Chapter 42

There’s a tension contaminating the room the day of the fight, polluting the air and filling my lungs with its toxicity.

Kai once read me a book about a man being led to the gallows. I imagine he felt similar to how I feel now. Worry and fear move through me like a winter’s breeze. My hands are sweaty, and my heart beats rapidly against my rib cage. In the copious light, I see the blade seconds before it drops, dismembering the first of many heads. I know my time is quickly approaching, but I’m unable to move away. One step at a time, I walk towards my impending demise. Never stopping. Never looking back.

All I can do is keep my eye on the blade.

Braelyn has outfitted me in a stretchy pair of leggings and a skin-tight tank top. I’ve never worn anything like this before, and the fabric clings to my skin. My dark hair has been brushed into a tight braid cascading down my back, the flyaway hairs held back by a headband. I can’t leave Tessa anything to grab during the fight, especially my hair.

I bounce on the balls of my feet, the darkness closing in around me at all angles. Even though I can’t see, I know Kai is pacing, Bronson’s scowling, Damien is stone-faced, Rion’s biting his nails, and the twins are huddled together. The anxiety in the air is particularly pungent, leaving behind an acidic, sour smell.

When a hand clamps down on my shoulder, I offer a feeble smile.

“Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.” Even to my own ears, I know that’s a lie. Braelyn and Damien have both worked with me, but there is only so much they can do with the limited time we’ve had. I’m confident that I won’t die, but that’s about it.

“Sure.” Cain snorts derisively, squeezing my shoulder. “You’ll probably only get your ass slightly kicked instead of completely kicked. Hell, maybe you’ll still have an ass once this is all said and done.”

I glare at him, but he only laughs.

“I’m not going to—errr—get my ass kicked.” I wrap my arms around myself to fight off the sudden chill.

“You are, Trouble,” Cain contests. “But don’t you worry your pretty little head. I’ll be here to fix you up afterwards.”

“Is that supposed to be comforting?” I inquire. “Because it’s really, really not.”

“No. That’s more of my brother’s specialty. I’m just being honest with you. Do you know what Tessa was arrested and convicted for?” Cain asks, and I shake my head mutely. It has always felt too personal to bring up in conversation, so I have never asked. “Murder. She caught her boyfriend fucking another girl—his fated mate—so, she cut off his balls until he bled out. Then she went to the girl’s home and murdered her too.”

My breath whooshes out of me at his statement. What Tessa had done…

The lives she took…

In her mind, I did the same thing with Rion. She won’t hesitate to kill me in order to prove a point. Ice-cold fingers squeeze my heart, effectively stopping my blood flow.

In a way, she’s more dangerous than anyone else here. Her rage is driven purely by passion, which makes her volatile and unpredictable. When emotions are the driving force, a person is exponentially more dangerous.

“Is she here?” I ask, dreading the answer.

Maybe she decided not to go through with this. Maybe she realized that it’s ridiculous and petty to fight over a guy—though I can’t blame her for being head over heels for Rion. The man is capable of evoking strong feelings from anyone who spends time with him. Heaven only knows the number he did on me.

Unbidden, I slide into Cain’s mind. Though his eyes are intent on me, over my shoulder, I spot Tessa’s sleek brown hair. It’s pulled into a tight bun on the top of her head. The bra and shorts combination leaves little to the imagination. Haley is standing in front of her, hands on her hips, but I’m unable to see the expression on her face.

To my shock, Rion steps up to the pair of females, a somber expression on his handsome face.

Jealousy churns low in my stomach, tasting like vomit. Why is he with her, the girl who wants to hurt me, possibly kill me? Why isn’t he here with me?

As my emotions twist in my stomach like a ball of yarn, something unusual happens. Normally, I can sense the minds around me like flickering balls of light. I’m easily able to guide my consciousness inside the one of my choice.

This time, I’m slammed into Tessa’s head with the ferocity of a freight train. Through her eyes, I see Haley’s lips purse, like she’s trying to keep from swallowing something sour. Rion looks livid, an unusual expression on his normally cheerful face.

I’m dimly aware of Cain saying my name, shaking my shoulder, but I’m too focused on Rion to hear what he says.

My awareness of Cain wanes as I focus intently on Tessa’s mind. What she sees. What she feels. What she smells. What she hears. Slowly, Haley’s words filter to me, as if through a tunnel.

“…fucking stupid. I keep telling you,” the girl says, anger evident in her jewel-like eyes. “What did she ever do to you?”

“End this, Tessa,” Rion demands. His tone is pure vitriol, and I’m shocked to hear it coming from my fun-loving shifter. “Call off the fight.”

“Why the fuck should I?” Tessa retorts, turning towards the scowling shifter. She moves to place a manicured hand on his crossed arm, but he steps back before she can make contact. “I thought you loved me. I thought you came here for me. I was willing to be her friend when she wrapped her vagina around Damien’s cock first and then Abel’s. I even tried to help the bitch. But she took it a step too far. Why did she need to go after you too? Why couldn’t she just be happy with what she had?” Tessa’s voice breaks, her vision distorting with tears. The part of me that recognizes pain in others wants to comfort her. The larger part of me is too angry to care.

“Tessa.” Rion’s voice is considerably more gentle. “I was never yours to begin with. I thought you knew that. I don’t—didn’t—do relationships or anything serious. Especially here. But Nina’s different.”

“Why?” Tessa cries. “What does she have that I don”t?” Her grief quickly morphs into rage.

Rion takes a fortifying breath. “She’s my mate.” That declaration causes my heart to stutter once, stop, before restarting with a vengeance.

