“I think our friendship will go so much smoother if you just recognize that I am right about everything.” Kate drew away and frowned. “Are you well? That tournament was scary—you were really hurt. Did it scar?”
Stella nodded stiffly. “I’m getting better every day. Are we okay, though?”
“That depends.” Kate glanced toward the doorway. “Is your father out there in the throne room waiting? Do you think there’s room in the family section?”
“Kate, don’t even start?—”
“What’s he wearing? He looks so good in green?—”
Stella swatted at her friend, and Kate ran from the room, cackling.
Her visit had the desired effect. Stella was bolstered by her teasing and felt as ready as she’d ever be to watch Teddy bargain with the gods for the right to fall in love with someone else.
The worst thingabout the location for the final event of the Gauntlet Games was that the walk from the rear entrance of the Olney Castle throne room to Stella’s place of honor in front of the dais was way too long. As soon as she stepped into the room, theweight of the collective gazes of half of the court pressed into her. The crowd parted as she walked toward the large dais.
She wasn’t sure what she was expecting when she walked out into the throne room, but it wasn’t to find Grimon, the god of death, in the godly seat of honor. He leaned back and casually ran a hand through his black hair, his lips tipping into a lopsided smile when he saw Stella. He nodded to her and his pale blue eyes momentarily flashed with power.
His brother, Samson, the god of lust, stood on Grimon’s left, running his hands down his iridescent golden vest and grinning widely at Stella. His dark, curly hair was fastened in a bun at the nape of his neck and Aurelia, the goddess of the harvest, hung on his arm and whispered in his ear.
The rest of the gods milled about behind them. Stella spotted Adira, Desiree, and Sayla huddled together with her Uncle Devlin, all of them recognizable as the children of Clastor by their bright blue eyes. On the other side of the dais, Cato leaned against the wall, his witch friend Skylar beside him. She winked when she caught Stella staring.
The royal families were seated on opposite sides of the raised dais.
Stella reflexively looked at Arden, but he was either fascinated by the marble floors or ignoring her presence.
Taking her place at the end of the line of surviving competitors, she saw Teddy all the way at the other end of the line beside Katerina Shank.
It was remarkable how the field had dwindled. With Christophe and Drew’s deaths in the final challenge, Dixon’s death in the battle afterward, and Fionn in the wind, only five competitors remained—Stella, Teddy, Katerina, Jeneva, and Rett. Unfortunately, it seemed the Roach truly did live up to his name.
Rett sneered at Stella when he caught her eye and she quickly snapped her attention back to the front of the room.
“Nice of you to join us, Lady McKay,” Grimon chided.
The bells began to toll, signaling the end of the day, and Stella gestured to them as if to prove she was right on time.
The god of death waited for the ringing to stop before he spoke again. “I’ve taken over as ceremony master as we are holding Endros for an inquisition in the Otherworld. This was a very unusual year for the Gauntlet Games. The rebellion broke the covenant of the Games and allowed you all to be freed from your binding pact, even though the final tiebreaker was still underway.”
Stella’s mouth was so dry. Her heart hammered in her chest as her mind called up the memory of how it felt to stand there with her hand around Teddy’s, trying to help him guide the dagger into her heart. The panic hit her the same way it had in the moment.
A soft, buzzing calm feeling filled her chest.
She wanted to sob. The awful, beautiful bond that she hadn’t wanted in the first place—that had become so dear to her and much too personal—was something she was going to have to learn to live with forever. Whenever she was sad, she’d feel Teddy sending comfort, and whenever he was worried, she’d have to stop herself from sending him peace. It suddenly felt impossible.
Her eyes burned and her lower lip began to tremble. Stella drew in a deep breath, trying to compose herself and focus on what Grimon was saying.
“The rules of the Games state that if the tournament is interrupted by an act of nature or any unforeseen emergency, the winner will be whoever was leading at the time of the interruption,” Grimon continued. “Now, there would be more room for interpretation of who was winning, but Teddy had a dagger pressed to Stella’s chest and he drew first blood.”
A twinge struck Stella through the bond, as if Teddy was trying to disagree.
“I’ve conferred with the rest of the gods and we have deemed Theodore Davide Savero the winner of this year’s Gauntlet Games.”
Thunderous applause broke out in the crowd and Stella forced herself to clap along with them.
Grimon held up his hands, and the applause died. “Step forward and make your request.”
Teddy took three steps forward. “I’ve given this a lot of thought. Having spent my entire life as heir to the Argarian throne, my focus has been only on what’s best for everyone else. My entire existence was about thinking of the kingdom first, as I was taught by my father. It’s logical to think that it would be easier to be loyal to your people when you don’t have to be loyal to yourself first. Although that’s a decision that was made for me out of love—I can see now how it’s limited my ability to truly understand what it is to have something to lose personally. This tournament and surrounding events have given me a glimpse of the heavy responsibility that comes with the crown as well as what it feels like to have something to lose.”
Stella steeled herself. He was framing his request so eloquently, but she wished he would just spit it out.
