Dangerous Lovers

by Becca Vincenza

  Nelly shifted beside me. I didn’t have to look at her to know what she wanted. “I would like to go to school with Nelly, if that’s okay.”

  The woman shook her head. “I’m afraid that would be of no

  benefit for you.”

  I had to work to keep my aggravation off my face. I thought she said I’d get to choose. I should have known better. “What would you suggest, Your Majesty?” I gritted out.

  She ignored my tone. “I would suggest that you attend the

  Brocken school, it would help you to hone your skills.”

  I thought about this for a second. “Okay, I’ll go—”

  “Of course,” she continued, cutting me off. I clenched my fists. “You’ll have to be accepted into the school in order to attend.”

  “Okay,” I said slowly. “I have to take some kind of test or something?”

  She shrugged. The gesture looked funny on her. “Of sorts.” I narrowed my eyes, forgetting my earlier pledge to show respect.

  She continued as if she didn’t notice my gaze. “If you wish to attend the school with our Warriors, you must fight for entry.”

  I spoke the first words that came to mind, my mother’s words. “I only fight when I have to.”

  Again, she shrugged. “Well, you can always take up a trade… or live off Nelliana. Everything comes with a price, young Warrior, and those who make it through the Brocken school are paid very well. The men you see standing in this room will testify to that. The decision is yours.”

  What was she suggesting? Being paid for fighting? I wasn’t sure, but I had a feeling that whatever it was, it was one of the reasons my mother had kept us away from this place. I looked down at my arm and ran a finger over the lily on my wrist. My mother hadn’t wanted this for me, but did I want it? After all, I’d admitted that I enjoyed fighting. It was what I was made for, one of the only things that I was great at.

  I looked back up, meeting her gaze. I’d made my decision. I could only hope it was the right one. “Fine. I’ll fight.”

  She smiled. No doubt she’d known what I was going to say. “Good. Very good. We shall ready the arena. You’ll take your test tonight.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  We walked back to our apartment building, with Kayden as our escort once again.

  “What the hell?” I exclaimed, earning a few disapproving glances from passing people.

  “It could be worse,” Jackson said.

  “It’s easy for you to say that. You don’t have to beat anyone up to go to your school,” I snapped.

  “I know,” he said. “But I don’t know why you’re so worried. You’re an awesome fighter. You kicked Riley’s ass easy enough.”

  “Riley hasn’t been training his whole life to fight like these people have. It’s not the same thing.”

  Jackson stopped walking and grabbed me by the shoulders, forcing me to look at him. “You’ve been training your entire life to fight, too. And you are the only one who is a true Warrior. You’ll be fine.”

  “It just doesn’t seem right. Why are we fighting each other when we should be fighting the Lamia? It just doesn’t seem right.”

  Kayden swung around and faced us, making all of us jump in surprise. “Miss Montgomery, Mr. Kane,” he said to Nelly and Jack. “Would you mind going on ahead and packing your things? Someone will be there shortly to escort you to your new dorms.”

  Nelly shot me a look, asking if this was okay with me, and I nodded. “I’ll catch up with you guys later,” I said.

  After they walked away, I raised my eyebrows at Kayden. “Got something on your mind, buddy?”

  Kayden walked over to a bench that sat under a cherry blossom tree, about ten feet off our path. I followed and took a seat on the bench beside him. I felt… happy being next to him, and again, this struck me as strange.

  He stayed silent for a long time, and I was just about to break the silence when he spoke.

  “You don’t have to fight.” He wasn’t looking at me, just staring straight ahead.

  I took time to consider this. “It sure doesn’t seem that way.”

  He turned abruptly toward me, his glorious eyes looking at me for the first time since this morning. “I know. But you don’t have to. You do have a choice.”

  I sighed and looked down at my hands. My voice was small when I spoke. “What else would I do? I don’t have any other skills. Besides, this is what I’m made for.” I wasn’t sure whom I was trying to convince, him or me.

  He seemed to pick up on this. “Is it what you want?” he asked. “Do you want to spend your life fighting for people who look down on you? Do you want people to be afraid of you everywhere you go? Do you want to risk your life following orders from people who wouldn’t raise a finger to save your life, and watch those around you die fighting a losing battle? Is that what you want?”

  I didn’t know how to answer that, so I asked a question of my own. “What exactly will I be agreeing to if I do this? What is it that you guys do that earns you such great pay?”

  He seemed to be choosing his words carefully. “We’re… soldiers. We hunt the Accursed ones so that their population doesn’t reach dangerous levels, and we protect our kind when the need arises.” That didn’t seem too bad. “But that’s not how we earn most of our living. We fight against each other for the entertainment of our people.” He had a disgusted look on his face as he said that last part.

  Now that was a catch I hadn’t anticipated. “What, like gladiators?”

  He dipped his head. “Exactly like gladiators.”

  “But… we don’t have to, right? We can just kill Lamia and not fight each other if we choose?”

