Page 51 of The October Trials

“Since now.” I grab a tarp from the corner, spreading it out on the floor to start working on Nico. “Blair is mine. She’s part of my plan. She’s going to join the Legion, stand beside me—”

“She’s going to die,” she snaps. “And then I’m going to crawl inside her skin and wear her like a fucking coat. Do you understand me, Cage? I’ve been trapped in this half-existence for years, watching you play your little games, waiting for the right body to come along. And now she’s here.”

She drifts in front of me, reaching up to cup my cheek, and even though she’s not here, I can feel it. Her voice changes, softens, becomes the voice I remember from childhood, from before everything went wrong.

“Cage, baby,” she murmurs. “My sweet boy. You know I only want what’s best for you. For us.”

I grit my teeth, trying to block it out.

“Think about it,” she continues, that honeyed voice wrapping around me like silk. “If I have a body again, I can help you. Really help you. We can run the Legion together, the way we always talked about. Don’t you miss me?”

I do miss her.

I miss her so fucking much it’s like a wound that never heals.

There’s nothing that can fill the hole of your mom no longer being on earth with you.

“That’s my boy,” she murmurs, sensing my weakness. “Say yes, my love.”

“…Fine.”

18

Blair

Icount on my fingers: one, two, three, four…

Oh my God. We’re in the last round, round six. I can’t believe I made it to the last round.

For the first time tonight, hope sparks in my chest. Real hope.

Christian’s body was dragged away half an hour ago, leaving a dark burgundy-colored stain on the floor that no one bothered to clean. Sloane hasn’t stopped crying since. Her sobs echo through the dining room—wet, hiccuping sounds that grate against my nerves like nails on a chalkboard.

I want to tell her to shut the fuck up.

But I don’t have the energy.

My side still throbs where Christian stabbed me with the screwdriver. The wound isn’t deep, but it’s enough to make every breath hurt, and after everything tonight, I barely have any endurance left.

They’ve managed to wear a bitch out.

“Well.” Archon leans back on his throne, fingers steepled under his chin. “This is unprecedented.”

My head snaps to him. “What the hell does that mean?”

“We’ve never made it to round six with three contestants still left.” He smiles, and it’s the kind of smile that makes my stomach drop. “So we’re switching things up.”

My pulse kicks up. Beside me, Sloane’s sobs hitch in her throat.

I don’t have a good feeling about this.

“Sudden death round.” He claps his hands together.

A guard steps forward and switches the TV on, the one I’d almost managed to forget was even there. Static floods the screen for a heartbeat, then it splits into four live feeds. Four men appear, each hidden behind costumes to conceal their identities.

“These gentlemen are our top four supporters of the night’s activities. As a token of our gratitude, they will get to participate this round. For each remaining contestant, there will be a bid, and the highest bidder chooses your fate.”

Oh God.