“Not another word?—”
“Now, now,Dad,” Arwyn cut his father off with the wave of a hand. “You shouldn’t look so surprised. I get my enjoyment of bedding witches from you, after all. Maybe we can make note of the only obvious thing we share.”
“Shut your mouth,” Tomin bellowed, slapping a meaty hand on the table. Glass shuddered, silverware clattering against empty plates.
Arwyn paid more attention to his belt as he tightened it, than to his seething father. “Make me.”
If it wasn’t for the sudden appearance of Romy and Kai, the room might’ve exploded in pandemonium. Every Hunter seemed on edge, waiting for orders on what to do next. In truth, my focus was suddenly split as I got my first good look of Kai since last night.
His skin had paled, eyes heavy with what looked like bruises beneath them. And yet, he was standing on his own, chest moving as he took breath in and released it. Kai was very much alive, but from the way his eyes landed on me, brows furrowing, I sensed he wasn’t all too happy about it.
“Jeez,” Kai said, taking his time to scan the room. “I hope Bahmet is aware that I’m a veggie.”
Romy stood stock still at Kai’s side, equally grazing every single one of her enemies that surrounded her.
A loud creaking sound stole everyone’s attention. I whipped my head around to the right. At the far end of the grand banquet room was a set of doors. They were so tall I could barelymake out where they ended and the ceiling began. Slowly, they opened; the squeal of hinges suffering made my skin itch.
I heard Bahmet before I saw him. The clip of hooves against stone, the heavy hush of breath as it escaped out of his goat-like nose. My first instinct was to get a good look at what lingered beyond the doors before they closed. The only thing I seemed to notice was a stretch of endless fields… marred by what looked like stones.
“Good morrow, my welcomed and esteemed guests,” Bahmet sang, gloved hands clutched before him, not a wrinkle in his black tailored suit. “I admit that I am impressed to see so many of you still standing.”
Towards the top of the table where Bahmet came to stand, he was closest to Kai on our side, and a slumped form that I’d not noticed before, on Tomin’s side of the table. If I wasn’t so panicked that Kai was directly in Bahmet’s line of sight, I might’ve cared to notice that it was Verena—the witch that had helped us escape, unconscious across her empty plate.
Suddenly Tomin’s torn and bloody knuckles made sense when I got a good look at her.
“I am sure you have all built up an appetite. Some more than others I see,” Bahmet said, taking his time to rest amber eyes on each and every one of us. I held my breath as his gaze found Kai, glad when it swept over him as quickly as it came. “So, please take a seat. It would be best we do not waste any time before the following trial begins. There is no saying when you may be offered the next meal…”
No one moved. There was also no knowing if thiswasthe trial or not.
A deep, grating chortle worked out of the demon’s throat. He rested long fingers over his heart, if he even had one, and softened his expression, which was odd to witness considering he had the face of a fucking goat. “I can assure you that you aresafe for a time. Consider this room neutral grounds. No harm will befall you, especially if you follow my commands explicitly.”
Trial or not, Bahmet was right. It was safer listening to his guidance then ignoring it. So, wanting to do everything I could to keep his focus on me and not Kai, I was the first to take a seat. I pulled my chair out from the table, legs squeaking over stone, before settling myself beneath the table. I made a move to tuck myself in, but I found the chair was already moving as Arwyn stepped in behind me and pushed.
“Arwyn Hopkin, such a gentleman,” Bahmet cooed. “You would have made your mother proud with such self-taught manners.”
I watched the colour drain from Arwyn’s face. His lips thinned as he sunk teeth into them, just to stop himself from making the wrong comment back. Instead, he followed suit and sat down to my right. Romy and Kai did the same a few chairs down. In a wave, and only after Tomin made the move first, every Hunter copied. Even the one sat directly to my left, whose eyes had barely left me for a second since I’d arrived.
Two words screamed in my skull, loud and clear.Golden ticket.
“Oh dear, what do we have here.” My heart skipped a beat as Bahmet’s attention shifted. For a moment I thought he’d sensed the change in Kai, until the demon focused on Verena’s slumped form.
He slowly reached over and clutched her shoulder, giving it a squeeze. “Dear, would you care to get off that plate? How else am I going to present you with your meal if you are blocking the cutlery?”
A deep, pained groan worked out of her throat. Verena slowly sat up, mostly aided by Bahmet’s guiding hand. As her hair fell away from her face, swollen eyes and blood-caked lips were revealed.
I had the urge to bolt from my chair and throw myself at Tomin in a heartbeat.
“What have you done?” Arwyn glowered, unable to take his eyes off his aunt.
Tomin simply chuckled to himself in answer.
Vomit burned up my throat so thick and sudden, it took effort to swallow it down. Arwyn took a sharp inhale as he took in the damage to Verena’s face. After all, they were family. He then turned his attention to his father, fury burned into every line of his face.
“Answer. Me.”
Tomin leaned back, his posture relaxed and unbothered. “Actually, son, we all did it. Took turns. You see, thanks to Verena’s meddling, we lost good men and women yesterday. She had to be reminded that she is not above the requirements of consequences. Lessons must be taught… a concept you know all too well.”
“Monster,” Romy spat, clutching her knife and fork like weapons to be used against flesh. “You disgusting, evil, sadistic…”
