Kade saw him smile, and while he couldn’t put his finger on why, it made his skin crawl.
The smile wasn’t as wide or theatrical as the rest of Merrow’s antics had been, and Kade wasn’t sure the crowd would even notice. It was the expression of a man who’d decided he’d won.
Something was coming, and Kade knew he wouldn’t like it.
Merrow shifted his weight, his blade loose at his side. His eyes were bright with an unearned confidence that had nothing to do with his skill and everything to do with whatever his plan to even the playing field would be. Kade racked his brain, knowing that something, somewhere, was coming. Merrow was almost flat-footed, no longer testing Kade’s range and abilities.
Ash bristled inside him, the unease growing with each passing second. “That’s not the smile
