120
I pace up and down the room as I wait for the last part of this disgusting farce to come to a close, and cross my fingers my plan works.
I’d seen the messages from the families.
Thorun’s had touched me deeply, but Cat’s had made my fingers itch with violence. Not only because someone had dared openly and publicly to threaten a woman under my protection, but because he was stupid enough to show his face.
He’ll be easy to find now.
I’ll give her that cunt’s head — it will be my fucking pleasure.
‘Threaten my future wife on international television? Who the fuck does that jumped-up little prick think he is?’
I stop my pacing as I’m hit by a revelation.
Future wife.
I know who I need to choose.
Seeing that message had momentarily given me clarity. It’s true Falcon didn’t favour her, and neither did my parents. But Angie did. She said I should choose the Italian.
‘Someone as flawed as I am.’
Yet Thorun was the darling of the family. Sweet, kind, generous to a fault. Strong and self-sufficient in her own way.
‘Neither of them deserves a love-less marriage. Both of them deserve more than I can give.’
“Fuck!”
‘There’s only one way around this.’
A head pops around the door. It’s the newish make-up woman. She’s decidedly unattractive, I imagine on purpose, given my activities with the previous one.
“Last-minute touch-up, Viscount? They want you on now.”
I shake my head.
“No amount of make-up is going to make this any better.”
I walk to the door and try to paste on a neutral expression.
“Thorun’s a lucky lady,” she calls after me.
Frowning, I close the door behind me and head towards the staging area. It seems everyone wants sweet Thorun to win. But no one understands that I’m not the prize.
As I walk towards where the two women stand, Cat turns to me, her eyes dark, and gives me a tiny nod.
Thorun stares straight ahead as the director gives her some kind of talking-to. He’s trying to impress upon her the rules for this part of the game and she’s asking a million questions.
Clearing my throat I stand on the X marked on the floor in front of all the cameras and face the two women.
“Are you ready, Viscount?” Gerry asks, his face still red from whatever emotion had overtaken him during his discussion with Thorun.
“Almost,” I stare down at him. “I need to talk privately with the two competitors.”
“Ah,” Starlen steps forward positioning himself between the two women and me, “I’m afraid not, Viscount. That’s not part of The Game.”
“Neither is caving in your face so thoroughly it takes you a decade to recover your nose,” I drawl, holding out my hand to the two women so they can step down from their platform, and indicating they should walk around the presenter. “Now get out of my fucking way.”
Huffing, he steps aside and stares at Gerry, who simply shrugs and turns away.
‘He’s finally learned.’
“Ladies,” I smile as I tuck a hand through each of my arms and lead them off the set, “I have something I need to tell you.”
“Is this where you kill one of us?” Thorun whispers.
“No,” I smile down at her. “This is where you bring out from hiding the thing I told you to keep safe.”
“What are you talking about?” Catriona hisses.
As we reach a private, dark corner of the garden, I release their hands and face them both.
“At this stage of The Game you both know I can only choose one of you. Normally the excess contestant is dispensed with, but I haven’t come this far to break my oath now.
Thorun has something that will enable one of you to be free and live your life however you choose.
That woman will be safe, supported in any endeavour she desires, and never have to worry about money.
The other,” I pause, “will become my wife.”
Cat and Thorun look at each other, confusion on both their faces.
“This?”
Thorun holds up the coin I’d told her to ensure she brought with her tonight.
“Yes. That coin is a Life Token. It enables you to walk out of here.”
“All along this would have set me free.”
“Yes.”
“All this time, and you didn’t tell me? I stayed when I didn’t need to? I could have died!”
“I did everything in my power to ensure that didn’t happen.”
“All the things I went through! All the things I did!” She gasps. “I spent most of the show crying! This wasn’t fair of you, Jag. How could you do this?”
Cat gives me a long, measured look.
“So this was the plan all along. You had me protect Thorun because you knew she had the Life Token and you needed it to be in play for the final ceremony.”
“I’m not proud of it,” I scowl. “I second-guessed myself often as I got to know you both. You especially, Thorun,” I turn to her, “it pained me to see you suffer in the trials, to see people try to take your life. But I could see no other way of staying true to my vow not to kill innocent human women.”
“You sacrificed her for your honour,” Cat murmurs.
“She wasn’t sacrificed.”
“I could have been!” Thorun frowns, hands on hips. “And now you say I can go if I like? Home, to my friends and family and pets and the ice?”
“You won’t be able to go home, Thorun. I’m not going to lie to you.
The token gets you out of the Game, but not out of danger.
You’ll have to live in hiding for the rest of your life.
But I’ll hide you well; you and your grandmother.
You’ll live in luxury and want for nothing. Or you can stay and be my wife.”
“What do you mean?” Cat snaps. “Which of us do you want to marry?”
“The choice is yours,” I shrug. “There’s only one token. One of you must stay.”
“You’ve got to have some preference,” Cat insists.
I meet her eyes, but say nothing. If I were her, I’d take the token. Yet part of me hopes she doesn’t.
“Cat,” Thorun turns to her friend, “you got me this far. You saved my life, you sheltered me. I won’t take from you something you deserve. Take the coin and live your life — wreak your vengeance.”
She holds out her hand and offers the token to Cat, who to both our surprise, shakes her head and looks me in the eye.
“Neanche per sogno.”
“Not even for a dream,” Thorun whispers.