Page 23 of Becoming One
Nelson shook his head. “Who is it?”
“We don’t know. He has no ID,” Kier replied.
“There’s a note attached to his shirt,” Jewel said, walking closer.
Kier once again tried to stop Nelson from walking towards the body. “Nelson, please don’t go any closer. We’re waiting for Jael to arrive.”
“Damn he looks torn up. Do you think a bear got hold of him?” Jewel asked.
Nelson sniffed, shaking his head. “No, it doesn’t smell like a bear.”
Just then Jael arrived looking really intense until he saw Jewel and Nelson standing there. “I thought I told you to get the Consort and Nelson out of here?”
Jewel firmed his tone as he stated, “And we told him we weren’t going to the coven.”
“Jewel, I’m not trying to be difficult here, but honestly,” Jael said, giving Nelson an odd look. “It would be best for everyone if you two returned to the coven house and allowed us to do our job.”
Nelson pushed past Jael, getting closer to the body. “What the fuck is going on? What is it you don’t want me to see? If it’s a dead body, too late.”
Jael tried to stop Nelson, saying, “It’s not the—"
Nelson quickly moved away from Jael and realized what it was Jael and the others were trying to keep from him. It wasn’t the body, it was the note attached to the body. “Oh fuck me.”
Nelson bent down and read the note. “This time it’s him, next time it’s Nelson. Tell Orion I’m here and we shall meet again soon.”
“Oh fuck,” Jewel rasped.
Nelson stood up, looking at Jael. “Has Orion been told?”
“No, he was preparing for his match, we didn’t want to distract him,” Kier replied.
Theron then said, “He would have just rushed over here and then missed his match. If he does that, he’s out altogether and can’t continue in the Ceremony.”
Nelson knew what they said was true. Orion had told him the rules before people started arriving. You had to start from the beginning and no match could go unchallenged. If you didn’t show for a match, you were out of the competition. As a contestant progressed, so did their injuries. That’s why it was all or nothing. The only rule was that there were no rules. The enemy didn’t fight fair so why should the competition have been fair? The battles never stopped once they began. The winner went to the next round when that bracket was completed then they began again immediately. That was the only rest time a contender had. The enemy didn’t allow you to rest, why should the competition? The referee was only there to ensure no one died during the match. As brutal as this thing might have been, it was not a fight to the death.
Nelson had promised Orion he would be there. As much as the thought of Orion getting hurt made Nelson’s skin crawl, he wanted to make sure his mate knew he was there for moral support, as his mate and biggest fan.
Looking at his cell, he noticed the time. “I need to get to the arena. Orion is scheduled to start any minute.”
Jael sighed. “Nelson, it isn’t safe.”
Nelson turned to Jael. “I refuse to let that asshole Nicu stop me from keeping a promise I made to my mate. I know you have responsibilities here, but I have one to Orion. I’m going.”
“It’s moments like this I wish I could pop in and out like my brother does,” Jewel said, sounding disappointed.
Jael grabbed his cell, pressed a number and waited. “I can’t get him to stay at the coven house. He insists on going to his mate. Your mate is also insisting he’s going with Nelson.”
Nelson knew he was talking to Ezra, and after a lot of “Uh huhs” and “okays” Jael hung up, saying, “Kier, you are to take ten of our best Imperial guards and accompany Nelson and Jewel to the Re. They will follow any directive you give them without question, or you are to take them directly to the coven house.” Turning to Nelson and Jewel, Jael said, “Do you understand the orders I have been given by our Re?”
Jewel rolled his eyes. “Jael, I’m pregnant not stupid. Can we just go?”
It took them ten minutes to get to the arena. Nelson spotted Orion down below talking with another man. When Orion looked up and saw Nelson, Nelson waved and smiled, doing his best to put on a brave face. If he failed, Nelson hoped Orion just figured it was nerves for Orion’s up and coming fight. Otherwise, he knew Orion would say, “damn the competition,” and insist on watching over him, and there was no way Nelson would allow his mate to give up everything, especially something he had worked for his entire life, to be taken away because of a psychotic dickhead like Nicu.
The sounds of cheering had Nelson turning to see a large, muscular man with short black hair and a scar running down the right side of his face plunge his claws into the side of the man he was fighting. Nelson drew in a sharp breath at the painful cry the man on the ground gave, as the referee attempted to pull the other man off him.
“That’s Radeem Napal. He’s one of the men contending for the same position as Orion. He’s a fierce warrior,” Ezra said, holding Jewel close to his side.
“You sound worried,” Nelson said nervously.