Page 75 of The Demons in the Deep: Extended Edition
“Wait, have you two—” Kestra lifted her eyebrows.
“Shut up.” Mai looked straight ahead.
But the twitch at the corner of her mouth told Kestra everything she needed to know. “Was he careful with you?” she whispered. “Did you—”
“Tides, Kestra. Just because you don’t mind everyone knowing that you and Flay rut like rabbits, doesn’t mean I have to be so open about my own activities.”
Kestra waited.
After a moment, Mai said, “Yes, he was careful. And—yes, I did complete the experiment successfully, you might say.” She smirked into her cup.
Kestra grinned. But she sobered again and said, low, “This doesn’t make you any more whole or worthy, because you’ve always been whole and worthy. But I know it’s something you wanted to experience, so I’m happy for you.”
Mai nodded, her lips pressed tightly together. After a moment she whispered, “I call him my monster, you know, because I like the things about him that are different from everyone else. But he’s a person, too. My person. I’m not broken or strange, and he’s not wicked. We are simply unique, in a way that’s beautiful to us both.”
Kestra made a small sound of agreement and settled back in her seat with a wriggle of delight. She glanced at Flay, and by the smile hovering over his mouth, she knew he’d caught at least part of the conversation.
“Don’t tease her,” she whispered.
“Wouldn’t dream of it, Blossom.”
“Liar.” She squeezed his hand.
But her joy quickly ebbed, because the violence taking place in the ring below had escalated. Each round seemed to get bloodier than the last. The final pair before Rake’s duel had to be dragged out of the stadium by servants. Kestra thought they might both be dead.
“How will the winners of these rounds manage to compete again in the next bracket?” Kestra asked.
“The winners of these rounds will be patched up and given stimulants to help them get through their next fights. But yes, some of them will have to forfeit. It’s mostly about moving past the first tier and gaining points.”
“But for us, there’s far more at stake.”
“Unfortunately.”
The announcer bawled out the names, captains, and ships of the next two contestants, and Rake stalked into the ring, facing off against the champion with the camouflage ability, from theForsaken Ghost. When the horn blared, the skin-shifter seemed to disappear entirely, and the crowd gasped.
Rake turned in a slow circle, his pointed ears twitching a little, his large eyes scanning the ring. He wore a dark loincloth, and his gold belt was concealed under a strip of padded leather to protect it from impact. His tapered waist, broad shoulders, and muscled arms were admirable enough, but it was the gills along his neck and the blue shadows of his pale skin that seemed to fascinate the crowd. People rose in their seats, clamoring, and leaned forward for a better look.
Rake’s claws whipped outward, and Kestra saw a faint mist of blood spray his arm and the sand of the arena. The air quivered, and the skin-shifter appeared briefly, clutching her torn belly.
She managed to camouflage again, and Rake yelled as claws tore down his back. Mai made a strangled noise.
But the next second he reached behind him, seized the skin-shifter, and slammed her body into the arena floor with a resounding crack. Her illusion guttered and vanished altogether, leaving her naked and broken on the ground.
Rake stepped back, and servants hurried out to carry the other fighter away.
He had won, and swiftly, too, thanks to his enhanced hearing and eyesight. Kestra suspected his next battle would not be so easy.
Another duel, and then there was a brief break before the second tier of the Brawl began.
“These things take so long,” moaned Flay’s mother. “So dull. Feral, play cards with me.”
Feral had his tongue in the mouth of one of his silken girls, but he pulled it out long enough to say, “Not now, Mother. Perhaps Flay will play with you.”
“I will,” said Flay. “I’ll play you for one sheet ofasthorefor theWind’s Favor.”
Kestra’s eyes widened. The repairs to theWind’s Favorwere nearly complete, but the Magnate had so far refused to replace the lost piece ofasthorefor the hull.
“No,” growled the Magnate.
