Chapter 9 #2
The game goes on for hours, waiting staff bringing us drinks and snacks as we keep playing.
I’m winning as much as I’m losing, but Sergi seems to be losing more and more as time goes on, his fist wrapped around that fucking lead clenching tighter and tighter with each round we play.
Iris’s gaze is fixed on us, and I feel the burn of it each time she looks at me, seeing the desperation in her hazel eyes gutting me every time.
“Are you still in the game, Petrov?” Lucifer asks some time later, and I look away from Iris to find Sergi’s brows beaded with sweat.
“I’ll have to write an IOU, but you know I’m good for it, Lucifer,” Sergi says, and my heart pounds inside my chest. One of the rules of tonight was no IOUs, it’s why we brought so much fucking money. You can only play with what you have tonight.
Lucifer sighs. “That’s not allowed, I’m afraid. You can only play with what you bring.” He pauses, his dark eyes seeming to gleam in the ambient lighting. “Of course, you could always bet your pretty pet. She’d keep you in the game.”
The look he gives Iris is enough to have my jaw clenching so hard that pain shoots up and down my neck.
The twins give a growl behind me, but I keep my gaze locked on Sergi, who looks pissed but is also taking in Lucifer’s interest in Iris.
My palms start to sweat, a fluttery, empty feeling filling my stomach as Sergi’s expression turns pinched, his lips pressing into a white slash.
“Fine, for tonight only then,” he states, and Lucifer tuts.
“We play for keeps, Petrov. You know the rules. You could always bow out if she’s worth more to you than the game.
” His stare is laser-focused on Sergi and we all hear his unspoken words.
If Sergi bows out, he’s telling everyone that Iris is a weakness for him and worth more than a potential alliance with the Fallen, which is something he can’t afford to do in his position as head of the Russian Bratva.
He may have power, a shit ton of it, but the Fallen have more.
Sergi shifts in his seat, and I can’t tear my eyes away to look at Iris, needing to see what he does next. Then his lips tip up in a smile that is more a baring of teeth than anything else.
“Of course not, Lucifer,” he states, unwinding the lead from his fist and placing the end on the table among the chips. “Shall we continue?”
The smile Lucifer gives him sends a bolt of terror running up my spine.
It’s the grin of someone who’s already won and knows there is nothing you can do to stop them.
I chance a glance at Iris, catching the brush of fingers against hers, Nik shifting closer to her.
Her hands tremble at her sides, her eyes filling with tears as she looks at the middle of the table, and I fucking loathe that she’s being traded like this.
Like she’s no more than something to be passed around.
“Hunter?” Lucifer’s deep voice breaks me from my anger on my Peach’s behalf.
“Apologies,” I rumble out, placing my bet before we continue the game.
What feels like scant moments later, I’m throwing my cards down, having lost that round, probably because I’m so damn distracted with Iris on the line.
“Sergi?” Lucifer asks, his body languid in his chair, his tone light as if this were no more important than any other game. Fuck him.
With a small grin, Sergi lays out his cards. Fuck.
“Looks like I’m keeping my pet after all,” he states, reaching out to grab the lead, but Lucifer’s hand darts out, halting Sergi’s before he can grasp it.
“Not so soon, Petrov.” My eyes widen when he lays down his cards. Sergi curses in Russian, but all I can focus on is Iris and the way her face turns ashen. She swallows hard as Lucifer takes the lead and stands. “We’re done for the night, wouldn’t you say so, Hunter?”
I snap my attention to him, my brain taking a moment to compute what he’s saying.
“Yes,” I agree, getting up and watching as Lucifer walks towards Iris. My jaw clenches when he leans down and whispers something in her ear that has her eyes darting to mine, her lips parted. What the fuck did he just say?
“Enjoy the rest of your evening, Petrov.” He gives Sergi a nod, who just sits there, his fists clenched and his nostrils flared.
I glance up at Nikolai, who looks ready to declare war on the Fallen, his stare fixed on the lead that is now in Lucifer’s hand.
“Walk with me, Hunter,” Lucifer commands, and although it grates, I come around the table and stand on his other side, the twins at my back.
I catch Nikolai’s burning stare and shake my head, telling him to leave it for now.
His jaw works back and forth, but he gives me a slight nod, then turns to face the table where a couple of new people have sat down to play.
With Iris at his side, Lucifer leads us out of the room, through a door that’s off to the side of the one we entered. My skin prickles as we enter a quiet room, dimly lit, and find the other two Fallen including the twin’s cousin waiting for us.
“Some of our Enlightened brethren may disagree, but the Fallen do not condone slavery of any kind,” Lucifer states, walking behind Iris and pushing her hair to one side. “I’m sorry we couldn’t get you out sooner, Iris.”
Her wide eyes find mine, the sounds of the buckle being undone loud in the silence of the room. Then I watch as the collar falls off her neck, clinking sharply as it hits the floor.
“No favour required for this one,” Azazel informs us, the Irish lilt of his voice washing over me as my chest heaves. Is this really happening? Are they just going to give Iris back to us?
“You’re free, Iris,” Lucifer tells her, stepping away and tucking his hands into his suit trousers. “I suggest you all use the back stairs, through that door.”
Iris hesitates for a fraction of a second, then with a sob, she launches herself at me, and it takes all the strength I possess not to fall to my knees as relief leaves me lightheaded when my arms close around her shuddering body.
“T–thank you, Lucifer,” I rasp, looking away from the woman in my arms to find his dark eyes watching. The masks are eerie as fuck, there’s something about not being able to see their faces that leaves me on edge. “The Shadows are yours to command when you have need.”
He gives me a nod, then turns on his heel and strides back to the door towards the main room. The light and sounds of the game beyond wash over us as all three men leave without another word.
“C–can we go home, Hunt?” Iris’s broken voice cracks my soul in two, and I look down, my own eyes burning when I see her tear-streaked face.
“Yes, Peaches. Let’s take you home.”