Galen lets out a noise of irritation that whispers across my ears.“Someone remind me why we never killed that one,”he drawls.
“That would be because your mate saved her,”Knox replies coldly.
Oh, riiiight. Yep, that was me. “And I’d do it again,”I defend, not feeling remorseful, even now. I saw what they were doing to Satine in that cell. It’s not like I could have left her there.
“You heard her, Satine,” Jensen says, crossing his arms and staring her down.
Like Ian thinks this is his cue, the man comes forward and cocks his head, eyeing Jensen up and down like a predator sizing up prey. Which is…laughable considering Jensen is a head taller than him, but hey, it’s not always the size that matters. “You know, you won’t be able to protect these rejects for long in the games,” Ian says, and there’s a psychotic gleam in his eyes.
“What about that one?”Raith rumbles in my ear.“We could take him out tonight before the games.”
“Yes,”Galen agrees.“I don’t like the way he keeps looking at our treasure. Hmm…we could feed him to the borsk. No one would be the wiser.”
“We’ve discussed this,”Thane growls low, and I’m not surprised he’s the voice of reason.“The samdian would be more inconspicuous. That creature is always hungry.”
I almost choke on my own spit.
“We need strong fighters in the games,”Knox whispers, his voice level, finally saying some sense.“The first challenges are always completed in groups. Not to mention, we need powerful competitors for the queen to focus on.”
The others all grumble, and I grin, not sure why hearing them talking about killing someone for looking at me is making me want to jump them right now.Huh. Talk about unlocking a new kink.
“This Ian guy’s not wrong, though,”Thane says, pulling me from my thoughts.“You won’t be able to rely on Jensen to keep you safe.”
I sigh heavily.“I know, I know, during the games I’ll be on my own.”
“Not only that,”Galen adds.“But there may come a time when survival means killing someone you see as an ally.”
That part makes my stomach twist, but again, it’s not a surprise. Galen is telling me it as a warning, but I’ve already thought of this, and I already know that if it comes down to it…I don’t think I would be able to kill either Kenzie or Jensen. They’ve both helped me at Shadowbone in their own ways, and I mean, what’s the point of making it through the games if I have to kill my friends to get there? That’s like the equivalent of selling your soul to the devil for eternal life. Only, unlike in someof my favorite romance books, this devil isn’t some sexy winged man who’s going to give me incredible dick.
At the thought of getting dick, I find myself studying Satine while she watches Jensen and Ian have their little stand-off. Suddenly, the revelation comes to me, and I blurt, “He has a massive dick, doesn’t he?”
Satine and the others jerk their gazes to me, looking completely bewildered.
“What the fuck?”Raith curses in my ear.“Please tell me she said he ‘is’ a massive dick, and not that he ‘has’ one, or that borsk will be gettin’ a meal tonight after all.”
I ignore him, too focused on my current train of thought. “That’swhy you’re with him, isn’t it?” I say to Satine. “It’s the only explanation. You can’t tell me that you’re with Ian because of his charming personality, and we all know he’s going to turn on you the first chance he gets during the games. So that leaves…orgasms. Yep. It’s the only explanation.”
Kenzie stares at me like she’s not sure whether she should be laughing or horrified, and Satine glares at me like I’ve lost my mind, but I know I’m on to something. Satine can’t be that stupid to trust Ian. His power is stronger than hers, and while I guess she could be using him for more than just his cock, either way, I think my comment stands.
Ian is grinning now, clearly liking the focus of our conversation, because he thinks I’m giving him a compliment when all I’m trying to do is suss Satine out. He goes back to wrapping his arms around Satine, forgetting about Jensen all together.
Satine narrows her eyes, and she schools her expression, but not before I see the flicker of doubt in her gaze.
Wait…she doesn’t really think he would stick by her in the games, does she?
Disgust fills her expression, and she turns from me, walking away. Paiton and Izzy snicker as they follow after her.
“Watch your backs,” Ian says with a cruel grin as he and Ed leave with them.
I stare at the group as they disappear into the crowd of students.
“A massive dick?” Jensen shakes his head at me and laughs when they’re gone. Bringing his glass to his lips he downs the contents and grins at us. “Yeah, we’re all goin’ to fucking die. Wanna dance?” He places down his empty glass and holds his hands out to me and Kenzie. Smiling, I politely refuse. My guys are watching me, and I don’t want them seeing me dancing with Jensen. The last thing I need is them thinking Jensen’s trying to take their girl away from them.
“You sure you’ll be fine over here?” Kenzie asks me reluctantly as she takes Jensen’s other hand.
I gesture to the tower of drinks beside me. “I’ll be just fine.” Servers start filtering into the ballroom, their silver trays filled with canapés, and I add, “And lookie, there’s even snacks.”
Kenzie rolls her eyes and grins, giving me one last look before she lets Jensen lead her to the dance floor. I smile as I watch them, and if it wasn’t for the fact that I know Kenzie has no interest in men, I would have thought they looked perfect together.
