25. The Price of Vengeance
THE PRICE OF VENGEANCE
Cassandra was telling the truth: challenging two fighters at the same time had once been a shortcut for fighters to advance into the next round of elimination without having to fight their way up.
However, since it was too risky, fighters tended to stick to traditional one-on-one matches.
Still, this time Graham had no grounds to refuse my request, and his grumpy face alone was satisfying enough.
“Thanks for the help,” I said to Cassandra once my name was in.
She waved her hand as though it were nothing. “I only told you a rule many people didn’t bother to learn. Besides, I despise those alphas who would try to force themselves on omegas. Give him hell, will you?”
“I certainly will,” I replied darkly.
Before facing Allan and Rydel, I had to return to the preparation room to reapply the scent mask and the concealer for the mark.
As I made my way through the underhold, Damien had just finished his match and came back through the gate reserved for royal family members.
People were congratulating him, and from the stars in those pages’ eyes and the admiration on the fighters’ faces, I bet he had given an impressive performance.
He saw me and tilted his head in one direction. I understood his meaning: There are too many people here, we should talk in a quieter spot.
I went in the direction he indicated and intentionally slowed down my pace. Shortly, I heard his footsteps catching up, and soon the back of his hand brushed against mine.
“You didn’t see my match?”
He sounded disappointed.
“You have enough admirers, I’m sure you can survive one less,” I said. The corners of my mouth turned upward.
“They are not you.” Damien pouted. He looked around, making sure no guard or servant was in sight, and then he pulled me behind a stone column. My back hit the rough granite when he pressed his lips over mine. I grabbed his short, raven hair, kissing him back, biting his lips.
We only separated when we had to pause to catch our breath. Damien leaned his forehead against mine, and it felt so intimate and tender that my heart melted a little.
“I’ve finished my matches today, and you’ve finished yours. Should we go find somewhere no one will disturb us and continue our ... commune?” Damien playfully ran his gloved finger over my leather armour.
I sighed regretfully. “I can’t ... I still have one more match later this evening.”
Damien furrowed his lush brows in confusion. “What do you mean? I checked today’s schedule. You’re done for the day.”
And so I told him about talking to Cassandra and my decision to challenge Allan and Rydel together.
Damien’s eyes widened, then his countenance hardened. “Call it off,” he said sternly.
“It’s too late, it’s already done,” I said with a nonchalant shrug. “Can’t let go of such a good opportunity to beat two assholes in one go.”
“I don’t care, you call it off right now!” Damien commanded imperiously.
I didn’t like his tone one bit. Crossing my arms, I said with narrowed eyes, “Or what?”
“Cassandra always has some kind of agenda ... How can you let her talk you into doing something so risky!” he scolded me sharply, as though I were a child who didn’t know better.
“It was only a suggestion. No matter what her agenda is, what can she possibly do during a fair match except watch from the pavillion? She probably just wants me to lose, but I knocked Rydel out within seconds last time. I can do it again,” I retorted peevishly.
“You shouldn’t underestimate him or Allan Eclipse!
Fighting one is completely different from having to fight off two.
” He stepped back, trying to contain his frustration.
“Is this about what Allan did to Leif? I have ways to make him pay dearly without you getting involved, you just have to be patient!”
“Leif is MY brother, of course I need to be involved!” I hissed at him. “This is about honour! He hurt my brother, so he has to pay in blood by my hand!”
“Forget the stupid honour for one second, will you?!” he snapped, pacing around a little. “I don’t trust anything Cassandra decides to insert herself in ...”
I hadn’t expected him to have such a big reaction. Did he have some sort of beef with his sister?
“Look, I’ve fought multiple foes at once before. I can handle this.” I placed a hand on his shoulder. “Do you not trust me?”
“It’s not that I don’t trust you. I know you’ve dealt with worse enemies, it’s just ...” He took a deep breath, trying to compose himself. “Maybe I’m just paranoid. So many things can go wrong, and I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“I’ll be careful,” I said softly. Seeing him worry about me so much saturated my innards with a cozy warmth.
I was about to head back to the preparation room when he gently squeezed my hand and said, “I’ll watch you from the pavillion.”
I chuckled, finding his concerned look endearing. I nodded at him, then let go of his hand.
