Arena Wars Trilogy

by Hoffman, Samantha

  “Well, you won’t be doing the feeding,” I said with a smile. “I’m pretty sure only I can do that.”

  He laughed, looking so much like the man he was just months ago that it hurt. I couldn’t believe how he’d changed since Roger forced his way into my life. On the outside he was nearly the same, but I knew the change was mostly on the inside, where it wasn’t as noticeable to others as it was to me.

  He wasn’t the same boy that spent his afternoons messing around at the park. He was tougher, angrier, and he was more willing to fight for the people that he cared about. He was harder and definitely more dangerous than before, and I wasn’t sure how it would affect him in the long run.

  After this fighting is over, what’ll happen to him? Will he be able to just settle down into a semi-normal lifestyle? Or will he be chomping at the bit, unhappy at being stuck home with a girlfriend and two children that he wasn’t ready for? What’ll he even do with his life now that he’s going to live forever?

  Quinten touched my face gently. “Hey, what are you thinking about?”

  “Our future. I keep worrying that after all of this fighting and danger and uncertainty that you won’t be able to just settle into a normal life. I’m worried you won’t be happy with the future we have in store for us.”

  He forced me to look at him, and his dark eyes steadily met mine. “Alanna, no matter what kind of life the two of us live, I’ll be happy, as long as I have you. All three of you,” he said, looking at my stomach again. He placed his hand there just in time to feel a kick, and his smile widened. “Amazing.”

  I leaned forward and kissed him, wrapping my arms around his neck and pressing myself up against his chest. As he kissed me back, his hand wove through my hair, and when he pulled away, he rested his forehead against mine. “I love you.”

  “I love you, too,” I said, sighing. “Whatever happens in life, I’ll always have you right there beside me. Always.”

  He hugged me, and got back on his feet, before returning to the fighting lesson. I watched them for a few more minutes, until the bathroom began calling for me, and I had to get up for the third time that morning.

  Damn I hate being pregnant. I can’t walk right, I have to use the bathroom a dozen times per day, and my entire body is covered in massive, twisting, ugly stretch marks that might not ever go away…

  I washed and dried my hands, and headed into the living room. Maria was sitting on the couch with the television on to some cooking show, and she barely glanced at me as I walked by. “You know, they never had anything like this when I was a child. We had to find real ways to entertain ourselves. This thing right here is the main reason your entire generation is fat,” she said, gesturing at the television without looking away from it.

  I couldn’t disagree with her on that one. “Yeah, but fast food places and video games sure don’t help either.”

  She laughed. She actually laughed, and it made her look much less creepy in the process. She actually looked like the young girl she physically was, instead of the centuries old dangerous predator I knew her to be. The brief change was astounding, but she quickly went back to her old depressed self, and it was like the carefree girl had never existed.

  Suddenly, she froze in her seat, and the two of us cocked our heads to the side. The sound of a truck’s engine roared up the driveway, going much faster than it should have been, and as I peered out the window, what I saw made my heart race. An old, beat-up red truck raced by, and two men leaned out the side windows. “This is what you get for fucking a rotting corpse you blood whore!” Two men reached out the windows and threw flaming bottles of liquor at the house, which exploded into flames on impact.

  Chapter Seven

  The tire’s screeched as the truck sped away. The wooden porch burst into flames, engulfing it almost instantly. The back door was thrown open as Ray and the others came charging into the house. “Everybody move! Start filling pans with water, I’ll get the hose!”

  Everyone sprung into action, emptying cupboards to look for pans to fill with water. Together, we all formed a line extending out the door. I filled the pans with water from the kitchen sink and passed them on to Dennis, who passed them out the door. Violet filled pans with water from the bathroom, and passed them off to Quinten. I could hear Ray outside with the hose, trying to water everything down to keep it from spreading.

