Games Demons Play (Mystic Isle, Book 3)

by Selena Blake

  “Then you need to play. I love that you are the best at what you do. It is very sexy. You have a reputation to keep.”

  Groaning, he stood, pulled her flush against him and murmured something in German.

  Coco was right. Izzy did feel different. Light. Free. Ready to follow wherever Shade led. Izzy Lukin was in love.

  “Come on. Let’s go meet your friends before I take you back upstairs and ravish you again.”

  “Ravish away, demon.”

  “Temptress.”

  They walked down the hallway toward Club Daylight, hand in hand. Her last boyfriend had never held her hand in public. He’d told her he did not like that sort of thing. Izzy had missed the intimacy.

  A man shuffled out of the Tiki bar right into their path. He apologized quickly, glancing first at her, then up at Shade. “Joshua! Good to see you, old friend.” He stuck out his hand. Izzy didn’t recognize his accent but knew the scent of a werewolf. “Killed any vamps lately?”

  He grinned up at Shade as if he hadn’t just bruised Izzy’s heart. Killed any vamps? When had Shade killed vamps? She pulled her hand from his and hooked it over her hip. Her fangs lengthened and she didn’t bother to keep them hidden.

  The werewolf noticed her movement and did a double take. His smile disappeared and he glanced up at Shade. “I just meant… Those were the good old days, right, buddy?”

  He bumped his fist against Shade’s upper arm.

  Shade didn’t respond and that was all the more damning, but Izzy could not keep quiet. “Good old days?”

  She spun on her heel and left the two barbarians standing there with their jaws on the ground. Shade called her name but she picked up her pace. The emotional toll of the game, mixed with her anxiety over Valencia and her feelings for Shade, left her raw. She did not want to hang around to hear the explanation. Not right now.

  Shade had had plenty of opportunity to tell her that important little detail about his past. She’d told him her story, laid her pain out there for him to see and understand. Why had he failed to mention he’d fought with the wolves?

  Running her fingers through her hair, she headed for the Club Daylight by herself. Shade called her name again but she didn’t stop until he stepped in front of her.

  She shoved her hands in her back pockets and stared up at him, eyebrow raised. Something inside her demanded she let him tell her his side of the story. His past was his past, just as hers was. But he could have told her the truth days ago.

  “I should have told you.”

  “Yes.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “That I found out or that you did not tell me yourself,” she queried, not ready to let him off the hook.

  “Izzy, that was a very long time ago. I was young, green. The wolves told me to pick a side and I did.”

  She wanted to tell him he picked the wrong side, but that wasn’t true. No one was a winner where the war was concerned. The truth was it continued to cause damage a hundred years later.

  “Let me guess… You did not even know what you were fighting for. Where have I heard that before?” Had weres and vamps really been that gullible a hundred years ago? Either way, she was tired of the excuse and wanted some time alone.

  She stepped around him and walked away, heart aching. Coco and Avery were coming out of Club Daylight and saw her. Her expression must have been wild because they met her halfway.

  “What is it, chérie?” Coco asked.

  “Shade fought in the war. Against our kind,” Izzy told them.

  “Oh, sugar. I knew he was too good to be true,” Avery said. “Come on. Let’s go get a drink.”

  “We’ll go the back way to the cottage,” Coco said with a sympathetic smile. Avery nodded.

  Drinking with her coven mates was better than drinking alone. Izzy was so grateful for her friends. She did not know where she’d be without them.

  With Avery on one side and Coco on the other, they looped arms and took the side path to the cottage they normally rented. Avery liked to be right on the beach where she could tumble out of bed and go for a run.

  “Tell us everything,” Coco urged.

  Izzy did.

  “He sounds remorseful,” Avery said. “That’s something.”

  They stepped into the cottage and a sense of familiarity hit her.

  “I’m not so mad about what side he picked.” Of course she felt a great sense of loyalty to vamps because Valencia turned her and a werewolf attacked her. But it was more than that. She’d showed him her cards. Told her him her secrets. “Why did he not tell me himself? After I told him my story. After Grayson told him how I felt about wolves?”

