Teller swore under his breath.
Remis commanded the Challengers to line up across the arena floor, then shoved past his son to storm down the staircase, his eyes murky with ire.
A wet-cheeked Eleanor stepped forward to hold Lily back as Luther pried her arms from his waist. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head, then turned toward the stairs. He refused to look at me and face the choice he had made, this ultimate betrayal. His clouded eyes stared vaguely ahead, focused on some destination only he could see.
“Did you tell him?” Remis demanded, stomping up to me. “Did he know I would lose my magic if he Challenged you?”
The stupefied look on my face gave me away.
“You idiot,” he shouted. “You foolish, stupid brat! Did I not warn you this would happen?”
I blinked and shook my head. “I never thought… h-he…”
“This is your fault. I upheld my part of the bargain. Why should I be held accountable when you were the imbecile who told him?”
“Stop insulting her,” Teller snapped. “You’re the one who made a bargain you couldn’t keep.”
My heart would have filled with pride if it hadn’t been busy doing other things, like pounding hard enough to rattle the arena or smashing into a fine cloud of dust.
“What if you convince him to take it back?” Teller offered, looking at me. “If he rescinds his Challenge, maybe it will restore the bargain.”
“A Challenge can’t be withdrawn once given,” Remis argued, though the calculating look on his face said he was considering it. “The other Houses will never accept it. They’ll say I broke the rules to help you.”
“So you would choose your pride over your magic?” Teller asked with brows raised, showing no hint of intimidation as Remis glowered in response.
My brother had always been the most reserved member of our family, cool-headed and cautious to a fault, but it was moments like these that reminded me he was still a fearless Bellator at heart.
While Remis and Teller continued to argue, my focus shifted. Luther had stepped onto the arena floor to take his place in the long line of Challengers.
My feet carried me toward him before I even knew what I planned to say. Though his eyes stayed fixed beyond me, he stiffened as I approached.
I shoved him, forcing him to stagger back and slam into the stone barrier. “You fucking betrayed me!”
His shoulders drew back, his jaw clamping tight. Still refusing to meet my glare, he set off to my left to divert around me.
So I sucker-punched him.
The crowd went wild. Luther froze as his head jerked sideways. Almost instantly, his face snapped back to mine, his expression dark and enraged.
“How could you?” I hissed.
“Lovers’ quarrel?” Jean Hanoverre mocked, sauntering past us. “Better save it for the match. I hope your magic is a lot stronger than that right hook.”
So I sucker-punched him, too.
I clocked him right in his smug, smirking, pretentious little face, sending his obnoxiously coiffed hair flying as he tumbled onto his ass in the sand.
I spat at his feet. “Now when I fight you, you can compare them for yourself.”
The audience was a cacophony of gasps, laughter, and mutters of disapproval. It was the latter I loathed the most—the ones who bestowed haughty judgment from their lives of irrelevancy as I clawed for my own survival.
At least I was trying. At least I was fighting.
I turned back to Luther, only to see him stalking off to join my other would-be executioners.
“Don’t you dare walk away from me,” I shouted at him. “Did your promises mean nothing after all?”
He stilled, then whipped back around to face me, fury blazing in his eyes.
Before he could speak, Remis darted between us and seized his arm. “Son, listen to me. You have to take your Challenge back.”
“I will not,” Luther ground out.
“I’ll restore all your titles. I’ll never oppose you again. All the things you’ve asked me for over the years, whatever you want—name it, and it’s yours.”
“Save your breath, Father. There is nothing I desire more than this.”
“Luther, be reasonable. I can help you protect her. There must be something I can do—”
“Can you give me a Crown?” Luther snarled. “I’m meant to be King, and she is standing in my way. I’ve been waiting for this moment for thirty days. I will not risk another Challenger failing and keeping me from my throne now.” His eyes sharpened on his father. “Taking your magic in the process is just a happy surprise.”
What little was left of my heart plummeted through me, scattering in pieces on the sandy ground. Beneath my fury, I had held on to a thread of hope my accusations were wrong. I knew Luther had spent a lifetime honing his skills at hiding his true feelings away, and I’d prayed this was all another mask, another lie—but as I scoured that face I had once read as easily as an old favorite book, the only emotion I found was ruthless resolve.
Remis fell back a step, looking equally stunned. “But… I—I thought you were…” He stared at me, then back at his son. “You’re not doing this for her?”
Luther tensed, then ripped his arm free. “I’m doing this for the realm. I’m giving them the Crown they need.” Muscles feathered on his jaw. “Me.”
He walked away, leaving me shattered and Remis speechless. We exchanged a bleak look, each of us devastated for very different reasons.
“They’re going to kill me,” Remis choked out. “All the people I’ve angered over the years—when they discover I’ve lost my magic…” He swallowed hard. “I’m as good as dead.”
I had no sympathy to spare, at least not for him, not when my own death was so crushingly imminent, but as I stared at this man who looked as if he had nothing left to lose, an idea began to grow.
“I propose we make another deal,” I said slowly.
He scowled. “I can’t make a bonded bargain without magic.”
“Not a bonded bargain—just an agreement. You trust me, and I’ll trust you.”
His upper lip curled like I’d just asked him to sprout a tail and slither away. But he didn’t say no.
“Let Eleanor back in the family, and promise me you’ll take care of my brother. Use the guards, your connections, whatever it takes to keep him safe. Promise me that, and if I survive, I won’t say a word about our bargain. If anyone asks, I’ll deny it. No one will have to know your magic is gone.”
His expression turned guarded as he looked me over. “You’re going to try to kill my son?”
“No.” My eyes briefly closed. I let out a shaky breath. “You’re going to let me choose my Challenger.”
Remis didn’t answer at first. He studied me, brows furrowed, lips tightly pressed. “If you don’t fight Luther, they’ll declare the Challenging void. Even if you win, they’ll say it doesn’t count.”
“Then I’ll have to make my victory extremely convincing.”
“If Luther wants the Crown, he’ll kill you the moment the Challenging ends.” His tone was oddly light, almost curious. “You’re sure you don’t want to fight him now and eliminate that risk?”