The Legionnaire Games: Day 5, hour 5
We stood before the tree that split the great hall in two.
Commoners sat at their long table on one side, wearing green finery, and royals wore purple on the other.
The seven of us wore black.
It matched our souls.
It also had the unintended consequence of making us look skinny. Sun god forbid the elite assassins appeared bloated.
We had a reputation to uphold.
I stood hunched forward with my hood pulled low over my head, concealing my face.
Yet again, we were given no time to adjust to horrible circumstances.
After Lothaire had told us we’d all be competing in the Legionnaire Games, an emergency announcement had been broadcast through the academy. All students had been ordered to leave the party and change into their designated wardrobes.
All the guests had been RJE’d away.
The servants who worked in the shadows of the academy had removed all evidence of festivities.
Most students swayed drunkenly in their seats.
Lucky bastards. The demon brew had burned off days ago when I’d murdered my friend for murdering my other friend. Tragic.
I picked at the blood crusted beneath my nails.
Stared blankly at the floor.
Lothaire stood in front of us and spread his arms wide. “I’ve brought us all here because I’ve received exciting news.”
His voice echoed off the high, arched ceiling.
The hall was dead silent as Lothaire said, “The High Court has chosen Elite Academy to host the Legionnaire Games, and our very own assassin recruits will compete as the academy legion.”
I startled when the hall exploded in cheers.
Students shouted, hugged one another, stood with excitement, and stomped their feet.
The stained-glass windows rattled as the floor shook.
Of course they were excited; they weren’t the ones who had to compete in an infamous supernatural competition.
I knew little about the games, but what I did know wasn’t good.
History books said it was extremely important and dangerous. That was it. They never elaborated.
Apparently, the rest of the hall knew something I didn’t.
A royal student squealed to my left as she fanned herself and said, “Oh my sun god, can you believe we’re so lucky? I’ve heard it’s a hunk show.”
At the other table, a commoner student clapped his friend on the back. “Dude, my family’s going to be so jealous.” He smiled widely. “It’s going to be so bloody.”
The students’ voices jumbled together.
I stretched my neck to the side to relieve the discomfort. Their voices were like gnats biting my skin as they all spoke at once.
“The most brutal showcase in history. Who would have thought we’d see it in our lifetime?”
“I can’t believe we get to see the kings fight in person!”
“I’ve heard the competitors fight shirtless.”
“Really, I’ve heard they fight naked.”
“This is going to be wild because I’ve heard they make competitors do crazy, fucked up punishments.”
“Holy shit, imagine the carnage.”
“The assassins are going to be so horny after competing, I bet they’ll go wild. I’m gonna be all over the kings.”
“I’ve noticed John looking at me recently, and I’ve already gotten with him twice. He’s just one orgasm away from the alliance father wants so badly.”
“I call dibs on the new legions that arrive.”
“My parents will definitely want me to get married to one of the competitors. Sun god, imagine the power.”
“I heard the gods watch the games.”
“I heard the gods have their representatives attend and they watch through their eyes.”
“Wait, does this mean war is coming? That will be great for business.”
I dragged my gaze around the whispering hall.
A gorgeous woman sat with her shoulders hunched low. She stared at me.
The corner of my lip pulled up slightly in a tentative smile. “Are you okay?” I mouthed.
Her eyebrows scrunched and her face darkened with pure malice. Disgust. Her eyes were filled with hatred.
She sneered at me.
Blood rushed through my ears, and a wave of dizziness hit me.
Sari was sickly pale as she stared at me like I was filthy. Faint blue bruises covered the side of her pretty face.
Just a few days ago, I’d ripped Horace off her and stabbed him to death.
Tara had been dead beside us as I’d carried Sari’s limp body through the corridor and laid her at Lyla’s feet. I’d collapsed onto the dance floor as colors and sounds spun around me.
Tara’s sightless eyes staring at the ceiling.
Sari under Horace on the bed, refusing to look at me as she bled out.
I brought my pipe to my lips, and it rattled against my teeth.
Nausea churned my gut.
I pursed my lips but couldn’t inhale.
My lungs were flat.
Sari knew me. She’d eaten lunch beside me every day for a month while I’d helped her with her homework. We’d talked for hours.
