“Sit, sit, and we’ll get started,” Tonka said, motioning to the empty chair at the head of the table.
Thankfully—or not so thankfully?—they hadn’t attempted to put Blythe at the other end. Nope, they’d saved her the spot next to Roux’s. He escorted her over and even held out the seat for her.
She pasted a smile on her face. Brittle? Probably. But it was the best she could do.
Roux stared straight ahead...and anger began to overtake her uncertainty. She scanned the room’s occupants, skipping over everyone but Carrigan and Lucca. They peered at her with expectation and maybe concern.
What?she mouthed.
Arena, Lucca mouthed back.Midnight.
Should she attend a meeting with possible foes? Yes, she decided only a moment later. She needed to know why they’d helped her. Or finally kill them. The real question was: Should she tell Roux about the meetup or keep quiet? In his weird, awful mood, he might protest. But could she sneak away without detection?
She chanced a glance at him. His eyes were now fully red.
Uh. No. There’d be no sneaking away. She’d just have to tell him and deal with the fallout.
She nodded at the harpy and the Phoenix.
“Now that our honored guest is here.” An Amazon motioned to the food. “For our harpies, every dish is mine, so every bite you take is stolen. For our vampires, there’s a nice blood pudding no one else will want. For Astras with a dessert fetish, our team of chefs made lemon blueberry cake since they didn’t have the ingredients for chocolate. Seems our farmers are slower than usual since most of them are dead and all. I suggest everyone eat up. For many of you, this will be a last meal.”
Roux had requested a chocolate dessert? For her? How...how sweet. So why treat her as an inconvenience? Had she angered him in some way? But how? She hadn’t removed any of his organs in days. Not a single one.
“You mentioned round nine.” He moved his gaze from one female to the other, avoiding only Blythe. “Explain.”
Oh, yeah. Anger. Lots and lots of anger. Seriously, what had changed between the request for dessert—which must have happened after the round, when he’d spoken with Tonka—and the here and now?
“Yep, I sure did mention round nine, didn’t I? One sec, though.” Tonka mimicked the others, diving for the food, dumping spoonfuls of everything onto her plate. “A girl’s gotta eat, amirite?”
Screw Roux. Blythe wasn’t missing a meal because some guy had gotten his underwear in a twist about something he refused to share with her. Even if she deserved it! Half standing, she bent over the table and loaded up on chicken, greens, and honey-glazed carrots.
As she forked the first bite into her mouth, Roux latched onto her wrist and diverted her aim, claiming the bite for himself. He retained his hold on her until he swallowed. Then he stared at his empty hand as if trying to decide what to do with it.
“You may eat. There’s no poison,” he said, and nope, he didn’t glance at her. Or prolong contact. He lowered his arm.
Okay, so maybe she could be nicer to him? “How kind of you to check for me, Astra,” she said, and she meant it. Hoping to sooth him, she switched her fork to her other hand, then reached under the table to squeeze his knee. “Perhaps I’ll offer you a reward.”
As she slowly glided her nails up his thigh, a muscle jumped in his jaw again. Did he try to stop her? No. His breath hitched. Closer and closer she came to his zipper...
He stiffened and removed her hand at last.
“Or maybe I won’t,” she muttered, drawing back and spearing a carrot.
He scowled at the others. “Round nine. Tell me what I wish to know.”
“Oh. Right,” Tonka said, a pea falling out from the corner of her mouth. “Well, it’s like this. Tomorrow, each of the combatants will be given a series of safe words. Oh, why wait? They arestop,no,don’t, andplease. After that, they’ll be randomly called to the arena one at a time...where they will undergo the same torture for the same amount of time. Whoever utters a safe word is out. If not, and they survive, they go on to the finals. Since you are the Astra’s torture master, you’ll be overseeing each session. If you take it easy on someone, she’ll be disqualified with this.”
The harpy lifted a glistening black dagger.
Blythe’s fork clattered to her plate. That dagger. Fashioned from trinite. The substance able to end her for good.
25
THE PAIN
Roux’s nerves were well past frayed now. A second trinite dagger was in play. Where the citizens of Ation had gotten it, he could guess. Right or wrong, he would be taking it after he dealt with the wraiths.
He escorted Blythe to their room as soon as the dinner concluded. “Stay here. I’ll return in the morning.” He offered no other information. Wasn’t sure he could speak much more without emptying the seething cauldron inside his head.