Ian laughs when he sees me, but the laughter doesn’t reach his eyes. “Why should I?”
Jericho continues to thrash, and I know he doesn’t have long.
“Because…” I scramble to come up with a reason that’ll satisfy Ian. I have the fleeting thought that Thane and the others will kill me if they find out I’m putting myself in the middle of this. They’d given me strict instructions to keep my head down and finish my classes without drawing attention. I let out a nervous laugh.Too late for that now.“Because you want to winthe games, don’t you?” I blurt. “You should kill him when the queen is watching.”
Surprise fills Ian’s features, and he looks like he’s considering what I’ve said. Jericho’s arms stop flailing, and then Ian yanks him back, pushing him further back in the chair. Jericho lets out a loud gasp, and he coughs and splutters, his expression wild and frantic.
Ian pats Jericho’s chest, but he’s staring at me when he speaks. “You know what, you’re right, Token. It would be a shame for the queen to miss that.”
“Shade,” Kenzie hisses at me.
Ian releases his hold on Jericho, and Jericho falls from the chair, scrambling to his feet and rushing from the room without a backward glance.
“But you know what else I’ve realized?” Ian says, still staring at me. “You were supposed to die during that hunt,Token.” He spits as he emphasizes the nickname. “So I don’t think it matters if you make it to the games. It’s a disgrace to this academy that you even made it this far.”
“Look at you, making poor choices again, child,”Elgen tisks in my mind.
“What was I supposed to do?”I send back.“Watch while they torment Jericho for no reason?”
“War is death,”Elgen replies.“You’re going to see a whole lot more of it if you manage to survive long enough.”
“This isn’t war,”I reply to Elgen.“This is a school.”
“Correction, this is a war academy in the shadow realm,”Tarlaz croaks.“And you won’t be able to save every student who gets into trouble.”
“I know that,”I reply.
“Do you?”Tarlaz asks. There’s something about the way he says it that sets me on edge.
Ian takes a step toward me, and there’s the scrape of a chair as Kenzie leaps to her feet.
“What are you doing?” I hiss.
“I don’t know,” she rambles back. “What areyoudoing?”
Ian scowls at us, looking like he still intends to come for me, but I’m surprised when Jensen pushes his empty plate away from him and stands as well. He turns, crossing his arms as he glares at Ian and his crew.
Ian scoffs. “What? Are you standing up for the Token, now too?”
“This is a dining hall,” Jensen says, shrugging his broad shoulders. “If you want to compensate for your tiny dick, do it somewhere else and let everyone eat in peace.”
I’m pretty sure everyone in the room stops breathing.
It’s official. Jensen has just turned into bestie number two.
Ian’s face reddens, and his shadows start twisting around his arms. A vein pops out on his temple, and I think he’s about to send out a wave of power when a familiar haunting tune plays through the dining hall, signalling the end of our lunch break.
Disappointment floods Ian’s face, the anger still simmering in his expression. “You think you’re doing them a favor,” he spits at Jensen. “But when the games come, you won’t be able to protect them.”
Jensen just gives him a bored expression, and students start filtering out of the hall, undoubtedly glad to escape the situation.
I don’t like the look Ian gives Jensen, Kenzie, and me before he leaves the room. Paiton and Izzy snicker as they pass me, but Satine doesn’t even spare me a glance.
“Oh crap, well if he hadn’t wanted to kill me before, he definitely does now,”I muse to the shadows. After the obstacle course, my guys tried to find out who had sabotaged the climbing wall. There was no evidence to track down who was responsible, but I don’t think I have to guess to know who did it.I’m pretty sure if I told my guys about Ian’s hatred for me, they’d take him out without any questions asked, and I know I might actually have to say something if it gets any worse. It’s one thing if Ian has it out for me, but now he has his sights set on Kenzie and Jensen, too.
“Next time when I say run, girl, you run,”Elgen rasps in my head.
I don’t argue.
