Under the tutelage of the Pitmaster, I begin to train more fully. The smaller blade is easier to manage and I can make several quick strikes against the training dummy without tiring.“Not good enough,” the Pitmaster says. “You are still too slow. And your need for breaks is too frequent. With how l
However, in the time it takes to say it, the girl grabs my discarded blade, jumps to her feet, and tries to stab me.I step backwards but the Pitmaster moves faster. Bringing down her sword, she lobs the girls hand clean off. The girl cries and crumples. My sword… and her hand… fall to the ground.“
With my sword resting at my side, I don’t sleep at all that night. When the morning comes, and the Pitmaster summons me, I’m almost relieved to finally face my fate. Lying awake all night, stressing and dreading this moment has not been kind to my mind and body.I’m not suicidal, but I want this str
Concentrating, Caleb masterfully uses his werewolf aura to control the lionesses down in the arena. Without his influence, they would have devoured Harper within the first minute of being released. He can’t let things end that quickly. The lionesses are hungry, though. The tug against his control,
Whatever was holding the beasts back seems to have vanished now.Sword in hand, I slash this way and that, but still they prowl closer as if looking for a chance to strike. I do my best to hold them off, but I am no warrior. My back hurts, and I am growing tired.I fight as hard as I can, even thoug
Caleb paces outside of the hospital room where inside, the doctors continue to try to save Harper’s life. It’s been thirty minutes so far, and still they work. A nurse he stopped told him, with fear in her eyes that it could be hours still before their work is done.“There’s so much bleeding,” that
“Answer me,” Caleb demands.I can’t possibly tell him the truth. In his rage, he might purposefully seek out Samuel just to kill him.“We’re like siblings,” I say.Caleb glares at me, clearly not believing me.“It’s true,” I double down. “Soon, he’s even going to be my brother-in-law.” That truth st
Compared to the depths of the coliseum, the hospital is like a five-star hotel. The hospital bed is plush. The room is relatively private, with just a few doctors and nurses coming in and out now and then. They even give me food that tastes fresh, not moldy, and hot or cold water whenever I ask for
My heavy heart persists into the evening. I haven’t talked much since speaking with Kira, retreating to my room soon after. Not even Bethany could encourage me to speak. Kira’s words cut into me, straight down to the bone. I don’t want to believe that Caleb only wants me for sex, and that’s all he’
None of that matters now. Annabelle looks at me sharply. “What are you doing here?” I step into the room, Bethany following along, my silent support. Glancing away from her in my dream gown, I try to stoke my rage again. Remembering the letter, I retrieve it from my pocket. “I’m tired of being th
The next morning, as I lay in bed staring at the ceiling, dreading another day of doing nothing, I hear a swishing sound near my door. Sitting up, I look at the door and find a slip of paper laying near it on the ground. Did someone slide that underneath? Curious, I pull myself out of bed and walk
“I want to apologize to you for how I acted before,” Annabelle says. With her head down, she also droops her shoulders, seeming for all the world like she might drop to her knees at any moment. He really doesn’t need that kind of dramatics, so he’s relieved when she continues to stand. “I let my
She looks away. “While I cannot save those condemned to the coliseum, I can help prepare them to hone the best of their abilities. I give them the best possible fighting chance, so when they step into the ring, they might survive. Many do not, but some succeed.” Looking back at me, she continues, “
I awaken the next morning to a loud, confident knock on my door. Rising up from bed, I pull on my housecoat and walk to the door, opening it. I’m half-expecting Bethany, though she doesn’t usually knock quite that loudly. Instead, I find the Pitmaster there. Her expression is severe as always but d
Much, much later, after Caleb ravaged me on the stairs again and then twice more in my bedroom, once we are relatively cleaned up, though I still carry his scent all over me, Caleb sits on the edge of my bed, staring at me as I recline there, jelly-like and sated. We need to have a talk, and I know
Seeing Caleb rush towards me, fury in his gaze, I already know what’s happened here. Bethany. She might have seemed compliant when I told her to stay behind, but I should have known she wouldn’t just sit idly by while I placed myself in danger, even if I instructed her to do so. She is my friend b
“That is a terrible idea,” Bethany says, not holding back. “What could you even hope to gain by doing that? Best case scenario, Leah has no way of delivering the message. Worst case, Samuel lures you out somewhere and has you killed.” “He won’t kill me,” I say. Despite his threats, he cares for me,