Page 22 of Dark Souls
Arena Of Death
I inhaled a deep breath and clasped my fingers together to stop them from tapping against my thigh as I stared at the perplexed faces in front of me. I was taking an enormous risk by telling my mum, Archer, Sienna and Raiden about The Underground event tonight. But with the amount of lies piling up and the obvious unknown danger I was about to walk into, I knew I had to confess to at least some of what was going on with me. As much as I loved the adrenaline of a dangerous situation, I wasn’t suicidal. If anything went wrong tonight, I couldn’t have my family not knowing what happened to me or who was responsible.
I had hoped that Heathen would show up so I could question him further about what to expect at the event, but he’d gone AWOL again. This whole hot and cold stalker act was starting to really piss me off. I mean, where was the commitment? I was never one to do things in halves and the fact that it had been nearly a week since I’d seen him showed he wasn’t taking his stalking responsibilities as seriously as he should be.
’Are you listening to yourself? ’ Rue snapped. ’You’re annoyed that you aren’t being stalked more when we both know you’re really pissed off because you have nothing to distract yourself from thinking about our soulmate. You know, the one that you still haven’t found! ’
‘I’ve been trying! You know I have!’
’ Try harder!’
God, she was in a violent mood. She’d become increasingly difficult the longer we went without finding out any further information on Red. My grandma had discreetly searched through the Academy archives to see if any male vampires with red hair had ever been a student there. The two she showed me were most definitely not him. I’d tracked down the license plate on the CCTV cameras that showed him parking in the resort, but it was a dead end. Apparently, someone named Bram Stoker rented the car. At least the asshole had a sense of humour.
My mum leaned forward, resting her manicured hands on the table between us. “So let me get this straight. You have a membership card and access to The Underground, but you won’t tell us how you got it?”
“That’s right. The person who helped me get it could get in a lot of trouble, so I need you to just trust me on this,” I explained, holding her firm gaze with my own pleading one. She exhaled and glanced across at her brother.
“No.” He shook his head, his huge arms folded across his chest and giving me a ‘no fucking way will I agree to this’ look. I knew my uncle would be the toughest to convince out of the four, but as long as I got the other three to agree, he’d be outnumbered. “Absolutely not. Did you really think we’d allow you to attend an Underground event undercover and alone, without telling us who helped you get in? It could be a set-up, Ilaria.”
“Why would it be a set-up?” Sienna asked next to him.
He stretched out one arm towards me, staring at her as if she was crazy not to see it. “She is the royal princess! This ‘person’ who gave her this access to The Underground could work for someone in the club. They may want her dead and are luring her into their twisted lair so she just disappears or maybe this is a planned kidnap to get to us royals.”
“He has a point,” my mum added. “If you tell us who it is that you’re protecting… if we meet them and have a chat first, I am sure there is something we can do to help him without putting you in danger.”
I shook my head. “I can’t. He trusts me. I gave him my word, and I am going to help him. I can’t tell you who he is because… he’s complicated. And he doesn’t trust anyone.”
“But he trusts you? Why the hell, out of everyone on this planet, has he sought you out to help him, Ilaria? It doesn’t make any sense. These aren’t just some rogue supernaturals we are talking about; this is a highly dangerous organised crime club he has asked you to walk into. He clearly doesn’t care about your life if he expects a little disguise will be enough to keep you safe,” Raiden protested.
“Or he doesn’t have any other choice. Maybe I am his only chance,” I argued, feeling a strange protectiveness bubbling in my chest. I had given Heathen my word that I would help him. That I would go to The Underground and find out as much as I could about who he was because he wasn’t able to tell me himself. And I never went back on my word.
Raiden scoffed, shaking his head again. “This guy sounds like trouble, Ilaria. I don’t like the sound of him at all.”
“You don’t even know him,” I snapped. Rue’s anger mixing with my own had me on edge as I dug my nails into the palms of my hands under the table. “Look. I don’t expect any of you to understand this. I didn’t even need to tell you about this at all, but I am. I am asking you all to put some trust in me. Know that I can handle this and that I know what I am doing.”
