Chapter 13
Sagan
Meeting Avior at the door was pure good luck that I more than deserved after all of the horrible things that had happened to me in less than a month.
He knew everyone and how to cut through so much of the bluster and headaches.
Yes, it was also that I’d used that code phrase, but others wouldn’t have given me the time of day still.
He was a smart man.
“I won’t be stupid enough to collect it all tonight, so don’t you dare think to disappear on me,” I warned. “One of the family themselves is involved and will be here shortly.” I realized that was maybe too big of a bluff. “Maybe not shortly, but they’ll be here.”
He studied me again. “I’ve never screwed anyone over who didn’t deserve it, and my word is my business. Plus, I think you will be the next fighter I make a lot of money on, darling. I want you to come back.”
Fair enough.
Things moved way too fast with his help and then it was time to fight. I honestly couldn’t believe that, but also… They lost nothing really if I was beaten up. It was still something entertaining while they found another fighter.
The place itself was one big cliché. A warehouse half converted with bars and a damn fighting ring that was permanent, so clearly they were confident they’d never be raided. It was meant to try and all look like a nightclub, but they really didn’t try hard.
At all.
“Get naked, bitch,” someone jeered from the crowd as I was brought to the fighter’s area.
I rolled my eyes and took off my cloak. I glanced around and found someone who looked to be on staff. “Thousand dollars if you watch my stuff while I fight and it doesn’t vanish.”
She nodded. “I’ll get it to the bar and they’ll watch it. Legit.”
“Thanks.” I hurried to take off my shoes and everything else I needed to.
“You have to fight in your third form,” she hissed at me when it was clear I was done.
I frowned at her and changed forms with the clothes I had on, the magic of them adjusting to my new size. I flinched as the taunts around me died some.
Right, most people didn’t have the money to afford magical clothes or such expensive gear. Shit.
Well, even with glamour, I’m not being naked before or after a fight. No way. Someone could figure out one day who I am and—no.
Eloise was thrilled to be free, and to my utter dismay, actually did a damn happy dance which actually worked in my favor because people forgot about my magical fighting gear… And went back to taunting me. Yeah, even I couldn’t blame them for that one.
Any fighter whose dragon did a happy dance after changing forms deserved it.
Can you be serious?
She apologized in my mind but clearly didn’t mean it, too happy to have her freedom. She wanted to know exactly how long she could stay out and what I wanted from her.
Right then I told her to get ready to fight and stretch out since I didn’t know how long we would have before things started.
That was enough for the moment, but she more played than anything… Which again actually worked in my favor. Every time I glanced at the boards, the odds for the fight were changing.
And never in my favor. At one point, it was 62:1 meaning sixty-two dollars paid out for every dollar bet if I won.
Which apparently no one was betting on from what I could tell. I was the only bet. The hundred thousand I’d brought plus the ten million borrowed against the prize.
I turned when I heard a whistle that seemed more than normal cheering. Avior was there trying to get my attention, so I went over.
“I can’t cover this much and the cap is 25:1 payout,” he yelled over the crowd. “House rules. This isn’t a casino or the mafia. Owner keeps it lower stakes than that.”
I swallowed a snort. Owner?
More like elder.
I nodded. “Do what you can.”
He licked his lips. “I can make other bets for a cut. Thirty percent.”
This time I did snort. “Don’t play me. I’m new here, not new. Fifteen.”
“Twenty since I don’t know you and I want an intro to your Metcalf contact.”
“Twenty and I’ll see what you manage to pull off and pass it along,” I countered. “They can decide if you’re worth meeting to talk to or something else.”
He was smart enough to hear the implied threat that they might put them in the ground for messing with an associate of theirs.
Good, because I was bluffing.
Big time.
On all of it.
I had no idea what I was doing on any of this.
He stopped me when I went to turn away. “They’re checking for magic since you’re a mystic. You have to know that, but don’t rock the boat too much. Play the game.”
I studied him and slowly nodded, muttering a thanks before focusing on where I needed to be.
Now I just had to get my dragon on board. She liked to be the best and probably wanted this over so she could do whatever she wanted.
Eloise, we can’t do this fast.
“I want to. Beat multiple and have fun.”
