by Shana Vernon
Axel and Elon were nowhere to be found, so I grabbed everything I’d need for the night and hastily wrote Sofia a note.
Cade was waiting for me outside the room and made to slip his arm around his shoulders until he remembered about the blood and grasped my hand instead. He brought it up to his mouth and kissed whatever knuckles were blood-free. “I missed you. Did you complete a contract tonight?”
I raised a brow. “You know I can’t talk about it.”
The one helpful thing about the Guild laws.
“I know, I just want to make sure you’re okay. It can be rough in the beginning. It’s not easy taking a life.”
I didn’t exactly agree with him. I had no qualms whatsoever in killing when necessary, and their faces haven’t haunted me in my dreams. Papa’s death is what haunted my dreams. It seemed that my line was in torture, though I knew I would be crossing it many more times over the next few weeks.
“I’m okay. Really. If that changes, you’ll be the first to know.”
We showered quickly and dropped into bed, Cade pulling me against the hard plains of his chest. Right before my mind drifted off into sleep, a sense of happiness swept over me. I’d helped to free innocent lives thereby insuring a child was now able to grow up and live his life, and I was now in the arms of a possible new… something. It was too early to call it love, but there was something really nice about having someone there for me when I come home.
A familiar voice yelled out my name. It was pitch black and I couldn’t see two feet in front of my face. A storm brewed in the distance, and I knew it was nearing. Any moment now it would reach me.
The voice called out again, and I whipped around, trying to locate the person behind that familiar sound. A large shape appeared in front of me and I gasped, my hands covering my mouth.
It was Papa, and there was a hole in his chest, blood seeping out, drenching his clothes. I stood there frozen, unable to move a muscle. Unable to voice the scream that was pounding in my skull.
“Lenna!” A different voice called out, and my eyes flew open, the darkness still there, a shape looming over me. My heart pounded and I was about to move when my vision adjusted to the dark and Cade’s face swam into view.
“Are you okay?” He asked, his hands resting on either side of my face.
I met his gaze, still dazed from the dream. It had felt so real.
“You were thrashing around in your sleep. Scared me half to death,” he said, wiping the hair out of my face.
I exhaled, the dream sinking away from my memory, my heart rate slowing down as Cade stroked my hair. I swallowed and choked out, “I’m alright. Just a nightmare.”
He stroked my hair until my eyes drifted shut as sleep overtook me once more.
Chapter 12
Master Wilson had been called away for a last-minute contract, so I had the morning off. On the way to breakfast, I caught Brielle leaving the cafeteria to go back to the dorms.
I pulled her to the side. “How’s Hailey?”
Her eyes filled with tears. “I’m not sure what else to do. I can barely get her to eat and she doesn’t want to go out. We don’t handle pain the same way and I’m scared I won’t be able to help her get better.” Her voice was trembling by the time she finished speaking.
Unwanted guilt churned in my stomach.
“I think I know something that can help her.”
Hailey was never going to get better if she stayed locked up in this fortress all day, acting like a prisoner. She needed to let out her anger and pain and I had an idea how she could do it. A method I’d used many times over the years because I was frustrated from being stuck at home all the time.
Brielle looked skeptical but trailed after me as I headed back to our rooms, spotting Hailey lying down facing the wall.
I marched right up to her and tapped her on the shoulder. “Hailey, I need you to sit up,” I said sharply, hoping my tone would momentarily pull her out of her pity party.
She sluggishly sat up and her lifeless hair fell over her back as she turned around, glaring. “What do you want?” Even the anger in her eyes was dulled.
“We have a mission tonight. The details are classified until the last minute, Master Abbott’s orders.”
I waited while the information sunk in.
Her eyes widened. “A mission?”
“Yes, and I’m going to run a few errands to prepare everything, so make sure to be ready around nine this evening.”
“Just you and me?” She asked, surprised.
Brielle looked shellshocked next to her and I knew she wouldn’t want to miss our ‘mission’.
“Nope, a few of us are going, including Brielle.” I handed her a piece of paper and a pen. “I need you to write down your sizes. All of them.”
She looked bewildered, but complied without a word, as did Brielle.
I took it back and patted her leg. “See you guys soon.”
I walked out of the room and almost slammed right into Sofia, who promptly jumped out of the way.
“Damn, you’re fast. It’s a good thing I was looking through the door.”
Ekon was standing beside her and I grinned at the both of them. “What are you two doing tonight?”
Ekon rubbed his hands together. “Oooh. Why do I have a feeling you have something interesting planned?”
I shrugged. “How does a night full of delicious wickedness sound?”
Sofia jumped up and down. “Sounds like my kind of night! Count us in.”
I jammed to the music on the radio as I drove into the city, the bangs of my brown wig getting in my eyes. After I pulled up to the curb of Tina’s Books, I stepped out and smoothed the wrinkles of my ensemble for the day - a white t-shirt and jeans.
The doorbell chimed as I entered the indie bookstore and headed straight for the back to what I was really there for. The college student manning the front desk barely gave me a glance as I walked by.
