The crowd roars above, hungry for blood, but I barely hear them. All I see is the woman who showed up every night in the last couple of weeks, even while I wallowed in self-pity and anger. The woman who got me to dance on a table in a room full of men because I told her I'd never done something so outrageous. The closest thing I've ever had to a friend, bleeding out before my eyes because I did nothing.
Not again.
Not this time.
My hands tighten around the icy circlet, the blood-red diamond pulsing against my skin. My throat is dry, my heart hammering against my ribs, but the words leave me in a whisper all the same.
"I grant Evadne Kaldrith my immunity."
Lilith's hand stiffens and she shoves Evadne aside roughly with a grin. She tosses the sword aside. "I told you I'd kill you." She cocks her head. "And I meant every word."
She lunges.
