Trickster Spades Novels & Stories

Once I’m seated, we all flip our cards. There are a few groans but one by one, each of the seven announces their cards. Evie is Wrath Veronica is Envy. Lazarus is Greed. Madison is Pride. Zephyra is Sloth. Simon is Gluttony. Which leaves only one card for me. “Lust,” I announce as I hold my card up for everyone to see. It is the ace of spades. Ace, just like my nickname. I almost want to laugh at my good luck. Playing the lust card against Liliana Adare will almost be too easy.

Hudson himself stood up with smiles at the cheerful gesture of his family members but the whole display only got me even more amused. “You do realize I haven’t opened my cards yet, right?” I announced and all their screams came to a halt. “You’ve lost already! He has Ace of Clubs, Ace of Diamonds, King of Spades! You can never beat that!” Amelia sneered smugly as she stared down at me from where she stood.

Then Tracey shuffles again before she deals each of them thirteen cards. Gordon wouldn’t really hurt a child, would he? Could he shoot someone who’d barely had any time to live? Kelly begins, placing down the three of diamonds. They make one round when Gordon plays down the two of spades, the highest card. How can this be? This is just like their game. How did the Beta manage to get the same card again? Gordon places down a combo, and Kelly looks ready to counter him. This is exactly the same game, nearly identical.

Even if he just held the card and forced a draw, I could live with that—as long as he didn't go out of his way to hand Tiffany the victory on a silver platter. Shawn looked away, a cruel, mocking smirk playing on his lips. "Tiffany, watch this," he said. He kept the Two of Spades in his hand and discarded the Eight of Diamonds instead. "Eight of Diamonds." Tiffany let out a squeal of delight. "I win! I was waiting for this Eight of Diamonds!" My heart felt like it was sinking into the bottom of the ocean. He had clearly drawn the card that could have helped me win, yet he chose to break up his own winning hand just to feed Tiffany the discard she wanted, even though that one move would cost

I teased, laying down a confident three of spades. Sandra’s eyes narrowed, a flicker of her old fire returning. "Don't get cocky now, Christian . You might forget I taught you this game." With a triumphant chuckle, she discarded a red seven, her eyes gleaming. The game flowed, a dance of discarded cards and playful jabs back and forth. I strategically placed a black eight, blocking Sandra’s discarded pile. "Clever, but predictable," she countered, her voice laced with mock disappointment. She countered with a perfectly placed red queen, opening a new discard sequence.

Tristan chose me. I am proud. When we arrived on the scene, Tristan introduced me to his father, who kissed my hand and patted it. I could tell it was a big deal for an Alpha to even bend his head far enough to kiss a hand. Tristan looked at me like I had passed a test. “Ladies and gentlemen, Alpha Connor and President Spader, tonight's fight is between Dylan Spader of Lunacy, and Dominic Kilpatrick of the Underground. The stakes are exile.” “Wait,” I say urgently to Tristan. “If Dom loses, does he get exiled?”

Something stirred inside me, and for a moment, I forgot to push him away. “Hurry up, play your hand!” The guys who had just lost were already urging me to make a move. I hesitantly placed a card down—the Queen of Spades. Trey smirked. “Not bad. Playing the Queen—might just turn things in your favor.” With a cigarette between his lips, he leaned over again, casually adjusting the cards in my hand. The truth was, I did know how to play poker—at least in theory.

Did she do it on purpose? "I forgot that when the Trump suit is the Ace of Spades, then the player that has the higher card of spades will win. And if there are no spades left, the players can play different cards, in the hope that the other one won't play the Trump suit. So, do you understand now?" She didn't give me a chance to answer and proceeded to the giving of cards. I need to win. "We'll play to three sets. The first one who wins 2 sets will be granted a wish. Well, I already know yours. I will tell mine later when I'm sure that you'll lose, which I am sure."

Looking down at my paws, my hand holds the Ace of Spades and the Jack of Hearts. Across the fire, Eustace holds a pair of Tens. His hidden hand isn't a mountain, but it isn't mud either. Since the blood-wager is already bound by the flames, there is no point deciding whether to raise or drop out. Eustace barks at the dealer to throw the first three community cards straight onto the table. The wood catches the King of Spades, the Three of Diamonds, and the Ten of Hearts. Right now, my hand holds a high track for a straight. But Eustace’s pair of Tens has already grown into a triple.