  A quick glance out the window showed me that the entire left side porch was aflame, and it didn’t seem to be stopping anytime soon. I filled the next pot and passed it on to Dennis, who raced out the door and threw it over the flames. They sputtered out for a second, before gaining momentum once again.

  Jax took a shovel from the garage and started throwing dirt over the flames, trying to quench them with something other than water. It started to work after the fourth shovel full of dirt, and the fire stopped spreading, but it didn’t go out fully until almost fifteen minutes of hard work later.

  When the fire was finally out, it left smoldering piles of charred wood and ash scattered around the house. Smoke drifted up from what was left of the porch, and I covered my nose against the overwhelming odor it gave off. My eyes drifted to the far side of the porch, which was collapsed in and still smoking, and I sighed. This place had been my home since I was born, and it was my favorite place in the world, and now it was being destroyed because of me and the choices I had made.

  Ray put his hand on my shoulder. “This isn’t your fault,” he said quietly.

  I shrugged him off for the first time that I could remember. “Yes, it is. None of this would be happening right now if it weren’t for me, and you know that. We all know that.”

  “Alanna–”

  “No, listen to me, Dad. This–”

  “No, you listen to me!” he snapped. “This is not your fault, Alanna. This is the Council’s fault. This is the fault of every close-minded idiot out there that thinks love has an exact definition. You and Quinten are soul mates, and there is nothing that could have prevented that. If anyone blames you for this, then they’re just too stupid to live, Kiddo.”

  I sighed. Knowing that he was right didn’t keep me from blaming myself just a little. So many things had gone wrong lately, we were getting to the point where I couldn’t help but blame myself. “I know. I just hate feeling like this is my fault. I hate that you guys might get hurt because of me and my choices.”

  “Loving someone isn’t a choice,” Ray said softly, putting his hand under my chin. He forced me to look at him before continuing. “Love just is. That’s all there is to it, Alanna. You love someone because it’s meant to happen. Even if the relationship doesn’t work, it makes you who you are when you find that person to spend the rest of your life with. You can’t control love. Believe me, I’ve tried.”

  I smiled. “Thanks, Dad.”

  “Now, I’m gonna see if I can’t get Jax, Dennis, and Quinten to help me clear away all of this burnt debris. Why don’t you go back inside with Jenna and rest before you start lunch? It’ll probably be noon before we get this all cleaned up.”

  I nodded and followed Jenna back inside. The whole place smelt like smoke, so we opened up all the windows, hoping to air the place out a bit. With that done, Jenna and I headed to the kitchen. She made fresh squeezed lemonade and then helped me prepare enough food to feed everyone that was outside helping Ray clean the place up.

  The entire time I was in the kitchen, I couldn’t help but blame myself, even though Ray had just told me not to. I really couldn’t help it. Thoughts of one of them dying because of me just wouldn’t leave my mind, no matter how hard I tried to force them away. Is that what’ll happen? Will I get them killed? I wondered, not for the first time since Roger’s first appearance.

  The phone rang, and I reached over to pick it up. Before I could even say hello, someone beat me to it. “You won’t survive next time you filthy blood whore!”

  The line went dead, and I stared at the phone in my hands, which had begun to tremble. Jenna watched
me with a wary look on her face, and I sighed. “Those monsters have our phone number. Apparently, I won’t survive the next time, and I’m also a blood whore.”

  Jenna frowned and took the phone from me. “Don’t worry about it, Alanna. They won’t get near the house again, trust me. Ray won’t let that happen, and neither will Quinten. You’re safe here, all three of you,” she said, motioning to my massive stomach. The way she said Ray’s name hinted at a deep faith in him, and I felt the same way sometimes.

  Ray had never let me down before, and I didn’t think he would start now. If he really thought he could keep me safe, then he would, and that was all there was to it. “You love him,” I said, looking at her, trying to change the subject away from my pity party.

  “I always have,” she said with a sad smile.

