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Vadim walked out and she almost forgot to breathe.

He was also armed with a sword, but had no other armor.

He towered over the other Fae, his expression chillingly remote and focused, his black-feathered wings folded tight against his spine.

For a second, his gaze appeared to alight on Ella and the queen, but he offered no sign of acknowledgment.

She gripped her backpack hard and concentrated on simultaneously keeping her shields high and searching for a way through to Vadim’s mind.

Ah, there he was. She breathed a little easier, only to almost squawk in annoyance as some kind of shield came up around the arena, weakening her link to a trickle.

Would it be enough to maintain their connection?

If she increased her power, someone might detect it.

Hopefully, once the battle began and interest turned to that, she could increase the voltage.

“Is Morosov supposed to fight them all at the same time? It seems a bit one-sided.”

“I assume there is more to it than that.” The queen’s pale beringed fingers were twisted tightly together in her lap.

The trumpets sounded again. Adam the asshole stepped forward, his voice carrying down the entire length of the hall.

“The contest between Death Bringer and the sect is to the death.”

“Hopefully, your death,” Ella muttered.

“Let us begin.” He clapped his hands and the four sect members dispersed to God knows where, leaving Vadim alone at the far end of the hall. Ella focused her awareness of her mate and began to pray.

* * *

Vadim caught sight of Ella in her pink jeans, sitting next to his mother at the far end of the hall.

A more incongruous pair he could hardly imagine, but they appeared to be talking to each other.

Ella’s mind brushed his like a butterfly’s wings.

He almost smiled, and just remembered to turn it into a glare instead.

He felt the hum of magical power as a shield enclosed the hall and the wavering of his mate’s presence in his head.

Before he could panic, she was back, a little weaker but definitely there.

Adam started shouting something about the battle being on, and then the four members of the sect promptly disappeared, leaving Vadim standing by himself in the center of the floor.

Wasn’t anyone going to tell him the rules?

Perhaps there were none. His smile was savage and his fangs elongated, scraping past his lip.

Not that he needed any rules. He was quite prepared to kill and maim as necessary to win his and Ella’s freedom.

And when Ella was free, they’d be having a conversation she would never forget…

The tiled floor beneath his feet started to shake as if they were having an earthquake.

When the dust settled, a strange array of rocks and ruined buildings covered the floor space, reminding him of the ruins of a classical city, or an overturned chessboard.

Some of the buildings were high and some quite low.

Presumably they were meant to provide cover for the sect as they took turns to try and fuck him up.

A flicker of movement on his right held his attention, and he turned as another massive bolder with the icy sheen of an iceberg shot up through the floor, cracking the tile. On top of it was one of the sect, his dagger poised to throw.

Vadim ducked to the side and held his hand palm up to deflect the passage of the blade.

At the last moment, he realized the dagger was magically primed to find his heart, and had to increase his own power to repel it.

The tip of the blade grazed his outstretched thumb and pain shot through him.

With a roar, he sent the weapon spinning like a boomerang right back at the red-haired man who’d thrown it.

The metal gleamed in the sunlight as it sliced through the male’s silk shirt, drawing a corresponding line of stark red and a shout of rage.

The smell of his own blood and that of his opponent mingled in the air, making Vadim lick his lips in anticipation.

“ Watch out behind you!”

He spun around as Adam appeared to his right, backed against an ancient-looking Roman arch, an arrow notched and ready to fly from his small Fae bow. Where the hell had that come from? Hadn’t they agreed no weapons but daggers beforehand?

“That’s not allowed!” Vadim shouted.

“Says who?” Adam loosed the arrow.

“Me.” Vadim flicked his finger and set the arrow alight, scattering the charcoal ashes and then blowing them back in his opponent’s face.

Adam disappeared, coughing in a cloud of black ash.

Vadim turned back to the rock face only to see it vanish again into the floor.

The bald sect member sent a blast of magic across the divide, and Vadim retaliated.

Could he create his own obstacles for the sect? He tried a quick spell, but nothing happened. Things were definitely weighted against him. Dammit, he hated being so out in the open. He ran for cover. Another blast followed the first, and he dodged that one too.

