The other turned to us with a feral snarl. “Which one of you bitches helped the bartender escape?” He yanked the hair of the flower girl closest to him. “Fucking spit it out.”
Scarface whacked him again. “Boss wants to interrogate them himself.”
“And when will that be?”
His features stalled. “After the games.”
The second-in-command snaked between us women, perusing as if we were a herd of cows ready for auction. His copper hair gleamed unnaturally in the artificial light. “Must be important, if Boss is coming himself,” he said. “We’ve been given our orders, boys, but since we’re stuck here, I’m sure the girls will compensate us in some way.”
My attention piqued. It was impossible to reach Maximus on a regular day. Even if you did make the journey down here like I did, you’d be cast out before you could even reach the inner ring and get a glimpse of his holiness.
Another opportunity presented itself and the decision took weight in my gut. I’d stay right there until I met the elusive Maximus in person.
“You don’t look scared,” Lily whispered.
“What makes you say that?”
“People that are scared don’t have that expression on their face.”
I regarded her. “Expression?”
“Like you're contemplating every single way you can make them suffer.” Her chin tilted to the guards.
The side of my mouth lifted ever so slightly. “Your face doesn’t exactly scream ‘scared little girl’ either.”
“I know what it is to be scared…and they aren’t it.”
I pitched a brow. “Thankfully, none of those reasons are here.”
Her swirling purple eyes shone with understanding. She had someone she loved, someone she would protect above all others.
I tipped my head back. “Once my skull stops splitting open, I’m going to get out of here. Want to come?”
Lily gave a nervous laugh, but didn’t say no.
We sat in companionable silence, her presence surprisingly soothing, my Variant content to soak in her calm aura.
The Ludus had nothing to fear. Not right now, anyway.
Unfortunately for them, the unpredictable denominator wasn’t me—it was my sisters.
I simply hoped their patience held off long enough for my stay to be beneficial.
Who am I kidding?
For the utmost time, my stomach rumbled aggressively.
Scarface grinned, leaning back on the leg press. “I’ll give you something to eat anytime, pretty Rose. You know the price, you just have to eat me first.”
With a glare of pure disgust, I spat at his feet. “I’d rather starve.”
Mocking laughs erupted through the room, his scar stretching in a grotesque grimace.
I was tired, hungry and uncomfortable. He didn’t want to fuck with me right now.
The guards were huddled in a loose circle at the entrance, when suddenly some cheered in glee and others groaned.
“Pay up, Scarface. Your man fucking lost. He didn’t even last two minutes against The Beast,” the copper-haired subordinate jeered.
Scarface bristled at the news. “Shut up, Cole. If only Psycho were still here. He would fucking annihilate all these amateurs.”
“Including you,” I scoffed. I couldn’t help it.
Scarface snapped his head in my direction. “Okay, I’ll bite. Why would my own friend Psycho come after me?”
“Because he’s mine.”
He laughed. A raucous, full-bellied laugh. “You sluts are delusional. One quick fuck doesn’t make him yours.”
Ignoring me, he returned to his group, reassuring them that he had the funds to pay for his loss (which he definitely didn’t, based on his underlying desperation).
I lapped up his anguish with a lick of my lips, the perfect nourishment I was more than willing to feast on.
A soft chuckle managed to escape my mouth and Scarface’s gaze sharpened on Lily. He stomped over to us, twisted her hair in his fist and dragged her towards the corridor. Lily screamed and fought against his hold, her nails scraping down his forearms. Losing his patience, he kicked her abdomen, her form instinctively curling over to protect itself. His fellow guards watched on in wonder, the violence and aggression causing lust to flare in their veins.
Willing participants weren’t going to cut it anymore. These soldiers craved something darker, more sinister than what any of the flower girls were willing to provide.
