by Katie May
All of us together.
I like the sound of that.
Regathering my previously lost wits, I ask, “So what happened with Tessa?”
“She liked the appeal of an off-limits shifter,” Braelyn speaks up. “She would sneak over to our side of the prison.”
“Only a few times!” Rion says immediately. “And it didn’t mean anything to me. We would hookup, she would leave, and I would be with someone else an hour later. It was before I met you, of course. Now I’m a one-woman type of man. My heart is yours. My soul is yours. My fists are yours. My dick is yours. My pubic hairs are—”
“We get it,” Kai cuts in. “Continue.”
“Tessa fell in love with him,” Jenny adds, speaking up for the first time. I imagine she’s standing beside her girlfriend against the wall. “Or, more specifically, his power.”
“It’s not uncommon for betas and omegas to fall in love with alphas,” Braelyn elaborates. “Those weak on the power hierarchy gravitate to those stronger. They want to be protected, and they contort those feelings into something resembling love.”
“She probably thought Rion united our gangs for her,” Damien breaks in vehemently. I suspect he’s glaring at the tattooed shifter. “Fucking hell, Rion. Did you have to fuck everything that moved?”
“You’re one to talk,” Rion retorts. “I hear stories about your cock. It’s as cold as the rest of you, capable of freezing a girl’s vagina right off.”
“Enough!” Kai roars, and the room immediately falls silent, no one willing to face the wrath of a feral dragon. “Nina will have to fight.”
Protests immediately begin, but Kai cuts them off with another earth-shattering roar.
“I said enough!” he shouts. He takes a deep, calming breath. “The fight isn’t until next week. That gives us time to train and prepare Nina. Fortunately, Tessa isn’t allowed to use her powers. Unfortunately, if anyone suspects that Nina has any sort of unconventional sight, her secret will be out.”
“Does that mean...?” I trail off, voice wobbling.
Kai’s voice is grim when he speaks next. “You’ll have to learn to fight blind. If anyone were to discover the truth about your abilities, I have no idea what they’ll do. It’ll be a witch hunt. People fear what they don’t understand, and you, my love, are the biggest enigma here.”
I’m barely holding onto my sanity. My breath rushes in and out as my heart picks up speed. Panic creeps around the edge of my mind, threatening to consume me completely.
“Damien, you’ll need to teach Nina how to fight without her powers. Every fucking day. No breaks for either of you, understood?” I imagine Damien nods because Kai moves on. “Cain, you’re going to be at the edge of the ring during the fight, ready to heal. If anything goes wrong, you jump in there, okay? I don’t care what people say or think. I’m not losing her.”
Cain? A healer? I never would’ve suspected.
He’s more aloof than even Damien at times, and his bedside manner is atrocious.
“Yes,” the man behind me agrees.
It’s only then that I realize I’m not being held by Abel, but by Cain.
The man who cried when Haley touched him is now holding me tenderly against his chest.
My heart thunders in my ears as warm tingles radiate throughout my body.
“And Nina?” Kai addresses me last. When I turn in his direction, he says, “You fight until you can’t fucking fight anymore, you hear me? You give it all you got. Because if you don’t, and something happens to you, I might just burn down this entire fucking world.”
Chapter 42
Nina
There’s a tension contaminating the room the day of the fight, polluting the air and filling my lungs with its toxicity.
Kai once read me a book about a man being led to the gallows. I imagine he felt similar to the way I feel now. Worry and fear move through me like a winter’s breeze. My hands are sweaty, and my heart beats expeditiously against my rib cage. In the copious light, I see the blade seconds before it drops, dismembering the first of many heads. I know my time is rapidly approaching, but I’m unable to move away. One step at a time, I walk toward my impending demise. Never stopping. Never looking back.
All I can do is keep my eye on the blade.
Braelyn has outfitted me in a stretchy pair of leggings and a skin-tight tank top. I’ve never worn anything like this before, and the fabric clings to my skin. My dark hair has been brushed into a tight braid cascading down my back, the flyaway hairs held back by a headband. I can’t leave Tessa anything to grab during the fight, especially my hair.
