Boyd, you didn’t tell me our new guy here was so funny. He thinks this place is some kind of retreat where he can pick his own activities.” Hexxus patted Aron’s back.
It happened in a blink. Everything shifted.
Hexxus’s eyes became black, his skin turned white and paper-thin, stretching over his bones, his teeth snapping. He shoved Aron forward, his fury discharging like tangible particles in the air.
Crack!
The lash of the whip snapped across Aron’s back, knocking him to the ground with a scream.
Crack!
The sound of cloth, flesh, and muscle splintering apart ripped through the air. Aron’s screeches tore through my eardrums as he tried to crawl away.
Fury burst from Hexxus, his body vibrating with energy. The demon was fully in control; any sliver of humanity was gone. His arm lashed down over and over brutally with raging passion. With every strike, my skin echoed in understanding, recalling the unbelievable pain.
Strike after strike, Hexxus didn’t relent, and I wanted to scream for him to stop, to save my comrade. Bile filled my stomach, shooting up my throat, tears clouding my eyes.
Aron’s shrieks turned into full sobs, blood spurting and spilling from the wounds. “Brex,” he whimpered, his eyes pleading with mine. The survivalist in me told me to keep my mouth shut, not to get involved. My head twisted toward Lynx, her dark eyes meeting mine.
I got it—what she had done for me.
“No.” She shook her head, but I was already standing.
“Please, stop,” I begged, trying to swallow back the vomit in my throat. “Please don’t kill him.”
Hexxus’s arm stopped midair, his black eyes turning on me. Nerves down my neck twisted and jerked, feeling his anger turn on me.
“You dare stop me in the middle of my lesson?” Hexxus’s arm dropped, and blood splattered all over his face and clothes. “You think because you are in the Games, you are untouchable?”
“No, master.” I bowed my head. “I would never deem myself that high.”
“Good.” Hexxus nodded, his eyes shifting back to yellow. “Because you aren’t. You are nothing.”
An agonizing moan came from Aron, shifting Hexxus’s attention back down to his limp body. “Get this thing out of sight.” He kicked Aron’s ribs, glancing over at Boyd.
Boyd stared at me, a cruel smirk on his face, not moving. Hexxus’s eyes flipped between us with mystification.
“Boyd,” he spat. “Am I missing something?”
“No, sir.” Boyd kept his sleazy gaze on me as he strolled over to Aron, a leer twisting at his lips.
“Play with your pets on your own time,” Hexxus growled. “Get this piece of shit out of here. I’m sick of dealing with stupid, arrogant humans.”
“Don’t worry.” Boyd squatted down, grabbing Aron and easily lifting him over his shoulder. His gaze found mine again. “I know the perfect place for him.” His cruel smile widened as he carried Aron out of the room.
My throat tightened, fear poking between my ribs, sensing something more behind Boyd’s sentiment. Before I had time to analyze it, Hexxus was standing before me, his expression back to neutral.
“For what you just did?” He leaned in, Aron’s blood dotting his skin like freckles. “I should lash you until your muscles could be used as floss.” His hand wrapped around my throat, his thumb pressing into the pulse at my neck. He licked his lips, loving my terror. “But I have bets on the Games tonight, and feeling your fear as you get brutally torn apart in the ring?” With his free hand, he wiped Aron’s blood off his cheek with his finger, sucking it off. “It will be such a high. It’s like the best fuck in the world. And I will get off on your death tonight. Enjoy it like a sweet wine.” He shoved me back, my ass knocking back into my chair.
He whirled around, his arms going up in the air.
“Everyone back to work. And thanks to your colleagues’ interruptions, there will be no breaks or food.”
Daggered glares and hisses shot toward me. Tess shook her head in loathing.
“Danger and violence,” Lynx murmured for only me to hear. “They follow you.”
I couldn’t disagree.
Relief eased down my shoulders as I started to work, but the sneer on Boyd’s face haunted me.
Whatever respite I got today, I would pay for later.
Chapter 20
“Pir-an-ha. Pir-an-ha.” The crowd’s chants dove into my bones, oscillating through my body, violently thumping my heart and lungs. The sharp smell of my fear, dirt, blood, and sweat clung to the tunnel where I stood, the light beyond the gate cutting through the bars.