“And now, I am pleased to present this year’s winner of the Tournament of Blades . . . Deah Draconi!” the official yelled.

Deah got a gold cup—real gold from the way it glimmered in the sun—and hoisted it up and over her head. The Draconi dragon crest had already been stamped into the cup, along with Deah’s name and the date she’d won the tournament. Wow. The engravers around here worked fast. The thought further soured my mood.

The crowd cheered again, the sound rising to a deafening roar, and Deah smiled and waved, although I was the only one who noticed how thin and brittle her expression really was.

Maybe that was because it matched mine perfectly.

Finally, the stupid ceremony wrapped up, and I could leave the stage. I stomped down the stairs and back over to the fence where Devon and Felix were waiting for me, along with Oscar.

“Don’t worry,” Oscar said, fluttering over and landing on my shoulder. “You’ll get her next year.”

“Right,” I muttered. “Next year.”

If one more person said that to me, I was going to scream.

“Come on,” Felix said. “Let’s get you cleaned up and out of those clothes so we can go get some food. I know you must be starving.”

“And how would you know that?”

He grinned. “Because Lila Merriweather is always starving. They’ve already set out the food down by the lake. And doesn’t bacon make everything better?”

Felix waggled his eyebrows, trying to cheer me up by using my own line against me, and I actually found myself laughing, just a little. Sure, losing had sucked, but I wouldn’t trade places with Deah for anything. She might have won the Tournament of Blades, but I had something way more important—my friends—friends who would never, ever desert me no matter what happened.

“Come on,” Felix said, a wheedling note creeping into his voice. “I’ll even let you have my allotment of bacon too.”

I eyed him. “Promise?”

He made an X over his heart. “Promise.”

I laughed again, the sound coming to me easier this time. “Good. Because you’re right; bacon does make everything better. So point me to it.”

We stopped at the Sinclair tent, where Felix used his healing magic to patch up the slice in my arm. I also took off my tournament clothes, exchanged them for my normal blue T-shirt, gray cargo shorts, and gray sneakers, and put my silver cup in my bag with the rest of my things. I strapped my sword back to my waist, then balled up my black pants and white shirt and stuffed them into the nearest trash can. I never wanted to wear them or be reminded of this day again.

When I was finished, I threaded one arm through Felix’s and my other one through Devon’s. Together, we left the stadium behind and headed out of the fairgrounds.

It was after seven now, and the party was already going strong by the time we reached the lake. People were milling around the picnic shelters, laughing, talking, and scarfing down food. Someone must have gotten hold of Oscar’s playlist because twangy, old-school country music sounded. The smells of grilled meat filled the air, and my stomach rumbled.

“See?” Felix said, nudging me with his elbow. “I knew you wouldn’t be down for long. Not when there’s free food.”

I laughed and we got in line in front of the stand that Reginald and the Sinclair pixies were manning, with Oscar fluttering over to help them out. Tonight’s menu was barbecue, which meant meat and lots of it. Pulled pork, pulled beef, smoked brisket, and lots of grilled sausages slathered with this spicy barbecue sauce Reginald told me he’d gotten from a restaurant called the Pork Pit. I piled a plate high with meats, then another one with coleslaw, onion rings, baked beans full of bacon, and some delicious sourdough rolls to sop everything up with.

Devon, Felix, and I went over to a table and sat down. I wanted nothing more than to eat my food in peace, but to my surprise, folks from all the different Families came over and congratulated me on the tournament yet again. Nobody said that I would get Deah next year, though, so I didn’t have to break out my best scream on anyone.

I smiled and made the appropriate noises, but the congratulations only made me feel even more like a stupid, stupid fool. Yeah, I might have done the right thing, but the aftermath was torture. Especially since Deah was in the middle of the lawn, surrounded by her adoring admirers, with that gold cup glimmering on the table beside her like a neon sign flashing HERE SHE IS! SHE’S A WINNER! ISN’T SHE GREAT!

I focused on the cup. Maybe I could go over and swipe it while everyone was paying attention to Deah. Too bad I didn’t have my spidersilk coat with me. It would have been perfect for hiding that gold cup and smuggling it away from here.

Blake and the rest of the Draconis might be showering Deah with attention, but not everyone was happy about her win. Some of the other competitors were giving her sour looks, including Katia, whose eyes glittered an eerie green. I frowned. Something about her gaze bothered me—

Devon bumped his shoulder into mine. “What are you thinking about?”

The thought, whatever it was, vanished back into the bottom of my brain. I shook my head. “Nothing.”

He stared at me, his eyes shining in his face. He leaned down and wet his lips, as though he was about to ask me something, and I was suddenly aware of just how hard my heart was hammering in my chest. Especially because this time, I was going to tell him yes.

Yes, I cared about him. Yes, I wanted to be with him. Just . . . yes. To everything there was between us.

“Well, well, well,” a familiar, unwelcome voice sneered. “If it isn’t the first loser, hiding out with the rest of her loser friends.”

I looked up to find Blake standing beside our table. My hands curled into fists in my lap. More than ever before, I wanted to wipe that smug smirk off his face. Devon put a hand on my arm, warning me against doing anything.

“Did you really think you could hide over here?” Blake said, his voice booming out like thunder.

Folks stopped what they were doing to stare at us, and I realized that Blake wanted me to get mad. He wanted me to look like a sore loser. Well, it wasn’t going to happen.

I shrugged, not rising to his taunting. “I wasn’t trying to hide. Just wanted to get some food.”

Deah had heard Blake, and she grabbed her gold cup off the table and walked over to stand by her brother. Of course she would. She might have Sterling blood, but she was Draconi through and through.