Isadora’s chin wobbles and for a moment I think she might actually cry. There’s a pang in my chest, a normal reaction to hurting someone. I push it away and instead think about all of the cruel things she’s said about Florence during the show and after. I think of how she tackled my omega, taking her out at the knees, intending to do real damage during the game of capture the flag.
“Actually,” I say, straightening up just a little. Isadora does too, and the move thrusts her breasts in my direction. “There is something I want to talk to you about. It's been bothering me. While we were on the show, were you in contact with anyone?”
Her lashes flutter as though I’ve surprised her. “Sorry?”
“I’m just curious why you went after Florence’s knees during a game of capture the flag where one of the rules was no physical contact of that nature. Did you know she had a previous injury? Were you trying to injure her further?”
There’s a very brief moment of fear on her face, of guilt, which is a laugh. But then she shakes her head. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Really.” I hum, and push to standing, towering over her much smaller frame. “How interesting. That look on your face tells me you know exactly what I’m talking about. Someone outside of the show told you about Ren’s injury and you sought to capitalize on it. What was the plan? Hurt her so bad she had to be removed as a contestant all together and sent to the hospital? Who told you?”
Isadora stares up at me a fine tremor of fear shaking her body, head tilted and neck exposed in submission. At first I don’t understand why, but then I realize my dominance has risen with each word, filling the space between us. Perfect. She’ll tell me the truth now.
“Speak,” I command not even remotely sorry for using a bark on her. If she did what I think she did to Florence, then she deserves to have a little unwanted push.
Keeping her head tilted, Isadora blows out a breath. “Yes, Thayer, that was the plan. To cause an injury bad enough that she would be removed from the show and away from you. It was obvious that you all were growing attached, you kept spending more and more time with her, and less time with me. Even when we were in the same room together, it was always her you were looking at. All of you. It was clear to me and… others that something needed to be done to separate you. Since you all seemed incapable of following orders the task fell to me.”
“I see,” I say softly, giving into the urge to wrap my hand around her throat and squeezing just a little. Not even enough to restrict her airways. But she still whimpers like she’s worried I might do more.
I won’t.
I don’t hurt women. As much as I might want to make an exception for the snobby little princess who attacked my omega with the intention of crippling her, I won’t.
“And who is it who gave you the order, Isadora?” I ask almost gently.
She hesitates for the longest moment and then shakes her head. “I can’t.”
“Tell me.”
She shudders and then gives into the command. “The queen. She told me to do it.”
“You spoke to her during the show?”
Isadora nods, resigned. “Many times. She wanted to be kept informed of what was going on. I-I wasn’t the only person she had reporting to her. I know a handful of the production crew were too.”
I nod. We’d expected as much. Just like we’d expected that the attack on Florence was orchestrated by someone else outside the show. It would have had to be, considering no oneonthe show knew about Florence’s injury. I’m fairly certain not even the casting department knew.
She wouldn’t have told them and she certainly kept it hidden from all of us.
“I see. Thank you for telling me.” I release her throat and she stumbles back a step. “Now, I want to be clear. Queen Katherine ordered you to injure Florence during one of the physical challenges.”
Isadora takes another step back, inching toward the door.
Well, look at that, it appears she’s not as eager to talk to me as she thought.
“Well, no. She didn’torderme, order me. You know she doesn’t do that.” True. The same way she made vague threats to Forsythe about Ren’s family. “She told me about her knee and said something like, ‘wouldn’t it be awful if something happened to take her out of the competition?’”
Yeah, that sounds about right.
Fury burns in my gut. When it happened we’d suspected something like this, but having it confirmed is… enraging. Absolutely fucking enraging.
I feel like the minotaur seething in his maze.
“So then you took it upon yourself to do as the queen suggested.”
Isadora shrugs. She’s by the door now, almost in the hall. “We always knew how this was going to go, Thayer. I thought it would be a kindness to take her out so you wouldn’t have to.”
“A kindness,” I snort. “To whom?”