Liar. I didn’t have a fucking clue what I had got myself into but the moment I admitted that it would be game over.
“Do you trust this person? This mysterious man that needs your help?” Sienna asked as we locked eyes.
It was complete insanity, but yes. I trusted my serial killer stalker. I was confident that he was being honest and not leading me into a deadly trap. I knew that much.
“Yes. I trust him. So I am asking you all to trust me. Let me go undercover as an agent tonight. Let me find out what The Underground is all about. The SIA and our family have never had an opportunity like this. We will finally know what goes on at these events and whether it is something we need to be worried about.”
They were silent for a few moments, exchanging heavy glances that spoke a thousand words. I bit my tongue, needing to allow them to mull this over. I’d be going whether or not they agreed to it. They couldn’t stop me. But I’d feel a hell of a lot safer if they’d help me with this.
“ The Underground is an organisation that we have never been able to crack,” Archer spoke first. “It would be good to know exactly what we are dealing with here and whether it is something we should be working to take down. Ilaria has proved herself as intelligent, fierce and resourceful. I don’t have any qualms about allowing her to go undercover, but she is your daughter, Ruby. It’s your call.”
I peered into my mother’s purple eyes and silently begged. It was times like these that it would have been extremely handy to read my family’s minds.
“Mum.” I leaned forward, directing all my attention toward her as she chewed on her bottom lip, clearly feeling torn. But the fact she wasn’t closed off like my uncle right now was what I was focusing on. I could work with uncertainty. “The other night, at the resort, we had a moment. I know we were both high but…” That caused a few raised eyebrows from Raiden and Archer and a giggle from Sienna. “... I felt like you truly understood me. That you saw me for who I was. This could be my wishing well, Mum. Let me dive down.”
“I’m lost. What wishing well?” my uncle questioned; his brows pinched together.
“I think it’s a metaphor,” Sienna whispered.
I didn’t look at either of them, keeping my gaze locked on Mum. I could see her face softening, her memories of that conversation flooding back to her. So I dug my nails in a little deeper.
“You said you’d always be on my side, Mum.”
‘Pure manipulation. I am so proud of you.’ Rue smirked.
The heavy sigh she released was my answer. A wide smile appeared on my face as she hit the table with her hands in defeat and said, “Fine. You can go. But…”
“Ruby, what the hell? You cannot be serious!” Raiden had jumped up from his chair.
“Sit your ass down, Raiden!” Mum snapped. “She is my daughter and I have faith that she knows what she is doing. She can handle herself. Have you forgotten what I achieved at the age of twenty-one? This crown was earned.”
That had him silenced. He sulked back down in his chair and Sienna placed her hand on his arm to calm him. Mum glanced back at me as I waited for her to continue .
“But… Raiden and Sienna will be on stake out nearby the location. You will have a hidden camera on you. You will stay for a maximum of three hours and then leave. If, at any point, you feel unsafe, you will transport yourself out of there. Don’t try to be a hero, Ilaria, and whatever you do, do not draw unwanted attention to yourself. You go in, get the information you need and leave. Is that understood?”
I nodded, unable to stop the beaming smile on my face as I practically bounced in my seat with excitement. Depression had consumed me for days. This is exactly what I needed. And to have her approval and faith in me was the best feeling in the world.
“I promise. Thank you so much, Mum.” I zoomed round and wrapped my arms around her neck from behind, giving her a rare hug.
“I wouldn’t get too excited. Wait until Ezra hears about this. He’ll chain her up in the palace dungeons to stop her from going.” My uncle chuckled.
“I’ll deal with Ezra,” Mum said, shooting him a warning glare. “In fact, you will keep your lips shut about all of this. That includes not telling dad. I will deal with the men in this family. I think it’s best that they hear about this after the event.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” Sienna added, which caused Raiden to growl at her. “What? You Romano and Black men are ridiculously protective over us women. Yet, it’s so pointless! You give yourselves heart attacks over our safety for no reason. If you haven’t noticed, we kick ass.”
