Nadine Book 7

54. Poker

It doesn't take long, and we hit open ocean. The waves get bigger and the boat rocks more. Dipak drops all the sails and we start flying. It's amazing. Everyone sits around watching for a while. The wind and the sea spray. It's perfect.

Then Coral drags me and Thora back to the conference room.

"You know, we could move the table and chairs out of here. This would be the perfect spot to practice shifting. We can always conference somewhere else for the time being."

"That is true."

"Let's conference. We're already here. Back to the reasons why Elek likes you."

"He looked kind of sick last night before the wolf thing. It seems to be bothering him that I thought he didn't like me."

"Yes it is. He said he's going to fix it. He's surely stressed about it."

Thora smiles. "He was really helpful with you last night. I heard him say you have a pretty face. While he was cleaning the blood off it."

Coral stands up. "You know he likes you. I can see it in your eyes. It is up to him to clean up now. Not us. Let's have this stuff moved out of here. We're working on your wolf shifting before everyone else figures out what we're doing and takes over the room."

I jump up. "Yes."

The 75th try later... I'm a dragon. I turn back into a vampire and lay on the floor. "UGH"

Someone knocks on the door and Coral opens it, rubbing her eyes. Elek and Dipak are standing there. They stare at me confused.

Dipak crosses his arms. "Are you in here practicing shifting?"

Thora jumps up. "That's exactly what we're doing. Go away. And don't tell. She wanted some space to practice without everyone in her hair."

"How's it going?"

Coral shakes her head. "Dragon 75. Werewolf 0. Bring alcohol next time." She shuts the door in their faces.

They come in laughing.

Dipak squats down beside me. "Remember how I told you how to shift to a dragon?"

I shake my head and rub my eyes.

He helps me up. "Close your eyes. Now imagine yourself as a wolf. Let it sink in a minute. The pretty white hair. The paws. Now step into it."

I take a step and open my eyes. I see white paws. I jump up and down, and tackle him. I lick his head. Then I throw myself down and rub all over him.

"Good girl." He rubs my back.

The girls and Elek laugh. His hair is everywhere where I was licking him. I yipe and my tail is going crazy. I watch it. It does have a mind of its own.

"Now shift back. Imagine yourself in your human form. Those pretty fingers and toes. That long hair."

"Dipak, she'll be naked."

Dipak shoves Elek out the door with 1 push. "I forgot about that."

Thora nods. "Honestly, I think he did too. He wanted to see her shift."

Coral nods. "Yea, he tensed when I said naked too. He wasn't even thinking about it. We have more clothes for her. But yea she would have been naked for a minute."

Dipak rubs my head. "Imagine yourself as your human form again. Now step into it."

I step and I'm human. I smile and hug him.

Thora shakes her head. "No naked hugging. It's weird."

Dipak kisses my head. "Now you can practice for real sweetheart. And I'll put an access list for the room. No 1 but your mates, these 2, and Mary."

"Thank you. I didn't think about it either."

"I'll leave and you practice more. I'll give you a half hour before I tell the boys what this room is now. Is that enough time for you to get it?"

"Yes. That's perfect."

I shift back and forth so many times. By the end of the half hour, I am fast.

Then someone knocks on the door. I shift to a wolf and Coral opens it.

Nikolas walks in. I jump up and down. Then my tail catches my eye. I try to catch it and fall over. I wiggle around on the ground while they laugh.

He smiles. "Someone likes being a wolf."

Coral shuts the door and I shift back.

I put another unicorn island swimsuit on. "You have to visualize yourself as the wolf and then step into it. Then reverse that to get back. It is a lot like a dragon. I'm not shifting into anything for a while."

"Alright."

I throw my arms around him and give him a kiss.

"At least it's not naked kissing."

I laugh and give him another little kiss. "Let me know if you need anything."

"Thank you, babygirl."

The girls and I go to the bar.

Tye, Johen, and Elek are playing cards.

We plop down on the couches.

Coral rubs her eyes. "I never need to see you shift into a dragon again."

Tye smiles. "You got it though?"

"Yea, I got it. I need to remember the naked part. That could cause some problems."

"Yea, try to be careful."

Thora hits him in the back of the head with a pillow. "You were naked for breakfast you i***t. Don't tell her to be careful. That's not even right."

"I know. But it's still going to take a bit for us to get used to that. We know it's going to happen. She's going to shift back in front of a guard or something."

Johen nods. "Then he's going to stare at her or make some f****d up comment and die."

Thora nods. "It's more about respect than anything else. If a guard went on about his day and acted like he didn't see anything. It wouldn't be a big deal. But if stares at her boobs drooling, then yea, that's just stupid. He'll get killed."

"The first time Tye saw my boobs, we didn't know we were mates. I was underwater at a reef with him and Tre. A sea snake sack exploded on me. Tre reached over and ripped my top off. They got the snakes off me, then Tye gave me his shirt. He never made a big deal about it. I know Tre wasn't happy it happened like that, but he wasn't mad either."

Tye nods. "Yea, it was more important to get the snakes off you and get you covered again than to stare at your boobs. But if it happens again, I'll stare at your boobs."

I shake my head at him.

Coral stands up. "I'm going to go see what Samson is doing."