  “Felt?” Coco asked, hopefully.

  “Is he hiding something else? Something more…”

  “Sinister?” Avery inserted.

  Izzy nodded. “I have no more secrets…”

  “I doubt it. He’s a man, chérie. He probably just didn’t think it was important. When he looks at you he probably gets too hot and bothered to think about anything else. He’s not thinking about the past, but the future.”

  Avery was probably right. Izzy hoped she was.

  “But now I must make him swallow his tongue. Yes? It is the last round of the tournament and he should suffer a little.”

  Avery clapped and grinned. “Vengeance will be ours.”

  “I thought I heard voices.”

  The three of them jumped at the sound of Valencia’s voice. The dark-haired beauty strode out of her old bedroom, and Avery shot Izzy a worried glance.

  “How were things in New York?” Coco asked.

  “Very good. What are you all doing here? Is there a sale on spa treatments?”

  Coco laughed. Izzy didn’t feel nearly as at ease. She wanted, desperately, to tell Valencia the truth. But if Valencia exploded, Izzy would not be in the right frame of mind for the final table. “We’re supporting Izzy. She’s playing in the poker tournament.”

  Valencia smiled. She didn’t seem suspicious that Izzy was playing poker again after swearing off years ago. Izzy’s guilt increased. Valencia shouldn’t have to be suspicious.

  “What’s this talk of vengeance?” V settled her lithe frame on one of the elegantly tropical chairs.

  “Izzy needs to create a distraction at the final table,” Avery told her.

  “And make Shade swallow his tongue,” Coco added.

  “Shade?”

  Izzy pulled her lower lip between her teeth. “My lover.” Was he still her lover?

  “Good for you.” Valencia’s smile was warm and genuine. “You’ve been busy while I’ve been away.”

  “It has been a long week,” Izzy agreed.

  Had it only been a week?

  “And Shade is at the final table with you?”

  Izzy nodded.

  “Well then, you’re going to need an incredible dress.”

  That was an understatement.

  “Time to go shopping,” Avery said, her excitement bubbling up.

  “I have something in mind. I’ll be right back,” Valencia said and flashed.

  “I should shower,” Izzy said, heading for the room she and Coco had shared.

  Fifteen minutes later she was clean, refreshed and wrapped in a thick terrycloth robe that bore the Mystic Isle logo. Coco and Avery were facing each other on the couch, talking quietly. They smiled up at her as Izzy entered the room.

  “Shade came by. He wanted to talk, but I sent him away with Grayson.”

  Izzy circled around to face them, worrying her lower lip. “Will you have Grayson give him a message for me?”

  Coco’s smile brightened her blue eyes. “Sure.”

  “Tell him I showed him my cards. He should have shown me his. I’ll see him at the final table.”

  Coco retrieved her cell phone just as Valencia returned. Her slender arms were laden with garment bags and Avery hopped up to help her.

  “I thought if Izzy was going to dress up, we should all go show our support.” Va
lencia’s smile was sincere yet ruthless. “I brought something for each of us.”

  Avery took the bag full of shoe boxes and laid them out on the couch.

  “I do love to play dress up,” Coco said, peering over Avery’s shoulder. “Let me go make this call, then we’ll start on Izzy’s hair.”

  “Avery, I thought this looked like you.” Valencia, graceful as always, unzipped the first garment bag to reveal a tangerine dress. “Short, strapless with a hint of sparkle at the waist with a chiffon overlay.”

  Avery squealed. “I know. I know. I’m such a girl. But it’s incredible. Exactly what I would have picked.” She stripped right there in the middle of the living room and pulled on the dress. “Zip me up,” she begged.

  After adjusting her breasts and flipping the curtain of raven hair over her shoulder, she straightened and lifted one shoulder in a how do I look gesture. Her fangs were down and her eyes were bright with pleasure.

  “Gorgeous,” Valencia said.

  Izzy gasped.

  “What’s wrong?” Valencia turned to Izzy, hands hooked at her waist, emphasizing her slender frame.