  He finally looked away from me and a sad expression came over his face. “Warriors, true Warriors, used to fight only out of necessity, only when those who couldn’t protect themselves needed protection. But the other races decided to enslave them, and then hunted them into extinction.” He glanced at me and gave a small smile. My heart skipped a beat. “Or near extinction. The Brocken Vampires, like me, became our warriors, and our race is not known for our intelligence. The same people who enslaved your people enslaved mine in a much more clever way. They offered us an easy way to make a living, fighting for not only our people’s safety, but for our people’s entertainment. Is that what you want, Warrior, to fight for the amusement of others?”

  When I didn’t answer, he added, “I heard what you said in the Council meeting. You said you only fight if you have to, only out of necessity, like a true Warrior. Were those just words, or did you mean what you said?”

  I knew that he was just trying to help me, and I appreciated it, but at the same time his words offended me. I was so sick of being told what I should and shouldn’t do. I didn’t need to be told by a stranger, a hypocritical stranger at that.

  “I meant what I said,” I replied, through clenched teeth. “I don’t like to fight unless I have to, but what choice do I have here? I have no money, no family other than Nelly, and nowhere else to go. If I have to fight to live, then that’s what I’ll do. As far as I’m concerned that is fighting out of necessity. At least it’s something I’m good at.”

  When he opened his mouth to speak, I cut him off, standing up, I said, “And to be honest, where do you get off telling me that I shouldn’t fight? Last time I checked, you fight for money, too. What makes you different from me? And why do you even care what I do? You don’t even know me.” It was harsh, but I really couldn’t help it. I felt so angry and so wound up that I needed to let it out somehow. And honestly, I didn’t understand why he cared.

  He stood up, too, and I had to plant my feet so that I wouldn’t back up. He was so much bigger than me that he had to lean his neck down to look me in the eyes when he spoke. I crossed my arms and waited for his reply.

  “Fine,” he said, that unreadable expression back on his face. “You want to fight, that’s up to you. Follow me.” He turned and walked off toward a line of trees.

  I
stood there, confused, before jogging to catch up with him. “Where are we going?”

  He glanced back at me, but didn’t slow his pace. “You said fighting is what you’re good at, right?” I nodded slowly, still confused.

  “Well, then let’s go see if you’re as good as you think you are.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Kayden led me toward the trees. We walked for about ten minutes before coming to a small clearing. I glanced around and turned to ask him what we were doing… and just barely had enough time to dodge his punch.

  I sidestepped, causing his blow to glance off my shoulder. It still hurt. My body immediately reacted to the threat, drawing my right leg back so that I was standing in a fighting position.

  “What the hell are you doing?” I shouted, just barely managing to escape another blow.

  He didn’t miss a beat, he just kept on coming. “At least you’re fast,” he said, stepping back and mirroring my stance. “But you have to do better than just evading attacks.”

  We circled each other, my body tense and ready. “Stop this. I don’t want to fight you,” I gritted out.

  He raised an eyebrow at this. “Why not?”

  As I was about to answer, he lunged toward me, hitting me hard in the chest and knocking me to the ground. The breath was knocked out of me, and my head spun for just a second. It was a feeling I was quite familiar with. That didn’t mean it didn’t hurt like hell.

  I was back on my feet without missing a beat. I planted a hard kick to his stomach, ducked, and sent him flying over my head. He was back on his feet before I was. And after a couple more exchanges, he had me firmly pressed to the ground, face-down, my arms pinned painfully behind my back.

  My breathing was harsh and sweat matted my forehead, but I was extremely aware of the way his body felt pressed up against mine. Even though I was in pain, I felt ecstatic with him so close. That fluttery feeling in my chest grew stronger than ever. He was breathing heavily too, and the scent of him surrounded me in an almost intoxicating proportion. His soft hair brushed my cheek as he leaned forward to whisper hoarsely in my ear.

  “Not bad, Warrior, but not good enough.”

  I bucked, but was unable to break free. “Yeah, well, a little warning would have been nice,” I said, still trying to break his hold.

  He didn’t budge. Instead, he laughed deeply, causing his chest to rumble against my back. “You had your warning, Warrior, back on the bench.”

  “Stop… calling… me… that.” I was still thrashing around, and even though I liked the way his Scottish accent sounded when he said “Warrior,” it also pissed me off.

  “Why, that’s what you are, right? A Warrior. The last true Warrior left.”

  As he started to say something else, I slammed my head back, hitting him hard in the jaw, and giving me just enough room to escape. It was short-lived, though, because after a little more sparring, I ended up pinned again, this time up against a tree.

  My face scraped against the bark, and my head was still throbbing from the head-butt, but I refused to let him see my pain.

  But, when I started to lose feeling in my arms, I did something that I hadn’t done since I first began my training with my mother. I surrendered.

  “Fine,” I said, through clenched teeth. “I get it. You win. Now, Let. Me. Go.”

  He spun me around so that I was facing him. “Do you? Do you get it?” There was a passion in his eyes, and I felt my heartbeat kick into overdrive. “Do you see what you will be facing, Warrior, do you? These people will destroy you. They will use you and use you, and then, finally, use you up. When you have nothing left, they will kick you to the side like some worthless dog! Is this what you want, Warrior? Tell me, is this what you want?”