She was a friend.
From her expression, we weren’t friends anymore.
I tore my eyes away and stared down at the cracked gray floor. Scuffed my toes back and forth.
Concentrated on anything but the pressure on my chest.
“Settle down!” Lothaire held up his hand, and the hall quieted. “Students will still attend their respective classes but will get competition days off. The members of the academy legion will no longer attend class because they will be recovering and training.”
The students murmured with disappointment.
“Silence!” Lothaire shouted.
No one made a sound.
He breathed deeply, then said calmly, “As some of you know, the Legionnaire Games is a showcase where the strongest warriors in the realm compete before the gods. Yes, that means exactly what you’ve probably guessed—”
He paused dramatically.
Everyone stared at him with rapt attention.
“War is coming.”
Ice washed down my spine.
“A stadium is being assembled as we speak on the west lawn of this island, and per tradition, there will be six legions that compete. They are arriving now. You will treat them with respect and will bring pride to this academy.”
There was another swell of excited chattering.
Lothaire continued, “The gods will observe the legions in four competitions that will be held every ten to twelve days. All teams will be evaluated to see what role will fit them best in the upcoming war. After the first four performances, the gods will choose their top two legions to compete against each other in a showcase.”
Forty days.
Four competitions.
That was doable.
Lothaire spread his arms wide theatrically. “If the two chosen legions pass the showcase test, then the games conclude and all teams will be given their assignments. However, if the gods dislike what they see in the showcase, the games restart from the beginning. The process will continue until the top two legions pass the final test. Some of these games last for two months. Other times, they last for years.”
I blinked.
Never mind, not doable.
I wanted to puke.
Lothaire’s face was hard as he said, “If the top two legions pass the test in the showcase tournament, they will be named the champions in the next war. The rest will be sorted into leadership roles, training and guiding the generals, spies, assassins, and foot soldiers.”
Students smirked at one another across their tables.
Grown men trembled with excitement.
Like this was all a game.
A realm-wide war against something that was so serious it was led by the gods. It didn’t take a genius to see this was about the ungodly.
The implications of everything hit me.
I would fight with the men standing beside me in a war. There was no escaping them.
We were now a legion.
Lothaire spread his arms. “Now, before we welcome the other five legions, I have one more announcement.”
His expression hardened.
“It is now necessary to inform you that Aran is really Arabella Alis Egan, Ruling Queen of the Fae Realm. She’s been disguised as a male for safety, but circumstances have changed, and the subterfuge is no longer needed.”
The entire hall stared at me.
Waited.
My fingers were numb as I pulled back my black hood and my unruly blue curls tumbled out. The bright-blue mane ensured I always stood out.
I donned the blank expression of a heartless queen.
“Holy fuck!” someone screamed, and the room erupted in shouts as everyone chose collectively to lose their minds.
I stared forward like I was bored.
Unbothered.
You’re a pampered, unfeeling despot. I pretended to be the heartless bitch Sari thought I was.
Men and women picked me apart like vultures as their voices swirled around me like a vortex.
“Wait, she’s actually hot.”
“I still thought the queen would be prettier.”
I made a mental note to throat punch whoever said that.
“I’ll bet you a fortune. I’ll have her on her knees within a week.”
“I’ll have her within three days.”
“Didn’t she kill her own mother and eat her heart?”
“I heard there’s a warrant on her head.”
Lothaire spoke loudly, but his voice barely cut through the fray. “You will treat her with respect, like the rest of her legion. I am aware that she is wanted back in the fae realm. However, the gods have decided that her services are needed here. If anyone tries to harm her, they will answer to me and I will not be merciful. This is your only warning.”
His threatening speech didn’t stop the whispers. More people started talking.
“I wonder how much she paid Lothaire to say that.”
“How embarrassing that she pretended to be a guy. I’m sure the men are super pissed right now. I would be.”
“Does that mean she’s competing in the games? She doesn’t look like a warrior; she’s going to get destroyed.”
“I heard she’s insane like her mother.”
“She probably pretended to be a guy so she could get close to the kings. What a slut.”
