Chapter 7 · The Betrayal Card

"You’re shaking, Cole. Is it fear, or are you just excited to finally meet your better?"

Silas Quinn didn’t even look up from his tea. He sat behind a mahogany desk that probably cost more than Cole’s entire childhood home, his posture so perfect it looked painful. The room was sterile, smelling of expensive ozone and old money.

Cole didn’t answer. He didn’t have to. He just slammed the Pact Deck onto the polished wood, the cards humming with a low, hungry vibration. The card on top—the Betrayal contract—glowed with a sickly, pulsing violet light. Silas’s name was etched into the card in ink that looked suspiciously like dried blood.

"I don't do shaking," Cole spat. He leaned over the desk, invading Silas’s curated space. "I do questioning. And right now, I’m wondering why my name is on a contract that says you’ve been skimming from my sister's soul-debt for three years."

Silas finally looked up. His eyes were cold, grey, and entirely devoid of empathy. He didn't flinch. He didn't even move his tea cup. "Your sister was a liability, Cole. A messy, emotional little thing. I didn't skim. I managed. There’s a difference.