A man releases my cuffs, and I jump off the pedestal and tug Valentina to my side. I turn toward the judges and hold up my hand.
The crowd quiets.
I announce, "It's been fun. Thanks for the laughs. We're leaving now."
A low rumble erupts behind us.
I turn my head.
The floor at the far edge of the stage splits open, stone grinding against stone. Harsh, dry heat washes over the stage. A small circular table you'd find at a bar to stand at, along with a red-hot cauldron, rises from the depths with two metal rods. Flames lick the sides, hungry and wild, casting an angry glow across the dark room.
Inside the cauldron, I see them.
"What the fuck?" I blurt.
Valentina's body stiffens against mine, but she doesn't pull away. She murmurs, "You made it."
I glance down at her. "Great. Let's get out of here."
Her eyes meet mine for half a second, tangled full of relief, grief, and guilt.
The center judge rises to his feet. "Initiate Brax O'Malley."
Every gaze in the room swivels toward me.
I freeze.
"Profess your loyalty to The Underworld," the judge orders.
I snort softly, humorless.
Loyalty.
These bastards wouldn't recognize real loyalty if it wrapped itself in chains and bled on their floor.
I've been loyal my entire life. First to myself. Then to Finn, to Sean, to the entire O'Malley clan. I've taken punches and thrown them, kept secrets, stepped into fights I had no business stepping into, all because that's what you do when you belong to a family like ours.
I already pledged my loyalty for life. It's carved into my bones. And it sure as hell isn't to this cult.
I'm about to tell Valentina we're leaving, but when I look at her, a chill runs down my spine. She offers a tight smile and nods.
Her expression tells me the only chance to live is to do what they want.
These people are crazy. I put nothing past them. If I have to play along to get us out of here in one piece, then that's what I'm going to do.
"Step forward," the judge orders.
I reluctantly slide my arm off Valentina, my fingers dragging down her arm until they have to let go. I step toward the cauldron's glow.
Someone presses a piece of wood into my hand.
"It's to bite down on," Valentina says quietly behind me.
I arch my eyebrows.
She adds, "Trust me. Curl your fist, then put it on the table, thumb-side up."
My pulse hammers between my ears.
