Chapter 40
Bella
The night of the fight, Jaeger escorts me and Elodie into the dark underbelly of New Rome, down an elevator in Club Empire, and into a long tunnel that smells like the subway.
I’m blindfolded, breathing the wretched air.
Jaeger leads me to the fight space, and I hear the distant buzz of voices.
The closer we get to the fight, the louder the voices become.
When he removes my blindfold, I blink, even in the dim light.
We’re in a vast space crowded with all sorts of people.
Men in suits, smoking cigars. Bikers in leather jackets with neck tattoos and black helmets hiding their faces.
Muscle men with no necks. People with sun-worn skin and unwashed clothes, their big smiles showing their black and missing teeth.
Yuppies stumbling around, a drink in either hand.
Too-skinny teens selling all sorts of goods—soda, peanuts, packets of white powder—to anyone who has cash to pay them.
The noise—and the smell—is overwhelming.
In the center, on a sort of stage, is a roped-off ring surrounded by blinding lights. This is where they’ll hold the fight.
I look around, holding my breath, waiting for a glimpse of Kaiser. I haven’t seen him since our fight in the living room. He’s stayed away for over a week, working with Atticus to heal enough to be ready to fight. He’s called a few times, but all I did was shout at him until tears ran down my face.
He left me. The big, beautiful idiot. He thinks he’s saving me. Freeing me.
But without him, I can’t be free. Look what happened to my dad when he lost my mom. He hasn’t really been living. He’s in prison.
I’m going to fix this, and then I will make sure Kaiser never leaves me again.
“There he is,” Jaeger says, pointing across the room. Kaiser is behind a group of men in skull masks. The blond hair on his head has grown into stubble and glints in the low light.
Across the room are the Vesuvios. They’re all in green and gold, with pentacles hanging on oversized chains around their necks. Some of them are in golden masks with horns like a bull. The Bulls. That’s their house mascot at Unitas University.
The Giant is there in a bull mask, towering over the rest.
“This is a terrible idea,” Jaeger growls. “Kaiser will never forgive me if anything happens to you.”
“I’ll be fine,” I say, but looking at the Giant, I’m not so sure. “Is this even legal?”
“No,” Elodie says. Her face is bloodless, which makes her freckles stand out even more. “But no one cares what happens down here.”
I remember the fight videos Kaiser and Jaeger were reviewing. “You’re like gladiators.”
Jaeger doesn’t confirm or deny it. He looks grim and hasn’t smiled since he told me Kaiser was going to fight. I used to think he smiled too much, but now I miss it.
He leads me to Kaiser’s side. I stare at him like he’s a stranger. He’s shirtless, with a satin robe draped over his shoulders. The picture on the back is a roaring lion.
Then he looks at me, and I feel everything. I can’t stop my feet from hurrying to him. I stop in front of him, not touching him. I missed him so much. The big, beautiful idiot. I want to slap his perfect face, then cry and make him hold me.
“Bella.”
I have one more chance to stop this, change his mind. My guts are twisting like I’m gonna puke. “You don’t have to do this.” If he’s willing to listen to reason now, I won’t have to go through with my plan. “You can throw the fight.”
“No. The Vesuvios don’t understand anything but brute force. I have to fight.”
“You don’t have to be willing to die for me just so I’ll be happy.”
“This will fix everything.”
“Kaiser, please. Don’t make me beg.” I bite my lip. I’m not going to cry. Not here. “Please, you don’t have to protect me.”
“But I do. That’s what a good husband does.” He cups my face in his large, calloused hands. I rise to tiptoe, but he only kisses my forehead. For a long moment, he breaths in my scent.
Then he steps back. “Goodbye, little bride.”
“Kaiser, no.” I swallow my desperate plea. I have to be strong. I’m wearing a long coat and clutch it around me for a second, getting myself together. “I need you to kiss me.”
He freezes in the act of turning away.
“Do this one thing for me.” I wet my lips, tasting the bitter lip gloss I’ve coated them with. “Kiss me, Kaiser. Please.”
He hesitates, a tremor running through him. He knows I’m up to something, but he can’t resist me.
He comes closer, and the noise and the crowd fade away. “Belladonna.”
I reach up and stroke his lips. I can’t stop myself.
He seizes me, pulling me close. I can feel him fighting himself, but he can’t fight me.
I’m the one who’s beaten him. The only one. And he knows it.
He lowers his head to mine. It feels inevitable.
Our lips brush, and he sighs, a shocked gust of air against my lips.
“Please,” I barely whisper.
With his fingers tight in my hair, he kisses me.
My whole body thrills at the sensation. I feel alive.
