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“That would be a mistake in this tournament.” Sera flicks her hair over her shoulder. She wears it in loose waves, a total opposite to her sister’s sleek braid. “Look around, Zora.”
My ego flares, but I force it away as I study the warriors around me closely.
Several, if not all of them, have bunched into groups here and there.
They’re also forming alliances, I realize. I look back at the Evercore sisters. “How can I trust that you won’t stab me in the back until the end?”
Harmony looks downright offended by that, and I’m surprised to see that Sera mirrors her distaste. “The Evercores have been many things over the centuries,” Harmony admits, “but our word is ironclad. We are true-blooded Royalists.”
My stomach squeezes. “I’ve known other Royalists.Livedwith Royalists, once upon a time. I have no desire to repeat that.”
Sera shakes her head in refusal. “There are different factions. My sister and I are as honorable as they come.”
That gives me pause, considering I wasn’t finding them honorable at all. “Youattackedme,” I hiss at Harmony.
She shrugs. “I only knew what Sera told me about you. I wanted to see if it was true.”
I run my tongue over my teeth. “I want time.”
They both nod.
“You can have until thirty minutes before midnight,” Harmony agrees.
“They will direct us out of the banquet hall around then,” Sera continues. “Find us if you wish to join us.”
“If not,” Harmony says, her voice low and powerful, “I advise you to stay out of our way unless you wish for a painful death.”
I nod my agreement, and we separate from each other. I prowl to the sidelines of the crowd, watching as the Evercore sisters visit one alliance, then the next – likely seeking a replacement if I decide not to work with them.
I gravitate toward a table off to the side, where drinks and delicate finger foods rest. My mouth salivates at the sight of it, and I pile up a plate before I stuff them down my throat. I groan in ecstasy, closing my eyes as my stomach screams with pleasure.
Over the years, I’ve grown accustomed to a daily slice of meagerly seasoned bread. This –this is heaven. I finish off my plate within a few minutes and suck the grease off my fingers in satisfaction before I stroll back to the table for seconds.
Movement behind one of the many pillars lining the back of the room catches my attention. I set my plate down and stride over, fully expecting to find Talis and Gretta tangled up together.She is going to get a piece of my mind, and he is going to give me the damn truth.
I step behind the pillar, ready to grab Talis by the hair and rip him from my friend, but instead, there’s no one. My brow furrows, and I take a step back.
An arm snakes around my waist and tugs me backward. Some semblance of a yelp escapes me as a hand clamps over my mouth. I snarl and bite down on their fingers, which pull away quickly.
“Fuck,” Cristen grumbles, his curse rumbling through his chest and against my back as he shakes out his hand.
I spin out of his grasp and scrape my gaze down his body.
He hides himself behind a pillar, shadows filtering around his tall, muscular frame. His face is scrunched in pain as he surveys the finger I chomped on. “I should’ve known you’re a biter.”
“And you should know better than to grab an unknowing woman behind a dark, creepy pillar,” I snap.
He drops his hand and lifts his gaze to mine. He clenches his jaw.
“What do you want?” I demand. “Isn’t it enough that you tricked me?”
His expression softens. “I wanted to tell you, Zora.”
“But you didn’t.” I itch behind my ear, scraping off dried blood in annoyance. “I don’t want your stupid explanation, alright? I just want to know why you’ve pulled me behind this pillar so I can get back to eating free food.”
The corners of his lips quirk up at that, but they fall as he takes in my fury. He takes a measured step toward me, his body stiff. His gaze flows over my frame again, and the unfiltered anger I saw when I first showed up at the banquet hall returns. He takes another step and stares me dead in the eyes, his expression so cold and serious it burns through me. “Who did this to you?” he growls, then lightly runs a finger over my chin, taking blood off as he goes. “And tell me none of this blood is yours, or Gods help them – theywillreceive a visit from their greatest fear tonight.”
My body tenses at the feel of his touch, at the anger in his gaze.He’s not angry at me?My eyes drift to his neck, where his pulse hammers enough to see it. “You’re not mad I showed up to your party like this?”