I bounce on the balls of my feet, the darkness closing in around me at all angles. Even though I can’t see, I know Kai is pacing, Bronson’s scowling, Damien stone-faced, Rion’s biting his nails, and the twins are huddled together. The anxiety in the air is particularly pungent, leaving behind an acidic, sour smell.
When a hand clamps down on my shoulder, I offer a feeble smile.
“Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.” Even to my own ears, I know that’s a lie. Braelyn and Damien have both worked with me, but there is only so much they can do with the minimum time we’ve had. I’m confident that I won’t die, but that’s about it.
“Sure,” Cain snorts derisively, squeezing my shoulder. “You’ll probably only get your ass slightly kicked instead of completely kicked. Hell, maybe you’ll still have an ass once this is all said and done.”
I glare at him, but he only laughs.
“I’m not going to—errr—get my ass kicked.” I wrap my arms around myself to fight off the sudden chill.
“You are, Trouble,” Cain contests. “But don’t you worry your pretty little head. I’ll be here to fix you up afterward.”
“Is that supposed to be comforting?” I inquire. “Because it’s really, really not.”
“No. That’s more of my brother’s speciality. I’m just being honest with you. Do you know what Tessa was arrested and convicted for?” Cain asks, and I shake my head mutely. It has always felt too personal to bring up in conversation, so I have never asked. “Murder. She caught her boyfriend fucking another girl—his fated mate—so she cut off his balls until he bled out. Then, she went to the girl’s home and murdered her too.”
My breath whooshes out of me at his statement. What Tessa had done...
The lives she took...
In her mind, I had done the same thing with Rion. She won’t hesitate to kill me in order to prove a point. Ice cold fingers squeeze my heart, effectively stopping my blood flow.
In a way, she’s more dangerous than anyone else here. Her rage is driven purely by passion, which makes her volatile and unpredictable. When emotions are the driving force, a person is exponentially more dangerous.
“Is she here?” I ask, dreading the answer.
Maybe she decided not to go through with this. Maybe she realized that it’s ridiculous and petty to fight over a guy—though I can’t blame her for being head over heels for Rion. The man is capable of evoking strong feelings from anyone who spends time with him. Heaven only knows the number he did on me.
Unbidden, I slide into Cain’s mind. Though his eyes are intent on me, over my shoulder, I spot Tessa’s sleek brown hair. It’s pulled into a tight bun on the top of her head. The bra and shorts combination leaves little to the imagination. Haley is standing in front of her, hands on her hips, but I’m unable to see the expression on her face.
To my shock, Rion steps up to the pair of females, a somber expression on his handsome face.
Jealousy churns low in my stomach, tasting like vomit. Why is he with her, the girl who wants to hurt me, possibly kill me? Why isn’t he here with me?
As my emotions twist in my stomach like a ball of yarn, something unusual happens. Normally, I can sense the minds around me like flickering balls of light. I’m easily able to guide my consciousness inside the one of my choice.
This time, I’m slammed into Tessa’s head with the ferocity of a
freight train. Through her eyes, I see Haley’s lips purse like she’s trying to keep from swallowing something sour. Rion looks livid, an unusual expression on his normally cheerful face.
I’m dimly aware of Cain saying my name, shaking my shoulder, but I’m too focused on Rion to hear what he says.
My awareness of Cain wanes as I focus intently on Tessa’s mind. What she sees. What she feels. What she smells. What she hears. Slowly, Haley’s words filter to me as if through a tunnel.
“...fucking stupid. I keep telling you,” the girl says, anger evident in her jewel-like eyes. “What did she ever do to you?”
“End this, Tessa,” Rion demands. His tone is pure vitriol, and I’m shocked to hear it coming from my fun-loving shifter. “Call off the fight.”