“So, does this mean I am officially an SIA agent now?” I spun around to look at Archer, who stumbled over his words in panic.
“Um, well… uh… let’s just see how this goes.”
I rolled my eyes. Whatever. I’d report back my findings at the club to the SIA, but my main agenda was to find more out about Heath, anyway. I didn’t need any other distractions.
“Will you leave that goddamn wig alone? You keep knocking the camera off centre,” Raiden grumbled from the passenger seat of the car, which was parked a few streets down from the London address Heathen had given me.
I scratched the short black wig aggressively, moving it up and down my forehead one more time. “Why are wigs so damn itchy? Maybe I’m allergic to it.”
“Well, this is a great start. Best call it quits now, then. Clearly, you’re not cut out for the undercover life.” Raiden shot me a wicked smirk in the car mirror as I gave him my best resting bitch face.
“You’ll get used to the itch,” Sienna stated, ignoring Raiden and turning in the driver’s seat to peer at me in the back. “Have you got any weapons hidden on you?”
I tapped the side of my knee-high lace-up boot that always hid my favourite dagger. “Yep.”
She nodded, passing me the yellow contacts in the small container, and I groaned. Perhaps the undercover life wasn’t for me. I hated contacts with passion, but unfortunately, being born with pink eyes meant I was pretty recognisable.
I threw my head back, dropping the contacts in and blinking them in place. “How do I look? Convincingly not me?”
They both glanced back at me. Raiden huffed and Sienna smiled. “You look great. Hot as fuck.”
“Nope. Don’t want to hear that,” Raiden groaned, going back to fiddling with his little screen in his lap that connected to the miniscule SIA camera disguised as a diamond in my black velvet choker.
I brushed down the little silver and black mini dress I had finally settled on. I had no idea what to wear but figured you could never go wrong with a little black number. I was sure I’d blend into the background just fine.
“Okay. One more time,” Raiden demanded.
“If anyone asks me questions, I make my answers vague, but I give just enough information to satisfy them.” It’s my first event and I’m playing the ‘ooo fill me in on all the goss’ girl. I’ll hold my tongue, restrain my bite and fake a smile on my face when I want to punch someone, so I don’t get on anyone’s bad side. I won’t cause a scene. I’ll blend in and observe.”
“How do you think you can fake a smile when you can’t even fake a hello to people you don’t like?”
“Easy. I do it all the time. You forget, I can read people’s twisted minds, Raid.”
“I guess.”
“Right. I’m going. I’ll meet you back here in three hours. If I leave earlier, I’ll call you both.”
“We’ll be able to see when you leave on the camera, anyway.” Sienna pointed at the necklace.
“Oh, yeah. Okay. Well, see you guys in a bit then.”
“Stay safe.” Sienna smiled. Raiden watched the street suspiciously, his silver eyes scanning for any sign of danger as I climbed out of the car.
“You sure you got this?” He asked once more as I moved the wig back in place for the last time.
“Yes. Stop worrying. I’ve got this.”
He nodded once, and I walked away before he could freak out again. A few minutes later, I stood outside a rundown Chinese restaurant and double-checked the address Heathen had given me. This couldn’t be right. I hung back, standing on the opposite side of the road and scanned the street. It was a rough neighbourhood, with a few dodgy looking men loitering on the corners looking for trouble. They cat-called me and I gave them the finger. But apart from them, there wasn’t much action for a Saturday night. There were a few customers eating food in the restaurant minding their own business, but no sign of any type of supernatural event.
A taxi pulled up outside and a brunette girl climbed out. Immediately, I detected she was a werewolf. She paid the driver through the window and flung her handbag up on her shoulder before she spotted me across the road. She gave me a full head-to-toe stare, taking in my dress, boots, fake black wig that reminded me of Lord Farquaad from the movie Shrek but with yellow eyes.
Instead of going inside the building, she tottered across the road on her red heels.
“Are you going in or are you still deciding if you fancy a different cuisine tonight?” she asked with a slight French accent. Her brown eyes narrowing on me, but her smirk said she was speaking in code.
