"I know you're mad at me," Rhett said.

  "Oh, you have no idea," Dania growled, pushing herself up higher in the bed. "I'm fucking furious at you."

  "Dani, listen—"

  "No. You listen. I know you did what you thought you had to do because you wanted to save me. And I appreciate that. And I know you kept Jake safe, he told me all about your steampunk robot guardian angel thing."

  "Steampunk robot…what?" Rhett lifted the corner of his mouth in a half smile and took a step into the room.

  "Nevermind. None of that is the point, Rhett."

  "What is the point, then?" He walked further into the room and lowered himself into the chair where Jake had been sitting.

  "The point is that you took my fourteen-year-old kid to a police raid! How is that even legal?"

  Rhett let out a harsh laugh. "You're going to lecture me about legality? You left Knight's corpse in pieces!"

  "That was textbook self-defense," she spat. "He had me in a cell and had beaten me into unconsciousness once already."

  "What are you, a lawyer now?"

  "No!" Dania realized that she'd sat up in the process of arguing with him, and she flopped back against her pillows. "No, I'm Jake's guardian. And that will always come first with me. So yeah, I'm mad at you. I'm fucking furious with you, and I don't think I will ever be over what you did."

  "I did it to rescue you."

  "I know," Dania said. "And I appreciate that. But I will always choose Jake's safety over my own."

  Rhett had opened his mouth, as if to argue more, but then he shut it with a snap.

  "You really mean that, don't you," he said, his tone quieter, more thoughtful. "You would genuinely sacrifice your own safety for him."

  "I'd sacrifice everything for him," Dania said. "My safety, my happiness, my fucking life. Jake is my absolute number one priority. Always. That's what it means to be a parent."

  Rhett froze, his blue eyes searching Dania's. She stared back, letting him see the naked truth of her words. Long moments stretched between them, and then he nodded slowly, his mouth curving in a sad smile.

  "Okay," he said. "I get it. You're right, I don't fully understand…but I get it. And for what it's worth, I'm sorry."

  "Me too," she said, knowing that she wasn't talking just about being mad. Because she could see it in Rhett's face: Jake was right. Rhett cared about her, maybe could have loved her someday…but now that he knew where her focus was, he was backing away. Deep in her chest, in the secret places in her heart, it hurt. But she respected it. A man like Rhett deserved to be the center of his partner's life, and right now, she couldn't be that for him or anyone.

  Rhett's smile grew deeper, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. He held out a hand to her.

  "So, Dante said you could come upstairs to the dining hall as soon as you awoke. Want me to take you up there? Everyone's there, and they'd all love to see you."

  "You mean wheel me in like you did Kendra?"

  "Or just walk beside you," he said. "Whatever."

  "I'll take that second option," she said with a smile. "Thanks."

  "Sure thing. Maybe you can help me think through this job offer I got in Joliet…"

  ***

  Back in the Army, when Dania had returned to duty after the first time she was wounded, her NCOs had greeted her with a spectrum of enthusiasm ranging from a head nod to a grunt. Her friends had been a little more effusive, and her LT had formally welcomed her back in front of the whole platoon.

  This was a lot more fun.

  As soon as she and Rhett walked in Amari let out a piercing scream and bolted up from the table. She dashed over and threw her arms around Dania with such enthusiasm that Rhett had to pull her back before they all three crashed to the ground. Joe started a round of applause, and Machairi and Hush both joined in, as did little Ethan, sitting on Joe's lap. Audrey did not applaud, per se, but her hands burst into blooms of joyous red-streaked purple flowers, and Dania figured that was close enough.

  Even Kendra, who looked a million times better than the last time Dania had seen her, stood up from where she'd been seated next to Jake and walked over. In her arms, she held her baby daughter, who was swaddled up and sleeping through even Amari's incoherent shrieking and laughter.

  "I'm good, I'm good, Amari!" Dania laughed, grabbing her friend's shoulders and pulling her back enough that she could breathe. "Hey, Kendra! How are you feeling?"

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  "I'm wonderful, thanks to you and Jake and… everyone," Kendra said softly. "I feel like I should ask you the same question."

  "Dr. Dante fixed me up too," Dania said with a smile, still holding on to the bouncing Amari. "Fortunately for us both, he does good work."

  "Tell her, tell her, tell her!" Amari chanted.

  "Tell her what?" Dania asked.

  "Not you, Kendra. Tell her!"

  Dania looked over at Kendra. "Tell me what, Kendra?"

  "Well, um. While you were gone, I named my baby. I… I hope you don't mind but…this is Jacqueline Danielle."

  Dania's mouth dropped open, and a grinning Amari squealed.

  "Oookay," Rhett said then, taking hold of Amari's shoulders and steering her back toward the table. "How many double chocolate mochas have you had?"

  Dania let them go, unable to look away from Kendra and her baby.

  "I hope you don't mind," Kendra said again. "I just…you and Jake have done so much for us and I wanted to—"

  "I am honored," Dania said. "Jake and I both are, aren't we?"

  "I told her that," Jake said around a mouthful of what looked like enchiladas. "But she was nervous you'd be mad."

  "I just didn't want to overstep," Kendra said. "I know we aren't really family—"

  "We absolutely are," Dania said, reaching out to touch Kendra's shoulder lightly. "We one hundred percent are, and don't ever say otherwise, all right? You, Ethan, little Jacqueline… all of you." She looked up, raising her voice to include the others. "Everyone here. If you're in this room right now, you're family, got it?"

  Her eyes swept around the room, catching on Rhett's blue ones for just a moment before he looked down and away. Dania squashed the tiny pang in her chest and met Joe's proud gaze instead.

