Kek strode beside me, nipping at her nail. Soon she’d have to leave, as only Zander could escort me into the tunnel used for the fighters.
“Really?” My tone escalated a few pitches, my lungs pumping in and out rapidly.
“No, sorry, you’re totally fucked.” She cringed, running a hand through her loose braid as we stopped at the gate. My body swung to hers, my mouth gaping at her.
“I’m sorry!” She tossed out her arms. “I’m not good at this whole consoling thing. Not in my nature.”
Zander unlocked the gate, the metal squealing as it opened, death shivering through my heart.
Kek’s words were brutal, but it wasn’t something I didn’t know. Everyone knew. I had received nothing but smirks and pitying eyes all day. The only time people were nice to me was on the eve of my death: a shake of the head, a pat on the shoulder, even from those who had threatened me all week.
I was a dead girl walking.
Warwick had demanded healers to mend me for the fight tonight so he could kill me properly.
“Did I not warn you?” Lynx had said to me as we left the laundry room earlier today. “This time, there is no going back.”
Despondency filled my eyes as I peered at Kek. At this moment, I realized she had become a friend. In a place of violence, death, and cruelty, she, Tad, Opie, and even Bitzy had become sources of comfort.
“Brex—” Zander cut himself off, clearing his throat. “85221. It’s time.”
I pursed my lips, my throat thickening as I grabbed Kek’s hands. “Thank you,” I whispered, trying not to cry, “for having my back. I still don’t understand why, but I appreciate it.”
Kek twisted her head to the side, her lids blinking rapidly, her nose twitching.
“And tell Tad the same. I never got to say goodbye.”
“Then walk out of the arena and tell him yourself.” Ire flared over her brow. “Do what you need to do.”
A sad smile curved my mouth, her fury inflating instantly. We both knew I would not be walking out. No one, especially a bony, weak human girl, could win against the Wolf.
He was a legend for a reason.
The man who came back from the dead took lives like he was death himself.
Not one for sentimentality, I spun away from her, stepping into the dark tunnel. My jaw locked down when I heard her call my name. I didn’t look back, cutting off everything and everyone who made me human and tucking it behind my heart.
Caden.
My father.
Hanna, the only real girlfriend I had growing up, and the rest of my comrades.
Istvan and Rebeka. They had taken me on as family and raised me after my father died. They loved me in their way.
I gathered all their faces and memories and closed the lid. If I let myself think or feel, I would collapse, fear and grief immobilizing me.
My boots crunched across the gravel as it took us lower into the earth. The drumming and chants from the stands echoed through the corridor. They all knew General Markos’s ward would be dead soon, my blood watering the dirt. They’d be carrying the true knowledge: I didn’t die months ago but was cut down in front of them. They’d probably put my head on a spike and take turns parading me around the cell block in pride.
My feet stopped, a woeful sob wrenching from my chest, my spine bowed over. Zander’s hand touched my lower back, his fingers circling in soothing motions. “Brexley.” My name barely grazed his tongue, his voice soft and laced with sorrow.
“Don’t,” I whispered. “Don’t say it will be all right or I can do this.” I looked up at him, agony snaking up my chest to my face.
His brown eyes filled with emotion as his gaze dove into mine. “Stay alive. Not everything is what it seems.” Then his hands gripped my face, pulling me to him, his mouth capturing mine. Soft, but full of need, his lips moved over mine. My heightened emotions seized on his desire, consuming the last moments of kindness and pleasure.
I took his hunger and passion like it was a charging station, sending fire down my spine. I was not kind or gentle, but rough and demanding. I pushed for more, my teeth biting, my tongue licking. He tried to keep up with me, but I knew I demanded too much.
I always needed more. No guy I had been with ever seemed to leave me quenched. I thought it was