Thora moves over and sits with the boys. "What are you playing?"

"Poker."

"I want to play. I know how." She looks at me. "You know how?" I shake my head. "Sit with me. Are you betting with money?"

"No. Just playing."

I sit on the chair with her and they explain it.

"How do you play with money?"

"You bet on each hand and the winner takes the money at the end."

I jump up. "I'll go get us money to play with."

I run to Dipak's office. I find the money bag and take 2k out of it, then I run back and give everyone 100g.

"Where did you get this, Hun?"

"Dipak's office. We have to put it back. But we can pretend it's ours. I want to try and win money."

8 drinks later...

"I CAN WIN THIS 1."

"THAT'S WHAT YOU SAID ABOUT THE LAST 4. STOP BETTING ALL YOUR MONEY."

"BUT THIS 1 IS GOOD."

Thora rolls her eyes and gets us another drink.

Tobias comes in and sits down.

I stand up. "I BET 3 G."

"So how's it going?"

"We started with 100g each and a bank. She robbed the bank and lost all of its money too."

"I STILL HAVE 75G TYE. I BET 10G."

They all throw in 10g.

Tobias laughs. "Do you know how to play?"

"She's learning. We have to put the money back, so it's not like it matters."

Johen sits up. "I bet 5."

"RAISE YOU TO 10." I jump up and down.

Johen scratches his head and throws the money in.

"Lay them down babydoll."

I lay my cards down. "You bet all that on a pair of 3's babydoll?"

"It was something."

"That's true. It was something."

"I may need to go steal more money from the bank."

Tobias smiles. "You want some help?"

"Yea, that might be a good idea. I'll go get us some money." I get back and Thora hands me another drink.

"You know how to play, right? You know about pairs and 3 or 4 of a kind. You know about suits and getting straights, or flushes? And full house?"

"Yea, Thora showed me those." I move my chair right by his.

"You have to be sneaky in poker. You have to make them think you have a good middle hand and your deciding if you want to fold or not. That'll make them keep betting. Or you can make them think you have an amazing hand and will surely win everything if they don't fold and save what they can."

"I try to do that."

"But you can't do it all the time, or they figure it out."

"Oh."

"Now I'm going to pick up these 2 cards, so we can see them. But do not react to them no matter what they are. If it's a 3 and a 6 or 2 aces. It doesn't matter, no smiling. Nothing. Ok?"

"Ok." I get in closer to him, so I can see better.

He picks them up, and it's a king and a jack. "So that's it for now. We know what's there. We leave it alone."

"We don't bet on it?"

"It's better to see what flips first. That way we have a better idea of things."

"Why?"

"Say someone has a pair of 6's. That's amazing to start with. They may bet a little bit on them hoping another 6 turns up on the flip. But then the 3 cards flip and a 9, king, and ace turn over. Two 6's aren't going to beat a pair of those. Suddenly, those two 6's aren't great. So that person may fold or check to see what happens. But now say he was holding two 6's and 2 more 6's show up on the flip. They are going to try and get more money out of everyone because they will probably win."

"I get it."

"Good. He's going to flip the 3 cards now. Remember don't react. No getting happy or sad."

Johen flips over 3 cards, and they are 1 jack and 2 kings.

I raise my hand.

Tobias smiles. "You have a question?"

"I forgot what those 2 are."

He puts his arm around me. "No reacting though." He shows them to me and I scratch my head. "It's alright. Now we wait and see."

Tye bets 50.

I raise my hand.

"Wait till it's our turn."

Coral comes in. Then she walks right back out.

Johen raises. Elek and Thora fold.

"But that's all our money if we go in."

"Yes it is. What do you think?" He shows me the cards.

"Can we raise?"

"10."

"Do you really want to?"

"Yea, we can get more money from the bank if we lose."

"We'll raise 10g."

Johen and Tye call and flip over their cards. It looks like Tye will win, but then Tobias turns our cards over. "Full house. Kings high."

"I won money." I stand up and pull it towards us.

Then Thora cracks up laughing. "You guys are in trouble. He knows how to play."

"Nah, I'm not that good. She's good luck."

He's nice. I lay my head on his shoulder.

He keeps his arm around me, and we get 2 more cards.

He lifts the cards and it's 2 aces. I don't move or smile at all.

He leans into me and whispers, "Good girl."

I smile. Then I lay my head on him. Elek smacks the table and Tye stares at me with his eyebrows up.

Then the door flies open. "NO, I GOT IT. You have about 10 minutes until dinner." Dipak picks me up and sits with me on his lap.

I wiggle around on him. "I won money."

He winks. "Whose money?"

I giggle. "Your money."

Thora gives him a dirty look. "You can't take it back. We're using it for poker money."

"It's alright. How much did you take?"

"Like 2.5k or something."

Tye laughs. "It started out 100g each, but she keeps robbing the bank."

"It's fine. You can keep that in here for play money. Don't take it out. I'll get it when we get back to the castle."

I smile and hug him. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, sweetheart."

"You want dealt in, Dipak?"

"Yea, 1 hand. I got my good luck charm."

1 hand later we go to dinner. I sit between Dipak and Marcus.

I end up on Marcus's lap. I play with his hair and snuggle him.