Chapter 103

• They stood around me in a loose circle, their grins wide, their eyes shining with a hunger that had nothing to do with food. One of them crouched in front of me, his long dirty hair falling into his face as he reached out, his rough fingers brushing my cheek again, slower this time, testing how much he could push before I broke.
• “Soft,” he murmured, his yellow teeth flashing when he smiled. “Too soft for a fighter. Zed will like you just the way you are.”
• I couldn't help myself and before I could think it through, my fingers were already wrapped around his wrist, and with one sharp twist I bent his finger back until the bone cracked loud enough for everyone to hear.