  Izzy licked her lips. “I crashed Gorgeous. I am so sorry, V. I could not help it. She begged to be driven.”

  Valencia’s dark, perfectly shaped brows rose in surprise. Izzy blinked back the tears in her eyes.

  Second after second ticked by as Izzy waited for Valencia’s temper to blow up. For her to rage and tell Izzy to get lost.

  “So you’re trying to win the money to pay me back, is that it?”

  Why did she sound so calm? Izzy nodded.

  “She’s doing really well,” Avery said. “You should have seen the last hand. She squashed the guy like a bug.”

  Valencia glanced back and forth between them as Coco strode over. Izzy didn’t know what more to say, but she thought she might hyperventilate. Even that couldn’t get her out of this mess.

  “What’s going on?” Coco asked.

  “Apparently Izzy crashed Gorgeous.”

  Coco’s head swiveled in Izzy’s direction. “You told her?”

  “I had to. She would find out anyway.”

  “And you’re at the final table?” Valencia asked.

  “Yes.”

  Valencia nodded once and her sleek bob didn’t even move.

  “Then,” she said, reaching for another garment bag. “You’re going to need this.”

  She unzipped the bag and pulled out a stunning red dress. “There are matching peep-toed stilettos to go with it. Sprinkled with crystals, just the way you like it.”

  Izzy stared at the sparkling fabric. It was the essence of slinky, sexy gorgeousness that would make her man trip over himself. She smiled.

  “Try it on,” Valencia said, pushing the dress into Izzy’s hand.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Shade heard the murmurs before he saw what was causing the commotion. Grayson paused mid-sentence and they glanced across the crowd. At least half the people in the cavernous room were watching something… or someone.

  He saw a flash of blonde hair. A trace of lovely black skin. A sleek brunette bob. And a stripe of tangerine fabric against lovely hazelnut-colored skin.

  Each of the four women wore a different vibrant color, but he was focused on the woman in the shimmering red dress. The material hugged her curves almost indecently. Each sequin reflected light as she moved. Worse than the fit, he noted as she drew closer, was the way the strip of silver crystals accentuated the plunging neckline.

  “You all right?” Grayson asked, his voice low and quiet.

  Shade swallowed. “She’s trying to give me a hard-on.”

  The wolf chuckled.

  The makeup was back, though softened and more seductive. He liked the way the kohl brightened her eyes. And the red lipstick… he could just imagine that leaving its mark across his body.

  He studied her face, trying to gauge her mood, but she reminded him of an ice queen. Cool. Aloof. Unreadable.

  Just before she got to the stage the woman in orange, Avery, said something to Izzy. They pointed to a row of seating at the end of the poker table. Izzy cracked a smile, and something inside of him eased. He hadn’t seen the tall brunette before but she squeezed Izzy’s arm.

  What was she saying? And why did Izzy look like she had tears in her eyes?

  “Good luck,” Grayson said before heading toward his mate.

  For the first time in a long time Shade thought he might just need those good luck wishes.

  Izzy nodded at something the brunette said and then met his gaze. She gave him a small smile and stepped onto the stage. Shade didn’t need to look around to know that she was drawing attention. He could feel it. Especially from Marc Corrigan, who was currently in second place. The werewolf didn’t even try to hide his desire.

  Shade looked away from the man, lest his blood pressure rise and he lose his temper. He better than anyone knew the devastation jealousy could cause.

  She was obviously taking the whole distraction thing to heart. He didn’t blame her. She had assets no one else he’d ever sat at a poker table with had. And that dress displayed them all to perfection.

  The gorgeous little pixie stopped in front of him, close enough to touch, to pull into his arms and kiss that lipstick right off. Staring up at him, she took a deep breath and spoke first.

  “Is there anything else I need to know about you? Skeletons? Dead bodies? Travesties against my kind?” Her fingers remained laced in front of her.

  Shade had been prepared to plead his case. To remind her that the past was the past and they were still getting to know each other. He quickly regrouped. “You’re not still upset?” Could a few hours, a bit of makeup and a new dress change her perspective?

