To my surprise, he leaned back. The lines of tension in his shoulders loosened.
“What’s going on?” I asked Max.
“They’ve halted the games pending a negotiation,” Max said. “Galina and Ben pulled out.” I assumed he meant the missing contestants. “The elite guard want to push forward with the gladiatorial round. So does most of the supernatural community.”
“I’ll bet they do,” I spat. “Bloody sycophants.”
I rubbed my palm on my leg. “Why didn’t they just pull people out before they got hurt?”
“If you don’t like it,” Bradley said, “why don’t you do everyone a favour and quit?”
By the door, Andrei cackled. “If you’re too chicken to face her in the arena, why don’t you say so instead of making pathetic threats?”
Bradley surged to his feet. Andrei snapped his fangs. But just like Andrei had pegged, Bradley was all bark. I had no illusions that given the chance, he would try to take me out. In front of the elite guard and with Max, Kai, and Andrei around? He wouldn’t move a finger.
Max squared his shoulders. “We’re supernaturals,” he reminded me. “Sometimes, things happen too quickly for an intervention. I didn’t even know I was going to rip out Harley’s throat until it was already done.”
“They should never have used a demon in the first place.”
“The challenge was to detain your partner in the throes of their worst selves,” Angus said. “How else would we have triggered Malachi?”
I understood the crux of his problem. It was a unique situation. There were too many overpowered individuals in the game this year. They had to up the danger scale to make it comparable. That didn’t mean it was ultimately worth it.
“Mr. Webb is correct,” Ivan added. “If you do not wish to continue, now is the time to forfeit.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Andrei shuffle his body. If I quit, I would take him down with me.
“Chanelle didn’t rescue Kai,” I pointed out. “How is that a fair trade?”
Chanelle hopped off the couch. She had every intention of knocking my block off. Kai stuck his leg out just as she was about to stalk past. It was barely a restraint, but she halted like she’d hit a wall. It made my insides recoil. There was just no way in hell I would ever fall in line like that.
“This is not an individual game,” Ivan told me. “At least not yet.”
He crossed his arms over his chest. “The eight of you are the last remaining contestants. We couldn’t account for the death toll in the last game. After a discussion with the heads of your Academies, it has been decided that we will skip to the gladiatorial round.”
“Does anyone want to forfeit now?” Angus asked.
Andrei and I locked eyes. When all was said and done, I’d come too close to back down now. Andrei took in a deep breath when it became clear I wasn’t going to forfeit.
“Very well,” Angus said. “You have tonight to rest. Tomorrow morning, you will face the arena.” He cast a wary glance at the Nephilim. “I want to remind you that the Lodge is a sanctum. You are not to harm each other within these walls.”
“Unless you deem it so.” Their heads whipped in my direction. Oops. Did I say that aloud? The elite guard eyed me speculatively. Their expressions ranged from amused to chagrined.
The adults disappeared through a portal. After they left, a feast appeared on the surface of the island bench. The smell of food made me queasy. As the others gathered around the table, I pushed open the front door and stepped out into the night.
Andrei found me lying down amidst the daphne bushes about five minutes later. He regarded me with amusement. “What’s the plan here?” he said.
I closed my eyes. “This makes me feel better.”
“A dirt nap shouldn’t do that.”
“Did you want something?”
He held out a plate. “I’ve been told you’re usually a bottomless pit.”
“I’m not hungry.”
That got my antenna wagging. Something was definitely wrong with me. Andrei crouched down and tried to set the plate on the ground. After a few attempts to find some clear space, he lost patience. “This is ridiculous,” he said. “Can you get up?”
“Well, since you asked so nicely...”
He showed me his teeth. “You know, if I didn’t know you better, I would think this is a cry for attention. But I do know you better, and I need you to snap out of it. You’ll have time to process this later. Right now, you need to regain your strength.”
“Great pep talk. You should consider a career in motivational speaking.”
He huffed. “Guess what, squirt? You’re still a smart ass. Which means whatever is broken in your head isn’t beyond repair.”
For some reason, that actually made me feel better. I pushed myself to my feet and followed him back to the house. “I don’t want to be around them,” I told him.
He paused on the front steps and decided this was as good a place as any to sit. I went down cross-legged and placed the plate on my lap. “It’s a sad day when my company is the preferred option.”
“Who says I want you to stay?”
He smirked. I managed to get down half of the roast chicken and some of the mashed potatoes before my appetite decided to come roaring back to life. After that it was a no-holds-barred gorge fest. I wanted more. Andrei blinked at me like he couldn’t understand where all the food had gone. “That was some messed-up shit back there,” he said after a while. He scrubbed at his face. “I mean, you stabbed yourself in the neck!”
“That’s basically my life.”
He nodded. “You know they’re planning to kill you?” He said it like he was making a comment on the weather. Not spelling out my doom.
“Refer to my previous comment.”
He glanced down at his hands. “What’s the contingency? We’re going to