And then it’s over. He draws my head back slowly, tugging my hair hard enough to make my eyes water. Fresh pain washes through me, and I embrace it.
I take a step back, letting him put distance between us. He needs it. He’s bracing himself, getting ready to leave me. “It’s okay. You’re only doing what you think you have to do.”
“I have to…” He shakes his head. “You will be safe.”
“Thank you,” I whisper, stroking his face. He lets me. He can feel the resignation in me, and he thinks I’m willing to let him go. “Thank you for being willing to free me. There’s just one thing,” I pull him down and whisper into his mangled ear, “I don’t want to be free.”
He rears back to study my face when a wave of drowsiness hits him, rolling over his tense muscles and loosening them until he sways. “No—”
“Shhh. It’s okay. Just go to sleep.” I put enough sleeping potion on my tongue to knock out two of him. He’s unsteady on his feet, but he clutches at me, fighting to stay upright.
“Bella—”
“I win.” One little push and he falls like a cut tree. Jaeger catches him, staggering under his brother’s weight. A few Fraternitas guys in skull masks rush to help.
“He’s out. Keep him back,” Jaeger tells them. “No matter what happens.”
Phase one of my plan is complete.
Now for the hard part.
Jaeger turns to me. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”
I don’t, and it doesn’t matter. I’m doing it.
Jaeger glances over at the Giant, then back at me. There’s at least two feet of height difference. “Don’t let him hit you.”
“I’ll do what I have to do.” I pull out hair ties and put my hair up in two high pigtails. Then I untie the sash of the big coat I’m wearing and let it fall. Underneath, I’m wearing my supervillain costume.
I wipe the soporific from my lips and pull out my extra-special lip gloss, applying a thick layer.
Then I square my shoulders and walk toward the ring. Jaeger moves ahead of me, clearing a path. More masked men fall in front and behind me, escorting me through the crowd.
I tried to get Fratneritas to allow Honey to come ringside, but they denied my request. Instead, there’s a woman named Angel who will be my ring girl. She’s beautiful, with a dazzling smile, and turns to greet me as I approach.
“Ready?” she asks.
I touch my hair, checking the pigtails. My roots are dark because I’ve had bigger things to deal with than taking the time to fully re-dye my hair.
But I did put more color over the platinum.
Now, both ponytails look like they’ve been dipped in pink paint.
I’m in a black and pink bra and hot pants set, the one Kaiser didn’t want me to wear out of the house the day we went to marriage counseling.
That day feels like a lifetime ago.
“You look great,” Angel assures me.
I look like a cute, naive young woman out of my depth. Which is what I want. The best offense is a good disguise.
She hands me a water bottle filled with my own brew, and I drink it all, feeling it burn down my throat.
“Is that it?” Angel asks.
I shake my head. Before I can say anything more, St. James climbs into the ring to kick things off. He doesn’t say anything, just stands there with a microphone in hand until everyone gets quiet. In less than a minute, a hush falls over the space.
“This is a fight to the death. The gods will decide the champion, so pray to them. Or Him. Whichever you prefer.”
“To my right, representing the Bulls and Don Vesuvio, is the Giant.”
The Giant enters the ring. He takes his bull mask off and throws it to the crowd.
The Bulls cheer and chant, “Dominus, Dominus,” over and over.
In front of them, a thin man in a dark suit leans on a cane.
Dominus Vesuvio, the Don of the Bulls. He looks mean and ancient, with a passing resemblance to Sal Vesuvio, his late son.
“To my left—” St. James starts and stops when Angel slips into the ring and points to me. He frowns and shakes his head, but I step forward anyway.
Jaeger comes alongside me and settles a satin robe on my shoulders. The lion robe Kaiser was wearing. It’s way too big, dragging like a train behind me.
“—representing Fraternitas and the Poisoner’s family. Introducing Belladonna Bosco.”
Behind me, Fraternitas breaks into a shout. “Fraternitas,” their voices echo off the high ceiling. “Fraternitas.”
Angel helps me out of the robe and holds the ropes while I scramble into the ring. St. James has disappeared. It’s just me and the Giant and the crowd screaming around us. I wish they’d shut up, but I guess it’s on me if I get distracted.
The lights are hot on my face, and I feel like I’m going to throw up.
Is this how normal people feel? Mortal? Fragile?
My heart is beating so fast, it might fly out of my chest. I grit my teeth and force my breathing to slow.
I’m doing this for Kaiser.
And my mother. And Livia.
And myself.
I’m Belladonna Bosco. The Poisoner. I’ve got plenty of poisons up my sleeve.
It won’t be easy, but I can do it.
I just have to not die.