“Ready, Krasivaya?”
“Bring it.”
CHAPTER TWO
STELLA
TEDDY DIES. THE WORDS lingered as I woke in a sweat. Like I did most mornings. Another dream—blood on my hands and screams in my ears. I rose from the bed, not content to stay where my fears manifested in my subconscious. Stripping, I walked to the bathroom and climbed into the shower.
The warm water rushed down my body, waking my senses and washing away the terror of the dream. It was always Teddy. His innocent brown eyes staring at me, lifeless. His blood coating my hands, seeping into my white dress from the last trial. I swore I could even taste it, coppery and hot.
I leaned my head against the cool shower tiles, willing the feelings away. Instead of fear, I put resolve in its place. I had a month. One more month of training. One more month before the spring trial. What would it be? I wasn’t sure. All I had to go on was Renee’s memories about her year—a physical competition of strength and stamina. She never told me how it ended, only that I needed to be stronger and faster than she had been.
And so I trained. Weights, swimming, running, and sparring. I couldn’t guess what Cal had cooked up for this year, but I knew it would be worse than what happened to Renee. Cal always made it worse. I could see why Rebecca had chosen him to reign. He was the perfect Sovereign, cruel and calculating. The system needed a firm hand to rule it, and Cal didn’t hesitate to crush anyone who stood in his way.
I finished showering and dressed in what had become my uniform—a sports bra, t-shirt, and gym shorts. Snagging my tennis shoes, I pounded down the stairs to the breakfast room.
Laura served my usual fare of eggs, smoothie, and a flax seed waffle. Dmitri was already seated and powering through an immense pile of sausage. He’d stopped shaving his head since he’d moved in, and his dark hair was finally laying flat. It made him look younger and a little less intimidating. But it didn’t matter. I already knew he was a big softy, with or without hair.
Lucius strolled down the hall, his voice carrying as he talked business. “No, I don’t give two shits what the distributor charges, the price of sugar doesn’t change based on some dipshit middleman. I’ll handle it.”
He walked into the sunny breakfast room dressed for travel in a navy suit, light blue shirt, and dark tie. His medium brown hair was cut neatly and smoothed back. Professional and suave, he fit perfectly as the business head of the family. Sin was wilder—something in his eyes, or maybe his bearing, gave him away as a threat.
Like water circling a drain, my thoughts always found their way back to Sin.
I shook my head slightly, as if that could erase memory of him, and took a drink of my banana, strawberry, and protein smoothie. “Where you headed?”
“New Orleans for the next few days.” He sat across from me and flipped his tie over his shoulder as Laura served him. “Contracts and lawyers and shit. Nothing interesting.”
I pointed at him with my fork. “Don’t forget Saturday.”
“I won’t. I’ll be back with bells on.”
“Bells?” Dmitri stopped mid-chew and drew his thick brows together.
“Just an expression. He means he’ll be sure to be here for Teddy’s birthday.” I reached behind me and felt along my left shoulder, the tenderness bothering me more than when I woke.
“Why don’t you go easy today?” Lucius texted with one hand and ate with the other.
I stopped rubbing my shoulder. “Because I can’t.”
“You haven’t had a break since…” He stopped texting and looked up. Since Sin left. “You need a break.”
“No, I don’t. I need to keep getting better. I’m still not strong enough. What if I have to climb, what if I have to swim for hours, what if—”
“Stella.” Lucius glanced to Dmitri and went back to texting.
We’d told Dmitri I was training for a triathlon and wanted to throw in some self-defense just to help with coordination. He went along with it, though I often felt he suspected there was more to it, especially when he ran his hands over the scars along my back.
“Just think about it, okay? You can’t keep going like this. You’re a rubber band that’s about to break.”
“I’m not going to break. That’s the last thing I’ll do.”
Lucius stopped texting again and caught my eye. “I know the heart inside you believes that, but you’re just a person. You’re a body, a mass of organs and muscles and whatever the fuck else Teddy studies in school. Your heart may stay strong, but the rest of you—” He let his gaze slide down my body then back to my eyes. “—doesn’t have the luxury of whatever it is that drives you. Your body can be broken.”