Playing along, I glanced up at the shabby exterior of the restaurant and replied, “No, definitely feeling this tonight. Just trying to work out when the specials start.”
“Oh.” She checked the watch on her wrist. “In about fifteen minutes. You’re just in time.”
“Excellent,” I said with no enthusiasm and moved my gaze to her eyes. “I’m famished.”
“Me too.” She smiled while suddenly doubting if I was seriously here for a Chinese takeaway or the illegal event happening in the basement.
“It’s my first time at the club. Can you tell?” I said, answering her concern without letting on that I had read her mind.
She laughed a little, her brown eyes twinkling as she pulled a lip gloss out of her bag and started coating her lips in a deep shade of red. It made her lips look sticky and way too shiny.
“I could have guessed, yeah. I’m Sammi.” She held out her hand and I shook it firmly.
“Rebecca.”
“So, you’re a newbie. Interesting. It’s been a while since I’ve met any new members. How did you even hear about it?”
Okay, so the turnaround wasn’t quick in the club then. Or maybe they really were super selective about who they let in.
“I was invited.” I wasn’t sure how anyone even got into a club like this, but that wasn’t far from the truth. Heath had technically invited me to attend.
It seemed to be the right answer because she nodded, glancing back at the club. “Well, you have picked one hell of a night as your debut. I hope you’re not squeamish.”
“Not at all,” I answered, though my stomach flipped and dipped with a mix of excitement and dread. “But the invite never mentioned what kind of event it was tonight. Wanna fill me in so I don’t look as clueless as I feel?”
She smiled, and I realised she was actually quite an attractive girl under the harsh make-up and untamed hair. She seemed friendly enough, too. I wasn’t sure what to expect the members to be like, but she seemed almost… normal.
“It is one of the most popular events of the year. Well, technically, there are two events happening tonight. The Labyrinth of Torture and The Arena of Death. Which was your invite for?”
Ah, shit. Neither of those sounded good.
“Arena of Death.” Because why the hell not? If I was going to jump, I may as well jump in at the deep end.
Her brown eyes lit up with a flash of something sinister and, for the first time, I saw the depth of her darkness. “That is what I’m here for, too. Awesome. Wanna stick together tonight? Or are you here to prowl?”
“Prowl?” I frowned.
“Most of the women who come to these events aren’t here so much for the entertainment. They are here for power. They like to sink their teeth into a certain member, if you get what I mean. Hunt for the lion, so they can become the lioness.”
I had no idea what this mad woman was talking about, but I nodded my head in understanding. “No. Not prowling. I’m just here to see if the club’s hype is really going to live up to the rumours or if I’ll be left disappointed.”
She cackled, grabbing my hand in hers and pulling me across the road. “If you’re disappointed by tonight’s event, you’ll be my kinda girl.”
The doorbell chimed as we entered the restaurant and all the grumpy faces of the customers lifted their heads to us. Nodding at Sammi, the owner watched as she tugged me towards the back and through the beaded door frame that led to the kitchens. The chefs didn’t even glance up, consumed by their cooking as we headed past them to another much sturdier door. She tugged the handle, which led down some very narrow steps to a dark basement. Jesus. Was this where I got sacrificed?
Another door and then the entire scene changed. We found ourselves in a long black corridor which had neon graffiti across the walls. A woman stood with some kind of card scanner machine in one hand and two very butch and intimidating men in suits like I’d seen in the club last week were standing on either side of her.
“Card,” she demanded with hand outstretched to Sammi. Sammi placed an identical matte black card to the one Heathen had given me in her hand and I watched as she placed it in the machine. The screen flickered to bring up the profile of Sammi. Her photo, her name and her species.
Ah, shit. Heathen really had done an atrocious job of preparing me for this. I didn’t even know whose card I had, just that she had black hair and yellow eyes.
Once the card was returned to her, Sammi opened her handbag and gave it to one of the men. They riffled through it, checking the contents, while the second one gave her a full body pat down. Double shit.
“Card.” The woman, who looked like she didn’t know the meaning of the word polite, stared at me next. I placed the black card in her hand, keeping my face calm and unaffected while trying to control the adrenaline that was causing my heart to pound.
