19. The Girl With Stormy Eyes #2
The beast within me recoiled under her gaze, but I didn’t allow myself to buckle.
These monsters would never break me. They deserved to be trapped in these pits, to be beaten and bloodied, torn apart by these terrible creatures.
I wasn’t sure what came over me, but I launched into a run, teeth bared as I charged toward the crowd.
Their cheers quieted as I leaped at the cage, biting the metal, desperate to tear through it and get to them.
I was tired of being their entertainment, tired of fighting for their pleasure. It was their turn to entertain me, to bleed for me .
The patrons broke out into laughter, but as the metal started to bend under my jaws, they quieted, their laughs quickly fading to worried murmurs, then screams as the cage cracked. Guards rushed into the pit below, shouting at me as I continued to tear and fight to get through.
Pain shot up my spine, my skin burning where Arden’s mark inked my skin, and I whimpered as I released the cage and fell. Guards rushed me as I hit the ground, pain racking my entire body, Arden’s mark on fire as he brought me under his control.
“Fuck you!” I shouted as my magic dissipated, the beast falling into the darkness of my soul, our connection severed under Arden’s magic. “You’ll all bleed as we have!”
Hands grabbed me, yanking me to my feet before dragging me into the tunnels and out of view of the patrons.
Arden stood at the mouth of the cavernous tunnel, waiting for us, arms crossed over his chest, his golden eyes lit with fury as he watched me.
I panted as I hung from the guards’ holds, my strength giving out, my magic abandoning me under his command.
“What the fuck were you thinking?” he demanded.
I met his glare, eyes burning with every ounce of hatred I held for him, but I gave him no answer.
“You won. All you had to do was return to the gate, and I would have tended to your wounds,” he said, letting out a sigh.
“How merciful of you,” I said flatly. “Tending to me while the others suffer.”
I flinched as he lifted his hand to brush a callused thumb over my cheek.
“You are not like them,” he said, his voice softening. “You are my most prized fighter.” He leaned closer to me to whisper, “My most beautiful.”
My skin crawled at the way he looked over my body, as if I wasn’t a person but a possession .
“You’re disgusting,” I said through my teeth.
“Perhaps I’ll have the guards bring you to my chambers tonight,” he said, something unnerving in his expression as his eyes hardened. “Then I can show you just how disgusting I can be.”
I bared my teeth at him, desperate to tear him to shreds and leave him for the Coronis to pick and tear into pieces while he still breathed.
“Take her to her cell. Her wounds don’t seem too severe,” he said and lowered his cold gaze on me. “Maybe next time, you’ll be more receptive to my offer of care.”
“Don’t hold your breath,” I growled.
His lips twitched into a half smile before he grabbed the collar of my shirt and jerked me closer to him. His breath poured over my face as he spoke, stinking of ambrosia liquor. “You will bend to my will, Thalia, or I will break you.”
He roughly released my chin and stepped to the side, nodding for the guards to continue.
No strength remained for me to fight, Arden’s magic sapping me dry, and I found myself unable to stay on my own two feet.
I slumped against them as they dragged me into the tunnels and back to my cell, the shouts of The Pit’s patrons rising into a roar as the next match began.
It was a distraction to the outburst I’d caused, and it annoyed me how quickly the terror I’d made them suffer had been swept under the rug.
Fighters and other captives rushed to hide in their cells, murmuring to each other as they avoided the guards’ attention.
I could barely make out their dirt-stained faces as they watched us from the darkness of their dwellings.
Bars groaned as they opened the door to my chamber, and I cursed as the guards threw me onto the cold stone floor before slamming it shut and storming back down the hall.
“Thalia,” Kish groaned from her cot as she tried to push herself up.
“Stop, Kish!” Rhyas said, slipping into view from where he had hidden himself. He rushed to my side as I pushed myself onto my hands and knees, Arden’s magic finally releasing me from its hold.
“You actually beat that thing?” Rhyas asked, searching me for wounds.
“Before I went for the patrons,” I groaned.
He stiffened. “Are you fucking insane? You know what, you don’t have to answer that.”
I winced as he forced my head back and poured water over the gash across my forehead to flush the creature’s blood from the wound.
I hissed as the liquid burned into my flesh. “That’s not fucking water!”
