Page 57 of Breaking Isolde

I want to talk to her, but I don’t know what to say.

Instead, I just sit there, curled around the dress, breathing in the smell of my funeral flowers.

I whisper, “Casey, I’m about to relive your death.”

The words taste like blood.

I say it again, louder, to make it real.

The Hunt begins tomorrow.

And there’s not a Goddamn thing I can do except make it interesting…

I have just the idea.

Maybe instead of letting him claim me, humiliate me, destroy me…

I’ll wait, I’ll hide.

And I’ll stake my claim on him first.

Chapter 12: Rhett

Timehasawayof accelerating when you know it’s running out. Colt and Jules are bracketing the pool table, shots lined up between them, but it’s Bam who’s in charge of the atmosphere. He’s perched on the leather arm of the couch, not moving except for the flick of his eyes. He does that, sometimes, goes perfectly still and turns the room into a habitat where you know you’re being watched.

I keep my back to the balcony, glass in hand, and survey the pack.

Julian is talking, as usual. “The Mafia have it right, you know. Their bloodlines, their structure—everybody gets a job, even if it’s just to polish shoes. Here, all anyone does is talk about howmuch power they have, but when the Night Hunt comes, they realize that the only ones with power are the Hunters because we decide the next bloodlines.”

He lines up a shot, sinks the seven. “Heard Abelard is betting on Isolde making it to sunrise and choosing death.”

Colton’s mouth flickers. “Or maybe they’re just scared she will make it. The Greenwood’s aren’t exactly prime breeding stock, but it’s all they could do to shut her up given the whole Casey thing. Casey was chosen because of her intelligence. She was in MENSA, but Isolde was just a snoopy slut. Mixed blood, pure drama.”

My lips tighten with the urge of decking my friend in the face, but he’s not entirely wrong. Issy is smart, but she’s cunning too. Deadly mix when it comes to being nosy around the Academy. The Hunt will tame her, make her one of us.

Keep her quiet.

Colt barks a laugh. “Or maybe they just want to see one of us fuck up again.” He swings around, cues at nothing. “Bet they have money riding on it.”

I swirl my whiskey, let the bite of it burn all the way down. “The Board doesn’t gamble. They fix.”

Colton fixes me with a look. “You ready?”

I glance at the clock. Seventy-five minutes until I’m on the field. “I’ve never been unready.”

Colt throws his cue down and bats his eyes. “Not the real question,darling. The last time they paired a Greenwood with a Grey, it was ended in an investigation. It almost ended with a goddamn firing squad for fucks sake. So forgive me if I’m invested in what your plans are.”

He pours a double and sits on the arm next to Bam. “Tell me, Rhett: when you catch her, do you plan to kill her or keep her?”

I sigh and roll my eyes.

Bam breaks it with a snort. “He’s gonna keep her, that’s what he’ll do. Board’s counting on it. They’re all hoping he fails, though.”

I tap the rim of my glass. “They want me to fail so they can fill Cai’s seat with someone else.”

Colton nods. “Means they’re scared of you.”

Means they’re scared of what I’ll do if I win, is what he’s not saying.