One more day and Renee would truly be mine.
Chapter Eighteen
~ Solomon ~
Once the sword fights began, you never knew who you were going to face next. You just walked into the chamber, smeared a little blood on the black wall or the red wall, whichever one was closest, and then you started swinging your sword. If you drew your opponent’s blood three times you got to walk through a portal into the next chamber where you would repeat the whole process. If your opponent drew your blood three times, you’d get to walk through a portal back to the locker rooms.
I’d been repeating that process for hours as I worked my way through the chambers and the unworthy opponents I left behind. Now I was sitting in the sand, leaning back against the red wall of the latest chamber waiting for my next adversary to arrive. I’d already polished my sword and donated a drop of blood so that the referee spell would recognize me as the red competitor.
A few minutes later, a portal opened in front of the black wall and I could have sworn Christmas came early this year.
“Tired already?” Dimitri asked me, taking in my seated position.
“Not at all,” I told him, rising to my feet. “Just bored of waiting all morning for you to arrive.”
That was the secret to this kind of competition - get your three strikes in quickly and you’d have time to recover before you had to face the next challenger.
I rotated my sword a few times, warming up my wrist while Dimitri smeared a drop of his blood on the black wall. We paced to the center of the chamber, circling when we were almost close enough to strike.
“How does it feel to know you’ve taken the free will of a strong woman and sentenced her to a life of slavery?”
“If you’re talking about Renee, you don’t know the first thing about her, or about mating bonds. If you did, you’d know that she is exactly where she’s always wanted to be. You’d also know she only took you into her body that night in Supernova because I made the mistake of leaving her wanting. If she’d had a choice, it would have been my dick she was riding, not yours.”
Dimitri scoffed. “You’d like to believe that wouldn’t you?”
“I do believe that, and you should too.” I raised my sword in front of me, anticipating his strike. “We both saw whose face was in her mind. Think about it. She was riding your cock, drinking your blood, and still it wasn’t enough to get her off. She had to think about me to push her over the edge.”
It was like waving a red flag in front of a raging bull. Dimitri charged, swinging his sword wildly and I stepped aside, turning as he flew by me to slice my sword across his chest. The room turned bright red for a moment and I spun around to meet his next attack.
This time when he came at me our swords clashed and the sound of metal clanging together echoed through the chamber. Again and again, he came for me, his strikes more controlled but still driven by rage. It wasn’t long before I was able to draw blood again, this time with a deep gash across his cheek. The room turned red once again and I heard the crowd cheering wildly in the stadium.
He stopped for a moment, wiping the blood from his face. The red flames in his eyes burned hotter than the pits of hell, and for just an instant flames flared over his hands.
“Uh, uh, uh. We aren’t supposed to use anything but the swords. If you attack me with fire, I will be forced to defend myself with magic.”
“I’m not afraid of you sorcerer,” he spat.
“Then raise you sword and let’s get this over with.”
I took a defensive stance like I was going to wait for his attack. Then, just before he could make a move, I rushed in and thrust my sword into his gut, twisting it hard before pulling it back out. He dropped his sword and fell to his knees. The room turned red and stayed that way indicating I’d won the match. His hands went to the open wound trying to staunch the bleeding. Fire demons healed quickly, but not anywhere near as fast as vampires or nightshifters.
I looked down at him without pity. “You’re only alive because my king asked us not to kill anyone during the tournament. Next time our paths cross this will have a very different ending, and I don’t think I need to tell you that Renee is off limits.”
I turned to walk through my next portal and felt the buildup of heat behind me. I’d known he would try to take me out, so I was ready when the massive fireball came hurtling towards my head. I spun around, unleashing a vortex of wind that caught the fireball and used it to heat the sand funneling up through its center. Dimitri shrieked in agony as the vortex swallowed him whole and he was quickly covered in molten glass. With a flick of my wrist, I sent a blast of arctic air into the vortex to cool the glass, leaving Dimitri encased in a thick block of multicolored glass.
The crowd went ballistic and I took a bow. Then the chambers disappeared and I saw that Katerina and I were the only two competitors left on the battlefield. Well, aside from the Dimitri shaped statue anyway. Knowing that meant we were finished until the semifinals began, I opened a portal into the locker rooms. The marksmanship competition was up next so Renee was likely to be at the food booths outside the stadium. I took a quick shower, threw on some clean clothes, and then headed out to find my beautiful mate. I knew she’d be upset about Dimitri. The question was; how upset would she be?
When we met up outside the stadium Renee glared at me and walked away. I followed her and we filled our plates. Then we ate in silence while our friends talked about the afternoon events. Dragon and Danarius were currently running neck and neck for first place in the hand-to-hand competition, Lucien was the leading marksman and it looked like the usual suspects, including myself, Katerina, and Renee would likely advance to the semifinals in the sword fights.
After everyone finished eating and the conversation died down I walked Renee to the locker rooms. It was nearly time for the next round of sword fights and she needed to get ready. When it became obvious that she was going to disappear into the women’s changing area without even saying goodbye I asked, “How long are you going to keep up the silent treatment Renee?”
