Page 37 of Xeda

These were monsters far removed from their own kin, freaks of nature, altered by labs and fixed with metal parts for the others’ entertainment, looking more than happy to be played with. He hated the sight of them and could feel his anger rising the longer he looked at them.

He was forced to linger and watch as Ophilia showed him around, presenting him to the most elite houses, the highest officials, and the most powerful drug lords.

Eventually, they found that shit of a human who was his representative, Sal’s son. Xeda was forced to stand there as the insufferable meatbag bragged about breaking him in and taming him. Xeda had no choice but to remain silent. Only Ophilia's hand on his arm, which she squeezed every so often as if to comfort him, kept him from jumping the boy and ripping out his spine by his skull.

He didn't know how long he endured standing there, pretending to feel nothing as they talked about him. Luckily, when he thought he wouldn't be able to take much more, a low drumming began to play overhead, and everyone turned quiet.

"Good, I'm out of here," said the meatbag before finishing the drink in his hand and handing it to a servant. "This party is boring. At least I don't have to stick around in it like you two." He laughed. His eyes lingered a little too long on Ophilia, dragging down her body as he wiped his mouth on his sleeve. "But you know, Ophilia, you can come up to my apartment after, wearing that. Maybe suck me off a little, eh? Maybe I'll return the favor." He curled his fingers in front of her in a vulgar gesture.

Xeda didn't need to be told what he meant. He could guess. A low growl started in his throat and, as if unable to control himself, he went to step toward the male when Ophilia stopped him, pressing her hand hard to his stomach.

The meatbag smirked at her and then moved away, waving to a group of men who hollered back at him as they disappeared through the crowd.

Xeda caught Ophilia's expression. Her skin had turned red again, but the fire in her eyes was different. A fire he understood well.

"That boy is asking to die," Xeda said in a low voice.

She blinked, and the fire was gone. "Don't worry about it. Come on." She started for the door back to the center.

"Where are we going now?"

She paused and turned to him. "You are going to meet the other fighters."

He leered down at her. "And you?"

"To meet the other trainers."

He caught her arm as she tried to leave again. "We’re seriously being separated?"

"Just for a little while." She gently pulled away. "Remember what I said, Xeda. You've got this."

"But the others—"

"They won't try anything here. Not with so many eyes on them."

He wanted to believe her but remembered how she looked that night they had thrown her in his cage. He didn't know what he might do if she showed up later with bruises on her again.

He bent his head toward her, pulling her closer so the others couldn't hear. Her face turned red again, her eyes brightening, but he ignored the change. "Then remember what I said. Watch your back."

She nodded, and he took it as a sign she understood. "I will," she whispered. "Believe me, I will."

CHAPTERTWELVE

Ophilia

Don't let them see you as weak.

The voice might have been her father's or brother's. Or even Xeda's. Maybe a combination of them all. Either way, they were words she clung to as she found her way into the section of rooms designated for the game wardens and the trainers. Elegant rooms with lavish seats, colored glass chandeliers, and wide windows looking out over the city. Long mosaics covered the inner walls showing off the victories of the previous champions. In the main room at its center was a pit where two low-end fighters unfit for the games had been brought in as entertainment. Several wardens watched from the rails along the pit, talking and laughing, careless that the grex fighters were tearing each other apart bit by bit.

Not interested in watching, Ophilia moved off to a small connecting room where a buffet had been set up for dinner. Despite a loss of appetite, she picked up a plate and filled it, then grabbed a glass of pink champagne and took a careful sip. She wasn't much of a drinker but tonight—and maybe the next few days—would be an exception.

As she found a spot in a corner near the window, she picked at her food while observing the room. She knew she should be mingling, but she needed a moment to study the crowd, to get a feeling for the others. On the other side of the room, she saw a few trainers she recognized that had come to visit the house a few times. Andron of House Myre, a proud-looking man with an eerie smile. She knew him well enough as a kid from her time at House Myre, secretly calling him Mr. Hyde because his friendly demeanor was only a front for what was inside. A terrifying man with a temper Sal could only admire. He once maimed a man so badly that they had to use a special machine to identify him after. It had been one of his own apprentices. He was charming but cold and calculating, able to manipulate emotions. Hendrik's training method had been inspired by him.

She saw trainers from other lesser-known houses stroll past including a lygin man with a short mane and scar across the side of his head. He wore light armor similar to his fighter. She saw a tight-lipped older woman with icy gray eyes wearing a tight-fitting suit, also likely after her warrior, and a large man who reminded her of Hendrik only somehow more grotesque, with one arm encased in metal. Then she spotted the trainer from House Zanis, a nillium male with golden bronze skin, short jet-black hair, and dark rod-like horns. He wore a dark pair of hides like those Tazyn wore. She couldn't remember his name, but she knew he was more a representative than an actual trainer. Because their champion no longer needed training. Tazyn was in a league of his own.

The next member she spotted was Marius of House Lageth. She had been thankful to not have encountered Eliam—one of the heads of that household to whom Sal had so nicely tried to sell her off to. She had been too busy making sure Xeda had behaved. Marius, unlike the other trainers, was also a family member of that house. He just liked working with the fighters. His dark complexion and black eyes made him seem mysterious, but he had a charming, friendly smile. That didn't mean she wasn't still put off by him, knowing he might end up her brother-in-law if she didn't win these damn games.

She set her plate aside and drank down the rest of her glass, knowing she’d better start making small talk or they would think she was deliberately avoiding them. She thought of Xeda and laughed a little, knowing he wouldn't give a shit what they thought. But she had to care for the both of them. She suddenly imagined Xeda splayed out on a metal slab, and it chilled her to the bone. She tried to imagine a better outcome instead of the bad and promptly envisioned them free of this place, in some paradise. A beach maybe. Him reclining back on some seat. Her next to him...massaging away his pain, her hands freely on him as he purred with pleasure.

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