“I work for you, but I’m not your slave. We made a deal, Anastasia, in case you forgot that little detail.” The moment the words were out, all the fire in my veins turned to ash.
She looked back at me with death in her eyes. “Speak to me that way again, and your life is forfeit.”
Anastasia waited a moment, ensuring she had the last word, before leaving. The door swished shut, closing me in. Count to ten, I told myself. Alec had warned me, in his own way, that she was a liar and would abuse our deal. I was an idiot for not recognizing that she and I were the same.
“Selena?” my sister said.
I didn’t turn around, but my body shook with power, barely contained. “What?” I said softly. There was no point snapping. I knew what she was going to ask.
“What was the deal you made?”
I let myself cool for another ten seconds, let the ash settle in my bones. I didn’t want to lie anymore, but the truth had consequences. So, I would settle for another truth.
“I made the best choice out of the options I was given. I’m sorry I can’t tell you more.”
“But—”
“When you stepped in front of the fire to save us, did I ask you why you did it?” I said, still staring at the door. I could feel every body in the room as easily as my own. Their energy writhed through my fingers like chords of powers just waiting to be played.
“No.”
“Then trust me when I say that that’s all you need to know. I have my reasons, just like you had yours.” Calm claimed me as Violet settled over me like a blanket of shadows.
“Control. There is peace in control,” Violet whispered.
She didn’t ask me again, and I didn’t bring it up.
The next two days passed in a blur, and then the invitations arrived.
“Why the bloody hell would she send us invitations to a ball, five days before we’re leaving? Has she gone mad?” Scarlett asked, voicing the question for all of us.
“I don’t think it’s an invitation,” Blair said quietly. She looked at me, as did the others, for some kind of reaction.
I took a tight breath, running a hand through my hair.
“I suppose there’s no way to get out of this?” I asked, looking at Alec and the others who knew her.
“I’m afraid not. She would take it as an act of defiance,” he said, stretching out on the bed with his damaged leg elevated. It may have been a blessing for him that the simulator wasn’t fixed, but something told me these invitations were a bad omen.
“And what doesn’t she consider an act of defiance?” Alexandra asked, rolling her eyes and sending her own invitation up in flames then blowing the scattered remains through the air like a lover’s kiss.
“It’s not so much what you do, as it is your frame of mind. Your actions don’t matter, unless you truly want to serve her—and she knows that. So, she’ll make her demands displeasing, just to see how far she can push before you snap,” Alec said. There was a wicked sharpness to his voice, and I didn’t want to consider how many times he must’ve displeased her for him to understand her motivations so thoroughly. Intimately.
“This is a power play as much as anything. She’s holding it on the last day of the month. I think we should just go and get it over with. She’s not going to pull anything in public,” Oliver said, holding up his own invitation and tapping the perfect script stating the date and time.
Five days from now, right after the last elimination.
“Well, it can’t be that bad if there’s booze,” I muttered, shutting out the other monsters that were having much darker thoughts.
“Lush,” Violet griped at me.
“I haven’t touched a drink in months. Hush you,” I said back.
“And eye candy,” Amber drawled, glancing at Constantine. He cringed slightly, and Johanna snorted. While Amber was a true man-eater, I suspected that half her brazen comments were just for kicks. It clearly made Constantine uncomfortable. Then again, her wolfish grin wasn’t exactly encouraging.
“And who doesn’t love an excuse to blow my mother’s fortune,” Blair said lazily. She eased back onto her bed, cellphone in hand. I wondered if she was looking at dresses already, or, realistically, weapons that could be hidden beneath them.
“Well, I guess it’s settled then. We’re going to a party.”
Chapter 90
Each day that led up to our final elimination dragged a little more, and the feeling that something was coming for us, the all-consuming sense of doom that had never steered me wrong had me doubled over, gasping in the bathroom stall. Blair held my hair back, and I emptied my stomach for the umpteenth time in the past twelve hours. Morale was in the toilet, like the contents of last night’s dinner.
