here. Another human who will die with no fanfare or recognition. Disappear as if you never existed.”
“You think you will be remembered?” she hissed, knocking back into me. “Your rich mommy and daddy crying over you?” Her eyes scanned me. “You came in here dripping with privilege. Painted nails, creamy skin, silky hair… I can smell money on everything you do. How you speak, hold yourself, your entitled arrogance… You never had to suffer a day in your life. I bet you’ve never even set foot in the Savage Lands. It’s probably just a story that gets you rich people all excited with the possibility of danger. You never had to work eighteen grueling hours every day to put food on the table. Watch your child die because you couldn’t get medicine.” She stepped even closer. “This place is a holiday for me. So, come at me. I will show you how we survive there.”
“Hey!” a guard yelled at us. “Step back, or you all end up in the hole.”
Tess’s lips hitched, but she retreated, glowering. “I can’t wait to watch you die. No one can protect you in the Games.”
The three of them sauntered away, her claims sticking to me like burrs. I had come from wealth and privilege, never stepping even close to the Savage Lands. While I had endured loss and sacrifice, I had no idea how it felt to watch a child die because you could not afford medication. To not have food on the table.
Istvan threw feasts with mounds of food for guests to impress them. So much of it was tossed out after or given to the livestock.
“Don’t let her crawl into your psyche. We are all here, and there is no rich or poor inside these walls. We all ended up in Halalhaz, which makes us on even ground now.”
“Even?” I snorted. “There is nothing even about this place.”
She pinned her mouth, nodding. “Come on, little lamb. Let’s go get food before it disappears.”
Kek left my side the moment we entered the mess hall, heading to her demon group, where food already waited for her. Grabbing a tray, I scanned the space, landing on someone I wasn’t sure how to deal with.
Lynx sat at a table with other fae, but her head twisted to the side, staring at me. Her muscles were rigid, as if just breathing inflicted tremendous pain. Underneath her top, I saw the extra layers of cloth wrapped around her, keeping her skin together along her spine. Her dark eyes watched me with no emotion.
Keeping my expression blank, I stared back at her. She deserved to hate me, no matter how it all started. I would always be the one who held the whip, who left the permanent marks on her back that would be a constant reminder of me. How could you even start to apologize for that?
I had learned at an early age to pick your battles. Know when to stand up and when it was smart to bend—because bending kept you from breaking.
I remained stumped at her decision to cover for me. I had been taught fae weren’t nice simply to be nice. Kindness for humans was not in their nature, so her actions didn’t settle well with me. I couldn’t stop wondering what she was up to. Though Lynx seemed so innocent, not some deceptive manipulator. If anyone was out of water here, it was her. But weren’t those always the ones to be careful of?
Lynx’s lips rolled together, appearing like she was going to turn away from me, but instead she gave me a slight nod before returning her attention to her group. It was all I needed.
Forgiveness or maybe understanding. She must not entirely blame me, which was more of a relief than I expected.
I let out a gust of air I didn’t know I was holding and headed to my table with a half scoop of oatmeal and a mug of lukewarm coffee. Eyes fixed on me from every direction, watching the soon-to-be-dead human, the Games ticking down the minutes of my life, a clock hanging above my head. But only one pair of eyes sliced through all the curiosity, burrowing into me as if he projected himself right next to me, taunting me to turn and look at him. A sensation fluttered inside me like living bugs, and the need to peer back at him clawed at the back of my head. The impulse was so powerful my flesh broke out in