stranger. I suppose bowing was one custom we created to avoid a Sensor putting power into another without permission.”
“Like you just did?”
She waved her index finger at me while looking at Pablo. “I like her. She has gumption.”
I cleared my throat. “I’m sorry, who are you? I got your name, but—”
“I’m the reason you’re here. Pablo handles the vetting process, but after tonight’s fight, I had to meet you myself.”
“I think that woman down there has a lot of gumption. Hope you don’t fire her.”
Audrey turned her gaze downward to the window as the blonde made her way out of the room. “I never let go of people like her. A fearless woman is a diamond. The word diamond comes from a Greek word that means invincible. Diamonds are harder than any other mineral, and they’re not easy to break. But nothing is unbreakable. You’re a Stealer, aren’t you?”
“What makes you think that?”
She pinned me with her gaze. “I saw what you almost did in there. Pablo’s a Stealer.”
“Is that so?”
“Robin, don’t hold back on your gifts.”
I furrowed my brow. “You don’t see the problem? If I stole her core light, she’d be useless to you.”
Audrey leaned back in her chair and gestured to the windows. “That’s what they pay for. It would certainly put me out, but there are always replacements.”
“Do you have any male fighters?”
“Our clients don’t want to see men fighting. They’ve been watching that for centuries. There’s a particular audience who relishes in the success of women—seeing their power on full display. They want to feel that power.”
“Feel?”
“Before you leave here, I’m going to pull that experience out of you and sell it to the highest bidder. You’ll keep the memory but not the sensory information. That’s where we make the most money. I implant that memory inside them so it’s theirs to keep. They will possess the feel of every blow, every kick, and every rush that you did while dominating your enemy. They want you to use your gifts against each other, so long as you both walk out of that room alive.”
“You’ll run out of fighters.”
She laughed brightly and shared a look with Pablo, who gave a mechanical smile. “Now that’s confidence.” After stifling her amusement, she looked me over. “Have you ever killed anyone? Is that why you stopped pulling her light?”
Uncertain what she wanted to hear, I raked my fingers through my hair. I heard Viktor’s voice in my head, telling me to get more information. “Who’s your audience? It might shock them if they saw what I almost did in there. Making someone mortal is worse than death and strikes fear in a lot of people.”
Audrey tapped her bottom lip. “I cannot divulge who pays to play, but you’re right. This audience isn’t interested in watching a murder. It’s about the champion and the battle.”
“Are they all men?”
Her brows subtly arched. “What makes you suggest that?”
“Because that’s who pays to watch fights like these. Men who get off watching women wrestle each other in skimpy clothes.”
She shrugged. “Wear a Mickey Mouse costume for all I care. You can flip on the telly and watch women wrestling for free. That’s not why they’re here.”
“Why don’t you hire Vampires or Shifters?”
Audrey uncrossed her legs and leaned against the armrest. “Mage women aren’t easy to come by, and ones that can fight? A rarity indeed. I’m quite certain you know your own history. So tell me, have you ever killed anyone? I need to know everything about my fighters before I put them in that room.”
I leaned back and folded my arms. I wouldn’t be fighting again, so what I chose to say wouldn’t matter. I just wanted to keep her talking. “Yes. I’ve killed a lot of men. Does that make me a liability? Have you had any accidents in there? Is that what you’re afraid of?”
I really wanted her to confess to the deaths of the women who were dumped in the alleyways.
Audrey sighed melodically and glanced at Pablo, who kept his eyes downcast. “Robin, would you be satisfied walking away a champion, or do you require the victory of a kill? Be honest with me.” She leaned forward and touched my knee.
What fuckery was this? With nowhere to go, I had a Sensor reading me for lies, and that made me all kinds of nervous. Shepherd was gifted, but could this woman read my mind or just my feelings? In any case, I couldn’t lie.