Page 93 of Cruel Cravings

I resist by steadying my breaths and thinking of my allegiance to Jael. She can’t handle the Midnight Society on her own. She needs me to help her find her sister. For now, it’s best if we continue to do what we’ve been doing, fulfilling the role we have been assigned within the Midnight Games.

My father makes a sound of disgust when I don’t give him what he’s looking for. He shakes his head and turns away.

“Remember what I’ve said,” he warns. “Don’t test your luck.”

There might be a time soon where I’ll have to, where I’ll have to choose between the one person that’s given light to my dark world and the person who has pushed me into the shadows in exchange for the meds I need to survive.

But not tonight.

Tonight, I watch him turn, his footsteps thudding against the stone floor, and I push down the rage burning up my insides.

The final game begins at the entrance to the massive hedge maze on the Hurst estate.

It stretches across the property with leafy walls rising high, neatly trimmed to perfection. Torches flicker along the dozensof narrow pathways, providing a faint glow among the deep shadows that otherwise make up the maze after dark.

The night’s colder than usual, late December bringing a damp chill and wind that refuses to let up.

I stand at my post near the exit of the maze, the large scythe in my hand almost as tall as I am. The minotaur mask looks more terrifying than it usually does in the dark. I’m the final test the players will have to bypass in order to make it to freedom.

I’m the monster they’ll have to escape if they wish to win.

Their deaths matter little to me. The rules of the game are simple—make it through the maze or die trying.

Screams echo through the labyrinth as players fight for their lives. Some are raw with panic while others sharp with agony. At every turn, they encounter a surprise that’s designed to keep them from proceeding in the game.

It’s an hour before one of them finally advances far enough that they’re stumbling into my path. The man clutches an axe as he rushes forward. He picks up the pace once he realizes he’s closing in on the exit.

He doesn’t see me until I reveal myself with a swing of the scythe.

His eyes widen and his jaw drops open, but it’s too late as the blade slashes into his chest and his knees buckle. He crumples to the ground before he can ever get the scream out.

I return to my post by the exit, blood dripping from the scythe’s blade.

There’s a chance that no one will make it past me. They’ll have to not only be agile, but smart about how they move toward the exit.

The Hostess will likely find it amusing if there is no victor. Some of the society members might be more upset, wanting their bets to pay off.

I don’t care what any of them want. I’m fulfilling the job I’ve been given to do and nothing more.

This isn’t about helping the Midnight Society in any way. This is about doing what Jael and I need to as we’ve infiltrated these games.

A sharp breath sounds from down the passageway.

Someone else is coming.

I expect another player like the stumbling man with the axe, but instead it’s the person who’s held Jael’s interest since we arrived at the Isle of Hurst.

Imani moves cautiously in a torn ball gown, heaving air into her lungs as she advances toward the exit. Some part of her seems to recognize that this could be a trap. She’s been through hell tonight, thrown in at the last minute as a player by the Hostess.

I could do Jael a favor. I could take her out myself with a swipe of the scythe.

Jael has been fixated on the girl from the moment the games began. She’s stalked her every move, sought out ways to antagonize her, and even gone as far as to almost eliminate her herself.

Something about Imani seems to upset Jael.

There’s a level of jealousy that’s begun to fester, where Jael seems to believe Imani’s existence threatens her relationship with her sister. If Imani finds Lyra first, then somehow she would take her away from Jael.

They’re insecurities born out of Jael’s paranoia, but I would still do anything to make her happy. If she would prefer Imani to be eliminated…

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