“Why the fuck should I?” Tessa retorts, turning toward the scowling shifter. She moves to place a manicured hand on his crossed arm, but he steps back before she can make contact. “I thought you loved me. I thought you came here for me. I was willing to be her friend when she wrapped her vagina around Damien’s cock first and then Abel’s. I even tried to help the bitch. But she took it a step too far. Why did she need to go after you too? Why couldn’t she just be happy with what she had?” Tessa’s voice breaks, her vision distorting with tears. The part of me that recognizes pain in others wants to comfort her. The larger part of me is too angry to care.
“Tessa.” Rion’s voice is considerably more gentle. “I was never yours to begin with. I thought you knew that. I don’t—didn’t—do relationships or anything serious. Especially here. But Nina’s different.”
“Why?” Tessa cries. “What does she have that I don't?” Her grief quickly morphs into rage.
Rion takes a fortifying breath.
“She’s my mate.” That declaration causes my heart to stutter once, stop, before restarting with a vengeance.
Haley inhales sharply before blowing out a breath. “Damn. I always suspected something was up with her.” She gently touches Tessa’s shoulder, garnering the fuming female’s attention. “Please reconsider, Tess. Nina didn’t know about your relationship with Rion. Hell, I didn’t even know about it, and I’m your best friend. Don’t blame her for Rion being a fuck-boy.”
“Rude,” Rion mutters petulantly, but he doesn’t argue with her.
Tessa’s gaze flickers from Rion to Haley and then to me, standing on the other side of the stone arena. Only the top of my head is visible around Cain’s broad back. Bronson stands behind me, speaking urgently into my ear, but I can’t decipher any of his words.
“You’ll be making a lot of enemies if you go through with this,” Haley warns. “Even if for some reason Nina escapes unscathed, those guys of hers will still go after you. Hell, even Rion, the man you’re fighting for, won’t hesitate to kill you.”
Tessa swings her gaze in the shifter’s direction, and he shrugs sheepishly, once again not denying Haley’s claim.
Before I can hear Tessa’s reply, I’m wrenched out of her head and return to my customary darkness. Steel bands wrap around my waist from in front. Behind me, someone’s scratchy beard rubs against my cheek.
“What the fuck, Trouble?” Cain demands.
“Are you okay?” Bronson asks nervously. “Do we need a doctor? Cain, get a doctor. Or can you look over her? Fuck, I don’t think you have your medical degree. Get an actual licensed doctor.”
“I’m fine!” I say quickly, hoping to alleviate the tension. Cain, who is still standing in front of me, takes a step backward. Bronson uses that to his advantage, twisting me in his arms so he can nuzzle my neck. Licks of fire creep up my spine at the contact.
“Where did you go?” Bronson murmurs. “You just zoned out.”
“Jesus Christ, Trouble,” snaps Cain. “I thought you were seizing or some shit.”
“No.” I shake my head adamantly, untangling my arms from around Bronson to grip Cain’s hand. After giving it a reassuring squeeze, I release it. While he has been more touchy-feely lately, I don’t dare push my limits. Lowering my voice to a whisper, I add, “I went into Tessa’s head.”
“And?” Cain asks with a snort. “You always go into people’s fucking heads.”
“And...” I throw him a scathing look over my shoulder. “I was able to hear her conversation with Haley and Rion.”
Bronson goes rigid in front of me, arms iron vises. “And that’s different?”
“Very different,” I admit with a nod. “I’m usually only able to see through the person’s eyes except for the two times with Cain and Abel when I was able to hear through their ears as well.”
I realize my mistake a second too late. At that moment, my careless words wrap around Cain like rope, seep into his skin, and change something fundamental inside him. My heart simultaneously shrivels up like a raisin.
“Wait a fucking minute.” The disdain and anger in Cain’s voice drips like acid eroding rock. “What do you mean ‘except for the two times with Cain and Abel’? You’ve been using my ears? How often? When? What did you hear?”
“I was going to tell you,” I begin urgently, spinning around, but my pleading words fall to the cement ground and get trampled on by his rage.
“You only say that because you got caught. You’re drowning in a sea of your own lies, and sooner or later, you’re not going to have enough air to breathe.” I know, without needing vision, that his eyes are hurling daggers into my forehead. “I knew I shouldn’t have trusted you.”
