The arena hummed with restless energy as hundreds of eyes locked on me, waiting for me to trip, falter—or, if Lilith had her way, crash and burn in utter humiliation.
Dane raised his hand, and the crowd quieted.
“Before you start, you’ll be checked for prohibited artifacts,” he announced, and I frowned.
Prohibited artifacts? Why would we need to be checked for that? The only thing I wore was Dane’s bracelet.
My stomach twisted. Had he set me up? No. No way.
Two teachers stepped forward, and my pulse quickened as one patted me down, their magic brushing coldly over my skin. Across the ring, Lilith stood lazily with her arms raised, her mouth curved in that smug little smirk.
Xander hovered behind her with a hand on her shoulder, and even got in the teacher’s way twice, but the woman j
