out of the caves and into the desert. Instead, he smacked painfully against a stalactite and plunged to the ground.
Or was it a stalagmite?
Not that it mattered. Who cared what they called the pointy rocks that filled the dark, musty cave?
Feeling decidedly ruffled to have been tossed around like a piece of radish—no, wait…rubbish, Levet struggled to get to his feet. Then, grabbing his tail, he polished the tip to a smooth gloss. It soothed his nerves, and of course the females adored a shiny tail, did they not?
Once his delicate nerves were settled, he cast a quick glance around. He was obviously in a remote part of the cavern complex. The hard, dusty floor was devoid of footprints, and silence lay thick in the darkness. There wasn’t even the rancid scent of fighters that usually contaminated the fighting pits.
He stilled. That was not entirely true. There was a smell. It wasn’t rancid, but instead a dry, crisp scent. Levet tilted back his head and took a deep sniff. Oui. There it was. Very faint, but unmistakable.
“Bonsoir,” he called out. “Who is there?” He waited. Nothing. “I can smell you.”
There was a soft beat of wings, then a small female stepped from behind a pointy rock.
“Don’t hurt me,” she pleaded in a voice as soft as snowflakes.
Levet blinked, studying the tiny creature. She was shorter than him with a slender body barely hidden beneath a gown made of gossamer lace. Her hair was long and so pale it almost looked white, while her features were astonishingly delicate with big, gray eyes.
Not long ago, Levet would have been enchanted by the pretty creature. He was a male who appreciated females of all sorts. Tall or short. Young or old. Slender or curvaceous. Now, however, he had developed a taste for a large ogress with mermaid blood, gaudy muumuus, and a bad temper. It was rather annoying, but what could a poor gargoyle do?
“Why would I hurt you?” he asked in confusion.
“Everyone hurts me.”
“Not moi.”
The female inched forward, studying Levet with a suspicious gaze. “You promise?”
Levet placed his hand in the center of his chest. “Cross my knees and hope to die,” he promised. “Well, I do not truly hope to die.”
She continued forward, halting directly in front of him. “What are you?”
Levet scowled. “What a silly question. I am a gargoyle, of course. Do you not see my horns and my lovely wings?”
“Um…right. A gargoyle.” She cleared her throat. “Forgive me. I meant to ask, who are you?”
Levet clicked his tongue. That was an even sillier question. How was it possible she did not recognize him? He was famous.
“I am Levet.” He performed a dashing bow, spreading his wings so she could admire the brilliant colors. “Knight in shining armor and savior of the world. More than once.”
She tilted her head to the side. “That is quite a title for such a small creature.”
Levet straightened. “Size is all relative.”
“True.” She drifted closer. “I am Sparkle.”
Levet nodded. It was a name that suited the tiny creature. “What are you?”
“A frost fairy.”
“Frost?” Ah. That explained the shimmer that coated her pale skin, and her dry, crisp scent. But as far as Levet knew, they never left their lairs in the Arctic. Had she wandered into the caverns? “Are you lost?”
She shook her head. “I was kidnapped from my home. Now I am trapped here.”
“Oh.” That made more sense. “Who trapped you?”
“Vynom.”
Levet wrinkled his snout. He had never met Javad’s sire, but he already disliked the leech. Any creatures who ran fighting pits or slave markets were… What did his friend Shay call them? Bottom breeders? Non. Bottom feeders.
“Why did he trap you?” he asked.
Her sparkly wings drooped. “He uses me as bait.”
“Bait for what?”
“To excite the crowds,” she said, her voice trembling. “He has a maze he created at the other end of the caverns. Before the main battles begin, he places me in the maze and releases a pack of hellhounds. The crowd can wager on whether I’ll reach the end before the hellhounds eat me.”
It wasn’t often that Levet was speechless.
He’d started his life with his dear mother trying to kill him, followed by being sold into the slave pens. And just a few years ago, he’d confronted the ultimate evil trying to destroy the world.
Hard to be shocked after that.
But the mere thought of this fragile creature being used to incite the bloodlust of a pack of savage demons made his tummy feel icky.
“That is horrid,” he muttered.
Her wings drooped