25. No Antidote

Aekaz's kneepresses into the space between my shoulder blades, forcing me against the rough outcropping of rocks. Behind me, the brothers grapple with his leg, their frantic efforts to dislodge him proving futile against his unyielding strength.

His grip is unshakable, trapping my arm behind my back and leaving me helpless to escape no matter how much force I exert with my free hand.

I've been bested by Aekaz.

He's taking his time, showing off to the arena. I feel like a prize kill, about to be dispatched by its hunter.

I know he's yelling at the crowds, but I can't make out what he's saying because all I can hear is a muffled scream through his nonsense. The sound is far away, but I'd know the tenor of Lena's voice anywhere.

The pain behind it is something I haven't heard before, though. A strange sensation flows through me. My body reacts to her cry, and some kind of hot power courses through my veins.

My mate is in danger.

I buck, barely lifting my shoulder off the ground. A guttural sound leaves my throat as I sputter against the burning in my body. The pain that radiates from the spot where my arm connects to my body is blinding. But I fight through it. I do it for Lena, to protect her, to keep her safe. Growling into the sandy surface of the rocks, I feel the black granules sticking to my spit on my chin.

She is mine and mine alone, and I refuse to leave her.

Another wave of adrenaline courses through me, igniting a fiery heat in my chest. As I push my body beyond its breaking point, my shoulder pops free from the joint, sending a shockwave of agony through my entire being. Free from the restraints, I'm able to maneuver my body smoothly out from under Aekaz's knee.

Instinctively, the cocky bastard reaches for me with his hand, like a spoiled child seeking a favorite toy as it rolls away.

I don't hesitate this time, and neither do the brothers. They bind themselves like whips onto his wrist, dragging the huge male forward. He stumbles over a particularly jagged rock, his side scrapping against it hard. I can smell the blood as it blooms from the wound on his torso.

I can't tell if he's stunned at the injury, or at the battle swinging in my favor, but he freezes all the same.

His eyes go wide, and his skin flashes the color of fear when he's unable to stop me as I bite down on the side of his palm, engaging the venom in my fangs. I deliver the killing blow.

He's stock still as the brothers release him, as if he's unable to believe that unremarkable Kitaico has ended him. I jump back out of his reach, far enough that his foretentacles won't be able to bring me in for retaliation.

"I'm sorry it ends like this. I only do what I must to protect my mate," I mutter, honestly regretful to take his life.

I know in a different world he might have been kinder.

Being part of the Great Proving has shown me what it can do to a male, how it can kill any kindness in a person. What would I be if not for Lena? Would I be driven to madness in the pursuit of a jewel?

Aekaz's flesh darkens as my venom works through his bloodstream. The blackening veins trail up his palm and wrap around his wrist. I regret what I must do when the pain has him falling to his back, clutching his hand against his broad chest.

I find no joy in this murder, but his screams mean nothing compared to Lena's. I would kill a hundred hopefuls if I meant I could take her home.

As I turn my back to the dying male, I know that I still have Roinsi left to find.

Just one more step and then I'll be home.

I'm only able to take a single step away before I hear a splash. I pivot, thinking my final remaining opponent has jumped from the shoreline and is making his attack.

But my mouth drops open as I see the egg Lena arrived at being dropped into the ocean. But it's not Lena that's inside. It's a different human woman. She pounds her fist against the side of the egg as it sinks below the surface.

There's a whoosh of wind as Roinsi reveals himself and rushes past me, arching his body and diving into the waves toward the strange human in her egg.

Turning my eyes skyward, I inhale sharply. Human eggs are dropping from the sky all around the arena. They hit the water hard, but are quickly sucked down under the waves by the strong rip currents.

There's so many of them, all scared and being tossed around inside their pods.

I only break my focus on the sky when there's a scream behind me. It's Aekaz. Turning back, I see his gray face looking down at his own severed hand. The trail of blood leads me to believe he's cut it free from his arms using the same sharp rock that pierced into his side.

He must have sawed it off to stop my venom's progression. Viscous fluid spirts from the gore-capped joint. His foretencale wraps itself around his elbow to staunch the blood loss.

The pale Andjin male pays me no mind as he grits his teeth and bursts into a sprint to the water. Every step looks like agony as he trails his blood across the black sand. He reaches the water and escapes the arena. Whether to die on his own terms or live as an exile, I'm unsure…but he's gone all the same.

When the eggs have stopped falling from the sky, and the last of the humans slip below the waves, I face the chancellor's window.

This madness must end. Roinsi knows this, he's already trying to save the humans. I know it too, but I won't risk losing Lena to do so.

My good arm thumps on my chest as I yell my plea up to the top of the arena.

"We must protect the jewels!"

There are a few beats of disconcerting silence before I hear Chancellor Hirouz clear his throat.

"The last challenge will be delayed. Save the females!" he announces.

I can barely make out his window from here, but I see the shape of my mate as she drops to her knees beside him, tugging at his robes, chest heaving.

She's okay.

Distraught, but here. She's not in danger, I realize. The scream before must have been one of grief as I was about to die.

We need each other.

The chancellor lifts the Lena-shaped shadow and moves her away from the window.

Males, both those mated to jewels and the temple guardians who thought themselves fated to be alone forever, pour from the same doors I walked through moments ago.

They all rush the shoreline, descending into the waves. By the time I make it into the water, groups of males are already pulling the first of the eggs onto the shore.

As I dive into the salt depths, spearing my body toward the closest human, I wonder what part the Great Mother had in this.

Is the time of the Great Proving over? Is her divine power what pushed me to bear the pain of my dislocated arm? I tuck the useless limb against my body. One brother lashes it to my side to reduce my drag, and the other foretentacle wraps around the smooth plastic egg along with my good arm. The scared human retreats to the far side. Through the pod, I lock eyes with Roinsi, I know we both wonder if the challenge is truly over, or if this rescue mission is just a temporary pause for one of us on our way to death's door.

He nods to me, and we both kick, stopping the pod's descent and bringing the terrified human closer to the surface.