“I heard she’s powerless and doesn’t even have any fae abilities. She’s desperate for power. She’s probably been fucking the men.”
“As soon as she sets foot in the fae realm, she’s dead.”
“She must be so embarrassed right now.”
Ice crept up my throat, and the numbness became a ledge.
The ledge was razor thin.
I was free-falling.
John grabbed my shoulders and forcibly turned me so I was facing him and not the rest of the hall.
Sandalwood surrounded me as he stepped closer. His dark eyes were intense. “Are you okay? You look like you’re about to pass out.”
“I’m fine.” I tried to suck on my pipe, and I missed my mouth.
John patted my back. “Don’t fall apart now.” He flashed his dimples and whispered, “It will ruin our street cred.”
I choked. “What street cred?”
“Exactly.” He nodded gravely. “Honestly, I can’t be your friend if you’re going to fall apart over nothing. It’s bad for business.”
“I’m not falling apart,” I hissed with annoyance. “And what business?”
“You don’t want to know. If I tell you, then I’ll have to kill you.” He playfully ruffled my curls.
I swatted at his hand and pushed him away. “You’re so weird.”
“Okay, Smurf.” His dimples deepened.
I smacked his hand away from my hair. “You talk a lot of crap for a man who shares a name with unidentified corpses.”
He arched a dark brow. “Oh, please, like Aran is much better. Who even spells it with two as? You don’t see me spelling my name J-o-n or G-o-n.”
“That doesn’t even make sense.” I rolled my eyes.
The rich scents of bergamot and musk were the only warning I got.
Fingers squeezed the back of my neck.
Nails dug into my skin.
Scorpius sneered into my ear, “Shut the hell up, Arabella. Lothaire is speaking and some of us are trying to listen to what’s being said.” His warm breath made me shiver.
“Don’t talk to her like that,” Orion whispered as he tried to pull his psychotic mate off me. It didn’t work.
With John in front of me, no one could see the way the king gripped me.
His fingers were warm against my cold skin.
Scorpius tightened his grip. He touched me like he owned me—held me like I was his.
“How about you shut up?” I tried discreetly to pull my head out of his grip, but it was like wrenching against a steel wall. “And don’t call me that.”
“Don’t touch her,” John said darkly.
Scorpius’s nails gouged me harder.
Orion was suddenly inches away from my face. “Are you okay, sweetheart?” he mouthed. His gaze flickered to where his mate held me, and his pupils expanded.
His tongue snaked out.
I’d never noticed that his upper lip was fuller than his lower lip, and it gave him the appearance of a perpetual pout.
I stared at his mouth. The remnants of raspberries and chocolate still lingered on my tongue. The urge to lean forward and press myself against him was overwhelming.
A few days ago, he’d kissed me.
I ripped my gaze away from temptation and forced my expression to harden.
Everything had changed.
“Your mates are calling me a slave,” I whispered back. “I’m not your sweetheart.”
His pouty lips furled into a snarl, and his pupils dilated until he didn’t look soft. He looked mean. Angry.
Orion grabbed Scorpius’s arms and ripped his grip off me. The blind devil’s nails scratched down the side of my neck.
Pain streaked across the letters on my back.
I moved closer to John.
The royal students sitting closest to us weren’t blocked by John, and they stared up at us with open mouths.
We ignored them.
Scorpius bared his teeth as he backed up, and the harsh shadows on his sculpted face made him look like an animal.
“Simmer,” I said patronizingly.
He made an obscene gesture with his hands, and Orion stepped in front of him so the rest of the hall wouldn’t see.
“Stop being so obsessed with me,” I whispered as I turned to John. “Some people are so rude, interrupting other people’s conversations.”
John tsked under his breath. “You just can’t teach class these days.”
We grinned at each other.
Respectfully, we were hilarious.
Malum, who’d been standing in formation and paying attention to everything Lothaire said like a good little soldier, leaned toward us. “He’s right. You two need to shut up and pay attention.”
He shuffled to the side.
The demons glared over at him, confused why he was pushing out of formation.
It became clear what he was doing when he inserted a fat thigh between John and me as he tried to push himself between us.
John yanked me to his side so we were pressed against each other.
There was nowhere for Malum to go.
