I stick out my bottom lip. “I want a friend.”
Our exchange is bothering Ainsley. He interrupts with a prissy huff, scolding me, “You cannot have Phlix. She’s to be Pike’s newest in a matter of a few rotations.”
Turning on him as if he’s gravely insulted me, I growl, “But I want her! Spike can have her in a few rotations. What would it hurt to let me have her for such a short time?”
My assertiveness is not something that Ainsley is accustomed to or something he’s ready to tolerate. “His name is Pike!”
“Spike, Pike,” I shrug. “He can have her after I’m finished with her.”
Ainsley’s mouth opens and closes several times, like a fish’s. “You were not sent for, Kricket,” he scowls dismissively. “Your master and I are convening on a very important issue—”
I put my index finger to his mouth, cutting him off. “One moment, Ainsley. He’s not my master. He’s—” Hearing feminine laughter, I look toward the game table across the room and witness a turquoise winged-horse figurine fling off the game board and strike Phlix in the back of her head. Distracted, I murmur, “Hold that thought. I’ll be right back.” Ainsley’s face turns red and he blusters behind me, but I ignore him.
I cross the room to the game table. Brighton, Ryker, and Ashland have their shoulders hunched as their heads lean together in some misery conspiracy. Placing my hands on the cool, marble game board, I give them each a sinister smile. The black butterfly lace of Brighton’s facial adornment rises as her eyebrows do.
“Hi, I’m Kricket. We haven’t formally met yet, but I’ve noticed that you like games.”
Sitting back in her chair, Brighton gives me a smug look and says, “I’m enjoying the game I’ve been playing.”
“I’ve been watching your game. It isn’t funny. I think you should apologize to Phlix.”
Her blue eyes shine with condescension, “I never apologize,” she replies. Ryker and Ashland both giggle, enjoying their friend’s disdain.
“Are you sure you don’t want to reconsider? It would be a shame if you couldn’t walk outta here.”
Her lacey eyebrows rise together. “Are you threatening me?”
“Mmm-hmm.” I nod.
Brighton’s eyes narrow as she says, “You’re in no position to threaten me.” She flicks her hair back over her shoulder, looks at her friends, and smiles. “You won’t be here long. They’re taking you back to Freming House. You won’t last the rotation.”
“That’s an interesting thing to say, since you’re not clairvoyant. If you were, you might be a little bit nicer.”
“I don’t have to have the gift of seeing the future, because I already know yours.”
“Enlighten me.”
“It’s only a matter of time before the Brothers kill you.”
“I’m going to let you in on a little secret, Brighton.” I lean near her ear and whisper, “They’ve already tried.” Then I straighten and add, “So I’ll give you one more chance to apologize to Phlix for being such a knob knocker.”
They look at each other like I said something ludicrous. Brighton’s eyes leave Ryker and Ashland’s astounded faces. She concentrates on an aquamarine griffin on the game board. The feet of the iconic beast tremble and tap against the smooth surface. It lifts off the game board, heading straight for my forehead. I duck. The griffin sails over me. It strikes the large male behind me in the temple. Standing, the bearded blond Brother clutches his hand to his face as he roars in anger.
“Many pardons, Adondon,” Brighton says in mortification as she holds up her hand to him and pales. “I did not intend—”
“I got this one, Don,” I say to the raging Brother before I grasp the edge of the heavy marble game board, saying to Brighton, “You should’ve just said sorry.”
A rainbow of beautiful, stone-carved creatures tumble off the checkerboard surface, clattering against the top of the wood table as I lift it up. Brighton’s eyes shift to me. Her black, lacy eyebrows flap like bat wings. I swing the marble game board as hard as I can. It connects with Brighton’s cheek. A tooth flies out of her mouth. She falls to the ground with a desperate moan.
I swing the game board back the other way, and it connects with Ryker on the other side of the table. Dominos don’t fall this easily. Panting a little, I hoist the board over my head, intending to throw it across the table at Ashland, when it’s caught in someone else’s grasp. I’m lifted off my feet as an arm encircles my waist.
Kyon murmurs in my ear, “Drop it.”
I don’t. It’s wrenched from my hand and tossed back onto the table, where it makes a tremendous noise.
“Don’t get in my way,” I growl at Kyon, my breathing heavy from exertion.
He turns me so that we face the room, which has gone silent except for the moans of the two priestesses on the floor. With his arm around me, Kyon holds me pinned to his body. I glare at everyone. I hate their shocked faces. They have no idea who they’re dealing with, and it shows. None of them has ever had to survive a juvenile lockup.
I refrain from jerking my arms in an attempt to make Kyon release me. It won’t work, so it’s useless. I don’t like the fact that he’s been testing me ever since we entered this room, like a science experiment. He knew what would happen in here, though. His ability to read me is a bad thing.
He evaluates the priestesses writhing on the ground. “Fulton,” he calls. Fulton enters the room as if he’s been monitoring the situation the whole time. He has medics with him who immediately attend to Brighton and Ryker’s medical issues. Once sedated, they fall silent as the medics work on them. I may have broken Brighton’s jaw—it hangs at a funny angle when they quickly take her from the room. Fulton remains by the door, watching me.
Kyon’s hand smoothes my tussled hair as he says to the group before us, “It’s as I said. Kricket is a singular alpha female. You’ve all witnessed it. The beta females of the group will seek to protect her.” He gestures in Phlix’s direction. “The Virulences have no outward effect on her, because she’s not someone who is at all suggestible.” His hand rises to the idle musicians, who are currently eyeballing me with a mixture of fear and dread. “She has little fear of males.” Now he gestures toward Ainsley’s direction. “She only respects an extreme alpha male, and even then, she will constantly test his mettle. You cannot mix her in with the general population of priestesses. She’s savage. She’ll eliminate all of your potential alphas, even the ones with enhanced fighting capabilities. She’ll outsmart them, outmaneuver them, and in general, reduce them to sniveling weaklings at her feet.”
“She’s no good to us if she cannot be controlled, Kyon,” Ainsley says, scrutinizing me like I’m a piece of meat.
Kyon frowns. “We need extreme intelligence now more than ever to rule Ethar. Things are changing. You’re going to have to change with them. Kricket will rule. She’s the one—she’s your empress. It’s the prophecy; it’s unavoidable. And I will reign by her side.”
“Your father says that she’s impure. The priestess born of two worlds and two houses cannot be allowed to govern—”