“No, it’s alcohol to kill any infection. Now shut up before you attract the guards,” Rhyas retorted. “What did you think you’d accomplish going for the patrons?”
I huffed a laugh. “You should have seen the terror on their faces when the cage cracked. ”
“You cracked the cage?” Kish asked from her cot as she struggled to push herself onto her elbows.
Rhyas twisted around to pin her with a glare. “Kish, for the love of the gods, don’t get out of that fucking bed. Your leg is broken.”
He disappeared from my side, hurrying to Kish and forcing her to lay back down. I grunted as I pushed myself to my feet.
“I’m all right,” she said, and relief flooded me to see her fully conscious. “You gave me your blood; this will be healed in a day or two.”
I stumbled over to the cot before easing down, wincing as each movement tore at my injuries. “Is it only your leg?”
She shrugged, and I knew she was downplaying it. “That and some cuts and bruises.”
As I looked over her though, I could see she was just as drained as I was, just as worn. Rhyas took a while to tend to my wounds, ensuring everything was cleaned as best as he could, leaving no room for me to speak as he chastised me.
“We’re going to get out of here,” I muttered, looking at Kish, who sat beside me on the cot as Rhyas headed for the shelves lining the wall nearby.
She blinked for a moment, seeming shocked, but then doubt passed over her face like a looming cloud. “I don’t know how that’s possible.”
“I don’t care what I have to do. I will kill Arden,” I said, my hands balling into fists at the memory of how he touched my face, of how he’d shown his favor over the years. “Whatever the cost.”
She huffed a laugh, but I grabbed her hand. “Promise me.”
A weak smile curved her lips. “Whatever the cost.”
“Fuck,” Rhyas breathed.
“What is it?” Kish asked.
“The guards are going to start their rounds to distribute food and water for the day,” he said, stashing the salve back in its place. “I’ll return. Just stay put.”
He disappeared out of our cell and hurried down the hall.
“Mealtime!” someone shouted, and the captives and fighters all crowded the entrance of their cell across from us, desperate for the only meal we got each day.
“Get back! You know the rules!” one guard shouted, shoving some of the captives back before dropping a bucket of water and another with whatever food they’d decided to grace us with for the day.
The moment the guard moved away from the cell, the cellmates rushed for the food, fishing out bits of bread and scraps before devouring it.
Those who had been here for a long time knew to ration their food, to be careful of making it last, but there were some who hadn’t learned, who had fallen into an endless cycle of feast or famine.
“Enjoy,” a guard said as he dropped a bucket of water and two trays of food. Fighters were afforded more food than others on fighting days. As soon as the guard stepped away, I rose and slipped my arm under the handle of the water bucket before grabbing the food trays.
“Wow, we have meat today,” I grumbled, staring down at the filet of fish that looked like it was already missing a bite. I set the food down on the bed beside her and hurried to the shelves to grab two wooden cups before returning to Kish’s side to get her a drink. “Here.”
She took the cup and downed the water in swift gulps before gasping for air. “Thanks.”
I drank some water down, relishing in the temporary cool relief it gave me, but still, I remained thirsty.
“You need to feed,” Kish said, holding out her wrist.
My fangs lengthened at the thought of it, but I shook my head and pushed her hand away. “You eat and focus on recovering. I’ll feed once that leg is healed.”
She let out a sigh and sniffed at her food. “Ugh, I think they fished these out of the sewers.”
“Probably,” I grumbled, pinching off a piece and popping it into my mouth. “Yum, not even salted today.”
Kish’s brows drew together as she blinked, swaying.
“Kish?”
“I’m…” she started, but she slumped against me, her body going limp.
“Kish? What’s—” The room began to spin, my body weakening. “Fuck.”
I stood but immediately fell to my knees. Figures appeared in the entrance to our cell. I tried to stand but couldn’t, and I was hoisted up, my strength quickly fading, darkness touching at the edges of my vision.
A familiar figure appeared before me, his emerald hair the only distinguishable feature in the blur.
“Arden,” I growled, my words slurring. “What did you?—”
He captured my chin, lifting my face to look up at him as he split into two, three.
“I think it’s time for another lesson in manners.” He released my chin and gestured to his guards. “To my bed chambers.”