Page 39 of Wrath

“I’m sorry,” I mutter.

“But if you find a way to get us out, I’d leave.”

I smile. “Me too.”

Zeus stares at the small bottle with two spoons of medicine inside. “Just drink this at bedtime and it should help.” He smiles. “But don’t let anyone find that bottle. I’ll collect it in the morning and refill it.”

“Thank you, Wynter.” I nod, smiling wide as I leave.

Max bites into his apple eagerly too. “You’re good at breaking rules,” he says.

I give a small bow and laugh as I head out.

Wrath doesn’t even look at me as I hold up his apple. I place it on the table, and he sighs, moving it away and waiting for his tray. “You don’t like apples?” I ask. He stays quiet, picking up his boiled potato and biting it in half. “I can try to get something else for you.”Nothing.“Sometimes they get strawberries in.” Still, he ignores me. I roll my eyes and head for the door.

“It must be easy to get that stuff when you’re a Sanchez,” he mutters.

I pause, his words stabbing at my already wounded heart. “I never get anything for myself, Wrath,” I say his name clearly, letting him know I heard his request to not use Ares.

“You’ll get us into trouble if you’re caught. But I bet you didn’t think about that.”

I bite on my lower lip before saying, “If you’d prefer, I can have Anna bring your meals again.”

He tucks into his food, making sure I know he’s done talking.

Wrath

I eat the apple the minute she’s gone, enjoying every juicy mouthful. Desperate to tell her how good it tastes. Desperate to offer her a few bites.

I groan. Her name means nothing and yet I’ve made it mean so much. It doesn’t define who she is, and she’s more than proved she’s here to make things better for us all.

But it’s that name.Hisname.Sanchez.

That man chose me to fight for his family name and made it perfectly clear I couldn’t fail him. His hunger for power makes him a dangerous man, and I thought it better to be on his side, even if I am kept at a distance. But the things he’s made me do to prove I’m good enough make me sick.

He’s the reason this place is still going.

He’s the reason we are all trapped here.

He’s the reason my life remains miserable and empty.

At least it was . . . until her.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

WYNTER

Ican’t lie around crying, even though my heart hurts so badly, I want to. The way Wrath dismisses me breaks me a little more with each passing day. Every meal I’ve taken him for the last week, I’ve tried to engage in conversation, but he refuses, keeping his back to me or his head bowed. He hates me, and I didn’t do anything to deserve it. The other warriors are warming to me, and I’m relieved because I might need them if we ever want to leave this place. It’s clear I can no longer count on Wrath.

Martha comes in just before dinner. “Anna will serve the warriors this evening.” My heart tightens. Even when he isn’t speaking to me, I still need to be near him,to see him.

“How come?”

“Your father asked to see you,” she says, avoiding my eyes.

“Why? What does he want?”

“I honestly don’t know, Wynter, but I’ve learnt that nothing is ever good when it comes to that man.” She places her apron on the side. “I have to walk you up.”

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