A burst of fear sent tremors through my hands. I tucked them into fists at my side to hide their shakes. Glaring at Ben, I prayed he wouldn’t notice.

  After six rounds in the ring, it was all I had the energy to do. But there was more than one way to annoy the mind mage, and the easiest way was to say nothing. Suit may have gotten me talking by threatening Evie, but Ben wasn’t Suit, and speaking to the boss and not to him, well, that tap danced on a nerve.

  “Oh, Petal, you won’t be so stubborn for long. See, I’ve gotten myself back into Tim’s good graces.” If that were true, he’d have the collar’s protection again.

  “You see,” Ben continued. “Tim is letting me try the new spell on your control crystal. The one that allows me to have complete access to your magic.” His smile was cold. “So, no matter how hard you try, I get to play with your opponents. And Flower, I won’t play nice.” He chuckled darkly. “The name Terra will be bloody and terrifying by the time I’m done with you.”

  I paled, unable to suppress the reaction. So this is Ben’s revenge for me beating on him last week. As far as payback went, this hit me right where it hurt most. He was going to destroy someone with my deep well of power, and there was nothing I could do to stop him.

  Maybe, I should let him have a little win now. It might throw him off enough that I can find a way to keep him from murdering someone in my name. There was only one concession I could make that would be big enough for him to care but not hurt anyone else.

  For the first time since freeing my sister in the glade, I spoke to the monster.

  “Aw,” I said in a sugary sweet, mocking tone. “It must rankle that no matter how hard you try, you need to steal my power to have any chance at anything close to respect.”

  Fingers crossed, I prayed it was enough to set Ben off. It worked.

  My cheek stung with the force of Ben’s open-handed slap. A triumphant light lit Ben’s eyes as he replied. “You think I need you to be feared?”

  Resisting the urge to rub the throbbing flesh, I kept up my taunts. “Well, sure, you’ve been at the facility, how long? And it’s only now, with access to my abilities, that the boss is even looking your way. How sad.” Smirking, I savored the look of anger and resentment on his face. I hoped this would be enough to push Ben into doing something stupid.

  “Now, if you don’t mind, I’m expected in the ring. You know? That sandy pit where we actually do shit.”

  Tension bunched his shoulders, a furrow forming between his eyes. That’s right. Give me an excuse to test the collar’s protection.

  But he didn’t hit me again. Instead, his muscles relaxed, and his eyes shone wickedly. “I will enjoy being the puppet master and slowly killing whoever steps into that ring. You will bathe in blood before this round is over.”

  Promise delivered, he pushed off the wall and stormed in the opposite direction. Suit had rented an observation box for the fight, close enough to be within the control crystal’s range but lavish enough to flaunt their wealth and power. Ben would choreograph his dance from there.

  Closing my eyes, I shoved my fist into my mouth and screamed. Muffled, the sound still echoed down the hall. To hell with my surrounding. I needed to release some of the emotions drowning me. It wasn’t enough. I could feel everything that had happened over the last six months coming to a head. I was going to break soon. My mind wasn’t strong anymore, and no matter how hard I tried, I would soon be unable to keep Ben out. When that happened, I would lose a piece of myself I would never get back.

  The sand in this pit was black instead of white. It gave the arena a darker ambiance while hiding the blood from the last fight. Seeing the crowd’s reaction to the blood during previous matches, I imagined the owner regretted his choice.

  Shadow and I stayed tucked out of sight. We didn’t want the crowd to see us too early. The downside, we couldn’t see our opponents, either.

  It was the semifinals. Shadow and I had beaten six teams of various skills over the last week. Tonight, we faced off against the champions from Noxus. After we won, we would meet the winner of the Seaforth - Cape Hope fight in the final match that would take place the day after tomorrow. We were two bouts away from letting all the races know that humans had pawns willing and able to massacre their strongest champions.

  The announcer started his speech, giving the odds and whipping the crowd into a frenzy. Then, at last, he moved to the introduction. As the home team, he announced us first. He shouted our handles to the roaring crowd, and we stepped out of the tunnel and into the light.

  “Welcome to the stage, the reigning champions of the Mount Forest bracket, Terra and Shadow.“ The crowd thundered, and the humans cheered, flags waving in support. The supernaturals booed and pointed their thumbs to the ground.

