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Still trembling with adrenaline, she stood as she gathered Valentina close and glared up at the crowd. The mist was lingering nearby, and I swallowed hard. She’d lost, and I wasn’t taking any pleasure in my win.
“I surrender,” Blaise called, and Val cursed, trying to clap her hands over Blaise’s mouth. “I surrender!” Blaise yelled louder. Glancing down at me, she whispered, “Thank you.” Then she slowly made her way to the ladder, carrying Valentina.
There would be no sacrifice tonight.
It took me a minute to realize the crowd was booing Merden’s actions.
She might still be Queen, but she was losing the blind following she’d always relied on. We weren’t going to make this fall from grace easy on her.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
KANA
I felt frozen to the chains around the pit, watching Blaise yell her surrender to the mist and the crowd.
It shouldn’t have gone down like that.
Fucking Merden could never fight fair - it was like it was actually impossible for her.
As the guards carefully helped Blaise and Valentina out of the pit, I saw Luca shift and hurry to yank on his pants. His stomach had mostly stopped bleeding, and I smiled softly when he nodded up at me. He’d done good things tonight.
Then a hand was on my arm, pulling me backward into the crowd. I scented wolf, and when I turned to see Vento, I wasn’t surprised.
“I have news,” he said, hurrying us to a section of the wall where heavy curtains hid the narrow windows and the night sky beyond. “Just now, I received a report from my scouts in the mountains - from Ice Clover Lake. It’s been delayed, though, so we may not have as much time as we need. There’s no way to know.”
“Gobbelins,” I whispered, and he nodded, flicking his eyes around us nervously.
“They’re rising from the lake by the thousands. My lookouts at the lake were attacked, but a few managed to escape down into Saori Sang. Unfortunately, they didn’t realize I was here, so Valanga had to send a second messenger.”
“She will guard the palace, right?” I asked, my muscles already tensing for a fight I was nowhere near.
“She will. I’m torn, though. I’m needed there, but... Luca.” His face darkened with conflict, and I knew he wouldn’t leave me because of Khione.
“Luca has to stay here, and you know it. I do have a plan, in case it all goes wrong,” I said, leaning in closer. “I can’t speak it here, though.”
Just as I was about to suggest we head back to Luca’s rooms while the match was cleaned up, Vento paused me, pointing over my shoulder.
Goddamn it. Merden was already screaming about beginning another match - now. She really must be in a rush.
“Tomorrow, then. I should get the next report by sundown. We’ll meet then and make a new plan,” Vento said.
“In the gardens. East side, there’s a frozen pond,” I suggested, just as I felt Luca’s presence behind me. He was clamping down on a growl, warring with himself as he neared.
“I got a message from the lake,” Vento said to him, and Luca’s focus shifted completely. Nodding to Vento, I ducked away to let them speak, hurrying back to the competitor’s table just in time to see the mist choose Kassian and Jillian for the next match.
Panic spilled over in my chest, gripping my lungs so hard I could barely breathe. Shoving through the vampires to reach Kas, I snatched his hand and hauled him around.
I couldn’t let him go into battle without making up our argument from earlier.
“I fucking love you, Kingston,” I hissed at him, planting a sloppy kiss on his mouth in front of everyone.
“Hey, I’m not going anywhere, princess. You’re gonna need a King soon,” he whispered, cinching my waist tight against his hips before deepening my hasty kiss into something that made my knees weak.
Hoots and whistles surrounded us, and Jillian screeched something rude and impatient, but I didn’t give a single fuck.
I was taking myaimatonight, and I sent him off to the pit with that very image seared in his mind, and a cocky grin plastered on his face.
Jillian didn’t stand a chance against that kind of energy.