Haley inhales sharply before blowing out a breath. “Damn. I always suspected something was up with her.” She gently touches Tessa’s shoulder, garnering the fuming female’s attention. “Please reconsider, Tess. Nina didn’t know about your relationship with Rion. Hell, I didn’t even know about it, and I’m your best friend. Don’t blame her for Rion being a fuck-boy.”

“Rude,” Rion mutters petulantly, but he doesn’t argue with her.

Tessa’s gaze flickers from Rion to Haley and then to me, standing on the other side of the stone arena. Only the top of my head is visible around Cain’s broad back. Bronson stands behind me, speaking urgently into my ear, but I can’t decipher any of his words.

“You’ll be making a lot of enemies if you go through with this,” Haley warns. “Even if, for some reason, Nina escapes unscathed, those guys of hers will still go after you. Hell, even Rion, the man you’re fighting for, won’t hesitate to kill you.”

Tessa swings her gaze in the shifter’s direction, and he shrugs sheepishly, once again not denying Haley’s claim.

Before I can hear Tessa’s reply, I’m wrenched out of her head and returned to my customary darkness. Steel bands wrap around my waist from in front. Behind me, someone’s scratchy beard rubs against my cheek.

“What the fuck, Trouble?” Cain demands.

“Are you okay?” Bronson asks nervously. “Do we need a doctor? Cain, get a doctor. Or can you look over her? Fuck, I don’t think you have your medical degree. Get an actual licensed doctor.”

“I’m fine,” I say quickly, hoping to alleviate the tension. Cain, who is still standing in front of me, takes a step backwards. Bronson uses that to his advantage, twisting me in his arms so he can nuzzle my neck. Licks of fire creep up my spine at the contact.

“Where did you go?” Bronson murmurs. “You just zoned out.”

“Jesus Christ, Trouble,” snaps Cain. “I thought you were seizing or some shit.”

“No.” I shake my head adamantly, untangling my arms from around Bronson to grip Cain’s hand. After giving it a reassuring squeeze, I release it. While he has been more touchy-feely lately, I don’t dare push my limits. Lowering my voice to a whisper, I add, “I went into Tessa’s head.”

“And?” Cain asks with a snort. “You always go into people’s fucking heads.”

“And…” I throw him a scathing look over my shoulder. “I was able to hear her conversation with Haley and Rion.”

Bronson goes rigid in front of me, his arms iron vises. “And that’s different?”

“Very different,” I admit with a nod. “I’m usually only able to see through the person’s eyes, except for the two times with Cain and Abel, when I was able to hear through their ears as well.”

I realize my mistake a second too late. At that moment, my careless words wrap around Cain like rope, seep into his skin, and change something fundamental inside him. My heart simultaneously shrivels up like a raisin.

“Wait a fucking minute.” The disdain in Cain’s voice drips like acid eroding rock. “What do you mean ‘except for the two times with Cain and Abel’? You’ve been using my ears? How often? When? What did you hear?”

“I was going to tell you,” I begin urgently, spinning around, but my pleading words fall to the cement ground and get trampled on by his rage.

“You only say that because you got caught. You’re drowning in a sea of your own lies, and sooner or later, you’re not going to have enough air to breathe.” I know, without needing vision, that his eyes are hurling daggers into my forehead. “I knew I shouldn’t have trusted you.”

“Cain…” Bronson’s growly voice is both a warning and a threat. His muscles are taut around me as a growl rumbles through him. “Shut the fuck up.”

“I’m done,” Cain snaps, ignoring Bronson completely. His ire is directed solely at me.

“Cain, wait!” I plead, desperately grabbing at his arm.

“Don’t fucking touch me,” he snaps, a hitch to his voice that wasn’t there previously. I hear the stomp of his footsteps fading away, each deafening step an ominous omen. I wonder if he’ll ever come back or if I broke his trust for good.

“He’s so mad at me,” I whisper, turning towards Bronson once more to bury my face in his neck. I inhale his spicy, masculine scent. It’s like Cain ripped my heart out of my chest, threw it on the ground, and now I’m staring at the shattered pieces, unsure how to put them back together again.

“He’s hurt,” Bronson rumbles. “He doesn’t trust easily, and he feels as if he’s been betrayed. I think he’s hurt more than anything that you didn’t trust him.”

“But I did?—”

He cuts off my protests with a kiss. “I also think he’s scared. He doesn’t like being vulnerable, and he’s terrified of what you heard while you were in his brain.”

Tears slide down my cheeks, but I don’t brush them away. Each trail reminds me of the pain I inflicted on someone I care about.

“He hates me,” I whisper, the mere prospect shooting bullets into my heart. Claws desperately scratch at the organ until I’m unsure where the pain ends and I begin.

“It’s not hate he feels, and that’s why he’s so scared.” Bronson presses another painfully tender kiss to my forehead before releasing me. Abruptly, he changes the subject from Cain to the upcoming duel. “Remember, fight like your life depends on it. I don’t care what you have to do, my queen, but you’re coming out of this mess alive. I won’t stand for anything else.”

He guides me to the center of the room, where I know Kai is standing. The dragon shifter is coiled with tension. It emanates from him in tangible waves.

“Remember what Damien told you,” Kai whispers in my ear. The next second, I’m pushed forward.

The crowd is cheering and screaming, their excitement ratcheting up when I step into the ring. Blood rushes to my head, rendering me immobile.

There’s no announcement, no official declaration.

But when Tessa punches my cheek, I know the fight has begun.