But here we were, on the last day of the month, more united than when we’d started.
“You’re in no condition to do this today, Selena,” Blair said. She ran her chilly fingers over my forehead. I let out a small moan at the wonderful coolness that gave me the shortest of reprieves.
“It’s not like I have a choice. I’ll be fine. You should be worrying about you.” I groaned, leaning back against her. Sweat beaded at my temple as my pulse hammered in my veins.
Something is coming.
Something worse than ever before.
But I couldn’t tell her that.
“You’re burning up,” Blair said as she smoothed my hair back while I wiped the vomit from my mouth.
“Everything is hot to you,” I grumbled, gripping the toilet seat as I pulled myself up. My body swayed, and Blair locked her arms around my waist in a frozen grip.
“Get-off-me!” I said, pulling away. The bathroom door banged open, and I knew who it was, smelled who it was, before he ripped the stall door off.
“Animal,” I muttered.
“What’s going on? You’ve been sick since dinner last night,” Aaron asked.
I turned in Blair’s grip, and had to reel myself in when his black eyes threatened to consume me.
He’s not a demon. He’s not a demon. He’s not—
“She’s fine. Just give her some breathing space,” Alexandra said from just over his shoulder.
They both turned to look at my redheaded sister, leaning against the doorframe with arms crossed.
To me, she said, “It’s the feeling again, isn’t it?”
I nodded, breaking out of Blair’s arms to empty my stomach again. So much for being strong. Rough hands scooped my hair away from my face, and I groaned into the smell of bleach and vomit.
“What feeling?” he asked. I could tell he was gritting his teeth, but I didn’t know why he even bothered to care. Pompous idiot may’ve been bonded to me, but he was a fool if he thought this was going anywhere.
“Blair, get him out of here,” I said, as I tried to right myself again. This time I had more success than the last, but that probably had something to do with his strong hands pulling me up with ease.
“What feeling?” he repeated.
“I said, get out!” I snapped, whirling on him. The monster in me eased an eye open, and smiled.
His eyes were entirely black, as if that shimmer of gold that seemed to come out around me was locked down tight.
His breath was fresh as cold water on a summer day, but the wildness in his scent drove me nuts. While Lucas reminded me of the forest, Aaron was wind and smoke.
“Excuse me,” I snapped, shoving him aside.
Blair followed me out of the bathroom, past Alexandra. I didn’t turn back when the door closed behind us, even though neither of them had walked out. Maybe they had unfinished business they needed to sort out, or maybe he’d gotten tired of waiting to get a piece of ass. I still remembered the way he’d talked about his ex a year ago, before he knew me or my face.
After wiping my palms on my black leather pants, I got to work gearing up. My black combat boots were wonderfully sturdy, and great for holding my thinner knives, while the curved blades meant for slower killing hung from m
y waist. My leather jacket had been destroyed in the last fire, so I went for a different look of badassery—a simple black tank top that let me sport my scars with pride. With power.
“You look good,” Blair said quietly.
I nodded. “You too. No matter what happens today, I’m proud to be your teacher. But I’m even prouder to be your friend.”
She smiled softly and nodded. “Me too.”
We walked down to breakfast together, where we sat at the end. The room felt as somber as my thoughts. When Alexandra and Aaron finally came down, we were most of the way through breakfast, and only two seats remained. Alexandra peeled off right away, and took the chair next to Lucas, leaving the one on my left for Aaron.
The seat creaked as he swiveled it toward the table, respectfully avoiding my gaze and trying to give me space. I rolled my eyes, but found my attention snagged by Lucas staring. And so I stared back for a moment. And then another.
“Do you have something to say?” I asked, breaking the silence.
Lucas’s gaze turned cold instantly. Maybe I shouldn’t have engaged him—he seemed to be having a hard enough time as it was—but I was tired of the way he looked at me when Aaron was around. I wasn’t trash just because I hadn’t picked him, and never mind that I hadn’t picked Aaron either.
