Page 76 of House of Lilith

It gets me wandering around, avoiding all the staff offering refreshments and medics asking if I need something fixed.

Then, as soon as I turn back to the Ring, I spot her. The two of them, that is, her and the asshole prince, standing beside one of the benches. Standing there, looking all tense.

She’s upset,my fox growls.I can sense it.

I try to stop myself, but I’m covered in all this blood, which means she won’t be able to sniff me out, and she’s shaking her head as she looks everywhere but at him, which doesn’t sit right with me. I should at least make sure she’s okay, right?

I come a little closer, hearing the asshole prince demand, “Well?”

“Well,” she replies through gritted teeth, “what reason do the rest of them have?”

He lets out a frustrated scoff. “The rest of them aremen, Anastasya, for crying out loud,” he says, making my eyebrows pull down.

“Not all of them are,” she snaps back.

“Zelda and Annika?” he spits out. “You mean Zelda and Annika? You know why they do it?” He gets even more in her face, making her look away again and makingmestart to fume. “Their families don’t care about them, that’s why they let them do stupid fucking shit like that.”

She stays silent for a second, jaw clenched. Then she looks straight into his eyes. “It’smypower.”

“Well, it’s not suitable for a princess,” he snaps. “I mean, Anastasya…” He starts shaking his head, gesturing at the arms folded at her chest. “Look at this. You’ve fucking ruined yourself.”

And with that, he turns to walk away, but before I do the same, I catch her wrap her arms tighter around herself, grimacing in an attempt not to start crying.

Before I realize what I’m doing, I find myself moving towards her. Then some Grimm almost knocks into me, making me snap out of it.

Luckily, neither Romanov nor the asshole prince spot me. I turn around and walk away, my entire body vibrating with rage as I make my way out of the resting spot and back to the camp. I have to get away as quickly as possible, I think as I feel my fox trying to break himself free.

Angry, we’re both so angry, we could snap his neck without so much as a second of hesitation. And that’s not good.

Chapter 15 - Nyx

IrushintotheElevator, my mind buzzing and my hands balling into fists. I can barely breathe, that’s how pissed and disoriented I feel. Luckily, there’s no one here with me. They’re all still out there, busying themselves by singing each other’s praises, especially the Grimms, who are currently in the lead, the result being twenty two to only ten.

I try to focus on it myself. After all, I did make it. The Second Game is done and I’ll be in the third one as well. But no matter what I do, my mind refuses to linger on the achievement. All it wants is to keep feeling the fresh cuts on my forearm as it conjures up images of my fiance grabbing it.

The Elevator spits me out into the House of Lilith Common Room and I move to cross it, and still, I barely register my surroundings.

It’s for that reason that I almost trip when someone appears to block my way.

“For fuck’s sake, Nikolay,” I say as I grab my chest with both my hands, struggling to stop my heart from pounding.

My brother just keeps standing in front of me with a serious look on his face. More serious than, well, ever, at least since Father died. “Next time,” he says in a flat but tense voice, “you need to tap out.”

I just blink at him for a second. “Tap out?” I frown. “What’re you talking about?”

“Tap out of the Game.”

I take a deep breath to steady myself. “ThatI understood.What for, that’s the question.”

Gritting his teeth, he gets in my face, making me take a step back with a growing frown. “You’re ruining things, Nyx,” he whispers, “can’t you see that?”

“Ruining things?” I echo, feeling more tired by the second. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t the point of the Games to stay until the end?”

“You’re being vulgar,” he insists in a voice filled to the brim with contempt. “It’svulgar, the way you’re acting out there.”

For a second, I just look at him, finally realizing this is about my Blood Magic. And the very thought of getting into it right now, it makes me bone tired and desolate. “Please, Nikolay,” I insist in a low, weak voice, “I can’t do this right now.”

And I move to push past him.

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