cage, but was back on his feet in a second, stretching his throat. With his eyes fixed on me, he twirled the staff, his skill obvious. It was then I realised the cage was slowly getting smaller, pushing us closer together. I needed to act quickly or he’d rip me apart with that weapon. The axe needed more room to swing and use it effectively. The staff could be used to stab and jab.
Santa leaped at me, wielding the staff in a sweeping motion. I bent my spine back, and it grazed over my chest, but I didn’t stay in the limbo position, I ducked and twirled behind him and sliced the axe blade across his recent wound, opening it more. He roared but didn’t go down. I spun back upright, but let the axe blade rest on the mat. It was too damn heavy to hold higher.
Santa moved quickly. Back on his feet, he snapped the staff across his enormous thigh. Damn, now he had a weapon in each hand. Thrusting his head forward, he snarled, his eyes following my movements as I stepped on a shard of glass and screeched.
The crowd roared, and even though I was quick at blocking his attack, when he changed direction, the blade caught me in the gut, slicing my flesh open.
My wolf roared, and together we tried to block the pain and ignore the coppery stink of our blood. Another shard of glass jabbed right through my foot, and I cried out, stumbling. I couldn’t reach down and pull it from my flesh; he would end me.
Santa grinned, his elongated mouth and teeth bared.
I prepared myself for his onslaught, my muscles shaking, but I had to lean against the axe to keep myself upright. All I could do was gape at him with wide open eyes as my chest heaved and the cage shrunk further. There was no way I could out manoeuvre him with glass embedded in my feet. My heart raced and sweat mixed with blood ran down my torso, my vision fading. I’d already lost too much blood and used every bit of energy in my body.
Santa snarled. He couldn’t stand upright any longer, either, but he sensed my defeat.
His pupils flared and his gaze narrowed on me as he began slowly spinning his weapons. I tensed as he moved faster and faster and tightened my grip on the axe handle, not moving my wide-eyed stare from him. He roared and moved fast for such a large, deformed creature.
Just before his blade slashed my throat, I pulled on every bit of remaining strength. I snapped my spine straight and jumped back. At the precise moment I’d timed, I brought my weapon up, a battle cry bellowing from my lungs. The axe sliced up through his groin and his muscled abdomen before lodging in his sternum. I roared and yanked it free, in time to step away from the guts that slithered from him and onto the floor. He looked at me and then down at his insides. His brow furrowed.
“Bitch.” He fell to his knees.
The two blades fell from his weak fingers. Unsteadily, I bent down and picked one up. I leaned forward and looked him directly in the eye. “You have no idea.” And I stabbed it right through his heart.
Santa sank back on his haunches, his grotesque head lolling forward as his eyes dimmed.
The crowd roared wildly. Their blood lust was sickening. The cage roof was so low now I was forced to my knees and it snagged on Santa’s head stopping his corpse from falling over. The collar sent a tingle against the skin around my neck, but Santa didn’t revert to human form, he would stay a Were.
My heart thundered, my attention shooting to Connor. Gods, dying as a Were meant his soul and his wolf would be unable to separate. I kicked myself for not thinking about it before, looking at the bodies piled against the arena wall.
Connor’s throat bobbed, his eyes riveted on me, but the relief on his face was something I’d never forget. Even crawling naked on my hands and knees from the cage until I tumbled into the caged corridor, did not bother me. I just pictured his face, his eyes, and fell into that image. With shaking fingers, I pulled the glass from my feet, nearly breaking my teeth, I clenched my jaw so hard. No way was I screaming for this crowd’s enjoyment. Doubled over and holding my