Chapter 16:Octavius
IDIDN'T LIKE THIS. Not a single part of it.
From the moment the cards hit the table to the way Hugo smirked like the outcome was already decided in his favor, I felt myself teetering on the edge, waiting for the exact moment everything would go wrong.
I stood just behind Kara, close enough to reach her if I needed to, but far enough that I wasn’t distracting her or hovering. My gaze stayed fixed on the table as the game unfolded, tracking every movement, every shift of her hands, and every flicker of expression that crossed Hugo’s face.
Hand after hand was dealt, and the chips Hugo had produced sat stacked neatly between them, their soft clink the only sound breaking through the suffocating quiet that had settled over the cottage.
Hugo was a shark shifter, and I knew he had magic. I let my awareness stretch outward, instinctively searching for it, for any trace that he might be cheating. But I felt nothing. No pull, no distortion—nothing that suggested interference.
I wanted to believe that meant the game was fair, but it didn’t ease the tension building inside me. Because if he wasn’t using magic, and his stack was as high as it was, then he was good. And that meant I had tohope Kara was better.
My gaze flicked to her, and everything about her was calm. Her fingers moved easily over the cards, and despite everything on the line, her posture wasn’t tense at all. In fact, she looked relaxed.
Well, that made one of us, because I couldn’t help but pace behind her, catching brief glimpses of her face each time I passed, and even that was so composed, like she was completely unbothered.
I realized I had only ever seen her this calm after the touch of my tentacles, and why she wasn’t unraveling the way I was, I couldn't understand. Because this was dangerous. This was blood magic, binding and final, and if she lost, there would be nothing I could do to stop Hugo from taking her back to Zavier, though that didn’t mean I wouldn’t try.
I forced myself to trust her. She had been the one to propose this deal, after all, meaning she believed in her ability to win, and I couldn’t let my fear, my anger, or my constant instinct to protect her interfere with that.
Another hand passed, and Hugo leaned back slightly, a satisfied look flickering across his face as he slid his chips forward. Kara didn’t react. She didn’t even flinch, giving him nothing, and a quiet surge of pride moved through me at that. She wasn’t the same person who had walked into that gambling den all those years ago. She was stronger now, smarter too, and she was going to be fine. I had to believe that.
Hand after hand passed, and the chips kept sliding in Hugo’s direction as the stack in front of Kara steadily shrank.
Hugo leaned back again, rolling a chip between his fingers. “You’re slipping,” he said casually. “I expected more of a fight.”
Kara didn’t rise to the bait. She barely even looked at him as she folded once more. “I am fighting,” she said evenly. “You’re just not seeing it.”
Hugo let out a dismissive laugh. “That’s because there’s nothing to see.”
Another hand went out, and this time I shifted slightly behind her, my gaze dropping to the cards in her hand just before she slid them forward and folded again. Confusion tugged at me, because even though I wasn’t an expert at the game, from where I stood, I could tell she had a strong hand—one that likely could’ve beaten his. And yet, she let it go.
Unless...
I stilled, watching more closely as the next hand was dealt. The flop came out, then the turn, then the river, and I had to suppress a smile. She had a strong hand this round, no question about it. And still, she folded. This one was even better than the last—easily within the top ranks from what I remembered.
That was when it clicked.
She wasn’t losing. She wasfeedinghim those hands, letting him build confidence, letting him believe he was the one in control.
Bluffing.
That was what she was doing. She had taught me this exact technique when we played, explaining that it wasn’t always about the cards. Sometimes, it was about the story you told. And right now, she was telling himexactlywhat he wanted to hear.
