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“It isn’t called stalking when it’s reconnaissance.”
“Don’t you have minions for that?”
“I like to get my hands dirty on occasion. Have you changed your mind about Scrabble?”
I was certainly changing my mind about trusting him.
“Maybe.” Still, I moved aside and let him pass. I should’ve kicked him to the curb and asked Phaedra Bridger to strengthen my ward against demons in disguise. Then again, if he’d wanted to hurt me, he’d had plenty of chances. I decided to persevere.
“If we don’t play,” Kane said, “I won’t be able to share my techniques that will help you defeat the cursed vampire.”
“His name is Otto.” I was still stuck on the image of Kane’s metamorphosis as I carried the bag into the kitchen. “What kind of demon turns into a blackbird? Male birds get all the pretty colors. Why not something more attractive like a blue jay?”
“Blue jays are assholes.”
“That’s fair.” I opened the box and set up the board on the kitchen table.
“Blackbirds blend in with the night. They suit me.”
I leveled him with a look. “You can’t choose, can you?”
“No.”
“So, you’re not really a demon. You’re a bird shifter.”
His brow lifted. “Wow. That’s… No.”
“What? Sometimes you look like a man and sometimes you turn into a bird. How is that not a bird shifter?”
“Because the blackbird isn’t my only form,” he said heatedly. “Do you get under everybody’s skin like this? Is that your real superpower?”
I smirked. “You tell me.”
“It most definitely is. As it happens, my other form is more noticeable, so the blackbird is my preferred alternate shape.”
“Color me intrigued.” I looked at the board and thought of a way to get to know him better, hence more trust. “How about this? Each time I win a round, you have to answer a question.”
He chuckled. “Someone’s feeling optimistic.”
“I’ll have you know I was educated at eleven different schools.”
He cocked an eyebrow. “I didn’t realize you had an advanced degree.”
“I don’t. They were elementary through high schools.”
“You were so clever that you put the teachers to shame, and they were forced to transfer you.”
“Something like that.” Okay, it was actually nothing like that, but it sounded better. I shouldn’t have made a joke about my many schools. In truth, it was still a painful subject for me.
We selected our tiles and began to play.
“I thought you were going to give me tips,” I said, after Kane managed a triple word score.
His eyes gleamed with mischief. “You changed the incentive. Now I want to win rounds so you have to answer my questions.”
Sneaky bastard.
“Are you hungry? I need a snack.”
