Page 49 of The Reign of Blood

“Hangry?”

“I’m not hangry,” I grumble, shoveling more food into my mouth as she snickers.

“You definitely are,” Kryll interjects, and I turn a deathly glare in his direction.

“Nobody asked you.”

He raises his hands in defense before turning his attention back to his plate. He doesn’t look at any of the guys, just his plate or me, when he’s giving me hell. What’s that about? Come to think of it, Cassian seems stabbier than usual with the fork inhis hand too. And Raiden… damn, I’m sure if he could move any closer to me, he’d be in my lap.

There’s definitely a weird vibe between them, but that’s probably to my advantage. Hopefully, they can use that to ignore me—well, everyone except Brody, who is grinning across the table at me.

I can still sense Flora and Arlo staring at me in confusion since they have no idea what I meant when I answered Brody. I make a mental note to explain it to them later. For now, I need all of the food I can get.

The weight of the gem doesn’t feel as intrusive today as it did yesterday, but its presence is still there. Trying to put it to the back of my mind, I finish my food and down my water, ready to get on with the day.

As I push my chair back and stand, something collides with my back, knocking me forward. I brace my hands on the table to break my fall, wincing at the pain emitting from where the amethyst is buried deep beneath my skin.

Turning to see what the hell is going on, I catch a set of fists pounding into the table beside me before I can connect them to their owner.

“I challenge you to a duel.”

Fuck. Me.

Sighing, I finally meet her gaze, and I have no clue who she is. Her brown hair is tied in a low ponytail and she’s about three inches taller than me. Obviously, she’s a wolf; the call for a duel signifies it, but the green cloak she unties and lets float to the floor confirms it.

“Who the fuck is this bitch?” I bite out, in no fucking mood to be dealing with any of this.

“I’m your worst fucking nightmare,” she snarls, making me laugh as I turn to face her, but the second I do, she takes astep back, moving around the table so she’s standing at the end closest to Cassian.

“Haven’t you seen the company I keep? It doesn’t get worse than this,” I state, waving a hand at Brody, Kryll, Raiden, and Cassian.

Brody scoffs in shock, completely offended, while I spot the corner of Kryll’s mouth curling up in amusement. Cassian, however, is glaring the bitch down while Raiden gives him the death stare.

I glance at Flora, who is watching with wide eyes as the drama unfolds in front of her, while I’m certain Arlo is going to pull out a bucket of popcorn at any moment. I wonder if their lives were this manic back home.

Shaking my head, I focus on the obstacle appearing before me.

“This isn’t a joke to me. I want a duel. Now. I declare it,” the wolf spits, hands clenched at her sides as she heaves each breath through her nose.

Smiling, I let my shoulders relax. “Of course you do. Where do you want me to lie down, or can I tap out while standing up?” I ask, more than ready to lose the title of Cassian’s… what even am I?

“Like fuck will you tap out,” Cassian snarls, eyes narrowing on me, and I smirk.

“Don’t give me any of your shit right now. If you can’t see, I’m dealing with enough already.” I wag my finger at him before turning my attention to my new little challenger. “Where do you want me?”

“Right here, right now.” A wicked smirk takes over her face as she sizes me up, thinking of all the ways she can break me down.

Sighing, I nod in agreement, ready to get this over with. She takes a few steps back, inching past Cassian to where there’s alittle more space, and I follow after her. But when I get within an inch of Cassian, he grabs my wrist and pulls me against him.

“You’re not throwing this challenge.”

“Watch me,” I bite, keeping my eyes fixed on the girl before me as a crowd begins to gather and murmurs become full-blown conversations at my expense. Again. At least I won’t have to worry about this the next time a duel is called. Maybe next time, I can be a spectator instead.

His grip on my wrist tightens. “Not if I give you something you want in exchange.”

“What could you possibly have that I would want?”

He whispers into my ear, making me pause as my heart races insanely fast in my chest.

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