Dante’s POV
The air felt heavier today, like the world itself was holding its breath. Two days had crawled by since Elara told us about the Games in Hell, and now it was time to go.
Kael had been silent the whole morning. Even Lucas, who always had something cocky to say, looked like a man walking to his own funeral. Maybe he was…maybe we all were.
Elara stood by the stairs, rolling her shoulders like she could shake the weight off her. Mel flickered in her eyes, wild and fierce …but there was something else there too. Fear. Not of death, but of being seen.
I’d never seen her so quiet before a fight. It made my stomach twist.
“Let’s get this over with,” she finally said, voice sharp enough to cut through the fog of nerves that hung between us.
Lucas straightened, his expression harde
