“Thank you for accepting my invitation,” Charles said. “I didn’t think you would.”
“I won’t be scared away,” Sophia said firmly. “Not anymore.”
“Are you still scared of the dark?”
She stiffened. “No.”
But Jac knew that was a lie. In the tunnels beneath the Mistress parlor, she’d clutched at him in the dark. Another secret.
“Why did you invite us here?” Sophia asked.
“Because I wanted to see you. You’re the only family I have left.” He smiled, but it was false and sinuous. “Uncle Garth always used to talk about the importance of family.”
“If you’ve missed me at all, you’ve only missed torturing me. Terrifying me.” Sophia took a threatening step forward. “Every day since we left, I’ve dreamed of killing you.”
Charles licked his lips, like he could say the same. “Is that what you’ve come for?”
“No. Not until I take every last den in this empire. Until I convince everyone you’re even worse than the monster they say you are.”
“Monsters aren’t real, Sophia. You took our stories too much to heart.”
“Only because you carved them into mine.” She glared at him. “So that’s the only reason you invited us here? To reminisce?”
“Of course not. I wanted to make you an offer.”
Sophia narrowed her eyes.
“I’d give it to you,” Charles told her. “All of it.”
Sophia paused. “What do you mean?”
“The casino. The dens. They could be all yours to burn.” Charles reached into his jacket and removed two envelopes. He handed the first to Sophia. “As long as you’re willing to play a little game.”
Sophia grimaced and, with no hesitation, tore the envelope in two and let the pieces flutter to the floor. She pulled Jac closer toward the elevator, but Jac refused to turn his back to Charles, in case he later found a knife in it. “Clearly nothing has changed,” Sophia growled. “Go muck yourself, Char—”
“And one for your partner.” Charles held out the second one for Jac. “You have as much stake in this feud as she does.”
Jac halted, his heart pounding. “What game?” He couldn’t help but ask, even when Sophia shot him a furious look. He should turn away like she did, a united front. But it wasn’t like she’d ever kept them on the same page.
“The greatest one.” Charles took several steps forward, close enough that Jac could smell him. He reeked of disinfectant. “Life and death.”
Unlike the last envelope, Jac recognized his true name written across the front.
“I’m not taking that,” he growled, remembering the Lullaby in his last one.
“This is no trick,” Charles said. “It’s an invitation.”
Jac suspected he might know the game Charles meant—it was a legend. A game where the invited players always lost. And even if Levi and Enne had survived the Shadow Game, Jac knew better than to accept such an invitation willingly.
“It’s not the invitation you’re thinking of,” Charles urged. “Card games aren’t really your style, are they?Thisis more suited to your preferences.” Charles’s gaze fell on Jac’s lip, inspecting the scar there.
So, Jac guessed, Charles’s game was a fight. And if it was anything like the Shadow Game, then it would be a fight to the death.
If he won, then Charles would be gone, and Jac could watch this entire empire go up in smoke.
If Jac lost, then he would die.
Still, he grabbed the envelope. As he did, Charles’s cold hand slid around his wrist and gripped it tightly. He pulled his pocket watch out from his shirt as he held him. Jac tried to yank his arm away, but even with the help of his strength talent, Charles managed to hold fast.