Only one for now. I’ll see if we can have more fun regularly but only if we make people happy now, okay? I hurried on when I felt her frustration. Enjoy your time out. There’s no rush. This is all we’re doing tonight, but we have to change back before we leave here.
That worked. That was what she needed to hear. The slower she took the fight, the longer she could be free.
I was glad because then it was time to fight. A dragon bigger than me stepped into the ring and it was all completely cliché. The trash talking from him and the stands. People trying to place last-minute bets and the announcers giving his stats and laughing at an unknown female challenger.
And apparently, since no one had any faith in me, they had another fighter lined up for after me.
I cooed at Eloise to block it all out and keep her temper, promising she could do the sassiest happy dance after to mock them all. Also, I’d find a way to have her favorite lamb meal on the menu soon. I promised.
I promised a lot because even if it wasn’t the original crazy amount gambling I’d been calculating in my head, even if Avior could bet a couple of million for me with his cut at 25:1 odds… That would be unreal on top of what the prize was.
And I could only pull this off once.
Sure, even if I fought again, people might not have faith in me, or the odds wouldn’t be great, but only once could I come in completely blind and pull this trick.
So I needed to make it good. Hell, I was thanking the gods my bluff worked and I’d met someone who would even take bets on credit.
The gong sounded and I snapped into focus. The guy came out strong and hard thinking he would just end this so he could focus on his real fight.
The shock on his face when I easily blocked his first hit was amusing. Then I slammed my tail into his side and danced away, probably surprising way more than him.
“You’ve got moves, girl, but you’ll still be mine tonight after you’re out,” he growled.
“No matter how this ends, if you ever take a woman like that, I’ll mount your head on the front door in warning so it never happens again,” I told him.
The fool simply laughed… Which pissed off Eloise a bit too much and she grabbed his arm and broke it. Then she kicked him in the stomach and sent him flying.
The crowd went dead silent as he landed against the fencing and sank in a heap.
“No fucking way,” the only voice I could make out said.
Eloise! I warned you!
“No hurting women,” she defended.
I couldn’t even yell at her.
The ref got in between us when I stepped towards the guy and I nodded but kept my gaze on the fighter. “Think I’m bluffing now what I’ll do to you if you rape a woman?”
“What did you say, asshole?” someone called from outside the cage, rage in his voice.
I found the general area I heard it from and focused there. “That once I was unconscious, he was going to have me like it was a given.”
The manager pushed past the others and was seething mad. “Not here he won’t, and he’s dead if he ever tried. He was goading you.”
I snorted. “Maybe you control it, but I know smack talk and that wasn’t it.” I pointed to the dragon getting back on his feet. “That’s a man who was ready to play another round of what he has before.”
“Fuck you, bitch,” the fighter groaned as he stood. “Prove it.”
I told Eloise to calm down. “Prove it? Not ‘no way, I would never?’ No, it’s prove it, huh? Yeah, you sound innocent. How many have you raped?” I glanced at the manager. “Are we allowed to maim and still win the prize?”
His eyes flashed worry. “Not intentionally.”
Shame.
I was out of time, the fighter furious I was making him look bad. His words.
Yeah, I’d done this and made him look bad. Totally my fault.
Eloise behaved and ignored the taunting, even the cheers and boos. She lasted until the middle of the third round until she let me know that she was beyond bored and done with this. If this was all it was going to be then she’d rather go back to just chilling inside of me.
I’m sorry, girl. Someday—I’ll figure out a way to do better now that we’re home and I can have a real place to let you out. I promise.
My heart broke when she basically nodded at me but clearly didn’t believe me. Even Iris, my fire dragon, mentally snorted like she didn’t believe me either. She needed to be let out more often too and I kept her locked down more than most dragons.
Yeah, well, it wasn’t my fault since I was always in different nations and it wasn’t always safe to turn into a huge ass dragon.
But I could do better now… Somehow.
I gave Eloise permission to finish it when I felt it had been long enough.
She did a perfect combo and knocked the dragon out with some pretty good damage since she didn’t like him. I backed away with my hands up without needing to be told. I was about to shift back, but I realized that was a bit like gloating that I knew it was over.
And might actually be against the rules.
The refs counted it out, and then once he declared me the victor and nodded, I shifted back to my glamoured appearance. He raised my hand, and after the initial shock, people went wild.
And not in the good way.
They lost their fucking minds.
