligos parasites.”
She worries at her bottom lip, staring at her cards.
I gently nudge her knees with my knuckles. She blinks rapidly a few times, and then looks up at me.
“What happened? Talk to me, darling.”
At first, she hesitates. But then she sighs and says, “I’m trying to pass the law I promised Vera I’d pass once I’m the General, and the House Dzuni who are corrupted by Caligos are resisting it. Hard. Noire wants me to drop it for now, but I can’t. I made a promise to Vera.”
I frown. Rearrange my cards. When she doesn’t speak anymore, I say, “You just took the position of the Ezkai General. You need some time to get used to it, to get things in order, and get used to leading a country. Give yourself some time and grace. One step at a time.”
Phoenix hums. After a moment, she jerks her chin, “What do you have?”
“Six of Crows.”
Her gaze flicks up. “Three of Cups.”
“You start, my dearest.”
She picks a card and sets it between us. Twelve of Bones. I don’t look at my cards, there’s no need. Phoenix narrows her eyes at me.
I chuckle. “Staring at me like that won’t help you figure out my hand, or your odds.” A pause. A corner of my mouth lifts. “It might provoke something else, though. If that’s your intention here, then by all means, carry on.”
She clicks her tongue and flips me off. She might act all annoyed at me, but I don’t miss the way her cheeks heat.
Phoenix clears her throat. “So, back to your issues with Talbots. I thought once Daegel was—” She pauses, unable to speak for a heartbeat before she continues. “—dead, your contract binding you to them would be void.”
“I thought so, too.”
I pick up a card. It’s Six of Crows. Over my lowered lashes I watch Phoenix’s reaction to the new card. She widens her eyes a fraction and quickly runs through her cards.
She has Six of Crows in her hand. There’s one next to the deck. Judging from the way she got excited about the second Six of Crows, she definitely has Twelve of Bones…
I don’t miss the satisfied smirk on her perfect lips.
It’s truly embarrassing how many times those lips plague me in my dreams, teasing and seducing, yet always an inch out of my reach.
Just like during my waking moments.
Thankfully, Phoenix chases the inappropriate thoughts away with a question that makes my heart drop to the pits of my stomach. “Does that mean you still belong to them?” She leans forward, and whispers, “Does it mean you’re a Caligos?”
I shake my head. “To become a Caligos, there must be an initiation ceremony, after one has earned their right to become a Caligos. I’m only their slave.”
The last word tastes bitter on my tongue.
“How do we get you out of it?”
I shake my head. If only I knew.
“Your turn to draw the card.”
She purses her lips, shoots me an unsatisfied glance that promises she’s not going to drop the subject, and picks up the card. Seven of Cups. Interesting.
“Let’s make a deal,” she says. I arch my eyebrow. “If I win this hand, you’ll tell me everything about Caligos and your deal so I can find a way to at least ensure you don’t die here while I find a way to get you out of prison.”
Oh, my sweet Phoenix is getting ahead of herself. I love how confident she is. She burns as intensely as a flame.
“Sure,” I say. “Anything you want from me, you’ll have.”
Her gaze darkens, and she forgets to breathe for a heartbeat.
To add more fuel to the fire, I wink and then pick up the next card. Nine of Dragons.
Now that Phoenix is determined to win, and the stakes of her win are high, she wastes no time. She picks the last card from the deck and sets it on the floor.
Seven of Bones.
With a happy squeal, Phoenix fans out her hand in front of us. “Take that!”
I chuckle, and shake my head. Slowly, I reveal my hand to her. With each card I set down, her excitement dims.
Until it’s gone completely. She stares at my winning hand, bewildered.
“Maybe next round will be your lucky one, General.”
“Shut up.”