Moira had a gaping space between her throat and neck. A couple tendons still connected the very back of her head to her body, unlike the rest, whose heads were several feet away. Ronen didn’t make it a clean cut. She had to be the one who choked on her blood.
Ronen gazed around with pitch-black eyes. He twisted Theon’s axe in his hand like he was ready to take on more. He waited, leveling every member of his military with an expression that said:try and see what happens.Not a single person moved or even twitched—except for MJ, who smiled as if she wasn’t surprised in the leastby Ronen’s behavior.
“I do not allow insubordination.” Ronen chucked the axe to the ground. “Understood?”
No one said a word.
“Understood!” he bellowed.
The warriorsof Hell frantically nodded, shouting, “Yes, Sir!”
He turned toward the crowd in the stands. “I hope you all enjoyed the last of the challenges. Please go and enjoy the ball that will start in an hour and reward your warriors with your generosity and support.”
Ball? Heavenly Hell.I’d spent the last several days so focused on trying not to die here today that I’d forgotten about that. Whose bright idea was it to have a formal ball after challenges, anyway?
The stunned crowd stood and filed out, but Ronen had already turned his back on them and everyone else. Now, his dark attention was on me.
He strode over to me. He reached out and gently brushed away some of my hair. “Moira punctured your spleen. You’ll be okay, but you need to get to the healers’ wing.”
I nodded, placing my gloved hand over his. “Thank you.”
The black in his eyes lightened the slightest bit. “For what, Hellion? You won. I was just doing my job.”
“Hell yeah, you did,” Oliver chimed in. He adjusted me in his arms, taking more of my weight.
Ronen’s lips twitched like they were on the brink of a smile. “Both of you ranked, you know.”
I lifted my head to the board and saw our names in first and second place.
“Didn’t I tell you,General?” I reminded him.
Ronen did smile then, and it was filled with unadulterated pride.
I studied every inch of his smile, searing the image into my mind. It transformed the hardened, threatening lines of his face, softening his fierce aura. It brought warmth and life to his eyes like I’d never seen before. I wanted to reach out and graze a finger against his tilted lips. Butterflies swirled in my stomach when the rest of his shadows gave way to the gold I loved so much.
“I know what I want as my favor.”
His smile dropped, and I couldn’t help but be disappointed. He probably thought I was going to ask for his help again.
“I want the dagger you found on me when you first rescued me.”
He frowned. “Why?”
“Well, for one, you stole it from me. And two, I just do. Is it on you?”
He seemed to want to ask more, but refrained. “No. I’ll see what I can do.”
Good enough—for now.
“Before you go, tonight, I’d like to talk to you after the ball, if that’s alright?”
“About?” My heart rate picked up at the seriousness of his expression. What could he possibly want to talk about? The night we argued? Aspen? Or something to do with today?
“Later. Go to Sam,” he said, giving me one last stare before leaving.
“If we’re going through with this, then it sounds like tonight would be the best time,” Oliver murmured.
“I agree.” I followed Ronen with my eyes, memorizing his walk, his stance, the way his shadows wove around his uniform. I held the image in my mind, next to his smile that I craved to see again.
