“You’re going to run,” I said. “And I’m going to chase you.”
She blinked. “You’re using me as cover.”
“I’m using the compulsion as a weapon. If anyone questions my movements, I’m just following the order. Chasing the traitor who helped Elira escape.”
Maddie let out a low, bitter laugh. “Gods. All right. How much time are you giving me?”
“One hour. And I’m already counting down.”
She started moving. Getting dressed. Arming herself with sharp, quiet motions.
By the time I turned to leave, she was already on her feet.
Chapter 40
Elira
The arena stank of rust and sweat and blood. The crowd was already screaming, thirsty for violence. My name rippled through the stands like a curse, like a prophecy.
Shadow, Shadow, Shadow…
I stood in the centre of the pit, wrists raw, chains still clinking from where they’d dragged me in. My shadows trembled beneath my skin, but I kept them leashed.
I didn’t look up. I didn’t want to. The gate creaked open behind me. My next opponent was being brought into the arena. I didn’t want to see.
Because I already knew who it would be.
Leo.
His boots hit the ground in slow, measured steps. He looked different—still Leo, but not. His curls were matted with sweat, his shirt torn at the collar, wrists bound in thick black cuffs. And around his throat—just beneath the bruises—a glint of steel.
A shock collar.
Fuck
He saw me. And the world cracked.
“Elle?” His voice was hoarse. Disbelieving. “What the fuck—”
“Don’t,” I said, breath catching. “Don’t come closer.”
He stopped. Shook his head. “What is this? What the fuck is this?”
“Fight!” someone screamed from the stands.
Coins clinked against the sand. The crowd roared—louder now. Hungry. Rabid.
Leo didn’t move.
“What are you doing here, Elle?” he rasped, his voice rough with disbelief. “Why did you leave?”
I felt wretched. Small. Unworthy.
“They took Finn,” I whispered. “My friend. They took him and—” My voice cracked. “I didn’t know what else to do.”
Hopelessness clung to every word.
Something shifted in his expression. A flicker of understanding.
