Envy rolled his eyes.
“Pyres are so dull. Leave it to your prince to be so uninspired. Though I suppose he is still stuck in the Middle Ages.”
Camilla looked stricken.
“Can’t we escape through that cave?”
“We could.” Envy reached over, tucking a silver lock behind her ear. “But that doesn’t solve the problem. Zarus would just send someone else to collect you. And next time he’d strengthen his borders. Best to end this now.”
Blade pushed himself off the wall and headed for the door.
“I’ll return if there’s any news.”
Envy nodded, turning his attention back to Camilla. He waited until the vampire could no longer be heard in the corridor before speaking.
“Should anything go awry, Alexei will take you to House Wrath. Don’t fight him. My brother will see to your safety, and his presence will make Zarus think twice before attacking.”
“You just said you are more powerful.”
He hesitated for a beat.
“Winning is not always about power. It’s about who wants it more. Zarus will not fight fairly or lay down his sword easily. He will make me earn that victory.”
“It would be easier if you just left me here.”
“You know I’d never do that.”
Envy’s hand curled around her chin, his touch gentle as he tipped her face up. She’d romanticized him again. Giving him a golden halo while ignoring the fact that his had broken long ago.
Because he’d shattered it.
“But you haven’t asked the all-important question, my darling Camilla.”
She scanned his face, knowing he was leading her into a trap, unable to see where it lay.
“Why?”
“You are much more than you seem, aren’t you, Miss Antonius? Not human. But what? I have a feeling that if I knew that, I’d know why you’re part of the game. Care to enlighten me?”
She held his gaze, offering a slight negation as her answer.
Whether she was admitting to not being human, or answering his question about enlightening him, it didn’t matter.
“Why wouldn’t I ever leave you here?” he asked again, bringing his mouth close to hers.
She’d wanted to taste the seam of his lips, and he wished to taste her lies. He brushed his lips against hers, the kiss barely anything at all.
Camilla’s breath hitched.
He drew back.
“It appears you’ve forgotten the game, Miss Antonius. You are a requirement for me to win. Were you listening to the Fear Collector? I am exactly where I need to be.”
Camilla winced, tried to jerk away, but he held on, forcing her gaze to remain locked on his, even as it turned hateful. He thought of the book she’d been reading at Sloth’s. Knew there was more to the choice in her fairy-tale romance than she’d let on.
Better for her to despise him now.
Envy wasn’t incapable of change. He simply didn’t wish to change.
“I will never be your Prince Charming, Camilla. For now, you hold immense value to me. When your value runs out…”
He stroked her jaw, watching her eyes turn hard as steel.
She wanted to hurt him. It was written all over her pretty face.
“Best hope that doesn’t happen until the game ends, pet. Or else you might see how wicked I truly am.”
FORTY-THREE
A FEW TENSE hours later, Camilla sat beside Blade in the royal box overlooking the arena, her knuckles bone-white from gripping her fists tightly in her lap.
Far below them a circular patch of white sand stretched wide, surrounded by matching high, smooth walls designed to keep fighters on the ground.
Unlike the black-sand beach they’d arrived on, the snow-colored grains and stone were clearly chosen to show off spilled blood, something that could prove dangerous in an arena filled with vampires.
Camilla didn’t want to think about what might happen if blood lust took over. Given how high up she was, there would be no way out but down through the thick of it.
Dawn was still a ways off, the strange double moons of Malice Isle casting an eerie red haze along the sand. Torches burned—the acrid scent of smoke rising on the thick, humid air.
Camilla’s gown clung to her like a second skin from the oppressive heat, adding to her discomfort. That was the reason she couldn’t sit still or take more than a few shallow breaths at a time. It was a necessary lie she kept silently repeating to herself.
Vampires poured into the tower from several entrances, filling the seats beyond capacity, their cheers creating a terrible cacophony as they pounded their fists and stomped their feet, waiting for the battle of princes to begin.
She glanced around, looking for Vexley, but he was either seated in the raging throng below or had decided to spend his time with his mistresses from hell.
Soon the metallic scent of blood mixed with the smoke. Tray after tray of blood cocktails was served and the crowd, already dangerous, was now drunk and raging.
“One thing is certain,” Blade said, gaze locked on the pit below. “It will be interesting.”
She was grateful he hadn’t lied and said it would be all right.
Even with Envy’s confidence, there was no telling how the fight would end. Immeasurable ass that he was, Camilla didn’t want any harm to come to the demon prince.
Alexei entered the royal box, nodding to Blade as they silently exchanged places.
Camilla slanted a look in his direction. He was already watching her.
“His Highness said to wear these.”
He held up two beautiful cuffs: wide silver bands fitted with what looked to be a hundred ruby shards.
“He said, and I quote, put them on and pretend he’s cuffed you to his bed.”
She rolled her eyes. Even now the demon was trying to distract her. He could say whatever he liked about only keeping her safe for the game. His actions said otherwise.
Alexei handed her one cuff at a time.
She noticed he only touched the silver.
“Aversion to rubies?”
“Not quite.” A smile ghosted across his face. “Rosary peas mixed with rubies. Highly lethal to vampires.”
“He expects I’ll need them?”
“A precaution, Miss Antonius.”
She gingerly took the cuffs and put them on. They fit as if they’d been forged for her.
“They were,” Alexei said.
“Why is it that everyone in this realm can read my mind?”
“Your expression tells your thoughts. It’s minute,” he added, “nothing a mortal would notice. But you’re no longer surrounded by mortals. Creatures here pay attention to everything; no detail is too small. You need to constantly wear a mask.”
“I suppose being surrounded by other predators keeps one sharp.”
He inclined his head in agreement but didn’t comment further.
Instead, he handed her a matching necklace he pulled from a satchel she hadn’t noticed, his cool fingers accidentally brushing hers before he quickly drew back.
She searched his blue eyes for answers. She hadn’t felt any loss of her senses, and his eyes identified him as royal.
“Your touch doesn’t impair me the way Zarus’s does. Why is that?”
His attention sharpened.
Bollocks, she cursed silently. She remembered too late that she was supposed to be human. Alexei looked at her for a long minute, then finally answered.