“Which girl do you suggest?”
“Might I suggest Harper? She’s an excellent conversationalist.”
Ah. The friend with the terrible perfume. Yes. I remembered her.
“Well, Harper, Lily tells me there’s something you’re interested in telling me. What is it?”
Harper glanced at the other girls lined up beside her. She was nervous. But of what?
“She’s very… shy,” Lily said. “Perhaps you would like to speak with her in private?”
Whatever it was they had to tell me, it was clear no one present but Lily and Harper knew about it.
I ran my eye over Harper. She was small, even shorter than Ivy, and had tanned skin and welcoming eyes. She wasn’t strong but I sensed she could be quick. A poison inscribed on the edge of a knife could be more deadly than any unique ability.
What reason would she have of making an attempt on my life? I wondered. Because I had turned her down so many times over the years and chosen her friend as a mate?
Possibly. Feuds had started for a lot less.
I would have to take the risk if I wanted to learn what she had to say.
I nodded and motioned for Harper to join me. We approached the tunnel leading to the cells. The guards fell in behind us.
I was itching to ask her what it was she wanted to tell me but the guards were too close and could overhear her easily. We walked in silence down the gangways.
Harper got a few acknowledging waves and nods of respect from the prisoners we passed.
Respect? In this place?
I guess everyone had their skills. Sex was clearly one of hers.
We reached my cell and she stepped inside without waiting for me to invite her. I entered and the guards left.
“Wow,” Harper said, peering at my cell. “You have your own bathroom and kitchen?”
I had been the champion the entire time she had… worked at the prison. She wouldn’t have seen a champion’s quarters without me claiming her.
“Would you like some water?” I said.
“Yes. Please.”
I filled her a glass. She looked at me over it as she drank it all down in one thirsty gulp. She rolled the glass between her hands.
“More?” I said.
She shook her head.
“You must really miss Ivy. You usually choose her every day.”
“Lily said you wanted to tell me something. What is it?”
Harper glanced at the door and then back at me.
“You love her, don’t you?”
“What does that have to do with you?”
“Nothing. I just… never thought it was possible between the Prizes and fighters before. There’s always lust, plenty of lust. I’ve got lust coming out of my ears. But never love. What is it about her that you love so much?”
Were my earlier fears true? Did she hold it against me that I never looked at her once and always chose Ivy?
“What do you have to tell me?” I said.
Harper looked me over again and nodded.
“You love her. I can tell. And she loves you. That’s why I’m here to tell you what I know. If anyone found out I said anything…”
She shivered at what that outcome would lead to.
“What is it?” I said, my curiosity growing.
“It’s Ivy. She’s… been up to something. I don’t know all the details and I don’t know exactly what… But she’s been seeing the Supervisor. Not in the way she’s been seeing you. It’s different. Like they have some kind of secret or something. She never tells me about it but I can tell she’s always thinking about it. I’m not sure it’s good.”
Okay, so that wasn’t what I expected her to say. I really had no idea what it was going to be, but this?
“Are you sure about this? How do you know she’s been seeing the Supervisor?”
“Because every day after she sees you, she goes up to his lab. She’s there for about half an hour and then comes to us. I’ve tried asking her about it but sometimes talking about things can be dangerous. Like I’m talking to you now.”
I placed my hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eye.
“You don’t have to be afraid. I’m not going to tell anyone anything you tell me.”
She smiled and it really was a beautiful thing.
“Okay.”
She threw herself down on the bed and told me everything she knew. It became clear she didn’t know a lot but enough to make me suspicious. I knew what the Supervisor was like. I’d grown up with him.
It was the final piece of information that caught my attention.
“Then this morning, she didn’t come back,” Harper said.
“What do you mean? She went to see the Supervisor and then didn’t come out again?”
Harper nodded.
“Did any of the girls see her come out?” I said.
“No. Neither did Lily. And she’s very careful with her girls. Even if she pretends like she doesn’t care.”
“Did Lily speak to anyone about her going missing?”
“She didn’t need to. A guard came and spoke to her, telling her Ivy wouldn’t be returning.”
“And that was it? No more explanation than that?”
Harper shook her head.
What did that mean? That Ivy was still in there somewhere? Or that the Supervisor had done something to her?
My mind whirled and my stomach twisted at the idea.
There was little the Supervisor wouldn’t do when push came to shove.
It gave me pause for thought. I’d made a deal with the Supervisor for him to let me have Ivy.
But what if he really did have power over what happened to her? What if he never intended on speaking with the warden? He’d never needed to discuss anything with him before. And what if he was preparing to trap me as he had with Ivy?
“What are you going to do?” Harper said.
It was a great question. I wasn’t sure.
Just then, the door made a bleep noise it always did when the guards stood on the other