When I opened the door to my preparation room, I was surprised to see the page boy, Andy, cleaning the table. My chest tightened nervously, worried he’d seen the mark concealer I had hidden in the bottom drawer.
“What are you doing?” I asked with a raised brow.
“My lord! I’m just tidying things up here. I thought you’d finished your day?”
“Change of plans, I have another match later,” I said, placing my blood and mud stained axe on the table.
“Should I help you clean that up, m’lord?”
“No, no, you can go now,” I said, gesturing at the door. “Close it behind you, yeah?”
Andy did as I said. I waited for his steps to fade before opening the bottom drawer, reaching to the very back, and groping around beneath a pile of bandages. Soon, I felt the smooth, cold surface of a bottle.
The bottle was still in its old place. I relaxed, pulling it out and standing before the full-length mirror, using my thumb to rub the old layer of concealer off my neck. After taking wolf form in my latest match, it was barely staying on, and I could already see peeling around the edges.
I opened the bottle and frowned. Did it smell a little more pungent than before? Was this thing going bad?
I hesitated ... There was no time to find Johnathan to ask him about it, and even if I did, there wouldn’t be another bottle for me to use. Without it, I might as well just call it off and let those bastards call me a coward.
The difference was negligibly small, though. Perhaps I just remembered it wrong.
I experimentally poured out a drop of that gelatinous skin-coloured substance on my finger and spread it over the mating mark.
It worked just as before, covering my mark perfectly and blending into my skin.
Within a minute, it dried into a stretchy layer, hiding the mark perfectly.
I moved my neck around, testing it out to ensure it was still functioning as usual.
I then applied the scent mask. Then, I shoved some food into my mouth, making sure I had enough energy for the upcoming match. The anticipation of vengeance buzzed in my blood, making my fingers twitch.
The fucker who dared to hurt my brother ... I hope he had some fun last night, because I would make sure he wouldn’t be able to for a very, very long time.
As I waited at the gate, I heard the herald announce that it would be a rare one-on-two fight, and judging by the deafening noise the audience made, they clearly loved it.
I usually didn’t like using a shield in one-on-one combat, since it would slow me down, but considering I had to deal with two opponents, I brought a light shield with me.
I shook myself out a little, wanting to shake the tension off. I needed to keep a level head and not let anger cloud my judgement when I laid eyes on Allan.
The herald announced Allan and Rydel before me. Those two had been informed of my challenge, and both had accepted it. I wondered if Allan thought I wouldn’t be able to smear him on the ground like I smashed a mosquito, especially with Rydel helping him. Well, he would be wrong.
When the gate opened, crimson twilight spilled onto me. In the surprisingly enthusiastic roar, I marched into the field with my shoulders squared and my head held high.
It seemed like I had won over a crowd through my previous victories. Some spectators were actually chanting my name as the herald introduced me as the “North Vampire-Slayer.”
I ignored all the cheering, focusing solely on one man. Damien was in the royal pavillion, sitting between his two siblings. His rapt gaze shot through the vast distance between us, and suddenly, I was much more anchored than before.
The mating mark on my neck pulsed, like a gentle nudge, and I knew he was trying to reach out to me, to reassure me that he was here.
I took a deep breath and settled my eyes on my two opponents standing on the other side of the ring.
Rydel was clad in chain mail, wielding a shield and a war hammer, staring at me with palpable hatred.
Next to him, Allan Eclipse regarded me warily.
His posture was taut with tension. I grinned manically at him, feeling a surge of satisfaction when his handsome face blanched.
We all knew why we were here. This was not just a match, but a matter of revenge.
Time for blood, fuckers.
Once the fight began, I walked toward them, slow yet deliberate, as my nerves screamed for blood.
I let them charge at me from two different directions, trying to flank me from both sides.
Rydel was faster. His hammer swung down at me with mighty force.
I raised my shield and dashed toward him, meeting his attack with a full-force bash, which deflected his hammer and unbalanced him for a brief moment.
I brought my axe down on him in consecutive strikes, each one with more force than the previous one, leaving deep gashes in his shield.
I could have shattered his shield completely with one more strike, but he found a chance and rolled away, out of my attack range.