Page 110 of Tainted Souls
“You wouldn’t know harmless if it bit you on the neck.” Saul pulls up a chair between Reece and me. “Deal me in.”
Hanae joins us too, settling across from Saul. “Don’t mind Reece. His flirtation is as automatic as breathing.”
Reece doesn’t even blink at her comment. Instead, he shoots her a cheeky wink, all confidence and charm, like it’s second nature. Hanae rolls her eyes, clearly used to his default flirtation.
Watching their oddly familiar dynamic pulls me back to all the days spent laughing and scheming with my friends. I miss them more than I dare admit, the absence settling like a quiet ache beneath the surface.
Palina drifts over, draping herself over the arm of Kale’s chair. “Are we playing for blood secrets tonight?”
“Just regular ones,” Irene replies. “Let’s not terrify our guest on her first game.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Blood secrets?”
A gleam of mischief lights in Palina’s eyes. “Oh, don’t worry. If you survive tonight, perhaps you’ll earn the right to know them.”She taps her long, manicured nails against the table, the ruby red like droplets of blood. “Unless they eat you alive first.”
Kale pats her hand, speaking just above a whisper. “You might want to keep your wits about you, my love. In strategy, respect is not flattery, but survival.”
“In this room, what’s left unsaid can be more dangerous than any open threat,” Irene clarifies.
The atmosphere shifts as Reece finishes dealing. Everyone picks up their cards, arranging them in their hands, faces instantly transforming into masks of careful neutrality. Even Saul, usually so transparent with his emotions around me, becomes unreadable.
For better or worse, I’m in the game now.
I scan the room one last time, confirming Ace’s absence. Perhaps, just for tonight, I can pretend this is normal. That I’m not surrounded by enemies, and that I have choices beyond which cage to occupy.
“The rules are simple,” Reece says, flipping a card casually between his fingers. “Avoid hearts and the Queen of Spades at all costs. Lowest score wins. Think you can handle that?”
I examine my hand, the cards feeling foreign in my fingers. “Sure.”
The first few rounds pass in relative silence, punctuated only by the soft placement of cards and occasional muttered curses when someone takes an unwanted trick.
I watch the others carefully, trying to read their tells—the way Hanae’s jaw tightens when she’s dealt a bad hand, how Reece’s fingers drum against the table when he’s bluffing, the slight furrow in Kale’s brow when he’s calculating his next move.
By the fourth round, I’m starting to understand the rhythm of the game. More importantly, I’m starting to understand the people playing it. These aren’t the cold, calculating killers Iexpected. They laugh, they tease, they groan when luck turns against them. It’s almost… human.
“Your turn, Seraph,” Irene prompts gently.
Palina, perched like a queen on the arm of Kale’s chair, fans her cards one-handed and sighs. “Don’t bore me by playing safe,” she says, glancing my way. “I want to see if our guest plays like she bleeds.”
I play my card, a low club that seems safe enough.
Reece takes the trick with a flourish, gathering the cards with clear satisfaction. “Not bad,” he says. “I’m just better.”
The game continues on, tension building as we approach the final rounds. I’ve managed to avoid most of the hearts, but the Queen of Spades still lurks somewhere in the deck, waiting to destroy whoever claims her.
“Last trick,” Hanae announces.
The cards fall one by one.
Saul leads with a high spade, forcing everyone to follow suit.
My heart sinks as I realize what’s in my hand—the Queen of Spades, that cursed card I’ve been dreading. “Shit,” I mutter, slapping the card down with more force than necessary.
Reece’s laughter fills the room. “Welcome to Hearts, darling. Sometimes you get the queen whether you want her or not.”
The final tallies are devastating. My score is astronomical, easily the highest at the table. Hanae wins with a smugly low count, gathering the cards like clockwork.
“Well,” she says, casting me an appraising look, “what shall I ask our newcomer?”
