So what were they setting up for when all eyes were on me? Those were confident smiles expecting to watch someone special fall.
I didn’t have much time to consider it given I didn’t arrive with the others. Mel shot me a few worried glances, but I nodded I was fine. The magical boards announced the pairings, and we were starting with staffs. Not my best, but again, I had already placed out of the class, and I ended up being paired with a freshman guy who was fairly clueless.
So I won almost immediately.
After a short break, we were paired up and went hand to hand. I got matched with a Physical Training III female dragon and still won fast. She was agreeable about it.
What was the setup? Where were they going to try and go for me?
Another break, and then we were using swords. I’d long since learned to tone down how good I was in public as it raised all the eyebrows. But I won against a freshman female who dropped her sword, since they’d barely used them yet.
I was getting anxious. I couldn’t find the answer.
Two more rounds and different weapons and it hit me… Well the over-the-top cheering did.
For Blake Ward. People had hated her at the end of last year and yet, the vampires had rallied around her. And she’d been dying to fight me after getting back on campus. She’d thrown a fucking fit when she’d learned I’d placed out of all the Physical Trainings.
Plus, Mel had had to place her in Physical Training III, and that had shocked Mel. Blake had been training on her year off from Artemis.
To fight me.
It sounded so fucking pathetic and stupid, I almost dismissed it… But it tracked. She could not let it go that I had beaten her. I could absolutely see that psycho go all-out in getting revenge and focus on kicking my ass. In front of everyone was even better.
I had been surprised she hadn’t tried to start shit with me so far this semester after that impromptu meeting where she got the warning.
We went another round, and when those who advanced moved closer together, I made sure to get a spot near her without acting like that was the goal. I mentally sighed when she had a telepathy blocking charm on. So she was definitely up to something. And I couldn’t start shit about her wearing charms during a tournament as I had my species one on.
Unfortunately for her, those things didn’t work on me anymore.
“Almost time. I can almost lay waste to her. This is going to be the sweetest revenge ever. I will humiliate her pathetic ass in front of everyone and earn grandfather’s respect back. He might hate all of this and what’s being done, but it will bolster our name and standing. I can do this. I will do this. Fucking whore.”
She went on and on for a bit, not giving me anything useful.
Until she did. I did a double take and couldn’t even hide I was focused on her, which she caught.
“Yeah, you can’t hear me with the charm on. You can sense it, huh? Fuck you, unknown freak. You’ll fizzle out and probably die young because you were abused. You might be powerful and have exploded now, but you’ll dry up fast. You’re definitely a witch, and when I prove it today, your elders are going to bleed you dry, and I will go back to being the queen of this campus, not you.”
Her mind was a scary, scary place as she truly believed I’d stolen everything she deserved and earned from her somehow. And the councilmen were majorly cheating. Instead of fighting with each other, they’d decided to work together. They were both pretty sure I was a witch and playing both councils, so they’d given Blake a charm that would push her over the edge to beat me.
One only a powerful witch could sense if near her.
Once I nailed her for cheating, the guards were waiting to swarm in and take me into custody to answer a list of charges as a witch. Wow.
And if I didn’t fall for the trap, Blake was to get my essence charm off me in an “accident” during fighting that would easily be explained. But she was to do it by any means necessary, and she had worked with councilmembers on how to definitively identify a witch.
So to both councils, they would have me no matter what.
The fuck they would.
I glanced around and saw White was front and center with Edelman. I saw vampire council guards watching Darby. Lucca was actually still competing. Izzy was out, but she could get in serious trouble for being involved and her poker face was shit. Mel was running this whole thing with several of the Rothchilds.
I locked eyes with Craftsman, understanding immediately filling his gaze that I’d figured it out.
“Please let me help, love. Tell me what to do. I am on your side. Even if I’ve failed you so many times, you know without a doubt, I’m never on their side.”
That I did. Even if he wasn’t always with me, he was never with them.
“The shit might really hit the fan this time. Can you sneak away and open a portal to my house outside the arena? I need Chief and the pack here as backup.” I gave a slight shake to my head when he looked like he might argue. “They’re ready for just about everything. I think I can get through this, but they’ve got a plan if I don’t make it to the finals or bail out, Julian. They’re going all in.”
I filled him in on the rest, and I thought he might spontaneously combust from where he sat.
He let out a slow breath and gave a
