Page 140 of First Ritual
“Fuck you guys,” Huxley said between breaths.
“Go to sleep,” I crooned.
“Make me,” he spat.
“I thought you’d never ask.” Laughing under my breath, I wrapped my magic around his throat and squeezed.
33
“Rowaness.”
More whispers. “Hazeluna.”
The whispers had followed me not since Sven and I beat Huxley, but since Vero won their two-territory mission for the first time in sixty years, and only the second time in their team’s Caves history. Fertim was the last team to win a two-territory mission twenty-one years prior. Now apparently everyone was going to whisper my mother’s and grandmother’s names as I walked by.
The adrenaline surge of the fight hadn’t left me, but there would be some serious recovery time in the next couple of days. There was a reason they only played the game once a week.
“Bronte,” Ruby hollered from a table nearby.
Vero was a beaming mass of magus in the eating chamber. Not only did we win, but Fertim lost their mission to capture the novice territory in the west. That would’ve been a hard task at the best of times with the number of magus we had there, but I considered this week’s game a double victory.
“Hey,” I said, sliding my tray on the table. “How are we feeling?”
“Like I need to sleep for a week,” a novice answered. “I’ll be partying instead. A double territory win!”
A fresh round of grins broke out.
“How did you neutralize Huxley’s creeping sleep?” a guy to my right asked.
Creeping sleep was a good name for it. “I froze the ends of each vine to slow its progress.”
“That’s his favorite.” Ruby grimaced. “I do something similar to counter it, but put a barrier in my body beneath where the vines reach.”
That would work too. “Did your fight go well?”
“I beat one proven, then got taken out by two novices. I should be flattered they put three on me.” Amusement danced in her amber eyes. “They won’t make the mistake of only putting one proven on you again.”
A silence fell. A very obvious silence.
“Do we need to discuss how I flashed a proven and Wild took him out?” I asked.
The guy beside me shook with laughter.
The novice female who’d first spoken gushed, “It was the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen.”
Ruby snorted. “Her boobs or Wild’s reaction?”
The novice threw me a hasty look. “Great boobs—”
“Thanks,” I replied.
“—but I meant Wild’s reaction. Total caveman response. So hot.” She backed up. “I mean, sorry. I know he’s your boyfriend, but we all have a Wild fantasy…” She trailed off, perhaps realizing that talking about sexual fantasies for someone else’s boyfriend wasn’t recommended.
Me? I’d forgotten I was dating Wild. Fake dating him. Last night, when I’d said I was done, I’d meant the dating façade too. Perhaps I should make that clearer to Wild. “Don’t worry. I’ve heard about the Wild fantasies.”
The tension left her. “Good. It’s not something we can control. I’m Berry. Sometimes I talk too much.”
I smiled. “Nice to meet you, Berry. Can someone tell me why Vero magus are whispering the names of my family members?”