leap far enough to grab the railing, and a moment later I would be on him, my hands closing on his throat. My vision narrows, and I bend my knees.
Kiara touches my shoulder, and I glance at her. She shakes her head and motions for me to leave the sands. She smiles, confident as ever. The narrow focus of my vision expands, and my heart slows. Her certainty cuts through the building rage, silencing adrenaline’s song. Growling, I storm off the sands and stand next to Xyron. This female will be the death of me.
“I understand,” Xyron whispers.
“Do you?” I growl. “Your female isn’t facing three armed guards alone.”
His stare is full of compassion that I don’t want. An urge to punch him in his smug face is almost more than I can control. My fist pulls back, but I stop before I swing. It will only cause more trouble if I do.
I force my attention off him and back to Kiara. She is unarmed against three guards, all of whom have armor and steel. She’d never face such odds in the arena unless she was marked for death. No gladiator would.
She isn’t afraid though, not my Kiara. She stands in a defensive position, turning slowly as the guards encircle her. She’s watching, judging, but more than anything she is calm. Perhaps it is her calmness that slows their attack. They circle and circle, but no one makes the first move.
A smile spreads across Kiara’s face as her eyes narrow, then faster than thought, she moves. She closes with one of the guards in the blink of an eye. Her fist slams into his vulnerable throat, and she follows it with an elbow across his chin.
Blood flies from his mouth. He drops his sword and stumbles backwards. He trips and falls, hands clutching at his face, struggling to breathe.
Kiara doesn’t hesitate—before he hits the ground, she’s rushing the next one. This one raises his sword to try and block her, but it’s not enough. She uses the sands to her advantage. He has the sword across his chest and middle, so she drops to the sand before she is close enough for it to matter.
She kicks his knee. Her foot hits, and I wince at the sound of bones cracking. His scream is the screech of a zypher, diving through the sky as it pounces on its prey from high above. He drops to the ground and is rolling around, out of the fight too.
She tumbles to one side, avoiding the strike of the last guard. His sword cuts into the sands, and I don’t miss the fact he isn’t using the flat side.
“Dominus!” I yell, but Xyron grabs my forearm and stops me from stepping forward.
I swing without thought, but he’s prepared, blocking my blow.
“No,” Xyron says. “Trust her. She has this.”
I strain, testing his strength. We’re both trembling with the exertion, but his eyes are open and honest. He’s right and I know it; no matter how much I want to beat his face in to prove him wrong, he’s not the one I’m angry with.
Kiara yelps in pain and I stop, turning to her. My mouth is drier than the arena, and my heart pounds. If that guard has hurt her, I’ll kill him. I will rip him limb from limb and beat whatever is left to death with his own arm.
Kiara is moving back. Red blood drips down her arm. Growling, I move forward, but Xyron stops me once more. I jerk my arm free, but he grabs me again.
“Let me go,” I say.
“Wait, she has this,” he says, not looking at me but watching her.
Kiara circles the guard. He keeps feinting and testing her. It’s as clear on his face and in his movements as the sun in the sky; he’s scared. He has every advantage and should have committed to the attack by now, but he continues to hold back.
“Scared?” Kiara taunts, dodging in then jumping back as he swings for her.
He overextends, and she pounces. Stepping inside his arms, she strikes his forearm, bicep, then drives the side of her hand into the bundle of nerves where the arm and shoulder connect. I’ve felt her do this; it hurts like hell.
He drops the sword from his suddenly numb fingers. She slams the palm of her hand into the bottom side of his jaw. His head snaps back, blood flings out, and he drops to the ground, still and silent.
She stands over her dropped