I passed through the shelves, the musky aroma of the books wafting through the air, making me wish I had more time to read like I used to.
Infiltration and revenge didn’t exactly leave me with extra reading time.
Making sure the area was empty, I knocked on the door at the back of the shop. “Hey Tina, it’s Stacey.”
I was pretty sure she knew my name wasn’t Stacey, but the back shop was a ‘Don’t ask don’t tell’ kind of place. Tina was my disguise supplier, and she was a damn good one at that.
“It’s open,” called a raspy voice from inside the room.
Tina was sitting at her work station, her gray hair pulled up in a messy bun. “What can I do for you today?” Right down to business like always.
That was one of my favorite things about Tina. Minimal questions and she always seemed to have what I needed in stock. Though, I had a feeling that with my new order, she might need some time to prepare.
There were rows and rows of hanging racks that were full of opaque garment bags, no doubt home to many interesting disguises. A part of me was dying to go through the different pieces she’d created, and I definitely wanted to know why so many people needed them, but now wasn’t the time.
I sighed and handed her a paper with what I wanted and all of our sizes. She looked it over and then raised a brow at me. “I hope you aren’t thinking of joining some kind of vigilante group. They always end up dead. It’s nothing like the movies.”
My mouth dropped open and my muscles tensed. That was the first time Tina had ever given her opinion on my requests. Though, granted, I’d never asked her for this specific disguise until today.
“Oh, don’t worry. I ain’t about to tell anyone. That would be bad for business you see,” she wheezed.
I grinned at her. “Rest assured that I have no intention of joining any vigilante groups.” That technically was inaccurate since that was exactly what the BBBB was, we just wouldn’t be using those disguises for that.
“When do you need this ready?” She asked as she went through t
he itemized list.
“I will need it before six in the evening.”
“I’ll have it ready by four.”
She wrote down the quote and passed it to me. “Specialty order price.”
I winced. Those are a lot of zeros.
I pulled out a stack of cash and handed her half of what she asked for. “I’ll bring the rest when I pick up the order.”
She grinned. “Of course.”
I handed her a second list. “I need all of these items as well, but the order doesn’t need to be rushed.”
She looked through it, squeezing her chin between two fingers in concentration. “I have almost all of that on hand, but it’ll take a few days to get those quantities.” She met my gaze. “Come back after the weekend and it’ll be ready.”
I gave her the deposit for the second order and walked out, the doorbell chiming behind me.
They were all waiting for me outside when I returned later that day, Sofia and Ekon with excited expressions on their faces. Brielle looked nervous, as she held Hailey’s hand. Hailey looked more fragile than I expected, and I suddenly hoped this was actually a good idea.
I handed them each a customized garment bag and withdrew my own from the front seat. “You’re going to need these.”
Sofia unzipped the bag and pulled out the silver suit inside and gasped. “Oh. My. God,” she breathed, the slippery material flowing over her skin. “This is the coolest fucking thing I’ve ever seen.”
Tina had come through big time. Within minutes, we were finished dressing and I looked around, impressed. Every inch of our skin was covered in shimmering silver. Combat boots, one-piece suits, gloves, and full coverage masks. I wanted to take no chances of anyone recognizing our faces. The material was breathable and stretchy, perfect for what lay ahead of us.
Thirty minutes later, we walked into The Blood Pit, an underground fight club for anyone who wanted to brawl. It was styled like an old school arena, a sand pit in the center, a ring keeping the combatants inside, with the spectators circling around the fighters in the stands.
If you claimed yourself a combatant by wearing one of their stickers on your chest, you were obligated to fight anyone who challenged you. That was rule number one.
If you managed to win five challenges in a row, you win a prize of one thousand dollars. There was a catch, though. They allowed anyone to enter the pit. Human and vampire alike. Because of the vampires’ more than natural strength, they generally were the ones to take home to prizes.
Not tonight, though.
I’d decided to bring them here tonight for Hailey, but if I was being honest with myself, I needed this too. Ever since Papa died, I’d had this burning rage that I was certain needed to be released or else I would end up losing it at the wrong moment. The hybrid missions and killing Tony had barely scratched the vengeful itch that prowled under my skin.
The first thing that hit me was the smell. Though, slammed into me would be a more accurate word. The scent of sweat permeated through the air like fog, filling my nose through the mask.
It was utter chaos inside as people fought in the pit, blood flying everywhere while gamblers went through the crowd making bets.
I smiled. Exactly as I remember.
Everyone was silent as we stood at the entrance and I wished I could have seen their faces.
“Um, Lenna. What are we doing here?” Hailey’s voice came from my right.
“We are going to fight, of course. The rest of them are here to watch.” I turned to the others. “Unless you feel like participating?”
A bellow pierced the air as one of the combatants held a limp arm, the bone protruding through the skin. His adversary was one of the biggest vampires I’d ever seen. He was bare-chested, no doubt trying to emphasize his bulging muscles. His skin was clear of the runes I was getting used to seeing on Luka and his friends. “Mitus for the win!” The pit announcer yelled, keeping his distance from the vampire.
Brielle and Ekon immediately said, “No, thanks, I’m good,” but Sofia took a moment before responding.
