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“Really?”
He raised an eyebrow at me, and I rolled my eyes. “Okay, fine. Dumb question. I just need to know that what we’re saying is between us.”
“Of course.”
I could see concern replace the teasing smile on Merrick’s face, and he allowed the other two to step in. I waited until Trace had shut the door behind him, then squared off with the three of them, crossing my arms over my chest.
“I was walking down the hallway just now, and I overheard voices whispering around the corner. They were talking about how a bunch of students are going to team up against us, how they’re planning on sabotaging us at the preliminary competition. I’m so livid. Apparently, they didn’t like the fact that we teamed up for the last Gods’ Challenge. They thought it was cheating, just because no one else has ever done it. Even though it’s not against the rules.”
“What the fuck?” Lachlan said angrily.
“You’re a better person than I am, Ari.” Merrick ran a hand over his chin, scowling. “I would have told them exactly where they could shove that.”
Trace didn’t say anything. Instead, he did his usual, pulling me into his lap as he sat on the bed and calming me a bit. I could feel the tension knotting my shoulders release and my anger dissipate a little.
I loved and hated that he could do that. That his touch soothed me like that. It was very strange to me. A foreign sensation.
“So, I think we need to figure out a plan,” I said as my anger dissipated even more. “We need to get back to the godly realm. We can’t afford to be thwarted by our own people. These idiots have no idea why we’re here. They have no idea that someone is trying to kill us off.”
Merrick nodded, irritation sparking in his eyes. “They have no idea that we’re trying to save them from it. Assholes.”
Trace pulled me a little closer, his hands roaming possessively over my body. “So how exactly do we do that?”
Lachlan shot him a feral smile. “We give them exactly what they’re looking for. We make it look like the sabotage worked at first. We make it seem like we’re splintered completely. They’ll think we’re weakened, and we can use that to our advantage.”
I nodded, biting the inside of my cheek. “That’s a good idea. They don’t have any idea we know about their plans, so we can get the jump on them. Give them a taste of their own fucking medicine.”
Lach’s gaze caught mine, and he grinned at me. “You’re a little bit scary, Aria. And I fuckin’ love it.”
Chapter Nine
The sound of the trumpets blaring woke me up on the morning of the preliminary competition.
It wasn’t my normal groggy wake up or a gradual rolling out of bed. Instead, I was instantly awake, alert and on-edge. Excitement buzzed through my veins, making me feel both determined and giddy. I wasn’t thrilled to go put my life on the line, but I was ready to show the other students that we wouldn’t cave under their sabotage. And I was desperate to find out the truth. To delve deeper into the world of the gods and find out why they were trying to kill off the strong magic users among us.
On top of all of that, I’d been itching for a good fight. It had been too long since I was able to get a little wild and put my survival instincts to the test. It wasn’t quite the same as fighting in the ring, but it would still scratch the itch.
I met up with Eden in the hallway, and we joined the crowd of students heading downstairs.
“Well,” she said quietly, “today’s the big day.”
I shot her a sideways look. “Are you excited to compete?”
The blonde girl rolled her eyes. “Not really. Honestly, I’m just mad that they’re making me do it. The rules last year were that you could compete if you wanted to, not that you had to. And I don’t want to win. I don’t want to have to go to the godly realm and compete in the challenge. I saw what happened last year, and we both know my magic isn’t strong enough to survive something like that.”
I smiled at her, putting my hand on her shoulder. “Hey, I get why you feel that way. There’s no judgment here. In fact, it’s probably the smartest way to look at it. It’s dangerous in there, more dangerous than you could believe. The shit I saw…”
Eden turned to me with a perceptive look on her face. “Sure. But you want to go back, don’t you? I know you want to win.”
It was a statement, not a question. Eden knew me far better than I’d thought she did. I took in a deep breath and nodded.
“I guess I do.” I grinned. “You know me, I’m the kind of girl who loves competition, and since the admins said there are no rules against me competing again, I have to go for it. I could win another audience with the gods, and the way everyone talks about them, that’s worth its weight in gold.”
I figured that was the best answer to give her; I certainly couldn’t tell her I wanted to win so that I could infiltrate the godly realm and dig for answers. It would only be dangerous for her to know more than she had to, and I didn’t want to drag her into this until I had a better idea what was going on.
“Yeah.” She pulled a face, and I could practically feel worry radiating from her. “Well, just be careful, okay?”
“Always.”