  “And now their opponents, the reigning champions of Noxus.” The other side of the stands erupted in cheers. “Standing six foot four and a mammoth two-hundred and fifty pounds, you’ve seen him in action. Ladies and gentlemen, Quinnten Gryphos. And his partner, at five feet ten inches, with the reflexes of a wild cat, the sword-wielding menace, Samian Sharpsword.”

  My breath caught in my throat as Quinn and Sam walked out of their tunnel, and I almost burst out laughing at Quinn’s platinum-blonde locks. The slight change had altered the dark and brooding appearance Quinn typically cultivated, making him look more like a teenage heartthrob.

  Then the air got heavy, my heart dropped, and I grew faint.

  “No, no, no, no, no.”

  Shadow looked over at my muttering and hissed under his breath. “What the hell, Terra?”

  I didn’t look at him as I stuttered. “Quinn, the big one, he’s my brother’s mate.” My breathing grew ragged. “Ben is going to use the crystal to control my magic. The puke is itching to make a statement and promised to make it bloody.” My heart beat in panicked staccato. Sweat built on my brow, and nausea churned in my stomach. “I can’t, Shadow. I can’t be the one to slaughter him. He’s my best friend.” My brain had stalled. I have to stop this somehow!

  “What about the other guy?” He asked, and I could see the calculation in his eyes.

  “Sam’s a Reaper for my old guild. He’s deadly but not a match for my power or yours.” I managed to get my brain working again on a fundamental level. Blind panic wouldn’t save Quinn or Sam.

  “How do you want to play this?” he asked. But before I could answer, I felt a tingling in my collar. It was different from the precursor to the pain but similar enough to know it came from the control crystal.

  “Ben has activated the crystal.” My magic began sliding into me. I reached out to grasp it, but it slipped through my mental fingers. A foreign entity imposed itself on my power, and I shuddered at the oily feeling.

  “I need time,” I said hurriedly as the announcer geared up to start the fight. “I need to pass on information to Quinn. But you must take them both out before Ben can kill them. Suit won’t risk making it bloody once they are presumed dead. He wants to cultivate fear, and mutilating corpses would go against the image he’s trying to create.” I crossed my fingers that Quinn and Sam could last that long, but it was the best I could do.

  “Now, get ready for the showdown of the century. A battle between the Northern and Western champions. Reaady, FIGHT!”

  The word had barely left the announcer’s lips when my magic coiled in me and shot out. I grunted at the force of channeling so much power after only handling trickles of it for so long.

  Suit changed things up with each fight. Some, I used magic, others my weapons. But mostly, he wanted me to win against my opponents with nothing but my bare hands. He wanted everyone to know that I didn’t need magic to fight magic.

  Now, the reins were off, and Ben had access to every drop of power I possessed. My eyes stung with heat as he pulled more and more from my reserves.

  Quinn took a lazy step to the right as the sand buckled where he’d been standing. Then at an explosive speed that belied his size, he shot forward. A part of me surged with hope. Maybe he will take me out before my magic can hurt him. But that hope died when Quinn closed in.

  “Gods, Kenzie. Are you alright?” He asked as he dodged another blast of my power.

  I shivered as the phantom fingers yanked another chunk of power from me. It didn’t hurt, but it repulsed me on a core level.

  My heart fluttered in my chest. I would have broken down into sobs of joy if I wasn’t in such tight control of my emotions. Instead, I snarked. “I have an asshole pulling the reins of my magic. I haven’t seen my family in forever, and there is a good chance I will hurt you soon. So no, I’m not alright.”

  Quinn grinned at my tone, a twinkle in his eyes that replaced his laugh. He dodged another swipe of my power. “Not very imaginative, is he?”

  I wanted to laugh at the dry delivery. But it was taking everything I had to try and gain even an ounce of control over my magic. Quinn had a point, though; Ben’s attacks had no finesse. Instead, he was lobbing power and hoping it hit something.

  “Thank the Old God for small mercies.” I threw a punch. If I didn’t at least pretend to keep up the act, Suit might do more than let Ben play with my power.

  “You know I can’t save you right now.” His eyes darkened with rage.

  My stomach dropped as the tiny kernel of hope I’d cultivated since seeing Quinn standing across from me withered and died. It hurt, and I felt a single tear leak from my eye.

  Quinn’s face went ashen. “It’s not that I don’t want to. We just don’t have everything set yet.” He rushed to say.

  Nodding even though his words crushed me, I put aside my hurt feelings and used the time we had. “We don’t have long, and I need to fill you in on certain things.”

  “First, let me tell you the plan.” He said, and I know he was trying to give me hope.

