He smirked at the tone of her voice, tinged with suspicion.
“I do.”
“Why?” She sounded curious rather than disgusted, then blushed and tried to recover by adding, “I mean—you don’t have to answer that.”
“I will answer it.” He met her gaze, challenging. “If you will answer a question for me.”
Say yes, he silently begged, though he would never compel her. Say yes so I can learn all of you.
A small furrow appeared between her brows as she considered his proposal. An answer to a question is a small price to pay if she lost, Hades wanted to say. Others put their soul on the line. But he remained quiet.
“Fine,” she conceded.
It was a challenge not to smile.
He answered her earlier question, “I come because it is…fun.”
It was not a complete lie, and it sounded like something a mortal would say, and for this moment in time, that is what he intended to be—fragile and human.
“Now you—why are you here tonight?”
“My friend Lexa was on the list,” she explained, looking at her hands as she twined her fingers together in her lap.
“No,” he said. “That is the answer to a different question. Why are you here tonight?”
She met his gaze, a mischievous glint in her eyes, and he found himself desperate to chase it—that flicker of defiance, that hint of passion.
“It seemed rebellious at the time,” she answered finally.
“And now you aren’t so sure?”
“Oh, I am sure it is rebellious,” she said as her fingers trailed the felt table. Hades’ gaze followed them and he thought he would have liked for those fingers to explore his skin. After a moment, he lifted his gaze to hers.
“I’m just not sure how I’ll feel about it tomorrow.”
Now he was curious. “Who are you rebelling against?”
Her smile was like an arrow to his chest—devastating, secretive, enticing. “You said one question.”
“So I did.”
Well played, darling, he thought with a smile.
She shivered again.
“Are you cold?”
“What?” She seemed surprised by his question.
“You’ve been shivering since you sat down.”
She flushed, fidgeted under his gaze again, and then blurted, “Who was that woman with you earlier?”
He frowned but then remembered. “Oh, Minthe. She’s always putting her hands where they don’t belong.”
She paled, and he realized he had said something wrong.
“I…think I should go.”
No.
They had not spoken long enough. He did not know her name, and he wanted to teach her—he wanted to teach her so many things. Before he knew what he was doing, his hand was on hers and something volatile sparked between them, eliciting a gasp from her perfect lips. She pulled away quickly.
“No,” he said, but it came out as a command, and she glared at him.
“Excuse me?”
“What I mean to say is, I haven’t taught you how to play yet.” He lowered his voice, forcing away the hysteria that had caused him to reach for her. “Allow me.”
Please.
She glanced away from him, and he thought she might bolt. Trust me, he wanted to beg, though he knew that was a ridiculous thing to ask. He was the last person she should trust.
Finally, she seemed resolved and relaxed, lowered her lashes as she spoke in the most erotic voice he had ever heard, “Then teach me.”
I will. Everything, he thought.
He shuffled the cards and explained the game. “This is poker. We will play five-card draw, and we’ll start with a bet.”
“But I don’t have anything to bet with,” she said, glancing down at herself.
I would happily take the dress.
“A question answered, then. If I win, you will answer any question I pose, and if you win, I will answer yours.”
She grimaced, but her expression seemed in conflict with her body, because as she spoke, she leaned toward him. The air between them thickened, and Hades found it hard to breathe.
“Deal.”
Thrilled, Hades continued to explain the game.
“There are ten rankings in poker. The lowest is the high card and the highest is the royal flush. The goal is to draw a higher rank than the other player…” he expounded. “If you are dealt a bad hand, fold. It is better than the alternative. Checking and calling would apply if we were playing for coin, but since our currency is answers, the point is moot. Perhaps the most important skill in poker is your ability to bluff.”
“Bluff?” That seemed to pique her interest.
“Sometimes, poker is just a game of deception…especially when you’re losing.”
Hades dealt each of them five cards, and they took their time eyeing their hands and then each other. Finally, the goddess laid her cards down, face up, and Hades did the same.
“You have a pair of queens,” he said. “And I have a full house.”
“So…you win.” She didn’t seem upset so much as contemplative, still trying to remember the rules and understand the game. Hades, on the other hand, was impatient, and he jumped at the chance to ask his question.
“Who are you rebelling against?”
She smiled wryly. “My mother.”
He raised a brow. “Why?”
“You’ll have to win another hand if I’m going to answer.”
He was all too eager. When he won a second time, he did not ask the question, just looked at her expectantly.
“Because…” She paused, and her eyes moved away from his, focusing on the table in front of them, brows furrowing. She was searching for an answer. For a way to avoid telling the truth, Hades realized. She smiled ruefully as she said, “She made me mad.”
There was a hint of darkness to her words, and he wanted to chase that moment. It was the first time he sensed she was holding back. He waited for more of an explanation, but she just smirked.
“You never said the answer had to be detailed.”
His grin matched hers. “Noted for the future, I assure you.”
“The future?”
“Well, I hope this isn’t the last time we’ll play poker.”
Especially now. She was teaching him how she thought and worked, and he would be more than prepared for their next game. She would not be able to cut corners so easily. The terms would be detailed, the stakes higher.
Her expression turned wary, and he got the sense that she had not planned on seeing him again after tonight.
Something jolted through him—an emotion akin to fear.
I have to see her again. I will go mad.
He pushed those thoughts away. Finish the game, he told himself, and dealt another hand and won.
“Why are you angry with your mother?” he asked.
She looked thoughtful for a moment, and then said, “Because…she wants me to be something I can’t.”
Was that what I sensed beneath the surface? Her true nature, desperate to be free?
Her gaze dropped to the cards. “I don’t understand why people do this.”
He tilted his head. “You are not enjoying our game?”
“I am. But…I don’t understand why people play Hades. Why do they want to sell their soul to him?”