“He’s not as confident as the other three, Morosov. He fears you. Get in his face.”

Ella was obviously intent on giving him an in-depth analysis of his enemy’s thoughts.

Not that he was complaining. From her position at the other end of the hall, sometimes she could see his opponents even more clearly than he could.

And he was man enough to realize that in this situation, he needed all the help he could get.

Instead of backing off, he ran straight toward the male, leaping the crater where the rock had stood and blasting magic from both hands.

The bald one started to retreat, his terrified gaze on Vadim, his thoughts shouting out to his comrades for help.

He’d forgotten he had Ella’s empath talents. They might come in handy for tracking when his opponents intended to attack. Vadim kept going, then brought the man down beneath him. He kicked out wildly, screaming like a stuck pig. Vadim forced his head back, baring his throat.

“Tell me how to get my mate’s face back.”

“No!”

“Tell me.”

“Morosov , Red’s almost on you.”

Vadim sent a surge of power through his captive and the man went limp.

He wasn’t dead yet, but he was definitely out of the fight for a while.

He dropped the body to the ground and went to stand, only to be sent crashing to his knees again by the force of a magical blow.

His left shoulder hurt like fuck, and his feathers were smoldering, never a good smell at the best of times.

And now he was pissed.

He gathered himself and ran for the next-largest obstacle, a three-foot-high wall, and threw himself over the top of it.

Unfortunately, Adam wasn’t on the other side, which would’ve made things nice and easy.

Vadim took a second to check out the condition of his shoulder, where a tunnel of flesh had been gouged out.

There was very little bleeding. For some reason, his thumb was far worse.

He sucked it into his mouth and healed it.

Because of his opponent’s power, his shoulder would have to wait for some more serious magical healing.

It was a nuisance, but any major wounds he inflicted on the sect would have the same longevity.

“Dude, where are you?”

Behind the laconic question, Ella’s voice was tinged with a hint of anxiety.

“I’m fine. The bald one is out cold.” He hesitated. “Why do you care?”

“Of course I care!”

“After that performance yesterday?”

“Oh, for God’s sake, Morosov, lighten up! I’m trying to save your ass here!”

“And why is that?”

The silence seemed to go on forever.

“Because after that comment, I want to be the one to kill you myself?”

“I’m up for that.”

“Awesome. By the way, Red’s devious, Blondie is worse, and impatient with it, and you already know Adam will do anything to win. I don’t think they’re strong enough to take you individually, although I’m not sure what will happen if they work in pairs.”

“Thanks.”

She sounded pissed but remarkably professional. At this point, he’d take it. He took a peep around the edge of the wall. There was no sign of anyone among the ruins, only the acrid scent of burning. Where had the bald guy’s body gone? He should’ve tried to secure it in some way.

“You should’ve killed him outright.” Her voice was hard. “None of them will give you a break, remember that.”

“You said he was the weakest. I thought to keep him alive and make him talk.”

“If you insist on having a confession, it’ll have to come from Adam. No one else will be believed.”

“ At this point, I’ll take whatever I can get.”

He opened all his senses and caught a hint of movement and heat to his right.

A flame flicked out from among the rubble, followed by an unearthly growl.

As the elongated form of a black dragon slithered around the corner, Vadim’s hand closed around a large chunk of fallen stone.

Glistening red eyes fastened on his, and the dragon took off, heading straight for his face.

Bringing back his arm, Vadim launched his missile, imbuing it with deathly magic that made it glow like burning sulphur.

With a horrific screech the dragon fell backward, his wing and chest caved in by the force of the blow.

Vadim didn’t stop to watch the creature come to ground.

It was still capable of damaging him with its sharp teeth.

He doubted anyone was going to bind up his hurts as they’d done for Ella.

He sized up a half-fallen tower about forty feet away and ran toward that, aware of Ella in his mind, sharing his ordeal and lending her aid.

As magic crackled around him, setting the air on fire, he leaped the last few feet into the tower and hurriedly climbed the stairs to the top. It didn’t give him much advantage, but at least he’d have a wider view of the field.

“Why do they keep saving me?”