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“If someone could just decide for me that’d be great, thanks,” I groused, setting the bottle in the dirt before walking to a boulder that looked light enough for me to lift. Liliana walked to one further down the line, and Domi selected the one beside me.
A whistle sounded, and the three of us, along with a few males past Liliana in the lineup, lifted the stones as high as we could, dropping them as soon as we had managed to hoist them overhead. Everyone passed the first round, so we stepped to the right, waiting for the signal to lift the next-largest boulder. Between the wine and the weight, sweat bled from my every pore, and after five more lifts, my shoulders gave out. I joined Domi on the sidelines, waiting for Liliana and the others in our round to finish.
Two males succumbed to the heavy stones after the next whistle, and although Liliana remained in the round, she was far behind King Consort Geza, who hefted the largest stone that Savich had struggled under. Thankfully, we were judged by the same classes we’d been given during the swords competition, otherwise, we females would have been – unfairly – at the bottom of the leaderboard.
Both Liliana and King Consort Geza failed to lift their stones fully over their heads, which ended our round. Domi and I jogged to catch up with Liliana as we headed to our next station – throwing spears. “Great work, Lil,” I said, offering her what was left of the bottle of wine.
She took it, tipping the purple liquid into her mouth. “I can’t feel my fingers anymore,” she laughed. “If you do choose Ruslan, we’ve got to get away during the winter months. It’s too damn cold here.”
“I’d love to go to the beaches in the Day Realm. From what Queen Viktoria has told me, the water is crystal clear and you can see fish swimming around your feet!” I exclaimed.
Liliana’s laugh was light and airy. “Tell Ruslan you want to go, and I’m sure he will make it happen.”
The thought of Ruslan lit me up, and that thread that tied us together hummed as we approached the stage where he lounged. “Sprite,” he called from his makeshift throne. “You’ve gotten so strong.”
Heat rose to my cheeks as I smiled shyly up at him, batting my lashes. “I had a good teacher.”
His grin was roguish and made my stomach flutter. “Good luck with your other rounds.”
“He has such a cute nickname for you,” Liliana sighed. “I wish Endre would step it up a notch. You get gems and horses and armor and sweet words, and I get… sex.”
Domi and I snorted simultaneously. I opened my mouth to retort that I also got sex, but a tug around my middle tore the words from my mouth as we found Kazimir, Endre, Viktor, Vadim, and Kaztar stepping away from the spear-throwing range.
Shit, shit, shit.
Kazimir’s eyes flashed black like they had when he’d been in Ruslan’s face that morning, and the males all stiffened aroundhim when they noticed our approach. I was stuck halfway between my two mates, and once again I felt like I was being ripped apart as the string that tugged me to Kazimir forced my feet forward and the thread that bound me to Ruslan tautened and pulled me backward.
Why couldn’t I just make a fucking choice?
This feeling of being torn was exhausting, as was constantly draining my magic to shift and block the emotions of everyone around me.
I shoved away all the feelings screaming for my attention and focused on putting one foot in front of the other. Liliana sauntered up to Endre, running her fingers along his chest and down his arm, causing his throat to bob as his peridot eyes traced her every movement. Then she patted his cheek and shouldered past him, lining up at a station where a young male was laying out spears. Endre’s eyes followed her as she went, and it wasn’t until Vadim pushed him that he followed along behind Viktor and Kazimir, whose aura swirled with that oiliness once again. Kaztar planted a chaste kiss on his wife’s cheek before following the rest of the Night Fae toward the station set up for tug-of-war.
After we’d finished throwing spears, the three of us wandered to the leaderboard, where our names and event scores were seared into the smooth stone with fire magic. I quickly checked the ranks of my Iron Realm friends – Drazen, Zuriel, Savich, and a few other of our personal guards – before my attention snagged on Kazimir’s rank. He outclassed Viktor, Endre, Vadim, and Kaztar in every event, some by quite a margin. My brows pinched together as I reexamined the scores, certain there must have been some mistake.
Kazimir was tall and strong, but he was by no means the biggest male competing. His stone-lifting score was nearly that of Savich and King Consort Geza.
There was no way he could possibly be that strong.
My stomach tightened, and somehow I knew that it was related to that sinister aura that surrounded him and the darkness that flashed in his eyes.
Liliana interrupted my inward spiral with a tug on my arm, leading me toward the sand pit where a thick, brown rope stretched between two males. I groaned internally as we settled along on the sidelines, not happy with having to watch the Night Fae compete while we waited for our turn. Away from the other contestants, we passed the last of the warm wine between us, letting it chase the chill from our fingers.
The Night Fae stood off to the side, stripping out of their tunics and tossing them aside as they prepared to flaunt their strength. Sweat rolled off all of them, steaming against the cold air, and I couldn’t help the heat that pooled in my belly as Kazimir’s trunk twisted and flexed, showcasing the ink decorating his broad chest. As if he felt my attention on him, he glanced in our direction. His emerald eyes were clear, though they were filled with longing. I averted my gaze, instead focusing on the end of the battle in the sand, where an Iron Fae I did not know plowed face-first as one of the Day Realm’s High Lords claimed his victory.
Whoops and cheers filled the air as High Lord Domon stretched a hand out to help his fallen opponent, and the two embraced quickly once the male rose from the sand. The match officiant called for the next competitors, and Kazimir kicked off his boots and entered the pit. “You got this, Kazimir!” Viktor yelled from the sidelines, and Vadim wolf-whistled, causing Kazimir to flash him a smirk before turning to face his opponent.
Artur, Drazen’s second in command, approached the thick, red mark toward the end of the rope and hefted it, red Dragon scales flashing across his forearms before disappearing. I had sparred with Artur numerous times, and in each bout, hisexpression never changed, giving me an unnerving sense that he was toying with his food before going in for the final kill. He carried that same energy with him now, his dark eyes impassive and jaw held loosely as Kazimir lifted the opposite end of the rope.
The tension between the males was more than just the length of rope stretched between them, and the sneer Kazimir wore when he realized Artur was Félvér lasted only a moment, but I made note of it. A whistle pierced the pit, and Artur yanked with all his might, sending Kazimir stumbling forward before he planted his feet and recovered.
Drazen and the other Félvér began shouting words of encouragement at Artur, while the Night Fae did the same for Kazimir. The sand stirred beneath each of their feet as they scrambled for purchase, alternating between leaning backward and forward and shifting their weight around as they tried to gain the upper hand. Both males’ forearms strained with the effort, veins and tendons popping as they gripped the thick rope with both hands.
“You’ve got to admit, this is a nice view,” Liliana joked, flicking her hair over her shoulder.
Domi snorted in response. “I won’t say no to shirtless males showing off their physical prowess against one another. If Kaztar wins, he’ll definitely get a prize tonight.”
It was my turn to snort. “You’ll ride him better than any of your horses?”
