Chapter 31
PHAEDRA
Frederick comes over to stand in line behind Mathias. “Was there something wrong with the dress?” There’s a polite smile plastered to his face but an angry glint in his gaze.
I shake my head. “I’m really tan from working on digs. The red made me look a bit muddy. It was too beautiful to waste, though. So I paired it with Mathias’ shirt. What do you think?”
Mathias raises my hand to his lips and nips my fingers. Guess he doesn’t like me playing with fire. I wink at him.
“Ahem.”
Turning back to Frederick, I raise a brow.
“Sorry, you know how it is with mates.” Mathias chokes, and I quickly pat him on the back.
I might not have said it before but he’s the one who declared us mates in front of the entire vampire world.
Might as well use the leverage it gives us.
“Have you heard anything about Sarah or Bennett? Like where we can find them?”
“We’re closing in on Sarah,” he reveals with a satisfied smile.
“Bennett is no longer our concern. Unfortunately, most of your claims were circumstantial at best. The footage we saw showed a human soldier killing Letz, not Bennett. No proof he had anything to do with it; therefore, we’ve dropped the charges.
We don’t want to make an enemy of Harlequin unless we’re absolutely sure.
” He claps a hand on Mathias’ back. “Truly sorry. I know you want to kill him and avenge your mate, but we won’t be able to help you in that endeavor. ”
Furious, I grit my teeth and stare at him. Damn it, we had Bennett. Mathias shifts, and his eyes redden. The gong sounds, startling me, and we all walk into the arena. Once we hit the stairway, the family members move up into the stands, while the contenders step onto the stage.
I take my seat and buzz Jamison to make sure they’re ok.
Phaedra: Do you see me?
Jamison: Gatlin’s looking. What are you wearing?
Phaedra: Black silk shirt.
Jamison: …
Jamison: Is that Mathias’ shirt?!
Phaedra: Long story. Let’s just say I’m more comfortable this way.
Jamison: Right before we got to the entrance, a barricade showed up along with twenty guards.
Phaedra: They dropped the charges on Bennett. No proof. Sarah’s on her way back.
Jamison: …
Jamison: Damn it. Stay alert. Bennett could be anywhere, but my guess is he’s somewhere nearby.
Phaedra: Will do. Miss you three.
My stomach churns with nerves, and the lady next to me gives me a nasty look. Flashing her a smile, I lean over and peer down the long line of vampires. Several glare in my direction, but I ignore most of them.
“Ladies and Gentlemen,” the announcer’s voice booms across the arena. “Here are your contenders!”
The crowd screams so loudly I can barely hear him reeling off the names. Well, except for Mathias’. When they get to him, the crowd roars like he’s a superstar.
The announcer, a lean, dark-haired vampire wearing a red velvet ensemble, makes a big show of counting the nine contenders.
“Looks like we’re one short. According to the rules, that means we have to eliminate the individual with the lowest election points.
” He looks down at the paper in his hand. “Oliver, please step forward.”
The lean man shakes his head and bolts for the exit, but a second later, his head rolls across the stage. The guard burns him to ashes, sheaths his sword, and disappears into the background.
The crowd snickers.
“There you go. That’s the theme tonight. ‘Only the strongest survive,’” the announcer says excitedly. “On to the best portion of our program: the death matches! What’s a little bloodsport before we get down to electing our new officials, heh? So, sit back, drink some blood, and relax.”
He motions to the woman standing at the edge of the stage with a top hat in her hand. “All the names are in the hat. Reach in and pull one out. Read the name aloud. If it has your name on it, draw another. Good luck!”
One by one the contenders reach into the hat and pull out a name.
The blond woman picks Frederick, and I watch as her hands tighten on her knife.
Fear or anticipation, I can’t tell. Halfway done.
The hat passes to Mathias, and I hold my breath, but before he even calls out the name, I know who it’s going to be…
and I’m right. It’s the biggest vampire I’ve ever seen.
I swallow hard. This is going to be brutal.
The contenders begin stripping off various pieces of clothing. The woman removes hers, revealing utilitarian black spandex shorts and a sports top. She begins bouncing up and down and swiping the air with that wicked knife of hers.
