Page 63

They started then. Briony watched cards exchange hands, watched the dice roll, watched the quick shuffling as the men laughed and drank.

She still couldn’t figure out how the game was played, but she was far more invested in the conversation.

One by one, the men lost, spilling their secrets and, afterward, their gold.

By the time they were down to their last few wine bottles, only Toven, Canning, and Liam had kept their secrets.

Lorne’s news on Starksen—that Mallow had lost several hundred new recruits there—had helped Briony puzzle together that despite Minister Bagis’s presence tonight, not all of Starksen was in support of Mallow.

Another two hands, and she found out the name of a suspected traitor in General Tremelo’s army.

Canning finally lost his hand to a round of jeers. “All right,” he said, tossing back his drink. “That bitch who lost an arm—what’s-her-name.”

“Velicity Punt,” Jellica said softly, and then immediately flushed red and stared down at her lap.

Canning seemed entertained more than anything. “Yes, thank you , Jellica,” he said patronizingly. “Velicity Punt was spotted in the north at a closed-down apothecary last week.”

Briony’s mind snapped in millions of directions.

Now that she knew the tattoo was created with an elixir, it was possible that Velicity, as one of the only escapees, was determined to find the ingredients for the antidote.

But it could be anything. If Velicity was on the run with Sammy, as she’d seen in the papers, they’d need plenty of supplies.

Liam folded next, but he didn’t seem terribly put out when he smugly announced that Biltmore would be hosting the rest of Minister Bagis’s cabinet.

Toven didn’t lose, keeping his secret of who had escaped at Javis. Briony shoved aside her irritation that he hadn’t told her before. She’d take it up with him later, but now was not the time.

By the end of the next round, Lorne, having lost his gold and secrets several rounds before, began kissing Octavia’s neck as he listened to the game, only piping in every now and then.

Collin was doing something similar, only it seemed he had completely disregarded the game to focus on sloppily kissing Cecily’s mouth.

It was Kleve’s turn to throw the dice. The Barlowe Girl in his lap giggled when he offered her the deck of cards.

Briony looked away from the scene as Liam called out the results of the roll. They played their first hand, exchanging chips and cards. And when it was time to bet their information, Liam offered another visitor to Biltmore in the next month.

“Don’t waste our time with that,” Toven drawled. “I want to know what you were researching for your father in my library.” Liam opened his mouth. “And don’t feed me any shit about the portal boundary line,” Toven continued, cutting over him. “I saw you lurking in the other sections.”

A stillness swept over the table. Liam flushed at being put on the spot, and clearly not in a way he enjoyed.

“I’ll take that bet,” Canning said with a glint in his eye. “Especially since Liam is panicking.”

The table chuckled. The strawberry-blonde cooed into Liam’s ear and rubbed his shoulders as he scowled. Briony’s pulse spiked, feeding off the intrigue, and she quickly looked down at the table to hide her eagerness.

Liam drummed his fingers on the table. “Well, I’m only in if Toven tells us where Daddy Hearst has been.”

Toven’s ribs expanded against hers, and the corner of his mouth lifted. He made quite a show of looking down at his cards, weighing the options.

“What do you think, Rosewood?” he lilted. “Think my cards are good enough?”

She blinked at his hand, not sure how to answer, but knowing it didn’t matter. He was only buying time. She ran her fingers over the fine hair at the back of his neck, right over the place where she’d once sewed his skin together, and watched him shiver.

Briony plucked a card from the middle of Toven’s hand and replaced it on the end. She leaned closer and loudly whispered, “I think Liam’s about to spill everything.”

The men burst into laughter—more raucous than the quip warranted. It wasn’t terribly witty, but perhaps they were amused that it was said by her. That she was playing along.

“Now the game can start!” Canning yelled over the din. “I wondered when you’d show up, Rosewood!”

Liam won his hand, allowed to keep his secrets for a bit longer. Toven spread his cards on the table, and Briony inferred from the Rose that he had won as well.

Her heart was pounding in her chest as she decided to try something else to celebrate his win. Pressing her forehead to his temple and painting on a coy smile, Briony tilted her face up, reaching for his mouth with hers.

The barest brush of her bottom lip across the corner of his mouth—

And Toven jerked his face back, the smallest movement of his neck, like he’d dodged the swing of a sword.

She froze, feeling his entire body seize up, his ribs no longer moving against hers.

