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It was Lina, a fellow Prize, her coppery eyes wide with panic.
“What’s happening?” I mumbled, pushing my tangled hair out of my face, my thoughts still consumed by my fruitless search for Tix in the dreamworld.
“A Champion is coming!” she said, her voice quivering with a mix of excitement and fear. “He’s won in the pits and he’s coming to claim a Prize!”
A pit formed in my stomach.
I barely had time to pull on a negligee and hurry into the Prize Pool when the door creaked open and a hush fell over the room.
The sound of heavy boots on the stone floor echoed through the silence.
Every Prize in the room straightened, their faces a mask of anticipation.
In my heart, I still yearned for Tix.
His absence from the pit battles had left a void that no Champion could fill.
Distracted by these thoughts, I barely registered the approaching footsteps.
It was only when they stopped right in front of me that I realized the Champion had made his choice.
I forced myself to look up, expecting to see a stranger, but my blood ran cold when I met the piercing red eyes of Fleth.
A sneer tugged at the corner of his lips, and his malicious intent was clear.
“Looks like it’s your lucky day,” he drawled, reaching out to twirl a strand of my hair around his finger.
His touch sent shivers down my spine.
The room was filled with hushed whispers.
Everyone knew of Fleth’s reputation.
He was a brutal fighter and even more brutal lover.
Tales of his cruelty were legendary.
My heart raced, thoughts of Tix and our adventures, our shared dreams, were replaced by a rising panic.
Being chosen by Fleth was a curse.
A heavy silence filled the room.
I could see the fear reflected in the eyes of the other Prizes.
I tried to summon some semblance of courage, to show Fleth that I wasn’t afraid, but it was hard.
Especially since my mind was still consumed by Tix’s sudden disappearance.
Fleth, perhaps sensing my distraction, gripped my chin, forcing me to look into his eyes. “You will serve me,” he hissed, his voice dripping with menace.
Though I tried to find my voice, to tell him that I would never bow to his whims, fear choked me, rendering me speechless.
The weight of Fleth’s presence, combined with the emotional exhaustion of the dreamworld search, had taken its toll.
Fleth laughed, a cold, heartless sound. “Good. Silent obedience is acceptable.”
The other Prizes watched, some with pity, others with relief that they hadn’t been chosen.