I whispered in John’s ear, “At least we’re not named Corvus Malum. Talk about a mouthful. His mother must have hated him. I think the name Mitch suits him better.”
John furrowed his brow and asked, “Why, Mitch?”
I smirked. “Male bitch.”
We both chuckled.
Flames crawled up the sword tattooed on Malum’s neck as he glared down at us.
Lothaire looked over midspeech, and we all snapped our backs straight and looked forward like we were paying attention.
Sweat streaked across my temple.
Malum was uncomfortably close on my other side, and his skin was burning up, little flames multiplying and spreading across his skin.
Steel eyes flashed as he glared down at me.
Turning my head discreetly to the side, I stood on my tiptoes and whispered loudly in John’s ear, “Have you noticed that Malum’s looking very bloated today?”
When I stood on my toes, I was over six feet tall and John was the perfect height for gossiping.
Something sizzled.
It took me a moment to realize the arm of my sweatshirt was on fire.
I patted it out with a smirk on my face.
Pissing off Malum was quickly becoming a hobby. There was something about upsetting a bully with control issues that made me infinitely happy.
He swore viciously under his breath.
I stared forward.
He might call me his slave, but the tattoos bound all of us together. The poor egotistical megalomaniac couldn’t see the obvious.
I was better at battle analysis.
By the end of this, one of us was going to be on their knees.
It wouldn’t be me.
I tuned back into Lothaire’s speech as he said, “We will now welcome the other legions to our academy.”
Damn. That was quick.
Servants rushed from the shadows and pulled open the heavy iron doors.
Five lines of people waited in the hall, and even from a distance, I could feel the power radiating off them.
“The angel legion,” Lothaire announced.
One line walked forward into the silent hall.
Four men and four women sauntered forward. They each had a different hair and skin color but were all built tall, lithe, and gorgeous. Broadswords were strapped across each of their backs.
As they marched forward, shimmering wings erupted out of their backs.
Students oohed and aahed.
Gaped at them with wide eyes.
From a purely sexual standpoint, I’d do them.
Their weapons matched their shimmering blue wings. Feathers clattered loudly as they walked forward, and the sound was something between the tinkling of bells and gemstones rattling together. It was expensive. Dangerous.
They stopped in front of Lothaire and bowed their heads. He gestured for them to fall into line facing forward, and they marched into position like well-trained soldiers.
A large tan angel with shoulder length dark hair stood in the front.
He slowly turned his head.
I inhaled sharply.
He had heterochromia. One of his eyes was so dark it looked black and the other was neon yellow. With his catlike sculpted features, the effect was startling.
Even more shocking, his blue wings had streaks of black.
His sword crackled and steamed, and I leaned closer to get a better look. The smell of frost hit me before cool air nipped my face.
Their swords were made from ice.
The angel with the mismatched eyes looked over, and I realized I was staring.
I grimaced. His entire persona was menacing.
“Form a line, academy legion,” Lothaire hissed like he was embarrassed.
We’d completely fallen out of formation when we’d been arguing with one another, and we quickly reassembled.
One black eye and one yellow eye flashed as the angel sneered at our legion.
Up close, his black feathers looked clear, almost like crystals.
“The devil legion,” Lothaire announced the next legion, and I turned forward.
Four men entered.
Like Malum, they were all about seven feet tall with deep-bronze skin and buzz cuts. Apparently devils ran tall. Every inch of their exposed skin was covered in Latin words. They even had words tattooed across their cheekbones.
That was where the similarities ended.
They were lean. In contrast, Malum and Scorpius were covered in striated muscles and looked more like enchanted comic-book warriors than flesh-and-blood men. Even Orion had a whipcord strength that these men were missing.
The devils marched forward down the aisle toward Lothaire. Flaming broadswords were strapped across their backs.
Up close, their features were harsh and ugly.
Unattractive men were kind of hot. I’d fuck them.
They were like Malum’s ugly stepsisters; where his features were patrician and regal like he was carved from bronze, theirs were too wide for their faces.
They bowed to Lothaire, then stomped into a line beside us.
“Corvus from the House of Malum,” the man in the front of the line said coldly as he stared straight ahead at the hall.
