Exposed [Book 4 in the Expiring Series]

53 Another Chapter With Drinking

Iris~~

"The game is called Tela," Bently said shuffling the deck of cards he'd made. I truly didn't know he had any arts and crafts skills before then. Neither of us had seen Colton in hours since he had left us to chase Vienna around Abella's and Alix's palace.

"If it's a card game"—I took a sip of the whiskey and soda he had mixed me—"why are there knives?"

*****

Bently and I had a lot of free time in France—it wasn't as if we knew about the murders the entire time that we were there—and he might have taught me some games that people would say he shouldn't have.

"But you're supposed to be his second," Aries protests across the table from me, his voice grating my ears. As far as I know, Jonas has never played Tela.

"I wouldn't be much of an opponent, I'm sure, but you can indulge me, can't you? Call it a wedding present."

The Tresais opens his mouth, but Tomen cuts him off, "Let her play."

"I'm happy to be her second," Jonas says, and based on the innocence of his tone, he has no idea what being a second entails.

Two more servants appear with covered trays. They remove the lids before pouring what's underneath onto the center of the table. The knives clatter against the marble as another servant passes a deck of cards to each player.

I hope the wide eyes I raise to meet the Beta's are enough to convince him that I'm confused. He raises his eyebrows, a challenge, offering me the chance to back out. Instead, I look at Jonas nervously.

"I don't remember you mentioning knives, Beta," he says.

"Didn't I?"

Jonas turns to TomenONLYONWATTPADBENDERwho sighs, casting a glare at the Beta.

"Once you have a set or six ascending cards, you grab a knife, and everyone else tries to as well."

"It makes it exciting," another Order member offers as he spreads out the knives.

"You're sure about this?" Jonas looks at me, and when I nod, he presses a kiss to my forehead.

As the Tresais arranges his cards, Brielle's lips curl to the side. "Might I make a request?"

Aries pauses dealing. "Yes?"

"Since we're already changing our normal routine, why not have the players take the dares? It's not against the rules."

The Beta looks as if he's been scandalized, even halting in the middle of scooping up his cards. "But it's what we do."

Brielle shrugs, sweeping her eyes over the rest of the table. "I believe your partners and wives are tired from traveling and would like to rest. You are the ones who wished to play."

"She has a point, Alee," Tomen says, and maybe it's because the has Preeminence spoken, but the Order agrees—albeit reluctantly.

Brielle turns around in her chair, signaling to a waiter for a glass of champagne. As she does, she dips her chin to me—I think wishing me luck. It was she who told me—or perhaps warned me—that the way to win the respect of her husband's Order was through Tela.

*****

Bently, Percy, and Enzo all held a knife, and I was the one who was empty handed. From the other side of his desk he had cleared off, Bently looked positively wicked. Yet again, he had won the round. He was concerningly good at taking a knife without anyone noticing. Attempting to pay attention to not only him but Sebastian and Percy and my own cards had been stretching my focus and eyes. Every time I came away from a game of Tela my eyes felt like I had stared at a screen all day.