Nero found the bottle in the cabinet above the small refrigerator—a gift from Lux, unopened, still bearing a bright red ribbon. He set it on the low table between them, next to two glasses he had retrieved from a dusty shelf. Khione raised an eyebrow.
"A game," he said. "First to finish the bottle wins."
"And what does the winner receive?"
Nero thought for a moment. "A wish. Anything the loser can grant."
Khione studied the bottle, then him. Her lips twitched. "You'll lose."
"We'll see."
He poured. The whisky was amber, smooth, and smelled of oak and smoke. They raised their glasses, clinked them, and drank. The first swallow burned, but the second was warmer, and the third was almost sweet. They did not speak. They drank, their eyes locked, a silent challenge passing between them.
