Page 3

There weren’t cells below the fighting pit, just cages. Ronan dragged me down the slippery stone steps, my muscles tensing every time my feet touched the cold surface. He wasn’t the type of person to slow down for anyone, especially not a slave. So I followed him without complaint.

We passed several other women, some of whom watched, others who kept their eyes down. Eventually, they came to an empty cage without so much as a word, not unlocking any of the chains. It slammed shut before I even had the chance to turn around.

I watched him as he marched away and back down the row of cages, not glancing at any of the women. Once he had gone back up the stairs and the door had swung shut behind him, I took a deep breath and sat down, looking around at my new home.

There wasn’t much to look at, and I didn’t particularly care one way or the other. What did it matter? I wouldn’t be here for very long. And I didn’t care much about what happened to me. I was more preoccupied with Morgan. Most of my thoughts centered around her.

How the hell could I have been so stupid? It was my fault. I hadn’t been able to protect her. All my life, I had been the one who was supposed to look out for her. I had let her down. I had tried to protect her by breaking her out, and I failed.

I’m going to save you, Morgan , I promised.

I let out a long, exhausted yawn. I hadn’t gotten enough sleep last night after I’d been thrown back in my cell. I’d been too worried about Morgan, too stressed. My eyes fluttered closed. I lay down on the cold, hard floor with a long yawn and drifted off without realizing it.

I woke up when the door opened again, making light spill down the steps. I blinked the sleep from my eyes, raising my head, groggy with exhaustion. I heard Ronan’s voice before his stench hit my nose, which pulled me back to my senses.

“Got plenty of options for you,” Ronan said. “You’re a lucky guy.”

“We’ll see how lucky after I get a peek,” another male voice said. “For all I know, she could be a bunch of nothing.”

“You should know by now that’s not the case,” Ronan said. “Otherwise, the pits wouldn’t be nearly as appealing.”

“I don’t know. The last one I won didn’t take very long to break. A week tops, and she was docile as a kitten. I want more challenge than that.”

“I’m sure we’ll find something to your liking,” Ronan replied.

Clambering back to my feet, I went to the front of my cage, trying to get a glimpse of whatever was happening.

A hulking man with dirty-blond hair strolled next to Ronan. They slowed down at each cage, letting the guy hover by the bars and leer at each woman. I waited in silence, keeping an eye on them as they continued down the line until they got to mine.

The man leaned forward, his blond hair greasy, a lecherous, hungry look on his face as he leered at me. My skin crawled as I stared back at him. My wolf snarled, bristling, wanting to tear him to shreds for even thinking of staring at me like that.

“I like this one,” he said. “Got a good look to her. And I like redheads.”

“Keep looking at me like that, and we’ll see how much you like me,” I snapped.

Ronan snarled, and I knew I’d probably pay for that later. The other man, on the other hand, laughed.

“Fiery as your hair, I see,” he said. He leered at me again, his eyes lingering on my chest. “I like that. It’s much more fun.” He straightened. “How much?”

Ronan rubbed his chin, looking me up and down. “I don’t know,” he said. “I mean, arranging a specific prize isn’t really supposed to happen. It’s supposed to be random. I’d be breaking a few rules if I rigged it.”

“Right, right,” the other man said.

It sounded like they were going through some script, more for their own amusement than anything else. Like they both knew the drill and where they would end up.

Unease prickled along my spine as the man continued. “I’m sure there’s something I can do that would help change your mind.”

I watched as the man extracted a thick roll of bills and passed it to Ronan, who tucked it into his pocket in such a smooth motion that I might have missed it.

“I think we’ve got ourselves a deal,” Ronan said. “Your fight’s two hours from now, right?”

“That’s right.” The man turned to me and gave another of those revolting grins. “I’m Pierce. Though after I win you, I’ll expect you to call me ‘sir.’”

I stayed mute, glaring at him. He let out a chortle.

