To his credit, he doesn’t flinch, turning his steadfast gaze to meet mine head on. “To remind me why I don’t deserve it, but hopefully will one day.”
Amara tilts her head with a soft smile. “Now that’s more like it.”
Crossing his arms, he leans against the rail out of the way as Amara turns her attention back to the twelve remaining people anxiously awaiting the next process of elimination.
“Alright.” Amara claps her hands, making a few people startle. “First order of business. Congratulations, you’ve got the job.”
One of the women tentatively raises her hand. “Umm… who did?”
Amara grins. “All of you.” Confused and excited chatter starts up, but she raises her voice to cut through it. “Downside, you start today. So! Decide which of you is best suited for the role of human relations coordinator.”
They all look between each other with furrowed brows. One brave soul suspiciously drawls, “Why?”
I glance up at the VIP box that I’m sure is full of people losing their shit, and the cameras mounted beneath it, live streaming today’s events. “Because they’ll be getting a massive Christmas bonus this year.”
ChapterTwenty-Four
AMARA
My nose wrinkles as we settle into the locker room, but I push through the stench of sweat and feet. If it’s that offensive tome,any other shifter in the stadium will be giving this place a wide berth.
Raiden lays Avery on the bench in front of a row of lockers, a storm raging in his eyes, and backs away the second his hands are free. Studying him closely as I slide to the floor and rest my back against the lockers, I take stock of my own feelings. I’m surprised that there isn’t any jealousy. Betrayed and confused? Absolutely. Angry on Raiden’s behalf? Most definitely. But there’s a nagging feeling in my gut that makes me sick the more I think about it.
Raiden found her with a broken wing. After he nursed her back to health, she was glued to his side, and spent all of these years lashing out at everyone other than him, Stone, and now me.
Wounded animals are dangerous, and people are no exception.
“What the actual fuck?” Kodi rakes a hand through his hair, swallowing roughly.
Stone manages to unearth a towel from a bin that’s relatively clean and throws it over her legs to act as a blanket. The shirt Carina liberated from some poor soul is long enough to cover all of the important parts, but I can only imagine how I’d react if I woke up confused with no pants.
Raiden crosses his arms over his chest and leans against one of the lockers. “Isn’tthatthe question of the fucking day?”
Stone and I share a loaded look, and I get the sense he’s already reached the same conclusion I’ve come to. Choosing his words carefully, he addresses Raiden. “When she comes to, don’t bombard her with questions. She’ll likely be disoriented from the drugs, but also, she must’ve had a reason for never revealing what she was; whether that’s good or bad is to be seen. If you don’t think you can keep a level head while we get answers, tell me now so either Amara or I can take point.”
Jaw ticking, a myriad of emotions passes over Raiden’s face. Finally, he settles on resignation, releasing a heavy sigh. “I-”
He doesn’t get a chance to finish the sentiment before Avery sucks in a sharp breath, jerking upright. Gaze whipping around the room, unfocused, she falls off of the bench, her ass hitting the floor. I’ve barely twitched a muscle before she’s scrambling onto my lap, chest rising and falling in short gasps, pulse fluttering wildly in her neck. When the guys cry out, reaching for me on instinct, she buries her face in the side of my neck with a choked whimper.
Wrapping my arms around her back, I hold her tight. “Ssh, it’s alright, nobody here is going to hurt you. Even if they wanted to, they’d have to get through me,” I half-heartedly tease. “Might not be able to do much damage, but I could distract them long enough for you to make a break for it.”
Several tense minutes later, voice raspy from lack of use, she croaks, “They killed them.”
“Who?”
Tears splash onto my shoulder, quickly soaking through my shirt. “Everyone.”
It’s a long time before her wracking sobs subside. Raiden passes me a water bottle, and I gently ease her to the ground next to me, wincing at the stab of pain down my leg that fell asleep ages ago. Hand trembling, she takes a few sips, but all of her movements are awkward and stilted, made more difficult from her trying to disappear into my side.
“What’s your name?” I ask softly.
The silence stretches for so long that I think she won’t answer. Just when I’m about to give up and try approaching from a different angle, she whispers, “Emilia.”
“Well, Emilia, I think you need to start at the beginning, because I’m confused as fuck why you were pretending to be a pet all of these years.”
She flinches at the bite in my tone. “I wasn’t. Pretending, I mean. I wasn’t even aware what was going on most of the time.”
“Help us understand,” Stone coaxes. “Start at the beginning.”