  Without another word, she grabbed a pitcher of freshly squeezed lemonade and headed out to what was left of the porch. I could hear thanks of appreciation from the guys, and I looked at the food on the counter. What did she mean by that? He saved her years and years ago from the Arena; did she fall in love with him back then? If so, why hadn’t she said anything before now? And if he was so important to her, why didn’t I know about her sooner?

  “Love is in the air,” Maria said dully from the counter. “It’s like a disease, and it seems that everyone is coming down with it.” She sounded even more depressed than usual, and I remembered what Violet had told me about Maria’s older, perverted lover. I wondered briefly if she still loved him, or if he was even still alive, but I didn’t have the courage to ask. Maria unnerved me, and I didn’t care that everyone knew it.

  “Love isn’t a disease.”

  “Isn’t it?” she asked with a snide smile. “Love is infectious just like a disease. It also causes health problems, like heartache, shortness of breath, and even stupidity. Love is a problem, and the world would be a much better place without it.”

  “Maybe if you gave love another try, you wouldn’t think that,” I said, and immediately regretted it. The look Maria gave me was so venomous and hatful that I expected to burst into flame at any moment. For a minute, she didn’t say anything, and I actually took a step away from her, moving my hands to my stomach in case I needed to protect myself.

  “Love is overrated,” she hissed, eyes blazing. “It turns even the most intelligent person into a fool, and someone always gets played. You don’t honestly think your life is better with love in it, do you?” She laughed harshly. “If you weren’t in love right now, you wouldn’t be hunted and shunned, and you wouldn’t be risking the lives of everyone you know. If you ask me, all of these people are stupid for protecting you so devoutly.”

  It took me a minute to find my voice. “You’re here, aren’t you?”

  “I’m here because Violet is. If she hadn’t begged me for a favor, I wouldn’t be here right now. I’d be living my life the best a child vampire can, and I’d be a lot happier than I am now.”

  “If you’re only here because of Violet, you must really care about her…maybe even love her. Are you sure you don’t believe in love anymore? You know there are others kinds, right? I love Jax a different way than I do Quinten, and I love him a different way than I’ll love these babies when they’re born.”

  Her gaze dropped to my stomach, not for the first time. “If they’re born.” Then she turned on her heel and walked away from me, leaving me feeling confused and upset.

  “Don’t worry about her,” Violet said, startling me. She was leaning against the counter nearby and had probably just heard that entire conversation. “I’ll have a talk with her. Even though she’s centuries older than me, she still listens to me when I speak. I’ll ask her not to be so…morbid…around you in the future. I’m not sure if it’ll work, but it can’t hurt to ask.”

  “You don’t have to do that,” I said quickly. “She is who she is, and there’ll be no changing that. It’s not like she doesn’t have a reason to be unhappy and miserable. She’ll be a child for all of eternity. I can’t imagine how hard that must be for her.”

  Violet cocked her head to the side, getting a strange look on her face. “You know, you might be one of the first people to ever sympathize with her. It is horrible for her, but most people don’t consider that. They just see an extremely volatile girl that hates everything and everyone. She’s kind of like your sister, Ilene.”

  I nodded. “I know. She’ll be fourteen forever, and nothing will ever change that. She hates that almost as much as she hates us, I think. But you’re right; she and Maria are very much alike. Both of them fell for a man that doesn’t actually love them. Even though Roger’s not a pedophile, he’s still using her for his own sick purposes.”

  “You know, I think you’re very wise for your age, Alanna. Most of the time you don’t speak without thinking and you always consider other people’s feelings. And when it comes to planning, you always think of all the different courses, and you don’t rush into anything.”

  I laughed somewhat bitterly. “Well, that’s not exactly true. I did head over to Roger’s to offer my life up in exchange for his release of Ilene. I was too stupid to realize that she was working with him the whole time. That mistake cost me dearly; I ended up with Eli at the Arena, and because of that, Quinten was shot and turned by my crazy bitch of a mother. Those are pretty big mistakes.”

  “But you learned from them.”

