EIGHTEEN
Monster Realm Survival Tip #29:
Know why you fight, or you won’t live long.
CELINE
He’s not dead.
My throat burns. I’m screaming. I don’t care.
Thousands of people watch from the stands. The low rumble of hundreds of whispers, punctuated by the sharp bite of scattered laughter.
Anger, like I’ve never felt before, burns in my chest. It explodes out of me, coating my wings with flames.
I’m not grieving and I won’t.
Because Luca isn’t dead, and until the sting of my magic calls me a liar, I won’t believe it.
My friend, my heart, the most loyal person I know. He’s here because of me. In a realm his parents gave up everything to protect him from.
Months ago, I told him I would be his downfall.
He wouldn’t listen to me. He wrapped me in his arms, told mehe would turn the world to stone for me, and then loved me so well I believed him.
And I won’t stop believing now. Luca deserves my confidence.
My flames burn higher. They shoot from my wingtips and melt the ice around us as I pick Luca up and wrap my wings around him. Not close enough to burn him, but close enough to incinerate anyone who tries to take him from me.
“Congratulations on your win,” Riven says.
My head snaps to him. Hiding behind his cloak, like always, his tattered hood hangs against his shoulders. My enemy. An agent of my father, without empathy, morals, or limits. I almost forgot.
“I’ll kill you,” I tell him, blinking rapidly to clear the blur of unshed tears. “It might not be today or tomorrow, but one day, Riven, I’ll kill you for this. You believe in no one and stand for nothing, and you’ll pay for it in blood. If Luca dies, I’ll make sure you leave this life as empty as you began it. I swear it on my magic.”
My runes activate, glowing golden on every patch of my blood-spattered skin.
Riven studies them in silence. His face ripples. Once. Twice. Then he nods.
“Follow me.”
I do. Because I have no choice. And because these blood tourists don’t deserve another second of entertainment at my expense.
The rolling metal gate closes behind us. Lit by my flames, everyone looks orange in the holding room. The magic dampener takes effect. I feel it suffocating my fire and try to fight it.
This place is designed to tear me down, stripping away the base elements of who I am, but I need my magic. I need the heat to keep Luca warm. If I lose it...
My flames burn out. My wingsretract.
I’m not stronger than the spell.
I’m small. Helpless.
Without the flames, Luca’s face is unnaturally pale, almost gray.
“No, no, no,” I mutter. “We’ve got to keep him warm.”
I glance up, desperate for help.