“I’m tempted, but if we can’t use our powers here, that means you can’t heal yourself or anyone else. It’s probably best for me to watch,” Sofia said, and I looked for the telltale sign of her snapping wrist band but didn’t see it.
“Alright, you guys go grab seats.” I grabbed Hailey’s hand and marched her to the sign-up desk. “Two combat stickers, please.”
The greasy-haired man behind the counter eyed our outfits before leaning over to stick the adhesives to our chests. I could have sworn I heard a muttered, “Attracting more and more weirdos every day,” as I led Hailey to the pit.
As we passed one of the gamblers, I pulled out a wad of cash and leaned into his ear, whispering my bet. He accepted it and handed me my receipt, which could be cashed in after the bouts. I turned to Hailey. “So, here’s how this works. You either wait to be challenged, or you choose your combatant. You cannot win the prize if you choose all of your own opponents though. Some of them will need to challenge you.”
She nodded, rolling her shoulders.
The fight in the pit finished and I looked to the leading board, noting the number one fighter of the night and cleared my throat before shouting, “I challenge Mitus!”
Chapter 13
There was absolute silence throughout the room as everyone turned in my direction. Hailey slowly inched away from me.
The announcer seemed to gather his wits. “You heard her, Mitus. Please enter the pit and take your places.” He turned to me as I approached. “What’s your name, lass?”
Nobody used their real names in the pit, and I leaned forward and muttered the alias I’d adapted when I would frequent The Blood Pit in the past.
His eyes widened in recognition.
I guess my reputation still stands.
I slipped under the rope and faced the giant of a vampire in front of me. His golden hair was shaved to a buzz cut and his leg muscles bulged through his tight, leather pants. I would have made a snide comment about fighting in leather, but it clearly wasn’t hindering him in any way.
He grinned at me wickedly. “Are you sure about this, tinkerbell?”
I rolled my eyes, though it wasn’t like he could see the movement through my mask. Being five foot three, I was a pretty average height, though I had no doubt that most people standing next to him likely seemed small.
I turned toward the announcer as he picked up his microphone.
“On one side we have Mitus, our undefeated champion of the night. He needs one more win to claim the prize. On the other side, we have an old fan favorite, Cahira Ironfist, who has decided to grace us with her presence one again.”
A collective gasp went through the crowd as he said my alias and I smiled at the reaction. I had a lot of angst to get out of my system as a teenager, and I was sure Papa never found out about my nighttime adventures. It had been at least three years since I’d fought in this pit, and not much had changed.
I could have sworn Mitus showed a glimmer of concern before it blinked away, too fast to be sure.
“You know the rules,” the announcer continued and pointed to Mitus. “No fangs, or supernatural speed.” He then turned to me. “You don’t have any weapons hidden in that suit of yours, do you?” I shook my head. “Then, we are ready.”
He raised his voice and yelled into the microphone. “Mitus and Cahira Ironfist, spar!”
Mitus began to circle me, taking notice of my movements as I did his. This would be no sparring match like on TV. You could pull hair, gouge eyes, kick sensitive bits, and pretty much anything else. It was a dirty, aggressive, street fight. One I was determined to win.
His eyes, black as coal, narrowed in suspicion as I copied his foot work, hoping to throw him off his game. They trailed up my suit, taking in each subtle change in my posture as we moved. His fingers twitched and then he pounced forward, throwing a jab to my shoulder, only slightly quicker than an average person.
I dodged it easily and spun around his body, aiming a kick toward his knee cap. He leaped sideways to avoid it, causing him to lose his perfect balance.
I took the opportunity and side kicked his leg, narrowly missing the knee.
Almost!
He exhaled and righted himself, cracking his knuckles while taking care to keep me at his front. He wouldn’t make the same mistake twice. It would have been too easy to blink out of sight and slip an iron knife between his ribs, but that wasn’t an option now. It’d been a long time since I’d needed to fight without any abilities. The last time was in this very arena. My energy gave an excited hum in anticipation.
He threw a punch at my face, which I dodged, and went right into his waiting knee. The air whooshed out of my chest from the blow and I had to hold down bile which began to creep its way up my throat.
Dang, he’s strong.
We danced around one another, sand flying from our feet as we attempted to land blows that were deflected at the last moment. It was starting to feel synchronized as we spun and jumped around each other. I threw a jab to his temple which he swiped away, and I sidestepped a blow intended for my shoulder.
He landed another blow to my shoulder, so hard my arm almost went numb, little tingles spreading throughout the limb. If he managed to hit me in the head, the match would be over.
I glared and used my uninjured fist to pound into his rock-solid chest.
His six-pack gleamed with perspiration, flecks of sweat dripping down to the floor and I began to notice a pattern in his movements. Every time he attacked; he took a step the moment before.
Step, punch for my face.
Step, kick to my shin.
Step, elbow to my back.
A rush of adrenaline swept through my body as a wide grin came over my face. His fingers twitched and his right leg moved forward, and I rushed him, slamming the heel of my hand into his nose, feeling the crunch beneath my skin.
