Page 85 of Soulbound

"What? No lessons?" Sebastian arched a brow, and gestured to the cue stick. "No throwing mage globes at each other, or having my teeth handed to me while you show me just how proficient you are with that thing?"

"Not in the house. Verity would have a fit if we broke anything."

"Verity wouldn't give a damn. She was raised in the streets of Seven Dials. I daresay she's seen her fair share of broken furniture."

Bishop ran his hand along the billiards table. "She's quite partial to this."

Sebastian paused. Did he just...? He glanced down at the table and swiftly removed his hand from its surface. It wouldn't be the first time Bishop had seduced his wife in an area other than his bedroom—or perhaps it was the other way around. He was never quite sure.

"And this is the first time Ver's ever had a home," Bishop pointed out. "I'm not about to let you destroy that for her."

Sebastian slunk around the table, uneasy still. He liked Verity. Probably more than he should, considering how few people he could truly trust, but there was something about the look in her eyes at times. Shadows haunted her, and despite her quick wit and smile, she had the look of a survivor.

She'd also kept his secret, if Bishop's rare good mood was anything to go by.

"You just want to beat me at something else," Sebastian said slowly. He should make his excuses. Leave. But what was the point? He was only going to stare at the ceiling for half the night.

"That's what brothers do, don't they?"

Their eyes met.

He'd been Montcalm, and Sebastian, and "apprentice," but he'd never been called brother. Not by this man. Not without sneer or sarcasm. "I wouldn't know."

Bishop screwed up his face as if he'd bitten into rotten fruit. "Neither would I. You're not the only one trying to find your feet in this scenario." Bishop looked frustrated. "I can't reach you. Not as a tutor. You don't trust me. We're getting nowhere. The ladies told me to play nice."

As suspected. Sebastian stared at this brother of his, hands in his pockets. "I appreciate the truth. Subterfuge doesn't sit well with me."

"In the interest of truth then, I'll also admit that beating you at billiards does entertain me. Just a little."

"You might lose."

"Care to wager on it?"

Despite himself, he was drawn. This was one area where they stood on even footing. "What do you want? My soul?"

Bishop flashed him a dangerous smile. "I think you've already traded that. It didn't go well, from what I've seen."

Sebastian's eyes narrowed. "Are you actually joking about the demon? Verity's right. You do have a terrible sense of humor."

"In? Or out?"

"In. If you lose, then you have to wear a pink waistcoat." He smiled as Bishop blinked in surprise. "For a week."

"Going straight for the throat, I see." Bishop considered him. "If I win, then you have to offer to clip Agatha's toenails."

He almost choked.

"Best of three," Bishop said, with an evil smile.

"I'm not going to lose." Not now, with so much at stake.

Bishop racked up the three balls, setting them with precision into a triangle. "Your break."

"Too kind."

Bishop flashed white teeth at him in what was probably the first true smile he'd ever shared. "I wanted you to get one good innings in before I demolish you."

"You do realize you've never seen me play? There wasn't a lot to do for a boy in the countryside in Le Havre." And if big brother thought he was being a sport in offering the first cut to Sebastian, then he wasn't going to return the favor. It was about bloody time he was finally better at something than Bishop.