Chapter 219

Chapter 219

ARIA

a

Finished

The pain was the first thing I registered when full consciousness returned. Deep, throbbing pain radiating from my abdomen where the duplicate Ivory had stabbed me. Each breath sent fresh waves of agony through my torso, making me want to curl into a ball and just stop moving entirely.

But I couldn’t afford that luxury. Not when I was lying in a camp surrounded by potential threats. Not when the person claiming to be Ivory could just as easily be another illusion waiting for the perfect moment to finish what the first one had started.

I watched her move around the campsite with practiced efficiency. Building up the fire. Preparing the meat she’d apparently hunted. Organizing supplies with the kind of methodical precision I’d observed in her laboratory countless times.

Everything about her movements, her mannerisms, her focus-it all looked exactly like the real Ivory. But then again, the duplicate that had attacked me had looked exactly like her too. Had sounded like her. Had known things about me that suggested sophisticated magical programming.

How was I supposed to tell the difference?

“You need to eat,” Ivory said without looking at me, her attention focused on roasting meat over the fire. “Blood loss depletes resources your body needs to heal. Protein and iron are critical for recovery p>

“How do I know you’re not trying to poison me?” I asked, hating how weak my voice sounded. Hating the paranoia that was making me question everything.

Ivory’s hands stilled for just a moment. Then she continued her work, her voice remaining neutral. “If I wanted you dead, I could have just left you in the forest to bleed out. Could have let the nightshade poisoning progress until it killed you. Could have done absolutely nothing and you’d be dead already. Poisoning you now would be inefficient p>

The logic was sound. But logic didn’t make the fear go away. Didn’t erase the memory of another Ivory-or what had looked like Ivory-telling me I should have been executed. That I was weak. That my death would be dismissed as an unfortunate accident.

“I saw you die,” I said quietly. “I watched you stab the other Ivory. The duplicate. I watched it bleed out and not dissolve like illusions are supposed to. How do I know you’re not the construct and the one you killed was real p>

Ivory’s jaw tightened but she didn’t stop working. “Because I’m still here. Because constructs can’t maintain this level of complexity for extended periods. Because if I was an illusion, I would have faded already or attacked you the moment you woke vulnerable p>

“Unless the Hunt organizers made more sophisticated constructs specifically to torment us,” I countered.

“Then there’s literally nothing I can say or do that will convince you,” Ivory said, frustration creeping into her tone. “You can either trust me or not. Either accept that I’m real and trying to keep us both alive, or spend the rest of this Hunt paralyzed by paranoia while I do all the work. Your choice p>

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14:49 Mon, Jan 19 G♪

Chapter 219

Finished

She was right and I hated it. Hated that I had no way to verify her identity. Hated that my ignorance about her-the distance I’d maintained, the connection I’d never tried to build-was now a liability that could cost both of us the competition.

“Fine,” I said, forcing myself into a sitting position despite the pain that movement caused. “I’ll eat. But I’m watching you. And if you make one move that seems wrong p>

“You’ll what?” Ivory challenged. “You can barely sit up. You’re in no condition to fight anyone, construct or real. So stop making empty threats and focus on recovery instead p>

She handed me a portion of roasted meat on a flat piece of bark that served as a plate. The meat was perfectly cooked, seasoned with wild herbs I recognized from my own gathering days. My stomach growled despite my suspicion, my body demanding fuel regardless of my mental reservations.

I ate slowly, watching Ivory the entire time. Looking for tells. For signs that she wasn’t real. For anything that would confirm or deny her authenticity.

But she just sat there eating her own food, staring into the fire, apparently unconcerned with my scrutiny. Which was very Ivory-like behavior. She’d never cared much about my opinion of her before. Why would

she start now?

“The next challenge starts at dawn,” Ivory said after several minutes of silence. “We have maybe six hours to rest and prepare. You should sleep. Your body needs it to heal p>

“I’m not sleeping while you’re awake,” I said immediately.

Ivary’s expression suggested she thought I was being ridiculous but she didn’t argue. Just nodded and said, “Then we’ll take shifts. You sleep first while I keep watch. When you wake, I’ll rest while you watch. We both need some recovery time if we’re going to survive whatever comes next

“1

“And I’m supposed to just trust that you won’t kill me while I’m sleeping?” I asked.

“For the last time,” Ivory said with exaggerated patience, “if I wanted you dead, you’d already be dead. I had multiple opportunities. I chose to save you instead. That should count for something p>

It did count for something. Logically, rationally, her actions suggested she was real and genuinely trying to help. But logic wasn’t enough to override the visceral fear I felt every time I looked at her and remembered the other Ivory’s face as it had driven the knife into

my stomach.

A sound made both of us freeze. Not a normal forest sound-something else. Something that made my already heightened paranoia spike even higher.

Rustling. Movement in the underbrush. Something large approaching our camp.

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14:49 Mon, Jan 19

Mated To My Mate’s Worst Enemy

Mark