“You kind of did when you jumped him in the library,” Violet muttered.
“He jumped me!” I fired back, and her cackle reverberated through my pounding heart.
“Why would I? Going to sic your dog on me?” He sneered, glancing at the male on my left.
Fire spread through my chest, but I willed ice into my veins. Blair reached under the table, putting a firm hand on my knee. It was a silent anchor that let me keep my control just long enough for her to reply instead.
“If you’re here to pick a fight, get out. She doesn’t need to put up with your bullshit any more than the rest of us do.” The air turned icy as the frost of her breath carried across the table. A warning if I’d ever seen one.
“Oh, so she saves dear Alec, and suddenly all is forgiven?” he shot back at her.
Alec was half a table down, and had gone bone-white. “Leave us out of this, Lucas. You’re being a prick.”
That only seemed to rile him up more, though. “Is that the best you’ve got, brother?”
“You can’t handle the best I have,” Alec responded without skipping a beat.
I damn near spewed my coffee across the table.
“You’re crippled, so let’s see how that works for you in the elimination,” Lucas said darkly.
I gaped for a moment, and the hand on my knee had turned cold, so I wasn’t the only one appalled.
“Is that a threat?” Alec asked, taking a chunk out of his apple.
It bothered me more that he wasn’t upset by this, that he almost expected it, and I didn’t know what to think of that. Or what to think of him, this new, harder, crueler Lucas—a Lucas I’d never known.
But for once, I didn’t have it in me to fight with him. Didn’t have it in me to stop him from digging himself an even deeper hole. I didn’t know how to help, so I didn’t waste my time trying, or even look his way when I stormed from the table to the stairwell.
Something was eating at me, clawing at me, but instead of facing it, I ran. The panic wasn’t subsiding, and by the time I reached the ground floor, my coffee was already on its way back up. I grasped the cold metal handle in my slick palm and pulled so hard the door groaned and the top hinge broke.
I’d taken two steps into the room when a pair of cold blue eyes in a too-familiar face looked my way. The source of my panic. The reason for the dread that filled my veins.
Anastasia.
And she’d brought friends.
“Council Member, I didn’t expect to see you quite so soon.” My voice was clear and unwavering as I worked to keep my breakfast down.
“Where is the rest of my team?” she asked, not even bothering to address me.
I pursed my lips slightly before putting a falsely subservient smile on my face. “They’ll be here shortly.”
Anastasia narrowed her eyes but said nothing.
I took the chance to observe the people she’d brought with her. Both the men and women were obviously Supernatural in skin and eye coloring. They stood tall, looking arrogant, and smiling coldly at what they perceived as weakness. Their whispered words were clipped, short and without emotion. I caught the glances of a few and the slight widening of their eyes when they flashed between the Head of Council and myself. Their clothes were fine, higher quality than I was used to wearing, and far more refined than the leather pants and tank top I wore now.
Another moment passed before the door two stories down opened. Anastasia gave me a cold, calculated smile as the first of the footsteps cleared the stairs. I didn’t move an inch as the door flew open.
“What is the meaning of this?” Johanna said, striding forward with mighty steps. She didn’t quake under the cold stares of the people surrounding Anastasia.
“I would watch your tone, half-breed,” a burly Supernatural man growled. He was taller than any other male in the room, save Aaron, who tried to step in front of me and was snarling quietly under his breath. I understood his aversion to the term half-breed, but I most certainly didn’t need him trying to protect me.
“Likewise, Council Member Branislav,” Oliver said, stepping up next to Johanna. She stilled them all with a death stare that said the words she couldn’t—that one day she would murder them in their sleep.
“Silence,” Anastasia barked, only settling herself when her orders were obeyed. She splayed then fisted her fingers, stretching as if she too could feel the veins of power that thrummed under this explosive tension. “The Council has come for a demonstration. A proof of power and worthiness, if you will,” Anastasia purred.
Half my team tensed while the other half started walking to the simulator, already resigned to what a ‘demonstration’ likely entailed.