“She’s going to be a lot of fun,” he said, clapping Ronan on the back. “I’ve got to get ready.” Turning to me, he winked and said, “See you in a couple of hours, sweetheart.”

He strolled away, whistling a shrill song as he strutted, shoulders back, not a care in the world. My skin crawled just looking at him.

I turned my attention to Ronan, who had re-extracted the wad of cash and stood in front of the cage, counting it. He gave a satisfied nod, then glanced up at me and smirked.

“Congratulations,” Ronan said. “Looks like you’re getting out of here sooner than expected.”

***

When things seemed particularly dim, I thought back to my old family and my life before everything had gone wrong.

Our dad was the witch, our mom was the shifter. Morgan had never been able to shift, had never even felt a wolf inside me. Or at least, that’s what she told me. But she was a talented witch when she wanted to use her magic. In fact, she was a better witch than I. I’d never had the patience for Dad’s lessons the way she had.

The village we grew up in was eclectic, filled with humans, witches, shifters, and other supernatural creatures. It was basically a haven for anyone who sought one, so long as they weren’t dangerous. My parents had moved there because Dad’s coven and Mom’s pack had both hated the idea of the two species mixing. So, they found a place where no one cared and had a family.

I loved my childhood. It had been filled with magic and hunts through the woods and a solid education. It had been everything I could have wanted. Things only went downhill when my parents died in a freak car accident.

Morgan and I were both a wreck after what happened to them. But the town stepped in to help, bringing food, periodically checking in on us, offering to help around the house, or get us anything we needed. They made the awful situation tolerable and let us heal after the sudden shock.

In a way, the whole growing up in a welcoming community where you trusted everyone because you had to ended up being the whole reason we had gotten into this mess in the first place.

I had been walking down the street with several bags of groceries in my hand. As I strolled, staring up at the bright blue sky, my foot caught on something. I stumbled and nearly lost my footing when a hand steadied me. I turned to see a handsome shifter with light brown hair and kind eyes.

“Hey, Kendra,” he said. Without asking if I needed help, he slipped two of the bags from my hand. “Here, let me.”

“Thanks,” I said.

“Here, let me walk you home. I’m sure I can help out around the house. You probably need it after everything you and your sister have been through.”

I beamed, my eyes crinkling as I smiled up at him. “Thanks, Erik.”

I had seen him around town on more than one occasion now. He seemed nice, with handsome features and kind eyes. He took another of my bags and followed me to our house.

“How are you and your sister holding up?” he asked.

“Oh, we’re doing okay,” I said. “Making it through.”

“I’m sure you could use some help around the house,” he said. “Do you have any family who can come help you?”

Shaking my head, I shifted my groceries in my bag and pulled out my keys. “No. It’s just me and Morgan. But we make do.”

“She's here right now?” he asked as I pushed open the door. He strolled in as I held the door for him.

“She should be soon,” I said.

“Well, let me see if there’s anything I can do around the place before I leave.”

I gave a warm grin. “That would be amazing. Thanks.”

As I began putting things up, I heard shuffling moving around outside near the front of the door. I frowned, turning toward the door, preparing to go and see who it was.

“Let me,” Erik offered, holding up his hand, that charming smile spreading across his face. Before I could even think of arguing, he had slipped out of the kitchen and was heading toward the door.

I turned back to the groceries, only half-listening as I heard the door open.

“Everything okay?” I called.

“All fine,” Erik answered as his voice grew closer. “Nothing there.”

“Weird,” I said. “Well, thanks for checking.”

“Anytime.”

I was reaching up to throw some cans on the top shelf when I first smelled the other shifters in the room and realized something was terribly, terribly wrong.

Before I could round on my heels or react in any way, one hand shot out, grabbing my outstretched one and forcing it behind my back as he shoved me forward, pressing my stomach into the counter as he grabbed my other hand, twisted it, and brought it to join my own. I heard a clink of metal as cold circlets bit into my wrist, holding them in place.

