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The Prize flinched back as each of my words landed. She looked down at her fingers, which danced when she was nervous. She glanced over at the door, where her comrades nodded their heads and waved for her to continue.
Looks like she drew the short straw.
The young Prize took a deep breath. “There’s something happening. Down in the fighting pits.”
I rolled my eyes. “You honestly think I care what happens down there?”
“No. I mean, yes. I mean…” She took another deep breath. “It’s your mate.”
“What about him?”
“Well, he’s down there.”
I just stared at her. Was this some kind of cruel joke? Had someone put her up to this? I looked over at the Prizes again. Their eyes rolled up to mine and instantly looked away again. But in that fraction of an instant, I witnessed a spark of hope.
Could it be that she was actually telling the truth?
I nodded at her to continue. When she didn’t, I said: “Go on.”
“Somehow, he escaped from his cell. They say he overpowered the guards and enrolled in the competition.”
“Where is he now?” I said, my heart beginning to fill with the same hope that had clearly consumed the other Prizes.
“He hasn’t started his first round yet but he will. Soon. After Druin’s fight.”
My head snapped around at that. “Druin is fighting too?”
It was like a repeat of the competition that took place the day after I was Claimed. I could only hope the result would be the same.
As for Druin, it was too much to hope he wouldn’t make it to the final. There was no chance he would face a fair fight before that moment — especially since he was now in charge of a powerful criminal network.
“Tell me everything that happens in the pit,” I said. “I don’t want to miss a beat.”
“We don’t need to keep you updated,” the Prize said.
“Huh?”
In response, she turned to the Prizes waiting outside the door and waved her hand for them to enter. They crowded around my bed.
“We’re going to carry you out of here so you can watch the fight yourself,” the Prize said.
My heart filled with pride at the young females and their bravery. “The Supervisor and the guards won’t like it. You’ll be putting yourselves in danger.”
“They will never know. They’re all watching the fight. They’re still keeping sentries outside, but they’re not really paying attention either.”
Even so, the Prizes were still taking a big risk. I looked them each in the eye. “Are you sure about this? If you get into trouble, it’ll be on your head, not mine. And there’s no way I can protect you now.”
The Prize looked at the others and smiled. “You spent all this time protecting us. We appreciate you. But now, it’s time for us to do something for you.”
The females around my cot smiled and I beamed back at them. My eyes teared up. I had cried so much that tracks had formed down the sides of my face.
“Thank you,” I said pitifully. “Thank you. All of you. You don’t know what this means to me.”
“That’s where you’re wrong,” the Prize said. “We know exactly what this means. At first, we all thought you abandoned us but when we learned he was your fated mate… Well, that kind of love doesn’t come around very often. You should grab it with both hands and never let go.”
The females dipped the hems of their negligees into a small cup of water that they passed between themselves and wiped the dirt from my feet and the tear tracks from my cheeks. I felt like an elderly parent being taken care of by my loving family.
Then they placed themselves evenly around my cot, the bigger, stronger ones at my head and the smaller ones by my feet. They bent their knees and coiled their tendrils, and braced my weight.
