Page 55 of A Token of Blood and Betrayal

Telling her no one here was my enemy would be a waste of breath.And a lie, most likely.I still didn’t know who’d murdered Jasmine outside my door last week.

Phedre took my arm again and ushered me toward the staff, who were all now staring at us.“Don’t worry about having an opponent.Pretty much everyone here has lost a fight to us.We’ve won soooo many bets and called them in just for you.”She put her hands on both my shoulders and maneuvered me past the paranorms despite my trying to stand my ground.

I found myself in the middle of a plantless garden bed.“You moved fight club?”

“It was too muddy,” Phedre said.“Plus everyone’s here.”

I would have preferred the mud.The pool formed the north edge of the makeshift arena, potted plants made up another, and the staff themselves formed the rest of the misshapen circle.

I was totally going to be thrown into the pool.

“Kennedy’s here!”Phedre announced.

Thanks for making this even more awkward.

Sighing, I turned to face the staff.“Just so you all know, this wasn’t what I agreed to.”

“It never is with those two,” a vampire named Louis said.

More than a few staff members chuckled, and I found myself smiling.Maybe this was a good thing.I didn’t exactly fit in here, partly because they were paranorms and I was a Rain, but also because I hadn’t visited much during college.When I did finally return in the spring, I’d kept my distance, wanting nothing to do with the hotel, the paranorms, or magic in general.I put in the minimal amount of effort because I was supposed to be temporarily covering for my parents.That behavior hadn’t made me any friends.Interacting with the staff might improve our relationship.

“After much contemplation and many contests”—Phedre sounded like a mashup between a circus announcer and MMA official—“we narrowed the contenders down to four, and the person who drew the short straw—”

“Spaghetti,” Thordis said beside me.

“Spaghetti,” Phedre corrected, “is…”

“Dum da de dum!”Thordis sang.

“Thad!”

He stepped forward, reluctance and annoyance vying for control of his expression.

Thordis leaned close to my ear.“Don’t worry.We rigged it.Thad is theworstfighter in the Null.”

He didn’t look it.Like most humans turned paranormal, Thad had good looks, a lean, muscled body, and, given he was a werewolf, most likely a decent history of fighting.

“Why can’t I fight a girl?”I asked.

Thordis’s eyes narrowed.“If you’re suggesting girls can’t fight.”

“Most girls don’t spend their entire lives training and killing.”

“She has a point,” Phedre said.“But no woman would agree to fight us, so we couldn’t blackmail them.”

“Smart of them,” I quipped.

“Therefore, you get Thad,” she said.

I faced the werewolf.“How did they rope you into this?”

His mouth tightened.“It was either this or they shove me out of the Null.They were too excited to be bluffing.”

I shook my head.They were tooinsaneto be bluffing.“You can fight back.You won’t trigger the treaty.”

He gave me a dubious look.“I think I’ll pass.”

“Really,” I assured him.“I’m a willing participant.”Sort of.“It’ll be fine.”