  “Did I?” I wondered. “Quinten and I were stupid enough to get caught together after the Council decreed we could have a chance, and then we were even stupider when we didn’t use protection, even though we knew about the dhampirs and that pregnancy was a possibility. A slim one, but a possibility nonetheless.”

  “Young love is all about making mistakes and finding your way. I’d be a little worried about you if you didn’t make mistakes. It’s how we learn and become the people we’re meant to be. Can you imagine if everyone just had a super easy life with no trials, failures, or mistakes?”

  “People would be boring.”

  “And we’d all be the same. Think about that.”

  She left me alone again, and I sighed. “When will this all just end?”

  I headed into the bedroom, closed the door, and crawled into bed. Napping had become an important part of my life, and I wouldn’t miss it when it was over. I had to use the bathroom several more times a day than usual, I had to waddle everywhere I went, and I was always so incredibly hot I felt like I was melting in my own skin.

  The morning’s events mixed with the blast of hot air from outside had me drifting to sleep before my head hit the pillow.

  *****

  The rest of the day was uneventful compared to everything else that had happened so far, but by the time night finally fell, I just couldn’t take it anymore. The urge to shift had been building up all day long, and finally it bubbled over, and I threw myself out the nearest window, landing on four silvery gray paws. After what happened last time I ran through the woods, I decided to tell Quinten about the urges.

  Now he ran through the woods with me, trying to keep up. Even though vampires tended to be faster, he was still new, and I was running on pure instinct. I knew exactly where the den was, and even though I trusted Quinten with my life, a part of me that had been dormant until the pregnancy came forward, and I had the strongest desire to keep him away from the den.

  It only took me a short while to reach the den, and I didn’t stop before scrambling inside. I could feel Quinten’s tension and uncertainty radiating off of him, and he cautiously stuck his head into the small opening of the den. The growl that built up in my throat didn’t feel like my own, and I instantly felt bad about it. I didn’t know why these instincts were taking over, and I didn’t like them one bit.

  “It’s alright, Alanna,” Quinten said, stepping back. “I can’t fit inside there anyways. Only you or another wolf could. That makes you safe from Elias or Carmen, but Roger or Ilene could still get to you in here. Is there any way we can block off the entrance once
you’re inside to give you some added security?”

  I whined, and began sniffing around. There wasn’t much left to do with the den, other than clear out some dirt and dead twigs. I turned around so that I faced away from the exit, and began kicking dirt out the den’s entrance. Quinten stepped away from the den’s entrance without a word while I cleaned it out. The dirt was cool beneath my paws, and it was soft and comfortable, but I needed it out of my den; it was taking up too much space, which I could put to better use.

  Then I grabbed a mouthful of old, dried branches and leaves, and trotted to the den’s entrance. Quinten stepped aside as I spit the branches out, and headed back inside for another mouthful. “Alanna, what are you doing right now?”

  I didn’t answer. I had too much work to do to take the time.

  Quinten resigned himself to a speechless night, and took a seat against the tree’s trunk, just feet away from the entrance. He’d brought a blanket with him, and he laid it out on the ground beside him, but he didn’t sit on it, which seemed strange to me.

  But I didn’t have time to ponder what the blanket was for. I had a limited amount of time before the den was needed, and I couldn’t waste any of it. The den had to be prepared before I went into labor, or I wouldn’t have a safe place to give birth. The thought of giving birth in a ditch or along the side of the road was not a pleasant one, and I banished it from my mind, unwilling to think about it ever again.

  When I was done cleaning out the den an hour later, I crawled back outside and shifted back. I was naked, but it was only Quinten and I in the woods, and without anyone else to stare at me, it was hard to feel ashamed. When Quinten handed me the blanket, I finally realized what he’d brought it for, and I wrapped it around myself, taking comfort in the slightly romantic gesture.

  When I sat down beside him, I noticed he was still wearing his clothes from earlier, including his sneakers. “You were expecting it, weren’t you?”