“Not so fast.” She paused, and dread unfurled in my belly like a raven spreading its wings.
Goose bumps broke out across my flesh when the Head of Council looked right at me, a cruel smile on her lips. “We only require a final demonstration from the team leader, to ensure that we chose the most capable person for the job,” she continued, a huntress who’d waited far too long to spring her trap.
“I was under the impression I’d already proven how capable I am, given what happened last time,” I said softly. A subtle reminder that I wasn’t without claws. Memories of smoke and rubble came to mind.
“And I’ve decided to reconsider that decision. Now, a demonstration, please. We will not ask again,” she said, not-so sweetly.
We. I liked how she used them as a weapon while never asking for an opinion other than her own.
Cold fingers wrapped around my left hand and burning ones around my right. I looked back and forth between my sister and cousin, at the raw emotion in Blair’s eyes that she gave to no one, and the love in Alexandra’s. I nodded once to each of them, letting only the smallest sliver of my gratitude show. Anastasia was playing a dangerous game, and I wasn’t about to give her the only ammunition that could take me down.
My friends. My family. For them, I would shatter the very earth.
So, when I stepped inside the simulator, I didn’t show any fear. I didn’t turn back and let them see my apprehension.
No. I kept my eyes open and wits about me, until the ground moved, like a monster opening its jaws to swallow me whole.
Chapter 91
The simulator floor broke apart like the teeth of a kraken, shifting back toward the walls to reveal an antechamber of true terror below. A lake of dark water so deep I couldn’t see its bottom. The drop itself was no more than the sixty feet I’d jumped off the ravine, but in this arena, the floor was moving.
Down below, stepping stones created a circle of sorts around the outer rim of the lake. Four massive poles rose out of the water, look
ing like power lines with an impressive trunk. Sheer terror seized me as the piece of the floor I was currently standing on slid rapidly away, leaving me in a world of water…and I didn’t know how to swim.
My mother had been afraid of water, and it was the only fear she’d passed onto both me and my sisters. While I could do a shower, and even a bath, anything more than two feet was not happening.
I was going to drown.
Swallowing hard, I forced my legs to move, positioning myself just so. If I didn’t do something now, I was going to fall off the edge too far away from the stepping-stones that were the only land. Violet rested a reassuring hand on me, a will of steel leaving her fearless despite the very real possibility of drowning if I planned this wrong.
“Aim for the stones. On three. Two. Jump!”
The jump down was daunting when I knew what was coming if I missed. The brutal impact on my legs ricocheted through my spine and rocked me so hard my teeth chattered, because I couldn’t roll. I let the force tear through me, preferring it to the building panic that had my heart beating so fast it was hard to breathe. The lake was even more terrifying up close. A harsh wind whipped my braid back as I surveyed the waters that splashed over the stone’s edge and onto my dark pants.
Black. They were truly black, and a shiver ran through me.
How had Anastasia known? Was it sheer luck that she’d pieced together the only physical obstacle that had a chance of ending me?
I doubted it, but down here, that doubt would serve no one. If I wanted to live, I needed to be clever and figure out exactly what I was fighting against. In the center of the lake, a ripple ran through the water, too swift to be a lazy current. I stood my ground, staring into the waters, when another, more defined shudder ran over the surface. Closer this time.
My breath hissed between my teeth as I inhaled sharply and sprang to the nearest stone. And then the next. I had cleared four stones in fifteen seconds when the air swished behind me. I looked back just as the water parted, spiraling down like a massive whirlpool. Water poured over the three-foot-wide stepping stone as a creature of nightmares leaped over the spot where I’d been standing not a minute before. Nine heads homed in on the empty rock, their serpentine eyes so predatory it made my blood run cold. Each head had a snake-like neck that eventually merged into one massive body, with short legs and webbed feet. I say short, but each of those legs was as tall as me. One of the heads swiveled around at my gawking, as if the creature realized why I’d been sent here—just as I did.
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