She spun around to face me with green fire blazing in her eyes. “Until I can look at you and not want to scream.”
I slid my hands into my pockets and rocked back on my heels. “What was I supposed to do Renee? He launched a massive fireball at my head.”
“And you had nothing to do with him throwing that fireball at your head?” she asked, her tone heavy on the sarcasm.
“Of course not,” I scoffed. “You saw me walk away from him. It’s not my fault he chose to attack me as soon as my back was turned.”
She put her hands on her hips. “You didn’t say anything to goad him into attacking you?”
“We traded a few insults, but it wasn’t anything more than the usual smack talk,” I told her honestly, then went for a bit of levity with, “If you ask me he’s just a little bit unstable.”
Now she rolled her eyes and I breathed a sigh of relief. No matter how mad she was, if her eyes were rolling I was all but forgiven. “I’ve seen him fight Solomon. I’ve even sparred with him myself. Whatever you said to him must have really hit home for him to lose control like that.”
I shrugged. “Look, he said some things to me; I said some things to him. I kept my cool, he didn’t. I won, he lost.”
She leaned back against the wall. “That’s not the end of it; is it?”
“No Renee, that’s not the end of it,” I said, moving to stand in front of her. “I’m sure by now he’s melted his way out of the glass and he’s licking his wounds. It takes a lot to burn a fire demon, but molten glass will do the trick. The burns will heal quickly, but his stomach will take a bit longer. Probably by the end of the tournament he’ll be good to go and then he’ll be gunning for me.”
“Why didn’t you just finish him there in the arena? Why toy with him like this?”
I reached out to caress her jaw, tipping her chin up so she’d look me in the eyes. “I wasn’t toying with him Renee. Dragon asked us no
t to kill anyone during the tournament or believe me; I would have ended his existence without batting an eye.”
“Promise me you won’t let this happen again Solomon. Dimitri is my friend but I understand that one of you is going to die. The next time you face him I want you to end it quickly. Don’t make him suffer, just end it.”
“I’m sorry your friend has to die. I won’t miss him myself, but I do regret that you have to suffer the loss. When the time comes, I promise to make his death as quick as possible.”
She nodded her head, satisfied, and I leaned in to kiss her. While our lips moved together the tension between us drained away leaving a sense of peace in its place. There were things to be done, and not all of them pleasant, but for now everything was right in my world.
Chapter Nineteen
~ Solomon ~
“Do you mind if I sit here?” Grayson asked from beside me.
I motioned for him to sit without taking my eyes off Renee. She was down in the chambers doing her best to bleed her latest challenger.
“Don’t mind him Grayson, he gets a little tense when Renee’s down in the chambers,” Katerina told the other sorcerer, talking across me from my other side.
“I don’t blame him, I’d be tense too if that was my anai down there. It must be stressful enough for the competitors, not knowing who will be waiting in the next chamber and all, but from up here you can watch the contestants line up and guess which ones will eventually meet in combat.”
“Exactly,” I agreed. “That’s what I’ve been telling Katerina, but she seems to think I’m overreacting. I was hoping me or Kat would have a chance to take Sergio and Danarius out of the running before Renee had to face either one of them, but it looks like Renee will be going up against Sergio before the end of this round.”
“We’ve trained her well Solomon,” Katerina soothed. “She has a very good chance of beating him, and if not, her pride may be a little wounded, but she’ll recover and try again next year.”
Renee swung her sword and managed to nick her opponent’s arm, drawing blood from the wolf shifter for the third time. The room turned bright red and they bowed to each other, maintaining eye contact, before Renee stepped through the portal into the next chamber. After smearing a drop of blood on the red wall, she took the time alone to wipe off her sword and catch her breath.
In the chamber beside hers, Sergio was battling one of the vampires from New Orleans. They were both very fast and skilled with a blade, and I didn’t want either one of them near Renee.
“I don’t like this Kat.”
She rubbed my back trying to calm my nerves. “She will be fine Solomon. It’s not like we’re fighting to the death here.”
I took a deep breath and told myself to listen to Katerina, but the fox was agitated and had no interest in being calm.
Down below, Sergio suddenly spun around and dragged his sword across his opponent’s chest with a flourish. The chamber turned black and stayed that way signaling he’d won the match. The audience went crazy and several nearby bookies tried to get my attention, but I couldn’t think about placing bets with Sergio stepping into the chamber with my Renee.
“Dammit.” I ran my fingers through my hair, watching as recognition swept over Renee’s features.
A jolt of fear hit me through the bond, but no one looking at Renee would ever guess she was afraid. She raised her sword and held it in front of her with a two handed grip, preparing for his attack. They circled a bit, and I could see his lips moving but I had no way of knowing what he was saying to her.
Suddenly, Renee lunged towards Sergio, darting in fast then spinning to block his counter strike. The chamber lit up bright red and I let myself breathe.
“One down, two to go,” Katerina murmured beside me, her eyes locked on Renee just like mine.
