44. Crash

44

Crash

U nfortunately, the little dryad's nap isn't nearly long enough.

Some asshole jerks her by the hair off my lap.

And that's a shock, because just moments ago I was enjoying a brief rest while Malkar, supposedly, kept watch.

There are only the three of us in this dank cell.

Or at least, only supposed to be the three of us.

Just as Ries walked through the bars earlier, thanks to someone else's interference, there are enemies in our cell again. Way too close.

Kami shrieks and tries to get free from the beast dragging her back toward the bars where Ries departed.

Malkar is gone.

As usual. I'm on my own.

I'm ready to take on the two ghouls grinning at me, but Kami is crying now.

As much as I hate wanting to help anyone, I can't help the fire in my chest that some dickhead thinks he can take my dryad .

Just mine until I'm done with her. On my terms.

That makes sense and smothers the odd burst of panic that I'm forming any lasting attachments.

I duck between the idiots coming for me and launch myself at the…orc? Vampire? Demon?

Whatever has a hold of Kami, he's big and heavy.

He grunts but doesn't fall over when I knock into him and bounce off.

Shit.

He turns and smiles down at me showing sharp fangs.

Surprisingly large for a vampire, but just as fast as I know he'll be.

He backhands me into the rock wall, waits until I gather my feet under me and meet his gaze.

Then he yanks Kami's head back by her hair and bites her neck.

Everyone around us freezes.

Even the vampire. He blinks, as if unsure.

And it's Arlen all over again, screaming out, crying as he's demolished by those so much stronger than us both.

The pain is unbearable while he smiles through tears and whispers, "I love you, Crash."

No. Just no.

I feel the hatred burn, smothering all that nasty pain, and stare into the vampire's smug face.

He groans and shoves Kami away, clutching at his throat.

I have no idea what she's done, but at least she's free from his hand still grasping a few strands of her hair.

And then he's shrieking as my fire burns his eyes out, taking away his power.

Kami scoots back toward me before turning onto her hands and knees to crawl a few steps before passing out .

The green trail running down her neck isn't good. It's stirring the other predators to come closer.

I'm not a feeder. I don't take energy or pleasure from blood or pain.

But even I'm feeling some strong power from the dryad.

Before, when in the ring, she clotted her wound. But not now.

There is a growing puddle under her neck, and I realize if I don't help her, she might die.

I glare at the bright eyes in the darkness beyond our cell. "You want to die, come closer."

No one moves. But the vampire is still shrieking, clawing at his burning eye sockets, now on his knees.

Before I can end him, another figure approaches through the bars that should be there. He's trimmer than this guy but moves with grace. He's uncomfortably handsome and flashes a fang at me.

Great. Another vampire.

"Thank you. Gorl was becoming a problem." The bastard has the nerve to wipe a trace of Kami's blood from Gorl's face and licks it from his finger.

He blinks then smiles wide.

That can't be good.

I prepare to fry him as well, the heat inside me still burning. Ever present.

Except between one blink and the next, he and the injured vamp disappear.

I rush to Kami and put a hand over her wound, dragging her with me until the wall is at our back, our enemies on either side contained by the illusion of iron bars.

The lighting is still dim, but in the shadows, we don't stand out as much. I hope.

I wouldn't mind killing everyone, especially that traitor Ries. But if I do, Kami will be vulnerable with my attention elsewhere.

My eyes still burn. I'm so angry I think I'll never be anything but furious ever again.

Kami groans.

I blink down at her, feeling the heat recede a little. I tighten my hand over her butchered neck.

"C-crash?" She blinks up at me, her eyes bright with unshed tears while her blood tracks over my fingers.

"You're okay." I sound gruff, but I can't help it. I don't like this fear I feel. I deal in anger for a reason. It's safer that way. No one relying on me for shit.

She bites her lip. More tears flow down her pretty cheeks.

She looks so fucking young.

And she's so fucking fast.

Without warning, she's crawling up my torso and hugging me as if her life depends upon it.

So small, she fits easily, curled into me.

I pause for a moment, alarmed I've been looking at her and not at the threat surrounding us. The iron bars are no deterrent when the powers that be keep making them disappear.

Ries laughs from somewhere in the crowd of my enemies. "Nice, Serl. Gorl without a head is even better looking than Gorl without eyes."

Others join in the laughter.

Serl is going to be a problem. Apparently, he's the pretty one who killed the bastard I fried.

I've been listening to the chatter for days now, and Serl is a well-known assassin for hire. Related to the Butcher of Black Fang—a bastard who used to run a big vampire gang in the city of Paradise out west—Serl is a force all his own.

He's got no gang. No need for others to help him fight his battles. He kills because he can .

Or he could, until he apparently stepped on Rilitar's toes.

I wonder how hard he'll be to fight without my mage and sylph abilities. I'm still not sure how I burned out Gorl's eyes.

Because now, even if I wanted to, I can't. I feel drained, somehow.

And then I realize I'm patting Kami's back and cuddling her closer, my chin nearly on top of her head.

I freeze.

She sniffs and whispers, "Th-thanks, Crash."

I feel her kiss my chest.

Oh fuck. My heart is racing. The connection I don't want is snapping into place.

I can feel it.

But the fire that should burn, all that anger at my unwilling bond, isn't there. So much emotion I can't name. Something trickles down my cheek.

To my horror, I'm crying.

No one can see. No one can know.

I tuck the side of my face against Kami's hair, hiding the weird sadness I refuse to acknowledge, confused and ashamed though I can't say why.

Malkar suddenly appears, mussed but not bleeding. He's holding a ripped talon in one hand and a bloodied jawbone in the other, a jawbone that's missing all its flesh, covered in black goo.

Demons are usually more difficult to kill. So of course Malkar ripped the flesh off one.

He looks around, spots the mess of Kami and Gorl's blood on the ground, sniffs the air, then frowns. "What did I miss?"

"Same as usual. Us against everyone."

He nods and tosses his prized body parts at the iron bars.

Predictably, they bounce off and land in our cell.

"Us against everyone. Sounds about right." He sits next to me and sighs. "They teleported me out for a few matches. I got a little peeved." He nods at the jawbone. "But in good news, Folas lost money when he bet against me. He looked livid. Fucker." Malkar grins.

The sight of his humor lightens my mood.

I grin with him.

Then we laugh together while Kami hugs me tighter, not speaking.

Malkar's grin dies. "Which one hurt her?"

"Gorl. I burned his eyes out. Serl came and got him. Then killed him."

The demon—though I'm beginning to think Malkar is lot more than a mere incubus—scowls. In a low voice, he says, "I think Serl is going to prove to be a major problem."

I huff. "Tell me something I don't know."

"Yeah? How about this? Oz was in the royal box watching the match. So now it's just you, me, and a wounded dryad against a group death match next on the agenda."

I smile, showing a lot of teeth. "Bring it on."