  At that moment, something in me snapped, and I was surprised when my voice came out calm. “No, this isn’t what I want,” I said slowly. Normally, I wouldn’t have taken the time to give an explanation, but being so close to him, I couldn’t seem to think straight. I wanted to explain, and I wanted to share my thoughts with him. I was beginning to worry about this wonderful feeling that tingled in my chest whenever he was near. It felt unnatural. I’m not someone who usually opens up to others. I prefer keeping my feelings to myself, but around him, I just felt… peace. How can something feel unnatural, and yet completely natural at the same time?

  I should have punched him by now. Instead, I shoved him away, hoping that the distance would allow me to think normally.

  It did seem to help a little. “I didn’t want any of this,” I snarled. “I don’t want to fight people to be able to live, but this is the way it is.” I stepped forward and gripped his shirt in my hands. I wanted to touch him again, and I couldn’t seem to help myself. “This, these,” I said, thrusting my hands in front of his face, “are all I have, the only things I can count on. You ask me if this is what I want as if I’ve ever had any other choice. I never wanted to be a killer, but that’s what I am—a killer.” His face remained impassive, but his eyes betrayed him. He was thinking about what I was saying. Good.

  I raised my right arm and stared down at the silver tattoo covering its surface. “Everyone keeps acting like this is some kind of badge of honor, but do you want to know what I see when I look at this?” I didn’t wait for him to answer. “I see my mother. My mother telling me to run, to run and leave her to be killed by monsters. I see the three monsters I killed without a second’s hesitation. I see death and pain and bad, bad memories. Where is the honor in that? I’ll tell you, there is no honor; only death, death at my hands. So, no, I don’t want any of this. But this is what I am. A killer. This is all I know how to be, and yes, this is what I’m good at.” Though I spoke the words as matter-of-fact as I could manage, the truth in them seemed to push me to the edge.

  I felt the loss of his presence as soon as I turned away. I’m not sure what his face looked like, because I didn’t look back. I just headed back the way we’d come. I didn’t stop until I reached my apartment, fearing that if I did, I might actually break down and start crying, and there was no time for that.

  I needed to rest before my fight.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Nelly was waiting for me outside my room, and upon seeing me, alarm lit up her hazel eyes.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked. “What happened to you? You look

  like hell.”

  I looked down to see that my clothes were torn and bloody. I looked like, well, I looked like I’d gotten into a fight.

  I didn’t want to worry her, so I made up a small lie.

  “Kayden was showing me some moves,” I replied. “He wanted to make sure I was prepared for the fight tonight.”

  She still looked worried, but it faded a little as she took in what I was saying. “Who’s Kayden?”

  I had forgotten that she wouldn’t know his name. “Oh, that, uh, guy who was carting us around all day.”

  A small smile slowly crossed her face and her eyes widened. “No.

  Way. That super-hot guy was giving you private lessons? How did that go?” I gestured toward my attire, and she nodded.

  “That rough, huh? What else happened?” She wiggled her eyebrows, and I blew out a sigh.

  She giggled. “Okay, okay, I won’t push it. But I think he likes you.”

  That was unexpected and absolutely ridiculous. I thought back to my outburst just a few moments ago. “I seriously doubt that. Besides, he’s too old for me.”

  “No he’s not. He can’t be more than twenty-five.” I raised an eyebrow. “You’ll be eighteen next month.”

  I didn’t have time to respond, because Jackson stepped out of the elevator. He stopped when he took in my appearance.

  “What happened? You look like hell.”

  I rolled my eyes. “So I keep hearing.”

  “I mean, you look beautiful, like always, but, well, what happened?”

  I didn’t feel like answering any more questions. “Nothing, just training, that’s all. Look,
I need to rest so that I can be ready for tonight. Where are you guys going?”

  “They gave us new rooms over on campus,” Nelly said. “They’re giving us a tour in half an hour. I was waiting for you to get back to see if you wanted to come.”

  “You guys go on without me. I really do need to relax.” And ice down the injuries I’d just received.

  They gave me hugs, and I tried not to wince at the pain that shot up my back. Before they stepped on the elevator, I called out to them.

  “You guys will be there tonight, right?” They looked at me like I had two heads.

  “Of course,” Nelly said.

  “Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” replied Jackson.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  I was half-asleep, lying on my bed, when someone knocked on my door. I pulled myself up, wincing as pain throbbed from tailbone to head. I hoped I was up to what I would be doing tonight.

  I opened up the door to see Scar standing there. I was a little disappointed that it wasn’t Kayden, but he probably thought I was some sort of psycho after what had happened. I pushed those thoughts aside. This was no time to worry about that.

  “Are you ready, Warrior?” Scar asked in that gruff voice of his. I really wished people would stop calling me that.

  I shrugged and stepped out, closing the door. “Guess so.”

  To my surprise, he patted me on the back. Again, I had to work to keep from wincing. “Course you are,” he said, looping his arm around my shoulder. “Don’t worry, you’ll do fine. You were born for this.”

  I nodded slowly. “Yeah, I was.”

  We ended up in the same building where we had had our meeting with the Council. This time, I didn’t notice any of the extravagance. All my thoughts focused on the task in front of me. We ascended the stairs and again took a left down the hallway, except now we stopped in front of the red door.