They circled again and this time when Renee attacked, their swords clashed for several minutes. They were evenly matched and I thought it would come down to who wanted the win more. Finally, when I was about to jump out of my skin, Renee sliced across Sergio’s upper arm and then danced back out of his reach.
Sergio looked down at his arm and wiped the blood from his nearly healed wound. Then he flicked the blood off his hand and smiled at Renee. It wasn’t a pleasant smile, it was the kind that chilled you to the bone, and made you wish you’d never met the man wearing it. Renee saw the smile but it was too late. Sergio had his sword buried in her gut before either one of us could blink. Pain lanced though my soul as he twisted his blade and yanked it back out only to shove it right back in again.
Renee fell to her knees and Sergio pulled his sword out of her body once again. This time he dragged the blade up her torso leaving a large, open wound behind. He lifted his sword into the air and I whispered the words that would remove her from harm’s way. I barely had enough time to finish the incantation before the razor sharp metal swung towards her neck. Renee disappeared from the chamber and I wrapped a portal around myself to join her.
Just before I disappeared, Grayson grabbed my arm. “Take me with you. She might need blood.”
I nodded and we reappeared in Renee’s bedroom. Renee was slumped forward on the bed with her hands covering her wound. I raced to her side and gathered her up in my arms. She whimpered but managed to keep from crying out. We sat on the bed with her in my lap and I held her tight, sharing her pain.
“Grayson is here Renee, and he’s offered to feed you. If you drink from him now the wound will heal much faster and the pain will end.”
She managed a weak nod and Grayson moved in behind her, reaching around so that she could drink from his wrist. Her fangs broke through his skin and he winced. I knew from experience that severe pain could override the sexual high vampires and nightshifters usually felt when they drank blood. If Renee was in too much pain to feel the pleasure then she obviously couldn’t share those feelings with Grayson. Without the sexual high, donating blood was something most people wanted to avoid.
“Open your mind to me and I’ll take the pain away,” I offered and Grayson accepted.
I slipped into Grayson’s mind and sent a jolt to his pleasure sensors to see what images would pop up in his mind. I was surprised to see Rachel’s smiling face looking up at him from a satin covered bed. Having no time for questions I went with the fantasy, and let his mind lead the way while I simply added the sensations.
Grayson groaned as if he was enjoying himself and I glanced down to check on Renee. She had color in her cheeks again and her mouth was working hard at Grayson’s wrist. When she started moaning I dipped into her mind but the images I saw were blurry at best. A few more minutes went by, and then Renee withdrew her fangs and sealed the puncture marks in Grayson’s wrist. Renee fell into a deep sleep and we left her alone to rest.
Downstairs in the kitchen, I offered Grayson something to drink and grabbed a beer for myself. He took a beer and we sat down at the table.
After a few moments of silence he said, “I’ve seen vampires and nightshifters get run through with swords and keep going like they couldn’t even feel the pain.”
I took a sip of my beer before answering his unspoken question. “Renee has only been a vampire for thirty years, and a nightshifter for six months. It takes time to build up the kind of strength and stamina that you’re talking about. Plus, the nightshifters who were created from humans are weaker than those of us who were shapeshifters to begin with. Their instincts are muted as well.”
“Do you think she’ll swear off tournaments after this?”
“Renee won’t give up that easily. Besides, this isn’t the first time she’s been run through with a sword. Although it is the first time anyone tried to cut off her head.”
I was working hard to keep a lid on my rage just in case Renee was able to feel my emotions. She needed her rest right now and blinding rage was not very conducive for sleep.
“What do you plan to do about Sergio?”
I took another sip of my beer, letting the cool
liquid slide down my throat while I considered my options. Never before had my father’s training been more important. “I’d like to gut the bastard, but technically, he didn’t do anything wrong. We try not to kill anyone during these tournaments, but things happen in the heat of the moment. He could argue that Renee stepped into the chamber knowing the risks. If I challenged him anyway, I might cause a political mess and lead us back into a war with the vampires. And that’s the last thing we need. The vampires have a way of creating negative press for Myths and Legends when we piss them off.”
“I heard they had the humans believing there was a serial killer working out of the resort.” He leaned back and drummed his fingers on the table.
“They did; and between that and the bombing at The Gateway, rebuilding public trust has been an uphill battle.”
“Do you ever wish we didn’t have to hide our true natures from the humans?”
“Sure, I think we all do at times, but there are too many humans in the world now. If they knew about us they would hunt us, or they would exploit us. We’d never know a moment of peace if we came out of the closet so to speak.”
“I agree, but catering to the humans can be tiresome.”
“That’s exactly why the old interracial council fell apart - too many of the demon and vampire groups wanted to take over the human world. Fortunately they can’t get along with each other well enough to actually form and carry out any workable plans.”
“A fact we can all be thankful for.” Grayson finished off his beer and stood. “I’m going to take off now.”
The shimmering rainbow of a portal appeared, but before he stepped through it I asked, “How is Rachel doing Grayson?”
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