#Chapter 23 – Nice Catch

Lila The moment I stepped into the training grounds, I felt it: eyes, whispers... that crawling, stinging sensation that spread across my skin like a rash I couldn’t scratch. “She must be sleeping with him. Why else would the king train her?” “Did you see the way he touched her yesterday? Shameless.” “I bet she planned it. Slapped herself to get his attention.” The voices weren’t even hushed. They were letting me know that I didn’t belong. That I wasn’t one of them. And they were right. Except I wasn't trying to belong, I was just trying to get through this so my mother would survive. Vanessa stepped into my path like a snake slithering from tall grass. “You must be so proud,” she said sweetly. “Not everyone gets to be the King’s little pet project.” I kept walking. I wasn’t in the mood for another round of verbal sparring with Vanessa. But she wasn’t done. “Tell me, Elena,” she called after me, “do you earn his attention in the sparring ring, or between the s