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I choke as the water slips down my throat and drips down my chin and neck. After she has emptied the cup, she throws it aside and then stuffs bits of charred meat between my lips. When she turns around to grab a knife off the dresser, I spit the food onto the ground then step forward to hide the evidence under my feet.
She turns with a knife in her hand and points the tip at my pulse. "Your heart's pounding. You're afraid. Hybrids aren't usually afraid." When I say nothing, she lowers the knife from my neck. A few droplets of my blood dot the blade. "Come on. I think they're already waiting for us."
She steps inside the main area of the tent, and I follow, feeling sickened over every word she spoke to me, every touch she stole from me. But the feeling alleviates when I spot Ryder, Reece, and Blaise sitting on the floor near the chairs. Their clothing and faces are smudged with mud, but I can't see any scrapes, cuts, or bruises on their skin. And they're awake and not giggling and sobbing like the last time I saw them.
"I brought you a present." Zinnia shoves me forward.
I trip over the train of the dress and stumble in the dirt. Ryder leaps to his feet, his arms circling my waist to steady me. I rest my head against his chest as all the fear, worry, and self-disgust bottled up inside my chest crash over me. I want to cry over being touched by Zinnia. I want to scream at myself for not being a better liar. Most of all, I want to warn them of the Deorum and the sacrifice and how Zinnia is going to test us to see if we're hybrids.
"Ryder, I have to tell you something." My voice wobbles. "They're going to kill us. They're sacrificing us to the Deorum."
Every single muscle in Ryder's body stiffens, but he traces his finger up and down my spine. "Sh ... I've got you. You're safe now. We'll protect you."
"This is what you all wanted, right?" Jealously rings in Zinnia's tone. "What you begged for instead of me? Honestly, I don't get it. I mean, I know everyone at the station tries to preach about compassion, but how can you possibly care for someone who might be part of the thing that ruined your lives? It's disgusting."
Ryder's fingers stop moving. "What are you talking about?"
Oh, God, she's going to tell him she thinks I'm a hybrid.
"I'm talking about her being a Grim," she says, her tone frigid. "Or, at least, half-Grim."
"You're lying." Ryder breathes fiercely. "How dare you say she's one of those monsters. You're just bitter because no one wants you."
"How dare you disrespect me!" she shouts. "I should have my guard's shoot you dead right now."
"Do it," Ryder taunts. "You keep threatening the same thing, yet you never follow through. And you want to know why? Because you can't. You need us and every other prisoner you've got trapped beneath the ground."
"For a sacrifice," she fires back. "But you know what? I'm starting to think I might have more than enough prisoners. I could easily eliminate a few."
"Do it, then," Ryder goads, his hands splaying across my lower back. "I dare you."
"Ryder," Reece warns. "That's enough. You're only making this worse."
Ryder's fingers fold inward, but he stays quiet.
I tilt my head and glance at Zinnia, wondering what she's about to do.
She gives me a look that could kill before glaring at Ryder. "You're going to regret ever rejecting me. And when I prove you wrong, when I prove she's one of them, I'm going to make you watch as I kill her," Zinnia snarls then spins toward the entrance of the tent. "Wrath! Bring me the handcuffs!"
Wrath enters the tent a split second later, dressed head to toe in leather and carrying four sets of rusty chains, each linked to a set of metal cuffs. They're definitely not like the magnetic handcuffs I'm used to, but they look equally as uncomfortable.
"Sit down. All of you." Zinnia hauls me away from Ryder and pushes me down again.
I land on my hands and knees with a grunt and quickly crawl over beside Blaise. Sitting down beside him, I cover my legs up with the train of the dress, trying to cover as much of myself up as I can.
Ryder takes a seat on the other side of Reece, looking as if he's one step away from wringing Zinnia's neck.
Zinnia huddles with Wrath and whispers a few words, causing Wrath's expression to harden.
While they're distracted, Blaise leans toward me, his shoulder grazing mine "Are you okay?"
I nod, but I can't look him in the eye. How can I after what Zinnia said about the foreign creature who led the Grim to this world? What if I am this creature? Blaise may have been okay with me being different, but I doubt he'd be okay with that.
"Don't worry," Blaise whispers. "We have a plan. A few more minutes, and we'll be out of this mess."
My lips part to ask him what the plan is, but Wrath stomps up to us, and I snap my mouth shut.
"No talking," he barks, dropping all but one of the handcuffs down on the ground. Winding around me, he seizes my arms behind my back and buckles a metal cuff on each of my wrists. Then he deliberately drags his finger up my spine and puts his lips close to my ear. "I can't wait until I get to kill your friend," he whispers. "You're the prize. And I never lose."
I slant forward, recoiling, my hair spilling over my shoulders.
He laughs then moves on to Blaise, grabbing ahold of his arm. With a twist of his wrist, Wrath bends Blaise's hand in the wrong direction. I hear a snap of bones breaking, and Blaise's face contorts in pain.
"I'm going to fucking kill you for that," Blaise grits through his teeth.
"Maybe I should break your other hand, too, then," Wrath sneers, his knuckles whitening as he grasps Blaise's good arm.
"Don't." Zinnia steps up in front of us, holding the leather pouch she waved in front of my face earlier. "I can't have him completely incapacitated."
Wrath's lip curls as he scowls at Zinnia. "Whatever you want, your highness."
Zinnia orders him to finish handcuffing Reece, Ryder, and Blaise. Wrath does what he's told then drags a chair over to the center of the tent and takes a seat to watch the show.
Terror lashes through me as Zinnia opens the pouch and reaches inside. When she withdraws her hand, she's holding a handful of dry, brownish-green leaves--quercu. I'm not sure what I expected, but definitely not leave. Still, those leaves call to me, beckoning me to taste them. The intoxicating scent sends my body into a mad frenzy.
"No. No. No. You can't eat them, or you're done for," someone says. "Then it can't be undone."
My head whips around, and for a fraction of a second, I swear I see someone race across the tent. But when I blink, they're gone.
Zinnia waves her hand around in the air, and the crisp smell of the leaves catches in the air.
I breathe in deeply, and my mouth waters, a moan escaping my lips.
Blaise's gaze darts to me, alarm flooding his eyes.
My stomach turns. Look how appalled he is. He knows how much you want it.
Zinnia approaches Ryder first. "Open your mouth."
Ryder glares at her with his lips fused together.
"Open your mouth, or I'll break your jaw," she snaps.
Glowering at her, Ryder unhitches his jaw and opens his mouth. Zinnia reaches forward to put a flake on his tongue, but at the last second, she draws back and sets the leaf on her lips. Then she slants forward and presses her mouth to Ryder's.