I tried to scream, but someone forced a rough cloth into my mouth as they pulled me upright. Someone spun me around to bring me face-to-face with several shifters. Erik stood in the middle of them all, a sleazy smile spread across his face. So unlike the charming one I had seen just a few moments ago.

“You’re right,” the guy holding me said. “She’s pretty.”

Three men other than Eric stood surrounding me. I screamed around the rag, trying to wrench myself from the guy’s grip.

“Careful. That one’s a witch,” Erik warned.

“That’s what we’ve got this for,” someone said. There was another snap as something long wrapped around my forearm.

I tried to cast an incantation to push them away, but nothing happened. I tried again, but the only thing that happened was that the thing wrapped around my arm began to burn hot until I stopped.

Rough hands steered me toward the couch, gripping my shoulders almost painfully as he shoved me down. Erik stood over me, that kind face replaced with a triumphant smirk.

“Now, you’re going to sit here quietly like a good girl,” he said. “And we’re going to wait until your sister gets home.”

***

True to his words, less than two hours later, the door to the upstairs opened, and Ronan sauntered down the steps. He whistled, the shrill, unpleasant sound heralding his arrival as he moved down the row of cages, twirling a chain in one hand. I watched him, unsurprised when he came to a stop in front of me.

Ronan opened the cage. “Come on now,” he ordered.

Part of me wanted to argue, but I knew it wouldn’t do any good. It would just make things more complicated. So I obeyed.

The instant I stepped out, he attached my collar to the chain and tugged me toward the far end of the room, where a second door stood. He walked at a fast clip, forcing me to trot to keep up with him. I had no doubt that if I stopped or tried to drag my feet, he would keep going and yank me along.

I didn’t want to talk to him, but curiosity got the better of me. “What’s going on?” I asked.

“The prize gets to watch,” he said.

He pulled me up a new set of stairs, long enough that I could feel myself getting winded toward the top. When we finally cleared the final landing, he pushed open a new door.

The room beyond was airy and spacious, with purple light from the sky streaming in through the windows. We weren’t the only ones there, either. Another group of men lounged on sofas, looking out as they sipped champagne and muttered amongst themselves.

So this was a VIP sort of lounge. Lucky me.

I could feel some of the men’s eyes on me as Ronan steered me toward one side. I ignored them as he took me over to the large window. It overlooked the fighting pit, the stadium below filled with raucous men waiting impatiently for the fight to begin.

The man I had met in the cage below with Ronan stepped out of one of the doorways. He was naked, normal for whenever a shifter expected to go into wolf form. He waved to the crowd, hamming it up. He looked like an idiot. His eyes landed on the box where I was standing next to Ronan. He gave me an oily, feral grin, winked, and blew a kiss. My skin crawled as I bristled. I could feel my hands lengthen into claws instinctively.

“Knock it off,” Ronan snarled.

The claws vanished, returning to fingers. Not that shifting would do anything. The shackles the slavers used, besides being impenetrable, changed shape when you shifted. They shrank or grew to accommodate your new form, making it impossible to break out.

I kept my gaze locked on the pit below. Another figure emerged, this one with long blond hair that hit just below his shoulders and a short, well-kempt beard that suited his longer face. His muscles, rippling whenever he moved, seemed chiseled from marble. His eyes swept across the stadium but didn’t flick up toward us.

Unexpectedly, my wolf stirred at the sight of him. My breathing went shallow as I stared down at him. I couldn’t describe it, but there was something about him that made me feel drawn to him. Part of me was intrigued, wanting to know more about him. My wolf wondered what his scent was, what it would feel like running through the woods with him…

I stifled the thoughts, slamming them down deep. I wasn’t going to listen to my wolf. This man might have been attractive, but he was still one of the assholes fighting to win me. And any customer who wandered through those portals was one more person who spent money to keep this whole damn operation running. It made all of them allies with Cain.

A bell rang. The two men in the pits faced one another as the crowd roared around them.

“Let the fight begin,” Ronan said.