Savage Lands

Now, lift up your beautiful face and show everyone in the room they can take nothing away from you. No matter what. Never apologize for how others react to your strength.

The bars of my gilded jail had been shrinking down on me so slowly, I didn't notice until they crushed me.

His love had all been a loan. And it was time for me to pay back my debt.

The night was unseasonably cold for late spring, causing a lacy fog to climb up the rails of the bridge, like the dead crawling up from their graves, slinking across the ground in hunt for life.

This fish had become a piranha.

Give them glory in your death or in your killing". The guard's sentiment halted me for a moment, my gaze snapping to the fae. For the first time, I really noticed him. The horse-shifter, Zander, stood there, his chocolate brown eyes staring into mine. "Let their energy and your fear feed you, not starve you." His gaze remained intensely on me. Meaningful. "Use your head, find weapons in anything. Be the one who prevails.

Prison thrived on breaking people down and rebuiding them. Maybe it worked for others - bad people. But when you broke down good people, we didn't rise again as even nicer people. No. That's not how it worked. We rose like a dragon, one that would spew fire and burn everything to ash. We became the depraved.

Never apologize for how others react to your strength".

He will kill you without blinking…and he’s so unbearably hot, you go willingly.

What you had to do out there? Death demands payment from you as well. Compensation for living

The space was abuzz with noise and activity, smelling of waterlogged oats and eggs, with a dusting of burned coffee. There were moments in the hole when my stomach ached so badly from hunger it clawed and tore at the seams, and the thought of even this garbage food sounded heavenly. Now I felt nothing. I was past hunger, past exhaustion, past sanity. They wanted to rip the humanity out of me? I hoped they were ready for what they asked for. I stood at the entrance,

A bedroom with only one bed.

The door clicked shut, leaving us alone in the tiny bedroom. A bedroom with only one bed.

Waking up to Bitzy shoving her finger in my nose gave me a feeling I probably should seek help for.

Never apologize for how others react to your strength.

Why was I not surprised he was well known at a whorehouse?

Since Hexxus's announcement, I had shut down, going into complete denial. A few weeks in and I had already been beaten up, had my blanket stolen - fuck that bitch - got attacked in the shower, put in the hole, had to flagellate another inmate who wanted to protect me, and now put in line for the Games. Games in which no one survived for long. Let's say my review of this place would be abysmal.

István shoved his shoulders back, the war if egos battling it out. It would have been more honest if they had drawn out their dicks and started using them as swords.

Twisting my body, I snapped my elbow up, digging into his esophagus and knocking him back. Aron grabbed for his throat, stumbling back, hacking and gasping for air. I was taught never to let your opponent recover. It might be the only chance you have to live.

Whatever lay in our future, we had this last night together. Caden and Brexley. Our last night of being free.

I don’t want you to marry him,

I wasn’t the kind of girl who enjoyed getting dressed up in torturous outfits and shoes, and I was rarely on my best behavior with stuffy, boring people. I’d rather be in my cargo pants and tank hanging out with Caden, drinking palinka straight from the bottle at our favorite spot.

You are like fire, Brex. People try to put you out, but you come back with a roar," Caden's voice whispered in my head. "You amaze me.

His steps faltered, his eyes finding mine for a moment, a pause in the air. Nerves fluttered in my stomach, hope vaulting up my throat.

Because you’ve never smelled the rich spices in India, seen a sunset in Greece, heard the rush of the water in Victoria Falls, tasted real coffee in Turkey.

My stomach squeezed at the sickness of this whole scene, the eager, excited faces in the crowd enjoying this cruelty.

Exactly. It’s wasted on me.” The youthful glint in his eyes suggested he was far from his deathbed. “Just take it. Someday I might need kindness from you.” He dipped his head at the bread. “Take it.” Cautious, I took his