“Okay, time to get you out of here,” Avior called from the doorway, holding what looked like my stuff. He waved for me to hurry up and then security was there with us as people started throwing things.
“This way,” the manager yelled from the door to the back room where I’d met him.
We ducked in there and he couldn’t hide his upset. I tried my best to keep my cool, but I was seconds from breaking with the tension.
“You weren’t supposed to actually fucking win,” the manager finally snapped.
“Yeah, well, she did, and you will lose everything if you don’t pay out and accept this,” Avior said for me.
“I’ll lose my fucking head when I answer to the owner that a fucking broad won,” he snarled.
I decided to do my best to de-escalate this.
“Someone already posted on social media or let it out. They always do. It’s done.
Your decisions now and how things pan out will decide what happens next.
” I snorted when he glanced at me. “I know how rare mystic dragons are. I’m maybe one of the only ones who fights. And a female?”
“You’ll have fighters far and wide coming to take her on,” Avior said, taking the hint.
“And she’s backed.” He flinched when there was banging at the door, worry in his eyes.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out his card.
“It’s magic, not just a number. You call it and I have to find you within a day or it brings pain. ”
“You can’t be serious giving her that,” the manager whispered glancing between us. “Who backs her?”
“They don’t back me, but they did the bet,” I clarified. “But yeah, I know them well.” I took the card. “The prize?”
“You should not walk out of here with that and you don’t want it wired, right?” Avior checked.
“You don’t think I’m stupid enough to leave it with you,” I practically snarled.
“I don’t think you have a choice,” the manager worried when there was more banging and yelling. “He’ll do it.” He swallowed loudly. “We both will. This is a mess tonight but—fuck.”
“I want some sort of promise or collateral,” I argued. “You’re talking millions.”
Anger filled the manager’s eyes. “Then where do I wire it?”
Yeah, okay, fair enough. Walking out with twenty million was stupid.
I gave a swift nod. “I’ll be back with an account and there better be a wire ready.”
“We have it,” he promised. He glanced back to the main area with worry. “Now get out of here so we can announce it’s over and done.”
I chuffed a few times but then left knowing they were right and there was no way to rectify it in that moment. In my upset, I was turned around a few times, but then I managed to sneak back into the castle.
Which again, wasn’t great.
“Where are you coming from, Your Highness?” Benson asked from behind me as I came out into the main hallway near the residence wing.
Normally, I would have kept my composure better, but I was honestly furious I could sneak in and out of the castle so easily. “Wherever I want.” I didn’t even glance at him and kept in the direction I was heading.
But he was taller and his steps ate up the distance faster, suddenly in front of me. “I’m sorry?”
“For?” I asked, glancing up at him with a raised eyebrow.
He frowned as he studied me. “I was merely inquiring as to—”
“My whereabouts as if I’m a child?” I interrupted.
He flinched, worry filling his eyes. “Not at all, Princess. I apologize if that’s how it came off. I simply wanted to know…” He cleared his throat and glanced around before leaning in. “Are you okay? I saw you and just wanted to check in.”
I swallowed down what him being that close to me did to my body and dropped the mask I wore flawlessly. “Why?”
He reacted as if I’d slapped him. “Sagan, what is…” He looked truly wounded. “I’m sorry I haven’t—” He swallowed loudly. “Of course I care and am worried about you.”
I hummed thoughtfully. “I’m fine. I’m always fine, thank you for your concern.
” I swallowed a sigh when that was clearly not enough.
“Please let me by.” I ground my jaw when he didn’t.
“What, did I do something to Elira again that you want to discuss? Or another lecture about—” I pushed past him when he sighed.
Fuck him. Seriously just… Fuck him.
Fuck everyone even. I couldn’t deal with anything else. I was so overloaded, and the last thing I needed was whatever he was trying to put on me.
I flinched when I saw Thorn and a group of people not far away, but while they were all talking and not paying attention, Thorn only had eyes for my interaction with Benson. I acknowledged him with a nod but kept going. I had more important things to handle right then than any man or his feelings.
I had to make a call I didn’t want to and risk too much to hopefully save my parents’ reputation and my future situation.
And I really wasn’t sure which way it would go.
The fight earlier that had such bad odds against me was honestly a cakewalk as opposed to what I was doing next. That was just my life now it seemed.