I caught a glance at the screen as an image of a black-haired woman with yellow eyes appeared. Catching the name Tamara Rosen at the top and fucking fae. Fae?! What the fuck, Heathen. She looked nothing like me in real life, but hopefully, the wig and contacts would be passable enough. But if this woman could detect species, I’d be screwed. Luckily, she was a witch, so she may not have been able to sense what I was so easily.
I had to remind myself to breathe as she peered up at me from under tight eyebrows and thick lashes. She scrutinised my face with a deep scowl and as I read her mind; I knew she was doubting what she saw.
“That photo is so old. I really should get a new one.”
“Name?” she asked, narrowing her distrusting eyes.
“Tamara Rosen,” I answered without a pause. Sammi looked at me over her shoulder with a confused expression. Yeah, I’m not Rebecca, and I was beginning to sweat.
Three more bodies appeared behind us, forming a queue and irritation appeared on the witch’s face as she glanced behind me. Clearly, she didn’t like holding up members on arrival. She handed me back the card and gave me a sharp tilt of her head as I passed her. Handing my bag to the bouncer, he checked it while the other one ran his hands up and down my body, lingering far more than necessary over my ass and legs.
“Watch it, handsy,” I hissed at him, which caused one side of his lips to tug upwards in a sly smirk. Of course, he felt the dagger in my boot and raised his eyebrows at me. I huffed, acting more irritated than panicked as he slowly slid the zip in my inner thigh down with predatory speed. He pulled out the knife, wagging the blade in my face in a side-to-side motion as he tsked. “Can you blame me? I’m not even through the door yet, and I’m already being molested. A girl needs some protection.”
He chuckled darkly, tossing the blade carelessly into a locker. My poor baby . The other man removed my phone from my bag and placed it in there, too. I nearly hissed.
“Necklace.” He stated, with his large, scarred hand open in front of me. I frowned, my fingers going up to the choker around my neck and the hidden camera in the diamond. Bollocks.
“What about it?”
“Do you need to go through the induction again? No, we don’t allow jewellery that could be used as a weapon.”
“You’re kidding?” I spat. What a stupid rule. I wanted to point out that this place was full of supernaturals who could kill at the drop of a hat, but his deadpan expression told me it wouldn’t be appreciated. Sammi was hovering nearby, waiting for me and the worry on her face said I shouldn’t argue with him. Reminding myself that I wasn’t here to cause a scene, I bit my tongue and complied, removing my last connection to the outside world. Raiden was going to lose his shit. I just hoped Sienna could keep him from storming in and fucking everything up. I’d got this far. I wasn’t about to back out.
“You’ll get it back when you leave. Can’t take any chances with a firecracker like you, can we?” He laughed darkly, placing it in the locker with my other belongings. I huffed past him until I was back in the company of Sammi.
“I thought your name was Rebecca.”
“No offence, but I don’t know you. Members are supposed to have anonymity, so I wasn’t about to give you my real name outside on the street. You could have been anyone.”
Her eyes widened. “Clever! Why didn’t I think of that?”
I didn’t answer her. I was too busy trying to calm my racing heart and relief that I had actually made it through the door. Just.
“So, I have quite a lot of questions as a newbie. Are you okay with being my guide tonight? If I’m annoying, just tell me to fuck off. I won’t be offended.”
“Girl. I’ve got you. Usually, I come to these things alone so it makes a nice change to find a like-minded bitch who gets it. I’m a rogue if you haven’t noticed.”
I had guessed she was a rogue wolf. She had that look about her. Slightly more feral in appearance, as if she struggled to keep her wolf in check. That is often the way with rogues. Wolves needed order and discipline. They thrived under leadership. They needed an Alpha and Luna to keep the chaos at bay. Without a pack, they became wild. Harder to control.
“If you don’t mind me asking, why are you a rogue? By choice?”
“Nah. I was exiled from my pack in France.”
“Why?”
“I killed my dad in his sleep.”