Mathias strips down to a pair of fighting shorts, and if I weren’t terrified, I’d appreciate all those hard-packed muscles on display. He looks into the stands, and when his eyes land on me, I blow him a kiss. His slow smile makes goosebumps appear on my arms.
“You’re a lucky bitch,” the vampire beside me drawls in a smoky voice.
I ignore her, my eyes glued to Mathias. The floor of the arena lights up, showcasing the massive ring in the center, and the crowd goes wild.
“First up, Mathias and Gregori,” the announcer shouts into the mic, and the crowd screams and whistles. Money begins changing hands so fast it’s like a river of paper flowing across the crowd. A gong sounds, and it all stops.
I watch as the two enter the ring and shake hands.
Everything blurs but the sound of sword clashing against sword.
They’re moving so fast it’s hard for me to see who’s winning, only bits and pieces of their vicious battle.
Mathias’ sword swings, and blood arcs across the room, hitting the spectators on the other side.
They erupt in cheers, licking their lips and fingers.
A second later, time slows as I watch Mathias’ right sword go flying as Gregori’s sword slices up his arm, splaying it open. Gripping my hands together, my knuckles turn completely white. Somehow I manage not to scream, but it’s close.
Gregori presses forward fast as lightning, trying to take advantage of Mathias’ one sword and good arm. In a surprise move, Mathias knocks him back using a roundhouse kick, then leaps for his other sword.
On and on it goes for at least two more hours.
Blood flows like a river, and the tang of copper floods the air.
Every time you think they’ve dealt a significant blow to the other, their vampire healing kicks in, preventing death.
It’s excruciating and brutal. My jaw aches from biting back the screams.
The crowd inhales, and Mathias drops to his knees.
Gregori’s sword arcs high behind him, and my heart drops.
It swings down, and I scream, unable to hold it back.
At the last minute, Mathias leaps to his feet, then jumps up and over the mammoth vampire, his sword swiftly following.
Gregori’s arm is still swinging when his head drops to the ground.
Another vampire moves in and burns the body. And just like that, it’s over.
Breathing hard, Mathias looks up at me. I try to smile through the tears, but I can’t.
The brutality of it all, and the crowd treating it like it’s a game…
I just can’t. One wrong move, and he could have died.
And Gregori. Losing his life because Frederick decided death matches would prove what?
That vampires are superior because of their brutal nature and might.
The crowd, on the other hand, loses their minds in a roar of excitement.
“Never seen that before,” the announcer remarks softly before he recovers. “Next up…”
I don’t hear anything else he says. Two more contenders take the floor, and like the first fight, it’s a bloodbath. By the time the fifth match rolls around, I’m desperately wishing I could leave. Unfortunately, we’re stuck here until it’s finished.
Jamison: I wish I could take you out of here.
Phaedra: Me too.
Jamison: …
Jamison: We’re close. Hang in there.
I stare at the words, knowing he doesn’t mean physically. We’re working so many angles right now, it would be easy to lose faith, but it’s working. The enemy is clever but so are we. The hard part is patiently waiting for the pieces to fall into place.
The gong sounds, and I close my eyes in gratitude. The matches are over. Frederick strides to the stage, covered in blood, and takes the mic from the announcer.
“Wow, wasn’t that exhilarating?”
The crowd responds with cheers and screams.
“Give a round of applause for our winners.”
Stomping feet and clapping hands join the cheering.
He turns and calls out each remaining contender. “Mathias Blackwell. Vidal Ohma. Marissa Seela. And of course, myself. Frederick Raul.”
For a solid minute, he basks in the crowd’s admiration. So do the others. Except Mathias, whose arms are crossed and face is blank.
“Tomorrow, we begin to take what is rightfully ours. A place in this world that will make even the gods sit up and notice. Power and wealth will be ours. Nolan was old-school. Happy to rule with his iron fist and inflexible rules, but all that did was keep us under the heel of his boot!” he shouts, excitement glittering in his eyes.
He did it. Killed Nolan. I know it as sure as I’m sitting here. Maybe Bennett helped, or maybe he was just a distraction. Frederick is the one who eliminated Nolan. He’s also the one who’s after me and the rest of the panels.
