Page 75 of Devil in the Details

“He’s been drawing power from his opponents. That’s why everyone who’s played against him has made unusual mistakes. He’s literally been draining their focus and decision-making abilities.”

Alarm flared in Delia’s blue-gray eyes. “Can he do that to you?”

Caleb smiled grimly. “He can try.”

She didn’t seem too reassured, but because they were already being called back to their seats, there wasn’t much he could do except flash her a smile and hope she understood that he had this.

At least, he hoped he did.

As play resumed, Caleb decided he should probably adjust his strategy. Instead of fighting Steve’s energy drain head-on, he created a circular energy flow within himself — a technique he’d learned years ago when he was messing around with his demonic gifts and figuring out what they could and couldn’t do. The energy shift was so subtle that Steve shouldn’t immediately notice…but effective enough to neutralize his advantage.

The final hour of play became a psychological battle as much as a card game, with Caleb manipulating his personal energy as needed to prevent his opponent from gaining an advantage. Throughout, Steve grew visibly frustrated, his usual tactics continuing to fail as they encountered the defenses Caleb had put in place.

The decisive hand came when Steve overcommitted on a flush draw that didn’t materialize. Caleb called his bluff, and Steve’s last chips slid across the table.

“Good game,” Caleb said, extending his hand.

Steve stared at him for a moment before reaching out and grudgingly giving one brief pump. As their hands touched, a jolt shocked its way through Caleb’s body — Steve trying one last desperate energy pull.

Nice try, buddy, Caleb thought, and allowed a flicker of red to show in his eyes as he held Steve’s gaze.

The other man’s eyes widened. “What the hell are you?”

“Just another player,” Caleb replied, holding back a grin. “For now.”

As the tournament officials announced Caleb’s advancement to the final round, he noticed Aaron Sanchez approaching from the spectator area. The other man extended his hand, even as he wore a smile that didn’t quite fit his face, almost as if he was unfamiliar with using that particular set of muscles.

“Congratulations, Mr. Lowe. That was quite impressive.”

As they shook hands, Caleb caught a glimpse of Sanchez’s eyes — and for a split-second, so fast that Caleb wasn’t sure he hadn’t imagined it, they flashed completely black.

Shit. The guy wasn’t just influenced by one the way Paul Reeves had been, but fully possessed.

“We’re looking forward to an exciting final tomorrow,” not-quite-Aaron continued, his grip a fraction too tight. “Aegis Holdings has high expectations for this competition.”

Caleb wouldn’t allow a single muscle in his face to twitch. “I’m surprised the tournament sponsors are taking such a personal interest in me.”

“Oh, they take a very personal interest in you, Mr. Lowe,” Aaron said, still wearing a smile that wasn’t much more than a baring of teeth. “More than you know.”

Before Caleb could respond, Aaron had turned and walked away, moving with an unnatural smoothness that sent chills down Caleb’s spine.

He doubted the real man had ever walked like that.

Delia approached him as the crowd began dispersing, her lovely face glowing with pride. “You did it,” she said. “That was amazing.”

“Yeah,” Caleb replied as he continued to watch Aaron’s retreating form. “But we’ve got bigger problems now. Aaron Sanchez has been possessed — completely taken over. And whatever Aegis is planning, it’s happening tomorrow during the final round.”

The cheerful flush in her cheeks abruptly disappeared. “What are we going to do?”

Caleb had already gathered his chips, and he waited now as a tournament official came to count them. With the man standing right there, he couldn’t answer Delia’s question but had to wait until they were alone again. Once the chips were counted and the official had moved on to the next table, Caleb said in an undertone, “We’re going to need more holy water. A lot more. And I need to talk to Ty again.”

“About what?”

“About disrupting ritual energy patterns,” Caleb said grimly. “I’m still not entirely sure of Aegis’s end game, but no matter what, we have to be ready to stop it — without getting ourselves killed in the process.”

Although she still looked pale, Delia managed to quip, “Oh, is that all?”

He grinned. “So far.”

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