“Cain...” Bronson’s growly voice is both a warning and a threat. His muscles are taut around me as a growl rumbles through him. “Shut the fuck up.”
“I’m done,” Cain snaps, ignoring Bronson completely. His ire is directed solely at me.
“Cain, wait!” I plead, desperately grabbing at his arm.
“Don’t fucking touch me,” he snaps, a hitch to his voice that hadn’t been there previously. I hear the stomp of his footsteps fading away, each deafening step an ominous omen. I wonder if he’ll ever come back or if I broke his trust for good.
“He’s so mad at me,” I whisper, turning toward Bronson once more to bury my face in his neck. I inhale his spicy, masculine scent. It’s like Cain had ripped my heart out of my chest, threw it on the ground, and now I’m staring at the shattered pieces unsure how to put them back together again.
“He’s hurt,” Bronson rumbles. “He doesn’t trust easily, and he feels as if he’s been betrayed. I think he’s hurt more than anything that you didn’t trust him.”
“But I did—”
He cuts off my protests with a kiss. “I also think he’s scared. He doesn’t like being vulnerable, and he’s terrified of what you heard while you were in his brain.” Tears slide down my cheeks, but I don’t brush them away. Each trail reminds me of the pain I inflicted on someone I care about.
“He hates me,” I whisper, the mere prospect shooting bullets into my heart. Claws desperately scratch at the organ until I’m unsure where the pain ends and I begin.
“It’s not hate he feels and that’s why he’s so scared.” Bronson presses another painfully tender kiss to my forehead before releasing me. Abruptly, he changes the subject from Cain to the upcoming duel. “Remember, fight like your life depends on it. I don’t care what you have to do, my queen, but you’re coming out of this mess alive. I won’t stand for anything else.”
He guides me to the center of the room where I know Kai is standing. The dragon shifter is coiled with tension. It emanates from him in tangible waves.
“Remember what Damien told you,” Kai whispers in my ear. The next second, I’m pushed forward.
The crowd is cheering and screaming, their excitement ratcheting up when I step into the ring. Blood rushes to my head, rendering me immobile.
There’s no announcement, no official declaration.
But, when Tessa punches my cheek, I know the fight has begun.
Chapter 43
Nina
My cheek stings fiercely.
Instinct
ively, I bring my hands up to guard my head. There’s the telltale sound of her footsteps retreating back a few steps. No doubt, she’s gearing up for another attack.
“Tessa, please,” I beg, blood forming in my mouth. She may be petite, but her hand seems to be carved from stone. “We don’t have to fight.”
“Why don’t we?” Her voice comes from directly in front of me, and I duck just in time to avoid her next assault. “You stole Rion from me, you bitch. I thought we were friends.”
“We are!” I plead. This time, I hear a whoosh of air, but I’m unable to move out of the way in time. Her fist lands in my stomach, pain exploding like fireworks. “This is ridiculous. I never meant to hurt you.”
“But you did.” The grief and rage are evident in her voice. For the first time since the fight began, genuine worry tumbles through me like an intoxicated gymnast. I’m afraid Tessa might actually kill me.
I take an emboldening breath, bracing myself. “And I’m sorry I hurt you. Honestly. I never meant to.”
“Then give me Rion,” she hisses, catching her elbow in my shoulder.
“He’s not something I can just give away,” I protest immediately. “He’s a person with a mind of his own. If he wants to be with you, that’s his choice. I won’t stop him or stand in his way.”
That seems to be the wrong thing to say. She charges forward, a ferocious snarl escaping. She sounds positively feral and unhinged.
“Fight back, bitch!” she screams, slashing at my cheek with her nails.
Something solidifies in my stomach—a sort of resolve. My mind conjures up memories of Cain’s betrayal-laced voice. The pain in Tessa’s eyes when Rion had retrieved me from the cafeteria a few days earlier.
And then Man, the last time I was with him. In a desperate bid to escape, I had clawed at his face the same way Tessa had clawed at mine.