Malum muttered back, “Tal from the House of Dar.”
Aggression swirled between them.
I waited for something to happen, aka prayed Tal would accidentally stab Malum with his sword.
Neither man said anything else. Pussies.
Lothaire said, “The leviathan legion.”
Seven average-looking men entered.
They differed from the other competitors. No wings, tattoos, fire, or unnaturally large bodies. Most of the men were short, almost Sadie’s size, and they didn’t look that powerful.
Leviathans were rumored to be a secretive race that turned into monstrous beasts. Their unassuming nature was a disguise which lured in their prey.
In history, almost every famous rampaging serial killer had been a leviathan.
Not my type. Pass.
As they fell into line next to the devils, one of the short men smiled at me. He looked nice.
I moved closer to John.
Smiling men always creeped me out.
“The assassin legion,” Lothaire announced.
Four pale women entered next, and like the leviathans, they were short, but they sure as shit weren’t average-looking.
They moved like wraiths, gliding over the air.
If I wasn’t a raging heterosexual, we’d totally make love.
As they were clad in all black, with dark features and bony builds, it was hard to look at them. My eyes kept bouncing over them as they blended into the background.
They slinked toward the tree.
My brain struggled to comprehend that they weren’t just silhouettes.
They stopped in front of Lothaire and bowed deeply. “Nice to be back, sir. We’ve missed the program.”
Lothaire’s lips pulled up. “You’re still the best recruits I’ve ever had.” He pointedly looked over his shoulder and glared at us.
We stared back.
None of us were offended by his words because he’d already told us we were the most powerful people he’d ever trained.
However, the assassin legion moved to the top of my list of people to avoid.
Who would ever miss drowning in the ocean and getting boulders thrown at them? Not people I wanted to be around.
Thank the sun god, it was a relief to not be the first woman in the assassin program.
I wasn’t born to be a trailblazer. I was born to kill men and suffer.
The assassins were lined up on the other side of the angels, and it was comical, the contrast between the two groups. Like shadows next to glistening diamonds.
One of them I could barely see.
The other group was mesmerizing.
I’d thought our legion would be a shoo-in for the assassin position in the war, but now I wasn’t so sure. Something told me these women could kill me before I knew they were present.
“Finally, our last group,” Lothaire said.
The last line of people came into view.
“The shifter legion.”
The realm stopped spinning.
My jaw dropped.
In a religious way, immediate smash. In a realistic way, hard pass.
Four powerful men stalked behind a short, scowling woman. She had long white hair and glowing ruby eyes and wore a low-cut top that showed off a patchwork of thin, jagged scars. She was missing a finger.
“Wait, isn’t that…” John trailed off with a frown.
The kings swore under their breath.
I bounced up and down on my toes and tried to stop myself from running across the room and flying into her arms.
“We’re honored to have you,” Lothaire said, and Sadie ignored him.
She shoved between the devil legion and forced the tattooed men to move over so she could squeeze next to me in line.
Tal from the House of Dar puffed up his chest with aggression.
He quickly piped down once four shifters surrounded him with glowing eyes. Xerxes brandished his knives, and Ascher cracked his knuckles.
The shifter legion settled into line beside us, and Sadie launched herself into my arms. She straddled me and squealed, “Oh my sun god, you’re a girl again! Damn, I forgot how gorgeous you were. Sexy mama.”
I choked on laughter. “Never call me that again.”
“Get out of our line.” John stared at her with narrowed eyes, and I stomped on his foot. He’d never liked her for some reason.
“I can’t believe you’re here,” I whispered to Sadie.
She squeezed. “I know. We’re going to have so much fun together!”
Lothaire cleared his throat, and Sadie awkwardly climbed off me. Cobra grabbed her shoulders and yanked her into line behind him.
Her snake shifter mate glared at me with slit pupils and said, “Aran.”
“Cobra.” I glared back.
He scowled menacingly.
Lothaire raised both his fists and tipped his head back as he bellowed, “We bleed for the gods!”
Everyone chanted back, “And we will kill for the glory!”
Students stomped their feet and hollered.
Sadie and I locked eyes.
“Kind of fun,” she whispered at the same time I said, “We’re so screwed.”
