Lycian read the message over my shoulder. His whole body went rigid.
“That’s it,” he said. Voice deadly quiet. “We’re done playing their game. You’re not doing the final trial.”
“What?” I sat up. Water sloshed over the edge of the tub. “I’ve come this far. I’m not quitting now.”
“It’s not quitting. It’s survival.” He grabbed a towel. Wrapped it around me as I stood. “They just said the real threat is beginning. Sarah tried to poison you tonight. Who knows what they’ll do during the final challenge?”
“So I should just give up? Let them win?”
“You should stay alive.” His hands framed my face. Desperate. “I don’t care about trials or traditions or proving anything to anyone. I care about you. Safe. Breathing. Here with me.”
Through the bond, I felt his terror. Raw and overwhelming. He’d