Embarrassment flooded her chest and neck, working its way to her cheeks.

She’d tried to kiss him, and he’d rejected her—and more important, flinched in front of watchful eyes.

She didn’t dare look at him, staring at her lap as her face burned.

He continued shuffling his new hand as if nothing had happened.

Soon enough, her embarrassment gave way to a boiling fury. He was going to jeopardize them. He couldn’t accept a kiss from the woman he was supposedly intimate with. What did that say?

Had anyone seen?

The sound in the room returned to her slowly as she lifted her head. The men were chatting and passing cards. No eyes were on them, but there was something malicious about the way Canning Trow grinned at the table, his teeth cutting into his lip.

Toven’s ribs moved again, and he audibly swallowed. Briony stiffened at the reminder that he was there.

They needed to talk. They needed a discussion about what their behavior was to consist of.

He’d condescended at her ability to playact last time, and then proceeded to sabotage her once she’d actually tried to play the game.

She breathed deeply; she couldn’t show how she felt with so many watchful eyes in the room.

“Your turn, Hearst.”

Kleve slid the cards over to Toven, and his arm extended to reach for them.

“You gonna let her wish you luck?” Lorne teased.

Toven held the deck in front of her. She pushed her embarrassment down and slipped one card from the stack, flipping it over for the table.

“The Virgin and the Wolf,” Liam read for the table.

Now, that one she had heard of. It was an old fairy story, with a wolf that could smell a virgin’s blood.

The men were just offering their secrets as she relaxed back into Toven’s hand.

“I have something with potential now that we’re in the final round,” Canning said with a smirk. His eyes locked on hers as he said, “I happen to know the location of one Cordelia Hardstark.”

A cold wave of dread crashed through her. And she knew she hadn’t been able to temper her expression. Canning’s eyes gleamed. She felt the hand on her back tense as well.

“And how would you know that?” Liam sneered.

Canning shrugged. “My elixir is no longer available at Biltmore. Such a shame that someone tattled,” he said, and his eyes seemed to narrow at Toven before flicking away. “But now, I get to make house calls.”

Briony’s heart thrummed. Cordelia wasn’t at Cohle’s estate any longer? And Canning knew where she was being kept?

“But it is a huge secret, you know,” Canning said with a pout. “I feel like we should up the ante if I’m going to reveal this.”

Canning looked directly at Toven. Toven responded in a level voice, “I can reveal no more than the country my father is in, I’m afraid.”

“I don’t care to know that. Truly.” Canning shrugged, his eyes falling on Briony again. She had the sinking sensation that he was playing with them, like a cat batting a mouse. “But I will wager that secret against a kiss from the golden heartspring.”

Briony held her breath. Toven’s jaw clicked, and the weight in her stomach dropped. He would decline. And then she would have no idea what had happened to Cordelia.

Her lips parted before Toven could take a breath. “One measly kiss?” She lifted a brow imitating the man beneath her and said, “That’s an easy bet to take. Hardly fair for you, though.”

Canning winked at her. “You sell yourself short, Rosewood. Perhaps that’s just how madly I desire you.”

Toven tensed, about to jump in, about to end this.

“How could Master Toven refuse?” she quickly replied. “It costs him nothing if he loses.”

The hand on her back lifted, and she heard the arm of the chair creak under the strain of a hand squeezing it.

The young men were silent, watching the unspoken duel between the two heads of the table. But the match was won, and Toven knew it. The anger radiated off him even as he said, “Of course. An excellent wager.”

All eyes turned to the cards as Toven and Canning played, pulling new hands and rolling the dice. She judged Toven’s success off Liam, who had no poker face. The more disappointed he looked, the better Toven was doing.

When they both finally laid out their cards, the entire table released a breath. Briony waited.

“Fuck,” Lorne whispered, running a hand through his hair.

“It’s a draw, sweetheart,” Canning said to her from across the table, his lips twisted in an arrogant smile.

“Such a shame. I would have liked to have tasted you just once.” He made a show of licking his lips at her as the men laughed and Toven stoically cleaned up his cards.

Canning leaned closer, schooling his features in a mock pout.

“And I’m sure you desperately wanted to know about your dear friend. Such a pity.”

Canning tapped his chin, as if deep in thought.

“I’ll tell you what,” he said, shifting Jellica off his lap. “I’ll still reveal my secret if you give me that kiss. Good and proper, now.”