“You’re in luck,” he said, shifting nervously, knowing he should put more distance between them. He didn’t. “Because it so happens that I have the world’s most uncomfortable pair of blue contacts in my pocket this very moment. Perfect for concealing royal lineages and cheating during card games.”
“You’re mucking with me,” she said, eyes narrowed. “You’re doing that face.”
“What face?”
“That smirk of yours.”
He reached into his pocket and pulled out the case of contacts. “I can make you better ones, at some point. These will do for now.”
“Why do you have these?”
“A series of very poor decisions. Just put them on.”
She walked to the nearest advertisement on the wall and studied her reflection in the tarnished glass. “I don’t even look like me.” Her voice was a mix of both wonder and bitterness.
As Enne struggled to put on the contacts, Levi once again contemplated whether this was his last chance. The sirens outside echoed into the night, and when Levi closed his eyes, he still heard the sound of the gunfire that had ended the Shadow Game.
It would be easy. He would beckon her closer, grab her hands and close the distance between them. If not for her, he would’ve died tonight, and he would’ve died alone. If death was still their fate, then why shouldn’t he kiss her just like he wanted? Just like he knew she wanted, too? In Luckluster, he’d seen his desire reflected in her eyes. They might have survived the Game, but who was to say they would survive the night?
They had always been in this together.
But as she turned to him, her purple eyes now concealed with blue, a fear settled in Levi’s heart. She’d poisoned the most powerful don of the North Side. She recited street rules to herself. She was the daughter of a notorious arsonist, raised by a woman who’d lived a life within the shadows.
She was a Mizer. She was impossible.
They very well might die tonight, but the real danger stood only an arm’s length away. He could kiss Enne, in hopes of surviving the night—or he could let go of his desire, in hopes of surviving tomorrow.
“How do I look?” she asked.
He swallowed. “You look different. But the purple is gone.”
She took an unsteady breath and sat down beside him.
“Do you feel different?” he asked quietly.
“I feel...” She shook her head. “It sounds sort of shatz, honestly.”
“Try me.”
“I had the gun with me the whole Game, of course,” she explained. “But I couldn’t reach for it. Semper said something about the Game binding the players the moment we entered the House, so no cheating was allowed. But as soon as I touched the World card...everything changed.” Levi nodded. That was the moment he’d first noticed the new colors of Enne’s aura. “It was like I couldseethe magical threads of the Game, holding it all together, playing a song, and there were no more threads aroundme. And I could feel—can still feel—this presence in my head. Something that wasn’t there before.”
Levi’s skin prickled. Every word she said reminded him how much danger they were in, how dangerous she was. “You’re absolutely right,” he said, trying to sound teasing when really, he was terrified. “You sound shatz.”
She shoved him in the shoulder. “You should be nice to me. I can make volts now, or however Mizer powers work.”
“And you should stop hitting me. I’m more wounds than person.”
She reached out and brushed the bruise on his neck, gently enough that it didn’t hurt.
“These aren’t from Chez,” she said softly. “These are new.”
The memory of his last encounter with Chez returned to him, leaving a foul taste in his mouth. “I saw Chez tonight, too.”
Her eyes widened. “Did he try to challenge you again?”
“Not exactly. I started it. And...I also ended it.” Levi clenched his fist. He wished he could guess whether or not Chez was still alive, but he truly had no idea. He’d never meant to go that far.
“You don’t have to tell me,” she murmured.
