CHAPTER 52 - BLAKE

Theo turned towards me. "What did you do?" he hissed.

We could see everything the consorts were experiencing. We couldn't hear them though.

Still, it wasn't too hard to figure out what was going on between Pendragon and Regan.

Or to see that something in Pendragon had changed.

She'd started off slow. I'd been terrified for her. Regan had clearly paid someone off because the drugs they gave the consorts weren't supposed to linger in their systems for that long. Pendragon had nearly missed the first challenge altogether.

When she'd made it across the gorge, I'd breathed a sigh of relief. Thank the fucking Bloodmaiden for Visha. She'd lingered far longer than I thought she would, ignoring Evander's clear pleas to get going. The girl had a backbone of steel and some serious potential.

I glanced at Theo. He didn't trust me and while I understood that, it also didn't make him great right hand material.

Theo was still looking at me expectantly.

I shrugged him off. "I did what I had to."

"You're insane," he whispered. "This could ruin everything. You put her at risk."

"At risk? I saved her. Regan was going to cheat anyway," I hissed. My gaze lingered on the images up on the veil, on Pendragon and the way she moved–stronger, faster than she'd ever been before.

Theo's jaw tightened. "Still, you know this isn't how it's supposed to go. They're supposed to work together. Not..." He gestured helplessly at the projection just as Pendragon pulled the knife out of her boot. Regan might have managed to arrange for a little extra drugging but I'd snuck a surprise in for Pendragon, too. Good thing I had since Regan and her friends had brought their own surprises with them. "Whatever the fuck this is. It's all falling apart. If Viktor catches wind of it..."

"I'll handle it, Theo," I interrupted, forcing myself to remain calm. "Don't worry about it."

Consorts weren't meant to destroy each other like this and the whole thing didn't exactly reflect well on House Drakharrow. But Regan had set the whole thing in motion as soon as she'd pulled Gretchen and Quinn into her scheming. She'd tried to stack the odds, to sabotage Pendragon from the start. I was just leveling the playing field. Or at least, that's what I was telling myself.

I risked a glance at where Headmaster Kim was sitting further down the tiers. His eyes were glued to the veil, his face impassive. As far as I could tell, he didn't look as if he were about to jump up from his seat and call the whole thing off. I doubted he'd interfere.

But as for what came after the Games were over? That was a toss up.

All I knew was, I'd protect Pendragon. No matter what.

Regan was on her own now. It was only a matter of how long it would take her to realize she was out in the cold.

I watched Pendragon deal with Quinn, then stand over Regan.

She wasn't going to kill her. I knew that. But it took her a moment to come to that realization. My blood was flowing through her, making the urge to violence stronger than it would normally be. It was actually incredible how well she was resisting its pull.

"How goes it, little brother?"

My head jerked up. My brother Marcus stood there, pale blue eyes looking down at me coldly. His mouth curved up in an arrogant smile.

Looking at my older brother was like looking in a mirror in some ways. Standing a few inches shorter than me–something that never failed to drive him crazy, Marcus was stockier and broader, with a physique built for raw strength rather than finesse. His pale, silvery-blond hair was cropped shorter than my own. His jawline had more of a square cut to it, too.

He was an intimidating bastard, I'd give him that. The scars that littered his arms and neck were reminders of his ruthless exploits. I wondered whether the consort he'd murdered had left any marks behind on my brother. I hoped so. She'd certainly earned it.

Viktor loved Marcus's brutality–as long as he was the one wielding it.

Knowing he had our uncle's favor just made Marcus more dangerous. His smile rarely reached his eyes and when it did, it was usually at someone else's expense.

Like mine, right now.

Beside me, I felt Theo tense, shrinking into himself. He hated Marcus. I didn't blame him.

Marcus swaggered down the step and slid into our row, forcing me over.

"Well, well," he drawled, his eyes moving to the screen. "Your little dragon rider's doing better than I would have expected, brother. Must be a lot of work keeping those two ladies in line outside of the Games though. You ever need any advice on how to manage them both, you know where to find me."

I kept my eyes forward.

But Marcus didn't do well with being ignored.

"What's up with Theo? He looks as if he's seen a ghost. What's got you so nervous, cuz?" Marcus leaned around me to ruffle Theo's hair like he was a child.

Theo flinched but didn't say a word.

"Leave him alone, Marcus," I growled.

Marcus smirked. "Relax. I'm just having fun. We're family for fuck's sake. Theo knows I'm only playing, don't you, cousin?" He lowered his voice and leaned closer. "It's funny though. I've always thought it's pathetic how soft you are with him. You think you're really doing him a favor by coddling him?"

My fists clenched, but Marcus wasn't through. His gaze shifted to the veil projection where Pendragon's figure was moving swiftly through the island terrain.

He whistled, long and low. "Pretty thing, isn't she? Those long legs. That tight ass. I can see why you've bailed on Regan. Really, I can."

My head snapped towards my brother. I glared at him.

Marcus grinned, clearly relishing my reaction. "Careful, little brother," he drawled. "She might not stay yours for very long. Uncle Viktor has his eyes on her. Hell, I might just take a liking to her myself. You know I've been looking for a replacement for Allessandra."

I tried to control my breathing. "You still have Amaris."

Marcus scowled. "She's no good by herself. She's gotten boring."

I didn't point out that this was probably because Marcus had killed her twin sister.

There was no way my brother was getting within an inch of Pendragon. I'd fucking die before I let that happen.

Marcus tilted his head towards mine. "I'm sure I could make her scream in a whole new way," he said, his voice dipping suggestively.

My restraint shattered. I shot to my feet, my muscles coiled. Theo looked up at me in a silent plea for me to stay calm, but I ignored him.

"You think you could handle her, Marcus?" I hissed, my voice low and deadly. "She's stronger than she looks. You're not taking anything from me. Especially not Pendragon. Our bond's nearly complete, and you know what that means."

My older brother's grin faltered, a hint of uncertainty betraying his bullshit bravado. "Is that so?" he asked, trying to sound nonchalant. "Uncle Viktor didn't think you'd gotten far."

"I was planning on surprising him with the news," I lied. "He told me to keep her controlled and soon she'll be mine. Fully bonded. And there won't be anything you or Viktor or anyone else can do about it."

Marcus's lips curled in annoyance. "We'll see about that," he said, rising to his feet, his playful tone gone.

I stabbed him in the chest with my finger. "Why don't you scurry back to Uncle Viktor like a good little fucking lap dog and tell him I have everything under control?"

Marcus's body went tense. If we weren't in the middle of a crowd of people, I knew he'd have decked me one.

"This isn't over, little brother," he muttered, as he moved into the aisle.

I sat back down, trying to calm the fire inside of me.

"You shouldn't have said that," Theo groaned. "Now he'll come after her for sure."

I knew Theo was right. Still, "Let them try," I muttered.