“All I want is your bands, and I’ll be on my way.” And then she almost smiles as she looks around at her copies. “Well, we’ll be on our way.”
Kai sighs, seemingly annoyed by all of this. “You knew we wouldn’t give you our bands and yet you interrupted us anyways.”
“Fine,” Sadie says curtly. “Then give me one band and no one has to get hurt.”
My eyes dart to my bow lying a few feet away from me—a few feet away and behind the wall of Sadies. I don’t have a single weapon to use to defend myself and I’ve never felt so exposed. It’s like I’ve been stripped bare. I can almost feel the ghost of my father’s dagger against my thigh, making me wish more than anything that I had it here with me.
Several sets of hazel eyes flick between the two of us, still back-to-back, before locking with mine. “I don’t want to hurt you, but I will if it comes to that.” She pauses, and her voice is even, unfeeling as she says, “I will if it means I’ll win.”
I’m about to open my mouth and respond when callouses brush my own, gripping my hand behind my back. I nearly jerk at the contact, but Kai pries my fist open, pressing something cool and hard into my palm before curling my fingers around it. Then, just as quickly, his hand is gone.
The thing bites into my skin, pointed edges piercing. I fight to keep the smile from my face when I realize what he’s given me.
A weapon. He’s given me a fighting chance.
It’s a small one, but a weapon, nonetheless. I clutch the throwing star in my fist, not caring if the sharp edges pierce my skin. This tiny object could be the difference between life and death.
The only weapon Kai has is the sword belted at his side, but then again, he is a weapon himself. I’m shocked he didn’t feel Sadie’s power creeping up on us, but I suppose I can’t blame him, considering how distracted I was with his hands on me, his words with underlying meanings, my hammering heartbeat when he gets too close.
I take a deep breath.
Let’s deal with one problem at a time.
“Then I guess you’re going to have to hurt me if you have any hope of getting my band,” I breathe, eyeing the Sadies as they take a slow step forward.
She shakes her head at me, as though disappointed in my decision. “Fine. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
And then she’s suddenly in front of me, holding the tip of a short dagger to my throat. Before the next thud of my heart, she’s yanked my arm and pulled my back against her chest. The blade she still holds against my throat sinks deeper into my flesh with every shallow breath.
“I’ll only ask once more.” Sadie’s voice is sharp, so unlike the soft tone I’m used to from her. “Give me your leather, Kai, or I’ll slit her throat.”
The prince blinks at the scene before him, looking completely unfazed.
He knows I can take care of myself, and though I’m flattered by that fact, I could use his help at the current moment. Hot blood begins to trickle down my neck, and I will myself to remain calm.
Kai simply shrugs at the threat. “Go ahead then.” He nods towards the blade pressed to my throat. “See if I care. We are only opponents, after all. Less competition.”
I can practically hear Sadie blink behind me. She’s clearly stunned by his lack of concern, especially after seeing the two of us dancing together only minutes ago. I would be stunned myself if I wasn’t so used to seeing his masks—if I didn’t recognize the cold one he’s just slipped on.
She stiffens behind me. “I’m calling your bluff, prince.”
I feel her hand begin to jerk, begin to slice deeper into my skin.
And then I strike.
I slam the razor-sharp throwing star into the soft tissue of her stomach, pushing it deep as I push her hand still clutching the knife away from my neck. She screams and jerks away, sending me stumbling into Kai. Well, one of them. There are now several muscled forms, all mirroring his messy black waves and stormy eyes. He’s taken on her ability.
I ram into his chest before strong hands grip the sides of my arms. When I look up into his face, he has the nerve to wink before saying, “Good work, Gray. I can always count on you and your violent tendencies.” With that, he spins around and drives his sword through one of Sadie’s duplicates.
A throng of Sadies surround Kai and his own copies, keeping him occupied and unable to get to the real one and end this fight quickly. I’m reminded of a day spent training at the castle, when I watched Sadie sparing with Braxton. They would fight and dance around each other until Braxton made his way to the real Sadie, finally taking her down and ending the fight.
And that is exactly what I am going to do. Except, unlike Ace’s illusions which I’ve already had the pleasure of facing, Sadie and her copies can touch and hurt me. With this unsettling thought in mind, I dance on the balls of my feet, prepared to strike. I turn away from the copies swarming Kai, knowing that he can handle himself while he trusts I can do the same.
There are only three Sadies left, and two of which guard the real one currently clutching a bloodied hand to the wound on her stomach. Their heads snap towards me, and I barely have enough time to sink into my fighting stance before one of them charges at me.
Unfortunately for me, Sadie knows how to fight. Since her power is simply duplicating her own body, she automatically has strength in numbers. But she’s trained so that those numbers having strength of their own.
A right hook flies at my face and I duck under it, landing a quick blow to her stomach. The Sadie stumbles back with a grunt, and I use the opportunity to send a kick connecting with her side. She catches my leg and pulls me forward. Exactly what I was hoping for. I grip her shoulders and jump, driving my other knee deep into her stomach. She drops my leg with a cry of pain, and I slide my ring onto my middle finger before throwing a fist at her temple. I mutter a curse as I shake out my stinging hand, but she’s out cold before she even hits the ground.
A hand pulls at my hair, hard, and my head yanks back. I let out a strangled gasp as an elbow hooks around my throat, crushing my windpipe. I can’t breathe, dizzy with pain as spots swim before my vision. But I stomp on her foot before elbowing her hard in the stomach. She loosens her hold, and I whirl around, grabbing the back of her neck and slamming her nose into the knee I drive upwards. She sputters and flings her fist out, managing to connect it with my jaw. I ignore the aching pain and drop, sweeping my leg out before she’s swept off her feet. She slams into the ground with a thud, but I’ve already turned my attention away from her sprawled form.
My eyes find the smoldering hazel ones belonging to the real Sadie. She steps toward me, blood oozing from between her fingers as she covers her wound. “Just know that I don’t want to do this,” she says, her voice strained. “But I have to.”