Riven sighs and cocks his head as he watches her. “Can you accommodate the other request?”
She nods eagerly and runs her hands over the edge of the cot. It expands with me sitting on it, growing until it’s king sized and plush.
“Holy shit,” Ciprian grunts, and my mouth drops open.
Hyacinth giggles, and the bones in her hair rattle. Then, with her bowl of green goop in hand, she ducks out of the cell and shuts the door behind her.
I shake my head at Riven. “I knew you were fucked up, but she’s a kid. Let her go home.”
Riven sneers, and I hold his stare, resisting the urge to look away. “I don’t answer to you,” he says in a voice colder than ice.
“Then why are you still here?” Ciprian asks.
Riven pulls a bottle of dark liquid from the pocket of his coat and thrusts it into my hand. “You two are insufferable. Do everyone a favor, get drunk, and stop making demands.” He snatches his discarded cloak off the floor and wraps it around his shoulders. “You fight again in two days.”
The door slams and locksbehind him.
I glance at the bottle he gave me with interest. “What do you want to bet this tastes as bad as it looks?”
Ciprian shrugs. “Only way to know for sure.”
Hours later, as I’m curled up against his side, still half-drunk from the strong and surprisingly smooth liquor, I realize we did exactly what that faceless asshole wanted.
Riven’s playing games, but I’m fighting for my future. I’ll follow his rules for now, but once I get Luca, Malach, and Alistair back, he’ll pay for what he’s done.
NINE
Monster Realm Survival Tip #32:
The crowd loves blood. Don’t let it be yours.
LUCA
“You should have let her pick you.”
I groan and drag my hand over my eyes.
Alistair won’t let it go. Even though he agreed in the arena, he’s been fixated ever since.
“I should be last,” I say for the fifteenth time. “This is my home realm. I can handle the cold. Ciprian can’t.”
“I can’t handle the cold either.”
“Which is why you’re with me and Malach. If I’m shifted, he can carry you to safety. Celine can do the same with Ciprian.”
Alistair balls his hands at his sides.
I sigh. “You pointed at him too, Ali. Why are you freaking out now?”
He sinks down on his cot, shoulders curling until his perfect posture is nowhere in sight. “I don’t know where they are. I can’t think about anything else.”
I narrow my eyes at him. We’re all upset, but his excuse is too easy. “Is that all? What’s really bothering you?”
“I’m useless here,” Alistair whispers.
I frown. “That’s not true. We need your brain to escape.”
I turn to Malach for help.