  "Well said, sister," the old warrior said, dipping his chin in respect. "Well said indeed."

  ***

  They spent the rest of the night looking through the cards they'd gotten from Landaine and his minions. They sat huddled around the largest of the tables in the dining hall, cards spread out before them in neat piles as they considered them and decided what to do.

  Rhett had given Amari the contact information for a pair of card brokers who would work more quickly than some of the more established dealers. He said they'd likely pay well for The Prince's Leverage card as well as any of the other cards they didn't want. In the end, Dania, Jake and Amari split most of the cards between them, passed along a couple of cards to Kendra, and gave almost a whole deck of Plant and Beast [Serpent] cards to Joe.

  "I'm pretty sure these belonged to one particular deckbearer of Landaine's," Dania said, her fingers stroking over a Venomous Thorned Serpent card. "In the end, though, she helped us defeat him after she realized that he'd deceived her. I promised her healing…but Rhett said she was dead when they found her."

  "I'll remember her," Joe promised. "That's all any of us can do."

  Dania nodded, wishing that weren't the case, but knowing he was right. The world isn't a pretty place. And no one ever truly wins the Great Game in the end. All we can do is cherish the victories we have along the way…and the people who help us earn them.

  "What about this one?" Jake asked, turning over another card and calling Dania back to the matter at hand.

  #

  Bartrill, the Fifteen Fingers

  Unique Uncommon Equivalent, Tier-7 equivalent Infernal (Imp) Creature

  1 Infernal Power

  Health: 9

  Attack: 4

  Defense: 4

  Magical Attack: 4(Fire)

  Magical Defense: 4

  Special: Filch: When this card comes into play it steals any one equipment card that any opposing deckbearer or creature card has equipped and equips it regardless of other requirements, gaining any numerical bonuses as if it qualified with all keywords.

  Special: Speedy: The first card with the speedy keyword played per 30 seconds doesn’t count against cards played.

  “Envy manifests in many ways, and forms the basis of multiple Infernal lords’ profiles. Bartrill has worked for more than one of them, taking a cut on this theft or that."

  #

  "Ooh, I wonder if that's how Landaine was able to get that nasty ring card," Amari said, leaning forward and propping her chin on the table. "This card is insanely powerful!"

  "You've got an Infernal deck," Dania pointed out. "This could play well for you down the line."

  Amari wrinkled her nose and pursed her lips, and then shook her head.

  "Nah," she said. "It's giving desperation and envy. That's not my vibe. Let's sell it. I bet these brokers will give us a fat stack for a Tier-7 equivalent card!"

  "Okay," Dania said with a relieved smile. "And this last one?"

  Jake turned it over.

  #

  The Lost Archive

  Rare Tier-1 Shadow Building

  0 power

  Null card: This card may not be played directly in the great game

  This card, when played, creates a multi-level fortress with a 100,000 square feet of total floor space. It creates food to feed as many people as are inside it.

  The Lost Archive exists in a nether realm and may only be entered at night, through the shadows of the deckbearer or those of the cards he controls, by concentrating for 30 seconds while taking no other action. Only people the deckbearer wishes to enter may do so.

  When they leave, they exit where the shadow they entered is. A deckbearer may enter his own shadow but will then exit in the same spot. Inside his realm, the deckbearer’s creatures have unlimited time in play.

  Special: Library of the Lost. When the deckbearer who has played this card enters combat, The Lost Archive provides its deckbearer with a side deck of four cards randomly chosen from the cards stored within. The side deck will automatically cycle every 1 minute.

  Special: Keep Your Voice Down, Please. The deckbearer may designate one creature or minion card to become the Archivist. That card will gain a unique name and personality appropriate to their original function, and will no longer be available to be played outside The Lost Archive.

  Special: For every 5 evolved orphan minions in their deck, the deckbearer gains 1 Shadow Power

  Special: Part of the Hidden Realm set. All buildings from this set will connect in their own nether realm. If all five buildings are possessed, the owner will gain the Night Realm ‘Realm’

  #

  "Dani…" Jake breathed.

  "That's why Landaine wanted the Night Haven so bad," Dania said. "He was also given one of the Hidden Realm cards on Drop Night."

  "A side deck too?" Rhett whistled. "That's pretty powerful, kid. One of the guys on the force has a building that grants him a side deck, and it's come in handy more than once. You gotta keep that card."

  "Of course he's going to keep it," Dania said. "It's part of his set."

  "Well, the set isn't mine yet," Jake said, running a finger reverently over the card. "But one day… it will be."

  "Hell yeah it will be, kiddo," Dania said with a smile. "Like Hush says, you're Nyx's Chosen. Seems like uniting the set and gaining the Night Realm might just be your destiny."

  "And you'll help me?" Jake asked, looking up at Dania, hope and trepidation in his eyes.

  Dania smiled. "Always and forever, Jake. You don't even need to ask."

  "We'll all help you," Amari put in. "Because we're family."

  "That's right," Dania confirmed, nodding. "We will do whatever it takes. For family."

  THE END

  THE STORY ISN'T DONE! I will begin posting chapters from Shadow Card Guardian II next week, and I am planning to release this first book in paperback and ebook format in mid-April. Yes, that means book 1 will be stubbed, but you've got a little time before that happens. So if you like this series, and you'd like to see more, please tell your friends, write a review, or consider .

  As always, HUGE thanks to John Stovall for allowing me to play in his world. As you know, this is a spin-off of his amazing Demon Card Enforcer series. , with . If you haven't checked it out yet, please do so, it's fantastic!