Page 74 of Rising Out of the Darkness
“I don’t think I’ve ever played a drinking game,” I mumbled, hoping no one would notice.
“What?” Liam slammed his glass down on the table, splashing ale over the side. “We must fix this travesty immediately!” Liam shouted over the crowd of people who filled the small tavern. “Lucille, dear? Come over here, please.”
The woman who had been talking to Clara and Nayla made her way toward Liam. “You better not ask me for favors, especially since you still owe me for the last tab you left behind.” She raised an eyebrow, then placed her hands on her hips.
Killian and Liam both dove into their pockets, each tossing a handful of coins into her awaiting palm. My mouth hung open. “Just how large was your last tab, gentlemen?”
Everyone at the table burst into laughter, even Lucille. I slunk down in my seat, but I couldn’t help the smile that stirred within my lips.
“This coin is for our past tabs, and tonight’s, Freckles,” Killian said, tossing a wink my way.
“Well, if that’s the case, here you go, Lucille.” Declan tossed her a purse of his own. She leaned over and whispered something into Declan’s ear. “This should cover all the supplies they need,” he whispered back, giving me a small clue to the puzzle I was trying to figure out.
“Now that’s all settled, what can I get you fine ladies and gentlemen?” Lucille slipped the small purse into her apron.
“Another round of ale for us all, and two bottles of your finest whiskey with some glasses, please.”
“Of course, Your Highness.”
“Oh, and Lucille?”
She paused, whipping her hair around.
“You wouldn’t happen to have a set of dice, would you?”
She nodded, and Declan settled into a satisfied smile as she left our table to retrieve our order.
“Aleandtwo bottles of whiskey? I fear my liver may not survive the night,” I winced, partly joking, but also remembering what happened the last time that I’d had my fair share of whiskey.
Everyone laughed, then they got swept away in conversation. Declan leaned down close and whispered into my ear. “Wildfire, just relax and be yourself tonight.” His tender gaze assessed my doubtful one as he tucked my hair over my ear. “I’ll take care of you.”
Be myself.Sadly, I didn’t even know how. Twenty-three years of life and I was still trying desperately to figure that out.
Lucille dropped off our ales, whiskey, glasses and dice. The men poured whiskey into glasses and slid them in front of us all. Killian rolled the dice between his fingers. “I should probably explain the rules to Elena, eh?”
“Of course, you brute,” Clara said, slapping Killian in the shoulder. Nayla caught my expression at the same time, both of us sharing an amused smile.
“Yes, please explain, you brute,” I said, causing both Killian and Clara to blush.
“Okay, Freckles. The object of the game is to roll even numbers. You roll anything else, and you’ll have to take a sip of your whiskey. If you run out of whiskey, well, you can start sipping your ale. Got it?”
Dear gods, I really might not walk out here alive.
“Got it,” I declared with all the false bravado in the kingdom.
Declan, Killian and Liam all exchanged a mischievous glance.
“I propose that we put a wager on the game,” Declan proclaimed. Both Killian and Liam raised their glasses in approval.
“Why am I not surprised?” An annoyed sigh followed Nayla’s words. “Alright, what is your wager, gentlemen?”
Liam and Killian both looked towards Declan, waiting for him to make the decision for them. “Ladies versus men. The best of five rounds wins.”
“Seems too easy.” She folded her arms as she lifted her brow. “What does the winner receive?”
Declan leaned back, stretching both hands behind his head, taking his time to ponder the request. All our gazes were locked on him, and I lifted my glass of ale to take a long sip. His malicious gaze shifted to mine, causing me to inhale my drink. Mirth spread over his face as I cleared my throat a few times to recover.
“If you ladies win, the three of us must get up in front of the entire tavern and do a little song and dance for everyone. If we win, you all dance with us for the rest of the evening.”
