TWENTY-FOUR
The Race Games would take place in the evening this time and to prepare for the race, they’d been invited to a breakfast banquet. All racers were invited— more like required— to attend. The council would be in attendance and expected each of the racers to be there, so, with great annoyance, Jo and Nic found themselves in a large banquet hall staring at a table piled high with food.
Like a last supper.
“You think this is meant as a way to force us to look the ones who will die in the face?” Nic murmured as they walked into the hall.
Jo’s eyes were on the ceiling painting, a great depiction of the different species in the race. No surprise that it was painted with a hierarchy in mind, the fae, elves, and vampires along the top, the wolves and goblins on the bottom and other types of “lower” creatures, as if they were the dirt of their world. To many, they were exactly that.
“That’s exactly what this is,” Jo answered. “We’re nothing but pawns. It’s best not to forget that.”
Nic met the eyes of one of the vampire racers. The vamp sneered at him, but he only raised his brow. “Winning this race will disrupt the status quo.”
“Which is precisely why we’re going to win. Not to mention we’ll have a hand in revealing. . .” Her eyes trailed around the room. “You know.”
“They’ve brought in the reporters again,” Nic sighed, his eyes going over to the creatures standing along the walls. Clearly, they’d been instructed to allow them to eat first before they began interviews, but so many of them were anxious. They were currently filming the racers milling around the room, zooming in when voices grew louder or there seemed to be tension.
An elf strolled by, close, just barely missing her shoulder with Jo’s. Under her breath, she muttered, “Feral Scum,” the sound slight enough to be meant for only Jo’s ears.
Savagery bared Jo’s teeth and she was turning to spit her own insults until Nic’s hand threaded with hers and pulled her attention away. “Not worth it,” Nic said. “They’re trying to get us to fight in here before the race but it’s best to leave it for the track.”
Jo scowled. “I’m going to fuck her up in the race. I’m tired of these people thinking they’re any better than us. I could rip her to shreds.”
“I know that,” Nic replied with a smile. “But clearly, she thinks you can’t. Imagine her surprise when you do just that.”
Jo wrinkled her nose. “I’m so tired of spending time with these people. If not for the prize, this almost wouldn’t be worth it. Is this what every wolf team has had to deal with?”
“Yes.”
The voice interrupting drew Jo’s eyes. “Danica,” she said with a smile. “I’m so glad you’re here at least. It’s not all bad.”
Danica’s eyes brightened. “I get why you’d think this place sucks.” She leaned in. “I have to agree. Even mated to the vampire king, these people are assholes.”
“What did you mean?” Nic asked. “About the wolf teams always being treated like this?”
Danica’s smile fell. “Unfortunately, with everything, the wolf team is always considered less. When Cricket and Radley raced, they had to deal with not only being the daughter of the Snapdragon Family but also Radley being a wolf. Radley’s mother tried to sponsor him, and the council rejected it because she didn’t have enough wealth. It shouldn’t be like that, but. . .”
“It is,” Jo finished with a sigh. “It’ll probably never change. Not really. It’s difficult to change centuries of bigotry.”
Danica shrugged. “The wheels have already begun turning, Johanna. Have faith. A human won the Games. A fae and an alpha wolf are mated. A Crow took down the necromancers.” Her eyes crinkled. “Perhaps two wolves will make a mark.”
Jo glanced up at Nic and he smiled, as if he already believed they were going to change things. Because of that, Jo’s own smile curled the corner of her lips. “We’ll do our best.”
“Oh, I know you will,” Danica gushed. “I’ll be rooting for you from the sidelines, and you’ll have a sponsor in me though it’s yet to be approved. They’ll wait until the last minute to up the drama.” She gestured toward the table. “Let’s eat. I’m starving.”
Jo and Nic followed Danica to the table where some of the other racers were already taking a seat. A few of them were already digging in, but Jo took a moment to study all the options spread out before them.
Any kind of food you could imagine was there, in addition to others that most humans wouldn’t know. It was as if they found each delicacy for each species and procured it, which made Jo nauseas to think about. Some of the species participated in practices that made her own stomach turn.
Last meal, indeed.
There were a number of meat options, the smells reaching Jo’s nose telling her there was beef, pork, and chicken, but also exotic creatures as well. Elk, rattlesnake, buffalo, anything any species could want. There were plenty of breakfast options, plenty of fruit and vegetables, even more bread choices. Down the table, one of the elves picked at the fruit. A vampire delicately sipped a glass of blood while picking at bacon. The necromancer had his plate piled high with everything imaginable. A dragon was tearing into a massive chunk of meat, a leg of some sort.
Reaching forward, Jo loaded her plate with a steak, scrambled eggs, bacon, fruit, and a bagel, deciding to be simple in her choices. At least the meat was medium rare. She preferred it that way. Nic, on his own plate, focused on the meats more. When he reached for one of the steaks, the fae across from him stabbed his own knife into it and snarled at Nic. To Nic’s credit, he didn’t do much more than raise his brow.
“They not feeding you where you’re from?” he asked, shaking his head. “It’s just steak, man, not an extra life.”
The fae blinked in confusion as if he hadn’t expected that reaction and, in the end, released the steak and picked something else. It was as if he’d suddenly felt ashamed of the animosity. Jo doubted that was the actual case. Fae weren’t known for their shame.
Of course, Cricket Snapdragon didn’t fit the normal mold either.
Once everyone had successfully eaten their share of food while glaring threateningly at each other, they were permitted to stand and leave. But then the reporters were given free rein to swoop in.
“Johanna Adalwolf! Johanna! What’s it like being under so much scrutiny?”
“Nicolas! Do you have a comment on yours and Johanna’s relationship?”
“Johanna! Nicolas! Are you aware you’re projected to lose the race in the first section of the course?”
Jo scowled. “Leave us alone.”
“Is it true you two eloped?”
“Nicolas, is it true love?”
Nic raised his brow. “If I could convince this woman to elope with me, I’d tell the world about it. No need to speculate.”
At least three of the women said, “aww,” in response and it only made Jo’s scowl deepen.
“Maybe you should focus more on the corruption in the games than about who we’re fucking,” Jo growled, her lips curled up.
The reporters blinked at her, and then one brave soul asked, “So is it safe to say you two have gone official?”
It took Nic threading his hand through Jo’s to keep her from attacking the slight elf. The elf didn’t seem to realize the danger. That or she simply had a death wish. Either way, Nic ushered Jo out of the door and ended the interviews effectively, distracting from the clear media obsession with them.
“Well, that went well, don’t you think?” Nic asked, chuckling at the fact that it had been the complete opposite.
“I’d rather flay the skin off my body than go through that again.” Jo sighed and pushed her hair back. “We only have a few hours left. Time to get Frankie to the racetrack.”
And then their fate would be decided by traps and tricks in a deadly race.