“Why ain’t I seen you in the girly quarters?”
“I’ve been training with the boys. To fight.”
Her eyes widened. “Withthosemad bastards?” She swept a hand out at the brawl. One of the longtables had been shoved aside to let more guys get into the fight.
“You see how stupid they are, don’t you? Like animals.”Like your brother was before I put him down.The thought shocked me and I choked on my own spit.
Jinneth smacked me on the back with her palm, hard. “Y’good there, Sephy?”
I nodded, flashed a nod of thanks. “These boys will be easy to defeat once I get good enough. I’m trying to work my way out of here, Jinneth.”
She scoffed. “Like that’s gonna happen.”
“Master Lukain said—”
“I know what he said, yeah? I just don’t believe him. You’re the one talkin’ ‘bout boys and how stupid they are. Why y’think he’d give up his hard-earnedproperty, yeah?”
She made a fair point. I couldn’t take Lukain at his word. Most of me didn’t. It was the glimmer of hope that presented itself—a false hope, undoubtedly—I held onto. The idea I couldfightmy way to liberty.
Maybe Lukain Pierken will be the one to prove he’s different than the others.“How about you?” I asked, needing a subject change.
Her face reddened with embarrassment, which was a surprising reaction. Jinneth was not a shy one—not when she was around people she knew. She was a quick talker with a barbed tongue, filled with more curses than a drunken Bronze.
Her small shoulders rose and fell. “Eh. Y’know. Could be better, yeah?”
Creases formed in my forehead. My voice came out serious and deep. “What happened, Jin?”
She hesitated, mouth opening and closing. Then she swiped her forearm over her nose and lips. I thought she was wiping off grease from her chicken, but I noticed she was sniffling. “It’s nothing, Sephy. Just the life I’m used to, replaying all over again.”
Anger filled me. My blood sang. “Tell me. Please.”
At the timbre of my voice, Jinneth looked over. She was stupefied at the reaction on my face. I had clearly changed since we’d first met each other on stakeout jobs.
“Well, it’s . . . don’t let it get out, yeah?” she began. When I nodded firmly, she went on. “There’s this girl, y’see. Name’s Aelin? She, uh. Well, she’s older, right. And Aelin, she makes me . . . do things for her.”
My face darkened as the rage inside me swelled. “Whatkindof things, Jinneth?” I spoke through gritted teeth. My hands were clamped fists in my lap.
Jinneth glanced up with dewy eyes. “Aelin says she likes the way my tongue feels between her thighs.”
I held back a gasp, trying not to betray the level of my fury. Jinneth couldn’t have seen more than fourteen summers. “That fucking bitch,” I eked out.
“Right, yeah. Don’t I know it?” Jin glanced away, back to the fight, which was finally starting to calm down thanks to Antones making an appearance and throwing boys aside by the shoulders.
We said nothing for a long moment, staring out from our corner.
Jinneth scowled. “I don’t like it, Sephy. This cunt Aelin. Don’t like it one bit.”
I could see an idea cooking in her gleaming blue eyes, even as she kept her gaze on the brawl.
“Y’said you been training with the boys, yeah?” she asked.
I nodded, staying silent.
Her wrist circled as she spoke. “With Master Lukain?”
“Yes. He’s taken an interest in me.”
“. . . An interest?”
