Page 20 of First Offense

I bit my lower lip as my mates watched me, patiently waiting to hear my reply regarding what I’d seen today. “It’s not about what I saw, so much as felt. It all seemed targeted. Well, almost.” I couldn’t really explain it, but I’d sensed a pattern to the dancing flames and deadly blades.

It wasn’t something my mates would have caught, as we’d learned quickly upon arrival that there were certain things I could see that they couldn’t. Such as the razor wires.

“Our section wasn’t too bad,” Sorin said. “Less lethal than usual, anyway.”

“Because we weren’t the target,” I said, thinking back to that random net that fell from the sky. “I think they were going for the princess. Or maybe her guard.” I couldn’t say how I knew that; it’d just been an inkling I’d picked up on while observing the patterns in the field. “They seemed to be targeting their steps, but Layla found a platform almost immediately. So it redirected toward him.”

“Do you think she could see the shifting in the sand like you did?” Sorin asked, referring to my reaction to the ground changing subtly before the culling began.

“I think that’s what drew her into the yard, yeah,” I admitted. “I don’t think she knew what was going to happen, though.”

Which had me wondering if I’d been wrong about her. I’d initially assumed that she would be similar to the last family member the Reformer had placed here—a half-sister Valkyrie who wanted me dead. But now, I wasn’t so sure.

“She looked really scared today,” I added.

And while she’d defended herself on that platform, her skill hadn’t been that of a trained killer.

The Reformer had called her the “key.”

“The key to everything just arrived, Raven. I think you’ll like her. But she’ll need your help to thrive here. Can you do that for me? Can you help guide her?”

He’d said that after I survived a lethal game in his labyrinth.

Which he’d dropped me in after revealing that he was my father.

I refused to call him that. He would always be Sayir or the Reformer to me.

I shook my head. “I don’t know what he’s doing, but I think today was about testing the princess. Or maybe removing her guard.” It was just a guess and the best one I had to offer on the subject.

Silence followed as my mates stared each other down in some sort of silent conversation. They did this sometimes. Over a century of friendship had given them the uncanny ability to converse with just their eyes.

“You should probably wash up and work on healing yourself,” Zian said, releasing me as he gestured to the sink with his chin, all the while continuing his stare-off with Sorin.

Layla had become a divisive element between us, and today obviously hadn’t helped.

My mates were clearly having an unspoken disagreement over how to proceed with this information. Which would likely lead to a competition of male dominance.

And then sex.

Hopefully, with me in the middle.

“You two have fun,” I said as I rolled off the bed to skip over to the small bathroom in the back corner of the cell. I held my breath and lathered the pungent soap over my arms. It didn’t help, the stench infiltrating my nose even without inhaling.

Ugh.

Fortunately, my mates would replace the stink with their sweet scent soon. Because things were heating up between them, their voices low but furious as they debated how to proceed out loud.

They agreed that Auric and Layla were the targets, and Sorin wanted to leave well enough alone. “It’s not our job to help him,” Sorin said, his tone sharp.

“How do you think Raven will feel if her cousin dies?” Zian retorted.

I frowned, uncertain of how much I would care. I didn’t know the princess. Hell, I’d only learned of our familial relation, like, a week or two ago. Why should I be bothered by her fate? If anything, I should feel the opposite. The Reformer wanted me to care. To helpguideher.

I nearly snorted.

Not. Happening.

“Novak isn’t going to let this go,” Zian added, his voice low. “And I can’t just leave him here, Sorin.”