“Recently, we had the chance to work with the humans and strike a blow against the council,” he begins, and my brow furrows. He’s talking about Greece. Angry, I stare at him. Because of him, Jamison almost died. Would have if Mathias hadn’t given him his blood.
“Our alliance allowed us to play off each other’s strengths and weaknesses,” he continues. “To confuse and surprise our enemy for the first time in centuries, and it was a success! So let’s give a big round of applause to vanquishing our enemies.”
This time the crowd claps, but there’s a buzz of confusion in the arena.
“To celebrate this newfound partnership, I invited our human partners here today to give them a taste of our strength and to celebrate this new path we’re taking,” he explains, and a feeling of dread fills me. “Stand up and wave!”
Mathias’ fist clenches, and I see him scanning the arena.
Some stand; others look around with fear on their faces. Several move to the aisles to leave. It’s like watching a slow-motion train wreck and not being able to do anything about it.
“Stop!” They all halt, and Frederick smiles. “To the new age of vampires!” In a single move, the humans raise their hands and slice their own necks. Blood sprays on the vampires around them, and all control is lost.
Horrified, I swiftly begin counting. 15, 35, 63, 80. I stop. Almost a hundred humans. Gone in one stroke.
I look across and see Hawthorne, Jamison, and Gatlin under a shield of magic as chaos reigns around them. Thankfully, there are no humans in our section.
The woman next to me grabs my arm, but I calmly look at her and point to Mathias. “Careful. That’s my mate.” I use the word mate knowing it’s the only thing she’ll understand even though I haven’t got a clue.
Her eyes dart from him to me, then she drops my arm to leap into the section next to us and join the frenzy.
Someone new grabs my arm, and I scream, but Mathias quickly puts a hand over my mouth. “We’re going to slowly move to the end of the aisle and out the exit. Understand?”
I nod several times and take a deep breath, trying to still my racing heart.
“Good, that’s it,” he says in a soothing voice. “Where’s the phone?”
I hand it to him, and he shoots off a text to Jamison. “They’re leaving too. Don’t worry. He has his invisibility cloak. They might smell them, but it will be hard to locate them.”
“Our time of hiding is over!” Frederick shouts. “The gods be damned!”
The arena pauses, as if it’s holding its breath, and in that split second, they become divided. Arguments break out between those who remember the war with the gods and those who don’t want to hide anymore.
It takes us ten minutes to reach the exit. When we get there, Frederick is standing in front of it with a contingent of guards. “They’ll escort you to your quarters. Can’t have you running off before we make a deal, can we?” He laughs and waves us off.
Hand tightly held by Mathias; I numbly stumble along behind him, but all I hear is the roar for violence. All I smell is the coppery taste of blood. All I see are human faces blissfully slicing their own necks. Frederick must have had them under a compulsion.
The guards unlock the door for us, and I glance at Mathias. They’ve removed the digital lock he installed, which means they now have access whenever they want. I walk toward the bedroom with only one thought on my mind. Getting out of this cursed dress.
Mathias follows, a look of concern in his eyes. He steps forward, but I back away and turn my head to the side, afraid I’ll throw up on him.
Hurt flashes across his face before a blank mask drops.
“Not…blood.”
Understanding dawns, and with a grimace, he pivots toward the bathroom.
I immediately yank the dress from my body and kick it into the corner along with the shoes.
Wearing Mathias’ scent and shirt, I sit on the bed and curl into myself, wrapping my arms around my legs, trying to hold myself together.
Images from the arena threaten to break me, but I keep shoving them away.
Time passes, but I’m sort of drifting in a fog. I look down to find Mathias’ dark eyes full of concern. Hair wet from the shower, he’s kneeling in front of me, wearing a pair of black boxer briefs. His finger tentatively reaches out and smooths back my hair.
“Did I scare you? The Mathias you witnessed during the match? I swear I’m not…I tried to make Gregori’s death quick.”
“Everything about today terrifies me,” I admit, my voice slightly raspy from the emotions I’m holding back.
“Except you. You’re the only thing that makes sense.
” I take a deep, shuddering breath. “I want you to make me forget it all—the blood, the screams, the taste of death. I don’t want to know where I end and you begin. I need you.”