  “Being mad hurts no one but me,” she said with a shrug. In that moment she was both grownup and the epitome of innocence. Not the jaded woman she could have so easily become but resilient. “I try not to be upset for too long. That’s no way to live.” The corners of her lips curved up ever so slightly.

  Shade’s jaw dropped a little. This beautiful vampiress had wisdom beyond her years. And she was giving him another chance… to explain and to earn her trust. Feeling a little awestruck, he grabbed her hand and pulled her to a quiet corner of the room. A row of tall, thick palms shielded them from prying eyes.

  “Full disclosure,” he murmured, taking her hands in his. No one liked reliving the dark moments of their past, least of all him. But she’d shared her story, freely, with very little prompting. And he could see now that that was how she lived. Out in the open. No guile. Honest and upfront. He found that more than a little refreshing.

  “I’d just turned thirty-one when I met a woman… who turned out to be a thief and was married. Her husband thought she’d cheated on him… and I was the scapegoat.”

  “He confronted you?”

  “No. He shot me in the back. Without giving me a chance to explain that his wife and I, although attracted to each other, had never become involved. Valencia rescued you. Lucifer rescued me.” Shade gave a short laugh. “He said I’d done nothing worthy of my death and that he had a position for me. While he wasn’t officially on either side, the weres and the vamps—”

  “Were at war,” she finished.

  He nodded.

  “And you sided with the weres.” She pulled her shoulders back a fraction. “I don’t have to like it. But I do understand it.”

  He squeezed her hands, trusting her. Trusting in them.

  “I got the name Shade on the battlefield. Because I’m tall… one of my buddies said that ‘shade’ was the last thing my enemies saw before they died. The name stuck.”

  “I believe it.”

  “Please take your seats,” the announcer interrupted via the sound system.

  She glanced over at the table but quickly returned her attention to him.

  “There’s one more thing you should know about me—” He cupped her cheeks in his hands. “I’m crazy about you.”
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  Her smile was slow but radiant and eased his worry. They were going to be okay.

  “Good.” She stretched up and kissed him. It was too chaste but he didn’t think everyone would appreciate waiting for him to kiss her thoroughly.

  “No short-stack jokes,” she whispered against his lips. Laughing, he escorted her to her seat.

  Two hundred and seventy-six hands later, Izzy leaned against the padded table and rubbed her right temple with her fingertips. Ignoring the man on the other end of the table was harder than she’d thought it would be. He wasn’t just another player, an adversary. He was her lover.

  Since Marc had lost his spot at the table six hands ago, Shade had been playing too conservatively in her opinion. The gorgeous, lovable jerk was going easy on her. She would have none of that.

  She’d earned her spot. More importantly, she was tired of sitting here under these spotlights. Was anxious to finish the game and snuggle close to the man who made her believe in fairy tales again. She felt like a princess, complete with the dress, fabulous shoes and sparkling jewels. And of course, the handsome prince. All thanks to Valencia.

  As the dealer dealt another round, she glanced over at her beautiful brunette coven mate. She couldn’t believe the girls were still here. The sun had come up hours ago and would set soon; they’d been playing so long. But Valencia and Coco, along with Grayson, were still there, just off to the side, drinks in hand. Where had Avery run off to? Sitting still wasn’t her idea of fun, so Izzy didn’t blame her if she had skipped out.

  “It’s just a car, Izzy. That is what insurance is for,” Valencia had said right before Izzy had walked onto the stage. It was not the reaction Izzy had expected. But then, nothing about this week had been as she’d expected. Not the wreck. Not Shade. Not Valencia.

  Perhaps Izzy had been zapped to an alternate universe.

  “Miss?”

  The dealer’s voice pulled her back into the game and she peeked at her cards. Pocket kings. A good hand to be sure. Licking her lips, she pondered her bet.

  “Three million,” she said.

  Shade met her bet. She swiveled atop the chair and stared over at him. Was he as ready as she was for this to be over with? It was hard to tell. He had the best poker face she’d ever seen. Handsome. Stoic. But then he met her gaze and she saw a flicker there. Impatience. Lust. Love?