My feet halted. The nonchalance in her voice was almost as startling as the confession. She turned to see me standing still in shock. With a roar of laughter, she threw her head back. She was completely unhinged. Yet, she seemed so free.
“Don’t worry, he deserved it. He was an abusive bastard. Towards me and my siblings. But he was my mum’s fated mate, so you know. I did the crime, I’ll do the time. I don’t give a fuck. At least my sister and brother are free of him now.”
“Why didn’t the Alpha stand up for you? If he was so abusive?”
“Because no one believed me. My mum was too distraught by his death to tell the truth. That she’d been turning a blind eye to the things she knew were happening just because of the mate bond. He had rage issues. It turns out I have them too.” She shrugged her shoulders and kept walking.
Jeez.
No wonder this girl was messed up. Her own pack had cast her out for protecting herself against someone who was supposed to care for her. I felt for her. But that didn’t explain how she ended up as a member of The Underground . To even be considered, wouldn’t you need to be super rich?
“How did you get into this place, then? Not being a bitch, but if you were exiled, surely you wouldn’t have much.”
“I didn’t. Then I went and got myself a sugar daddy.” She winked. “He’s a member here. He pays for my membership and when he can’t attend, he sends me in his place. You know, for bidding purposes.”
She pushed open a heavy metal door and an enormous room appeared full of bodies. The noise was deafening. There was booming rock music blaring from speakers and people were shouting over each other to speak. I was a little shocked at just how many people there were. With high stands like a football stadium around a large combat arena in the centre, it felt more like a concert where everyone was waiting for the main act to come on stage. The air was thick with excitement and rowdy eagerness to see something dark and taboo.
“Ah, right,” I shouted over the noise, trying to keep our conversation going, feeling more fucking lost than before. So, was tonight about money? Gambling? Arena of Death… were we bidding on people’s lives? “So, uh, how long have you been coming to these things?”
“A few years. It’s fun. You’ll love it. There is just something so freeing about being able to let your depraved, dark desires come out to play and not feel an ounce of judgment from anyone here. It’s in our nature, you know? Like we are beasts, yet society has trained us to all act like humans. To live a life that is so unnatural to our genetics. The Underground gives us the freedom to truly be ourselves. Honestly, I think it probably saves lives, too.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, everything that happens here is contained. There are very few rules to follow at each event. But if you fuck up, you’re…” She made a slitting action across her throat with her finger. “But because of the nature of the events, it satisfies the urges and cravings of our beasts. The members here are less likely to go and act on those impulses in the real world if they can do it here.”
That kind of made sense. Living with a bloodthirsty counterpart in my head who couldn’t help but want to suck the blood of every human in a mile radius was exhausting. The urges never went away, but I was strong enough to control them. Some vampires weren’t. I could see how a place like this would be inviting for our kind.
“Come on. Let’s grab a drink and find some seats before they’re all taken.”
Once we grabbed some drinks from the bar, ignoring the leery eyes that scraped over my body like I was a feast they wanted to tuck into, Sammi and I sat down halfway up the stand. She exhaled with buzzing excitement as she glanced down at the empty arena.
“These are good seats! We can see the action perfectly but won’t ruin our dresses with bits of flesh and gore. One year, I got some intestines stuck in my hair. That was a nightmare to wash out.”
I wasn’t sure I heard her correctly over the music. Did she just say she had intestines in her hair? Before I could question her, she shoved a programme in my hands. I stared at the scheduled fights that members could bet on throughout the night. Round one was between a wolf and a fae. Round two was the winner from round one against a vampire. Then round three, the winner against a wolf/vampire hybrid and so on.
While I was distracted, a man suddenly appeared next to her. “Any bets?”
“Yes. 10k on the wolf in round one. 10k on the vampire in round two. Then I’m betting 50k on the wolf and vampire hybrid, Ripper, to make it all the way to the final. And finally, I am betting 100k on The Dealer killing him within the first three minutes.”
My interest perked up on that name, but I tilted my head, glancing around at the crowd to not give away my reaction as my mind raced. Sammi wrote out a cheque and handed it to the man.
