Page 52 of Hallowed Games

He shoved me, and I stumbled before him. Anger crackled through my body like hot sparks. I turned, my lip curling as I snarled at him. He was, of course, exactly like Maelor—a blood-drinking immortal vampire with the power of a god.

As he shoved me again, away from the others, it was hard not to scream at the Pater that Sion was as cursed as I was. But if I told them all about Sion’s secret, I’d be risking Maelor’s life, too. And Maelor seemed to be my most valuable ally right now. So instead, I shot Sion a look of death. Dragging me from the others, he gripped my arm tightly.

He led me through a short path in the forest until the distant golden glow of the castle lights came into view.

With the roughness of his grasp, I really did wish my touch could kill him.

“What exactly do you want to discuss?” I hissed.

Maybe it was the horror of the day snapping at my frayed nerves, but I didn’t usually let my anger show so easily—especially not around dangerous people like Sion. The Baron had trained me too well. Around powerful people, the best thing to do was shut your mouth and swallow your pride. But something about him made the words tumble out of me.

He released my arm, leaving me to walk next to him. “I thought you were supposed to be a fearsome assassin. So how did you end up falling into the oubliette?”

I cut him a sharp look. “How did you know that?”

He shrugged. “The Archon tells me things, of course.”

Bollocks. He probably used his vampire senses to smell the river water on me. “Someone used a disorientation spell on me. Didn’t the Archon tell you? I thought you two were quite close.”

Tension sharpened in the air. “Who used the spell?”

I shook my head. “I don’t know his name. The man with the tattooed scalp.”

“Of course. And I don’t need to ask how you got out. You had a little help from a certain Raven Lord, didn’t you? Did he look at you with those sorrowful blue eyes and tell you about all the terrible things he regrets doing? All the guilt he feels for the trail of bodies? So depressing. I’m surprised you didn’t throw yourself back in the oubliette.”

“Why don’t you ask the Archon what he told me?”

His eyes glowed amber in the dark. “I must say, I don’t think it’s a very good idea for you to stay in the same room as him. I can smell him on you, and don’t you know that lust is a sin? Honestly. Fornicating with the Raven Lord? Does your shame know no bounds?” His velvety voice had a mocking tone. “The sad thing is, I feel like you’re settling for him only because you can’t have me. Isn’t that right?”

“And you’re not exactly what you pretend to be, are you?” Shut up, Elowen.

He shifted through the darkness, and suddenly, he was right in front of me, towering over me. The moonlight silvered his high cheekbones, and the wind toyed with a loose strand of his long hair. His masculine scent slid around me and amusement danced in his bright eyes. “You could tell everyone what you think you know.” A smile ghosted over his lips. “But you know better than to play with fire, don’t you? And really, who would believe a Serpent-touched commoner over the Magister himself? The Archon speaks through me, love. Everyone knows that.”

Sion could threaten my life, but it wouldn’t do him much good. The Baron had dulled the edge of that blade with overuse. Sion didn’t know how to really get me to jump at his command. Maelor knew my weakness, but I hoped he’d never use it on me.

Meeting Sion’s gaze, I shrugged. “I’ll do what I must to survive.”

His gaze flicked to my hair, and he reached up to pull a piece of grass from it. “If you want to survive, Elowen, you’ll stay away from Maelor. And me, of course, but you already knew that.” He turned, walking away from me. “You need to get to your new room.”

I should feel exhausted, broken. But Maelor’s blood still heated my body, and I felt as if I were glowing, like I could take on Sion himself.

His amber eyes slid to me. “I should warn you that there will be dark temptations in the next trial. Try not to get lost in a haze of desire imagining what I look like naked. You’ll never make it out of there alive.”

“Why are you here, hiding among the Order? Is it some kind of sadistic desire to use their victims as your playthings? Is it because you want to mess with us?”

He shrugged and arched an eyebrow. “Something like that.”

CHAPTER 24

I sat on the bed in my new room—a little space with a low, rounded ceiling and walls of rough-hewn stone. A tapestry hung on the wall, one embroidered with an image of a Raven Lord slitting the throat of a bull. How cozy.

I leaned back against a pillow, thrilled just to be alive. In my new room, torches in sconces cast dancing light over the stone walls. The door was reinforced with crisscrossing iron bars on one side, a tiny hatch inset into it. Iron bars also crossed over the diamond-paned window frame. Just in case I felt like smashing the glass and leaping to my death, I’d have a hard time of it.

Despite the iron bars and disturbing tapestry, there really was a warmth to the place. And after Sion locked me in here, I’d been delighted to find a pitcher of water waiting on a small wooden desk, along with bread and cheese. I’d gorged myself. Never before had bread and cheese tasted so perfect.

And what’s more, the cheese came with a knife. Not a big one, but a knife nonetheless. Sion might think me so harmless he didn’t need to worry, but I hid the knife beneath my pillow, saving it for later.

As I lay back on the pillows, I let my eyes drift shut. My muscles had been vibrating with danger all day, and right now, I felt as if I were melting into the bed. The healing power of vampire blood was pure bliss. The Serpent’s magic was designed to intoxicate, to keep us coming back for more until the darkness took us over completely.

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