Page 185 of The Obedient Lie
A promise, whispered between the noise.
“If you win tonight, you can claim me.”
I felt it like a fist to the chest.
It echoed between my ribs as I stood there, already soaked in sweat from warmups, staring at the field — but not seeing it.
Not anymore.
Luca jogged over, helmet under his arm.
He didn’t speak right away. Just glanced at me, then back toward the box where Emilia would be seated by now —ifshe’d gone.
If her family hadn’t locked her behind glass like some gem they thought they owned.
“What numbers?” I asked, jaw tight.
“Twenty-two, five, and twelve,” he said without hesitation. “She told me.”
My eyes narrowed.
“Those fuckers?”
“Yeah,” he said. “Same family that made the offer last year. Might’ve tried again.”
My jaw clenched. Hard enough it ached.
Luca stared at the grass for a moment, then added — quiet but clear?—
“She said we can collar her.”
I turned to him. “What?”
“She said — even if we lost — we could still do it.” His voice dropped. “She saidregardless.”
My stomach turned molten.
She meant it.
The collar we’d had made wasn’t some leather fantasy.
It was black-forged steel.
Cold to the touch — heavy with promise.
Lined in rare black diamonds, each stone sourced from the same mines that supplied dynasty kings.
At the center sat a white gold crow crest, hand-carved by our family’s private jeweler.
Within the delicate featherwork, etched into the metal, were our names —Bastion and Luca— woven into the design like vows sealed in silver.
It was a collar made for a dynasty daughter…
But owned byno onebut us.
Ours.
“Fuck,” I whispered.