The Dealer. That was who Heathen said I should ask for if I found myself in any trouble and he wasn’t around. The man whose trust I had to gain because he could help me find the answers I was searching for. I hadn’t seen any signs that Heathen was here but I also knew he most likely wouldn’t be walking around in his true form. He’d be in some kind of disguise. Or perhaps, like he said, he wouldn’t be here at all.
“Any bets?” The man directed his attention to me and I shook my head. He moved on to the row behind us and I leaned into Sammi’s side to shout over the music.
“The Dealer? Who is that?”
She smiled wickedly, with greed in her eyes that hadn’t been there before. “Oh, you are in for a treat. He is delicious. A real snack if you’re into dark and dangerous. He runs this whole place. Well, The Devil owns the club but no one knows who he is. The Dealer is the face of the operation. The authority. He scares the shit out of everyone because he is just so fucked-up. You do not want to end up on the wrong side of him. There are rumours that he kills when he fucks. And that he blends the brains of his victims into a Bloody Mary when he’s finished torturing them. Oh, and apparently, he killed his entire family. But no one knows anything real about him for certain. He’s very mysterious. The fact he’s fighting tonight is why it’s so busy.”
“Shit. What is he?” I asked, my curiosity sparking. Finally, I was getting somewhere.
“Vampire. But shit, he’s powerful. Or maybe it’s just because he doesn’t give a fuck about anything or anyone that makes him so ruthless. Apparently, he turned his humanity off years ago.”
“So, he runs the club? All the events? On his own?”
“Yeah, pretty much. Although, sometimes, The Devil’s Pet is around too.”
“Devil’s Pet?”
Before I could get an answer, the lights dimmed and the music stopped. The entire room fell into a hushed silence. Anticipation crackled in the air like lightning and I felt my stomach flutter. I was excited. I was one of them. Feeding off the thrill of danger. I could see how this was addictive.
“Oooo, it’s about to start!” Sammi whispered, unable to contain her excitement as she clapped her hands together.
“Round One: The Wolf VS The Fae.” A booming voice echoed through the speaker as the spotlights danced around the room, landing on the two entrances that led into the centre of the arena. Two figures approached from the opposite tunnels with menacing expressions on their faces.
I leaned into Sammi once more as they approached each other, circling slowly. “What exactly are the rules here? Is it just hand-to-hand combat or are they able to use their powers?”
“Anything goes,” Sammi replied, not taking her eyes off the fight that was about to begin.
“Surely not anything…”
“Anything,” she repeated. “They fight to the death. There can only be one victor.”
I sat up a little straighter and stared down at the two men that were preparing to fight for their lives. Fuck, that must be such a rush.
In a split second, one man shifted into a gigantic wolf while the other sent a blast of fire from his hands. The room erupted, members jumping to their feet to cheer and jeer the fighters to tear into each other with savage ferocity. My heart was in my throat as I watched on with fascination. They didn’t hold back. The fight was fast, intense and unrelenting from both sides. But the final blow was from the wolf as his fangs finally got a firm hold on the fae’s body and ripped him to shreds. Members were on their feet, roaring with delight as blood sprayed the audience and his harrowing screams echoed off the walls of the basement.
“Fucking yes!” Sammi yelled, fist pumping the air. “Daddy is going to be so happy I bet on the right guy! Come on, round two. We are still in the game.”
I refrained from telling her that calling her lover Daddy was disturbing on so many levels after her confessed crime but I wasn’t about to ick on someone else’s yum. Instead, I was too shocked by the fact the wolf had barely had time to shift, lifting his arms to the audience in victory and soaking up all his glory before the announcer’s voice came over the speakers.
“Round two: The Wolf VS The Vampire.”
“Don’t they give them a breather between rounds?” I asked as the wolf immediately shifted back, blood coating his fur from his previous fight but more than ready to go again. A female body blurred out of the tunnel so fast, the audience barely caught the sudden snap of the wolf’s neck.
“Holy shit!” I shouted as the room went berserk, the fight already over before it had even begun.
“Haha! Welcome to The Underground , Tamara! There is no place quite like it.”