Chapter 12
Knox
On the inside, I’m a nervous ball of anxiety.
On the outside, I play the role of the spoilt prince to perfection.
I lounge dramatically in the front-row seats of the arena, schooling my face into utter boredom.
Celeste sits beside me, as always. My former lover and doting ex-Familiar watches this year’s competitors with narrow, beady eyes.
The Five haven’t made their appearance yet.
They rarely do so early into the training, but it doesn’t quell the unease wrapped around my insides.
I haven’t witnessed the first part of the training in almost seventy years. I’ve always managed to get out of it one way or another. But I’m glad I stayed this time around. If I’m buried underground, then I won’t be able to protect her.
Her, her, her…
She’s all I fucking think about.
It’s tiresome fighting a mate bond.
As the first trainee takes their stance on the starting podium, my mind drifts back to Danniella and the taste of her last night.
The magnificent crescendo of her release had left me a panting fool.
I yearned to bury myself deep inside of her.
Last night was a true test to how much fucking restraint I have.
It would’ve been so easy to make her mine.
Her body writhed beneath me, desperately begging, and I could have sworn my name was whispered on her lips.
But she hates me.
She stares at me from across the arena like I’m a monster plotting to drink her blood when she least expects it.
It’s stupid to want her to like me.
Cheers erupt from the onlookers sitting in the stands of the tent. My attention slides back to the trainee who’s successfully jumped through the first ring of fire. Her tight ebony curls bounce when she moves, and a skin-tight sparkly bodysuit shows off her stunning body.
Yet I feel nothing. No lust, no desire. Not even a scrap of interest. I’m a hollow mess.
I couldn’t give a fuck if she fell from the tightrope onto the spikes down below.
Because she isn’t her.