Page 150 of The Bonding Games: Part 2

Avri suit hugging her lithe figure, Ezla strides towards him, and me, Cooper, Scotty, and Tiger all follow. I gulp as she reaches Tate and places a gloved hand on his huge bicep.

His storm-grey eyes snap to her.

“Obey me, my beast.” In our minds again, she tells him, We will have our fun together when we no longer need him.

I feel the thrill that shoots through him. Together?

Together.

The Showmaster is dropped to the taalk like a sack of potatoes.

While his ragged gasps grate through the room as he sucks in as much oxygen as possible, Tate radiates hunger to match his ravenous growl as he wraps an arm around Ezla’s slim waist and yanks her into him.

She tuts internally. You will have your reward later, Tate.

Expression pure, unbridled greed for our Bonded, he hesitates a moment, hands on her clenching. But ultimately, he does as she wants like always, pulling back to glare maliciously down at Peter.

“Where are the tablets, Peter?” Ezla purrs, and the sound has the hairs on my arms standing on end. I shiver with the chill that runs down my spine. These days, I only love it, but the effect she has when she’s like this can’t be avoided by anyone.

“W-what t-tablets?” he all but sobs, one palm pressed to the glossy floor, the other to his reddened neck. I can’t believe that this is who introduces each Bonding Game.

“Do not play stupid.” Ezla’s voice cracks through the air, her tone turning lethal in the blink of an eye. Crouching down, her hand seizes Peter’s chin, and she yanks his head up so that he’s forced to look at her. “I know you have my Bonds’ citizen tablets.”

His eyelids flare wide in clear alarm. “I-I— How would you know that? Only Joseph—”

“The Game Master is dead,” Ezla cuts him off. “I am your empress now.”

Mouth open, Peter has become whiter than a ghost. After a drawn-out silence, he finally croaks, “You . . . What?”

She sighs heavily. “You are wildly irksome. I despise stupid people.” Then she yanks him right up to her face. “Where are the citizen tablets?” she seethes.

“I-I-I—”

Tate smacks the back of his mousy-blond head. “Spit it out, you piece of shit.”

“I don’t have them!” he cries.

Cooper strides over, fists balled. “Don’t fucking lie,” he grinds out. “Joseph told us he gave them to you.”

“I-I—”

I jolt as Ezla backhands him. “Stop wasting my time with your pathetic stuttering. Where. Are. They?”

“The Avri labs!”

Everyone pauses.

“Why . . . are they in the Avri labs?” Ezla’s tone is terrifyingly calm.

“Because the final finishing touches are being put on them!” He then promptly bursts into tears. Gaping, I can only watch as he sobs, “Please don’t kill me! It wasn’t my idea!”

“What was not your idea?”

“There’s going to be a ‘reset’ button on your Bonds’ citizen tablets!”

***

For a moment, it’s quiet enough to hear a feather drop. All I can hear is the blood surging through my veins too thickly, too fast.