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Blood drains from my body.

He marches toward me, and I call to my dragonfly, imagining her as I had done at the royal garden party.

Come out. Help me.

She appears across my heart, already lifting off my skin, and flutters over us. Her wings blaze as she frantically swoops through the room.

The Gamemaster doesn’t even flinch but holds my gaze. “You expect me to be frightened by that bug?”

His jaw tightens as he rips open his shirt, revealing the black form of a bat. He reaches over and scratches it under its chin with his index finger. The mark shifts, fanged mouth opening, hooked claws on its feet.

It tears from his chest and takes off, growing in size to match my dragonfly. Black, leathery wings stretch out and beat. Suddenly, it feels too confined as the two marks circle each other.

My pulse thunders in my chest as I keep an eye on the Gamemaster.

The dragonfly swoops down for his head. I hold my breath, but the bat is right there, racing under her with such force that it crashes into her, sending her spinning into a wall.

The bat swings around and comes for me. I scream as it claws at my head, tangling in my hair. I throw my hands over my head and shove it away.

My dragonfly returns and slams into the bat; both shriek, deafening me. Their wings blur as they tangle and hit the floor with a thud. The Gamemaster marches closer, blade raised over his shoulder.

I don’t think; I just throw my foot out and strike him right between the legs. His eyes bulge, and he grabs for his jewels, groaning. “Fucking bitch.”

I stumble out of reach and run across the room. My hands fumble with the door as I rip it open and fling myself outside. I’m barely a few steps out before he grabs my hair and yanks me backward.

Instinct kicks in, and I crash into the door, jerking away from his grasp. I swing around and slash my claws across his face. Four red lines instantly bubble with blood over his cheek and nose.

He snarls and violently throws a fist at my face. It strikes me just below my eye. I cry out from the agonizing pain that rattles my skull. I wobble backward on shaky legs, trip over my own feet, and fall. Blood fills my mouth. White stars blink behind my eyes.

His shadow falls over me, and I’m on my elbows, dragging myself backward as my head throbs. Behind him, our marks explode out of the cabin, the dragonfly dives-bombing him again, but that stupid bat keeps intercepting, biting into my mark.

“Stop hurting her,” I cry out and scramble to my feet as I notice my three monsters buried under the attackers. Grief strikes me that we might not survive today.

The Gamemaster charges, hurling his blade at my face, but I block him with my arm, shielding myself. Except the sharp bite of the knife slices into my forearm. A bright line of light shines from the cut as blood drips. Crushing agony stings across my arm. I slash at him with everything I have, catching him across the chest, but my heel hooks on something, and I tumble backward.

He’s on me in seconds, shoving me onto my stomach, pressing a bent knee into my lower back. “I’ll make this quick.”

My breaths shoot out in short, broken gasps as my life flashes before my eyes. I thrash against him, screaming, but I can’t even see my monsters in the chaos across the open area.

“Your mother,” the Gamemaster says, almost intimately. “She ended up dying believing I killed you first.” He laughs, while I fiercely buck my hips to throw him off, yet that image of my mother’s last moments suffocates me. It drowns me with thoughts of her agony at hearing his lies. Had she cried for me or begged to join me? “Killing your parents was the easiest thing in the world.”

Sorrow burns in my chest, my throat raw from my screams.

There’s a startled growl behind me, and the crushing weight of his knee vanishes from my back.

I roll over desperately as a violent snarl erupts behind me. I rush to my feet, my head spinning, and turn to find Corvin mid-punch, swinging at the Gamemaster. It strikes him in the nose, sending him reeling backward.

Corvin goes after him, throwing his shoulder forward, where his bony wing lashes out. It slices right across the Gamemaster’s chest and tears into flesh.

Corvin’s furious, and despite his body being covered in cuts and bruises, he roars, “You fucking dare touch what’s mine?” He seizes him by the throat and hauls him inches off his feet, growling in his face. He lifts his free hand, claws out to finish this.

But the glint of metal grabs my attention.

My mouth drops open to warn him.

Except the Gamemaster suddenly plunges the blade deep into Corvin’s gut. He drives it all the way to the hilt.

I scream. “Corvin!”