Teddy wasn’t foolish enough to believe he had no weaknesses. He loved far too many people, and he knew his family history. Love was an easy pressure point to exploit.
But he’d been so conditioned to temperance—too aware of the danger that waited for him or anyone else in his family to lower his guard. It was exactly why they were all so well trained. His parents had seen to that. Even Juliana, whom people often underestimated because of her beauty and poise at court, was a fierce fighter.
“Nothing to say?” Endros prodded, looking for a weak spot to apply pressure.
“You haven’t asked another question,” Teddy said.
“I wonder. Do you have your father’s same preference for pretty little goddesses?” Endros asked.
Teddy laughed again, this time out of sheer shock at the question.
Endros went rigid and his eyes narrowed. “I’m not usually known for my humor.”
“No, it’s just that I can’t stand Stella McKay.”
“Oh? Perhaps you’re not your father’s son.”
Teddy frowned.
“Don’t make that face,” Endros said. “That’s a compliment. Your father was weak and sentimental. All impulse and no patience. You seem to have more of your mother in you.”
It took all of Teddy’s concentration not to fidget under the god’s assessing gaze. Fear crept into the corners of Teddy’s mind, the hairs rising on the back of his neck. There was nothing wrong, yet a creeping dread washed over him.
He met Endros’s eyes again, and it hit him. This was Endros’s magic. His power was known to bring fear into the heart of even the bravest soldiers.
A sharp tug in his chest snapped him out of his daze. Stella must have felt his fear.
“I think you’ll find my whereabouts were well accounted for last night. I was with Stella McKay, Nathan Aiger, my sister Alexandra. Most of the patrons of the Poison Vixen can confirm I was there until mere moments before the body was discovered.”
Endros pursed his lips. “Yes. Stella told me about bumping into some other competitors and hearing death whispers just a few minutes before you arrived at the castle gates. Quite convenient.”
Teddy forced a frown. “Not terribly convenient for me, since I was drunk. I would have a hard time taking down most of the remaining competitors sober. I certainly couldn’t have done it in the state I was in last night.”
Endros eyed him for a long moment. “You may go.”
Teddy hesitated. It couldn’t be that easy, but he wasn’t about to stay and give the god a chance to pick him apart anymore.
He rose to his feet and walked across the room with casual slowness, even giving the god his back for a moment when he opened the door. Teddy turned and bowed before stepping out into the hallway.
He walked down the hall without looking back, barely breathing until he reached the end of the corridor, where he was surprised but relieved to find Stella waiting for him just inside a sitting room. Teddy stepped inside and sat down next to her.
“Don’t read into it, Your Grace. I figured it was best to stay close to the other combatants, just in case. That way, I’d have witnesses if someone tries to take me out or decides to get handsy again.” She nodded to Drew, who was glowering at her from where he sat on the far side of the sitting room. His hands were wrapped in bandages that made it look like he was wearing enormous mittens.
“No healers?” Teddy asked.
“Not from the contest,” Stella said. “I suspect Dixon tried to fix them, but burns are slow work. I found out the hard way when I was younger and learning to control my power. I had such a bad tantrum once that I burned my father by accident. It took a week for Lyra to fix what I’d done. A healer has to keep working layer by layer of skin andlet the swelling go down. It’s a very delicate skill and I think Dixon’s talents are more utilitarian—how to keep someone from bleeding out, set a bone, pull pain from an injury.”
Teddy had never thought about it. Fire had always been easy for him to control, but witches with fire affinities were known for their quick tempers, just like witches with storm affinities like him were known for being mercurial and memory witches were known for getting lost in thought. It was unclear whether affinity was influenced by personality or vice versa.
“That was smart, by the way—last night. You made sure he’d only be hurt if he touched you first.” Teddy tried to sound sincere but he could tell by her sneer that he’d done an effective job of ensuring they stayed adversaries.
“Try not to sound so surprised,” she snapped.
Teddy shouldn’t have been shocked that she’d been strategic. He just didn’t understand the way she switched so swiftly from rational to impulsive.
Stella rose from her seat and shoved the leather satchel that had been sitting next to her into his arms. “Jalen packed this for you.”
“You’re ready to go see your aunt?”
