the water that dripped down my chin.
Reed prowled away from us. Across the cage he sat on a bench seat and leaned his elbows on his knees, refusing to look at me. Cuts and bruises peppered his skin, but he wasn’t badly injured, or at least he was hiding it well.
“You think she’s strong enough to end me?” Santa Cruz raised his voice to be heard above the noise from the arena.
Reed lifted his head, his wolf flashing through his eyes. “I think she’s strong enough, and devious enough, to kill anyone she pleases.”
My eyes burned at the respect I saw in the gaze, first of his wolf then the man. My heart melted just a little and I gave him a small smile. He merely looked back down at the ground. Before I had a chance to speak, me and Santa Cruz were called. My wolf urged me to straighten my spine and walk with my head up. I thanked her for being my rock. We were both exhausted, but she would not let either of us go down without a fight.
Reed never looked at me. My nostrils flared and I lifted my chin. It didn’t matter. I would survive this fight and I’d see him again.
I waited as the sick bastards above yelled out the weapons they wanted us to use. My skin tingled as a familiar energy caressed me. My heart missed a beat and my breath hitched. I looked up at the warden's private viewing room, and Connor stared down at me, his jaw tight, his eyes dark.
I swallowed the ache in my throat, lowering my gaze. Pushing the burn from my eyes, I clenched my jaw and reinforced the wall around my heart. Emotion was useless and would get me killed. My goal was my enemy—dead at my feet.
Santa Cruz picked up the staff a guard shoved through the hole. The lethal blades on each end were already covered in blood. Keeping my eyes on my opponent, I leaned down and picked up the heavy axe they’d dropped at my feet. I limped after Santa Cruz, biting my cheek at the stab of pain from my ribs and the agony in my feet.
My gaze took in Santa’s chest lacerations and the deep cut behind his knee. The axe hung heavy in my grip, my arms too tired to swing it for effect. Posturing wouldn’t affect him anyway. His swagger remained even after so many fights, and he obviously didn’t see me as a threat.
Misogynistic prick.
The audience yelled and jeered. I’d made the mistake of looking up into the balcony once before. I wasn’t doing it again. The lewd acts being performed out in the open, or aimed down at the fight rings were enough to make me vomit again. I inhaled and let the stench of piss, blood and semen fill my nostrils. My wolf snarled, her power pickling across my skin.
I set my jaw, calling upon every little bit of fighting experience I’d ever had.
Santa’s lustful gaze lingered on my tits. I tipped my hip out in response, and hid my smirk. Santa had a huge weakness, one that he didn’t even know about, and I was about to exploit it. I’d get out of here one way or another.
The skin around my neck burned and my wolf surfaced. White fur sprouted from most of my body, but she hit a wall and my bones no longer broke and reformed. I’d done this enough now that the pain of a half-shift was merely a discomfort.
Santa loomed in front of me, all alpha; huge, dominant, and a total predator. Standing over seven feet tall, he’d just helped me with my strategy.
I allowed my body to become fluid, my arms and legs relaxing to the verge of being unsteady.
Santa’s eyes narrowed, then he looked up at Connor and roared. Connor snarled right back, his wolf raging in his eyes. The warden whispered something in Connor’s ear. Connor froze, his eyes darting to me. The warden smiled, his dark eyes feasting on my skin. Doherty on the other hand whispered something to the warden, gesturing wildly to me. Connor’s jaw tightened, though he didn’t move. The warden shrugged and with a flick of his wrist, he sent Santa flying towards me.
Using the techniques Som and my other Fae...acquaintances…had taught me, I glided sideways and snapped a kick into Santa’s throat when he stumbled. The impact stung my foot but didn’t slow him much. He staggered into the