“Morning?” she demanded, spinning to face him. “You’re staying out all night?”
As if she cared! “I have things to do.”
“But...they have trinite.”
“And you are well able to protect yourself.” Truth.
“But—”
He flashed to Wraith Island, hating his task. Hating this realm. Himself.Her.As he’d vanished, hurt had flittered over her features.
His guts twisted. Just another lie. Anything to convince her greatest enemy of her affections. How better to lower his guard?
“You brought us a feast tonight,” Penelope said with a grin as soon as he entered the palace. “Whatever happened to incite this, keep thinking about it!”
He hated her, too.
Roux did everything in his power to blank his mind and mute his hatred. The wraiths glommed onto him anyway. Thankfully, he was only a little shaky when they finished.
Before his hostess could say anything else, he returned to the underground arena, where he intended to stay. During dinner, he’d observed Blythe’s quick, stealthy exchange with the Phoenix and harpy. He knew the trio planned to meet.
Only two hours until midnight. Enough time to regain his strength and think about tomorrow’s torture sessions.
As he drew the shadows around him, making his body blend in with the rocky walls of the cavern, he rolled through the facts. Ten females, Blythe included. What he did to one female, he must deliver to all. Though he was furious and, yes, okay, even destroyed by hisgravita’s lies, he didn’t know if he could harm her. The thought alone caused sweat to bead on his brow and acid to fill his stomach.
At the same time, he must do what he could to knock out as much of her competition as possible.
He considered and discarded one idea after another. None of the combatants in the tournament would bow to mere threats. Mental torture rather than physical, perhaps? And if he broke Blythe’s mind?
Sexual torment could solve the problem and teach the harpy a lesson at the same time. He couldforceher to desire him.Fake itthen,she-beast.Let her see and hear the enjoyment others derived from his touch, too.
And if she didn’t care?
He worked his jaw. He had to hurt her physically, didn’t he?
Carrigan and Lucca arrived sixteen minutes early, beating the harphantom to the secret meeting. The pair rounded a corner across from the arena and stopped near the royal portal, located directly beneath the palace. Close enough to Roux that he didn’t need to relocate. A blessing, considering he currently shook like, well, anyone who’d ever gone to war with the Astra.
Fitting, since he was at war with himself.
While the harpy evinced stress, pacing back and forth, the Phoenix remained still and calm. They’d washed the blood of today’s battle from their skin and changed into the traditional leather dresses worn by the females of Ation, but they now sported a whole lot of dirt. What had they been up to before coming here?
“What if she doesn’t believe us?” Lucca asked, pacing at a faster clip.
“Then she dies. It’s that simple.”
Roux tensed, the urge to strike now, now, now almost irresistible.Threat!
Wait. He sniffed the air. Did he detect the harphantom? The barest hint of honeysuckle and rose wafted to his nose. Oh, yes. She was nearby. Muscles hardened as he scanned the area. No other trace of her.
“If she dies,” the harpy said, flinching, “we’ll be stuck here.”
Carrigan shrugged. “We’re already stuck.”
“Yeah, but with her, we’ve got hope.”
“Okay, now I’mreallycurious why you wished to meet with me.” Blythe stepped from thin air, appearing close to the other women, but just out of striking distance.
At the sight of her, Roux’s central nervous system erupted in flames. His blood steamed in his veins, and his heart raced. She’d worn her hair free and loose, the sleek black mass framing her pale face, making her baby blues appear bigger and rounder than usual. The gown had been replaced by a short leather skirt and one of his shirts, tied at her waist, as if she’d ached to have something of his wrapped around her.