It’s on the tip of my tongue to scoff and say, “When have I ever been wise?” but I can’t do that anymore. I can never do that again.
“Cat’s reasoning is sound,” Griffin says. “The weaker we appear on paper, the easier our first round will be.”
“The weaker you appear on paper, the weaker you are,” Aetos snaps. “What’s the point of surviving the first round if you have no hope in the second?”
“Because it’s a ruse,” I say. “Wearestrong.”
“And you’d be stronger with me!” Aetos snarls.
Desma squeezes her eyes shut. “I’m pregnant.”
“What?” I cry.
“What?” Aetos roars.
She stares at her feet, not saying another word.
Aetos wraps his arms around her, lifts her up, and then holds her at his eye level until Desma finally looks at him again. When their eyes meet, he grins. It’s the biggest, widest, happiest smile I’ve ever seen on his blue face. “I love you.” He kisses her soundly.
Desma smiles back, rainbow tears glittering in her eyes. “I love you, too.”
Aetos lets her feet touch the ground again, and Desma leans in to him, the top of her head just reaching the bottom of his chest. He strokes her hair, his great, strong hands gentle on her. “But I’m still going.”
Desma’s face crashes like an avalanche, turning just as white.
“No, you’re not.” I cross my arms. I hate responsibility. Leadership is the pits. Disappointing the people you love is inevitable, and who knew it would start so soon?
Aetos faces off with me, keeping hold of Desma’s hand and swallowing it in his enormous grip. “You’re smart, Cat, but you never think. Turning down my offer is shortsighted. Stupid even.”
I lift my brows. “Please, tell me how you really feel.”
“I don’t want to die in some blood-soaked arena. But even if I do, it’s not just about you, or me, or any of us anymore.”
I stare at him. People keep saying that. It’s like a Giant beating me over the head with a club.All. The. Time.“Since when do you care about the greater good?” Aetos cares deeply for about a dozen people. As far as I know, his emotional ties end there.
His shoulders turn rock-hard, like a bull getting ready to charge. “Since I realized there mightbea greater good. Last night, the man who took over Sinta put a crown onyourhead. Today, you told us who you are. I know where this is going. I’ll help you get there.”
Aetos’s glacial-blue eyes bore into mine.Queen of Thalyriathey seem to say. His trust and belief in me are staggering. I haven’t even stepped up. Not really. I don’t deserve that gift. I can’t imagine how I’ll live up to it.
I hold his gaze, my own eyes hardening. “I want another woman on the team. Hoi Polloi. We’ll walk through our first combat that way.”
Aetos makes a derisive sound. “And after?”
Griffin moves closer to my side. “That’s when we’ll show them what we’re really made of, and what Cat’s magic can do.”
I look at him, my nerves in a tangle. It’s not just my own life on the line here. “I thought you didn’t want me anywhere near the arena.”
Lines bracket Griffin’s mouth. His eyes fill with shadows. “I don’t. I don’t want any of us there. But it’s a good plan. If you think we can do this, then I believe you.”
Panic licks through me. I don’t want to be the one making these decisions now. Part of me was actually hoping Griffin would talk me out of it, or even manhandle me into giving up the idea. Part of me still is.
“Then you agree with me on this?” I ask, not even sure I agree with myself.
Griffin doesn’t answer right away. He looks torn. Then, “Objectively, it’s a smart move.”
I glance at Nerissa and Anatole and wish I hadn’t. I’m about to drag two of their children into a bloodbath, and they know it. Piers’s accusations come flooding back. Jocasta looks like she’s seen a ghost. Kaia’s eyes are huge. Egeria seems like she might vomit.
I can’t blame her. I feel that way myself.