  “Quinn, you can’t. My mind is crumbling. I won’t be able to keep Ben out soon, and I wouldn’t forgive myself if I ruined all your hard work. I trust you to tell me if and when I need to act.” I didn’t give him another chance to speak. Instead, dominating the conversation with what I had to share. Most pointedly, someone had to rescue Evie.

  The earth rippled as Ben forced my power to slice a trench in the dirt in front of me. Quinn didn’t sidestep it in time. A sickening crunch came as his foot landed wrong. A grunt of pain was the only outward indicator of the injury’s severity. Knowing Quinn, he wouldn’t have voiced anything unless he was in pure agony.

  I jerked forward, wanting to help in some way. But I caught myself before taking a single step. I couldn’t give Ben or Suit any indication that Quinn meant more to me than any other opponent.

  My power coiled within me, and I clawed at it with panicked fingers. Ben was getting ready to make an example of the wounded gryphon shifter.

  Think, Mackenzie, how can you stop your power from killing your best friend? I blanked and was about ready to sprint in the other direction. Pretend to escape, when darkness descended on the field. Thank you, Shadow!

  A crack appeared in the wall separating me from my magic, a flaw in the spell, or was Shadow’s magic interfering? Either way, a small tendril of power escaped. It wrapped around me like an eager puppy.

  Shadow’s hand fell on my shoulder, and I jumped. Ignoring my reaction, he leaned in close, his breath tickling my ear.

  “This will buy you two minutes. After that, they will get suspicious. Use it well.” With that, he melded back into the dark swirling mist.

  I didn’t hesitate. Rushing through the suddenly visible tunnel, I bolted toward Quinn. Sam appeared at his side, putting himself between his downed teammate and me. A wicked cut dripped blood on his right cheek.

  “That’s far enough, Mackenzie.” His voice wasn’t cold, but it was wary.

  “It’s fine, Sam,” Quinn said through gritted teeth.

  “No, it isn’t. We don’t know if her choices are her own.” His statement was like acid poured onto my heart. Gritting my teeth, I bore the pain.

  “He’s right, Quinn. And we don’t have long anyway. Shadow bought us about ninety seconds.” Quinn looked like he wanted to argue but held his peace. “Remember what I told you. Save Evie. Get the control crystal and knock me out before taking me. Until you remove the collar, my oaths will try to keep me here.” Connor wasn’t a fighter, and I hoped they wouldn’t bring him into the ring. But he was the only one I knew who could remove the collar without the key. So they needed to do whatever possible to get me to him, even if it hurt me.

  Quinn nodded in acceptance.

  Rushing forward, I dodged around Sam. Then I pulled Quinn into a hug, putting all my meager physical strength behind it. He embraced me just as hard in return. As the stolen moments of comfort ended, I got a spark of inspiration.

  I was never more thankful to have access to part of my power. “The only way to keep you both safe, and make it seem like I’ve completed the objectives set out for this fight, is to bury you.”

  Sam blanched at the suggestion, and Quinn’s face was granite.

  “It’s like what I did to Jasper. I’ll create a pocket with a vent, then cover it over.” As I began to work with my magic, putting into practice every ounce of training Ddear had managed to impart during our brief training sessions, an odd tugging sensation stirred in my chest. It intensified the more I manipulated my power and echoed with a hint of ozone.

  Putting the odd feeling aside, I forged my power. Tears pooled in my eyes, and the joy of being whole washed away all other emotions.

  Sam’s eyes widened, and his mouth pressed in a firm line. But Quinn smiled at me. “I trust you, Kenzie, and I will see you soon. Stay strong.”

  I opened a pit below the two, slowly sinking it until it was double their height in depth. “I’m going to need you guys to play your part.” On cue, they started screaming in absolute terror. Quinn outdid himself, being far more convincing than I thought possible for the stoic man.

  The guys stopped suddenly, and with a wave of my hand, I covered the top foot with sand, dirt, and stone, the particles woven together as a lid that would stand up to people walking on top of it.

  The darkness lifted as I rolled a wave of sand over the hole. It was dramatic, flashy, and precisely the thing Suit wanted to drive fear into his enemies.

  I schooled my face in a neutral, uncaring look. The crowd was silent to the point you could hear the wind gusting outside. I turned, scanning the people for a familiar pair of blue eyes. The tugging next to my heart intensified, and I clutched my chest.

  But he wasn’t there. Despair crashed through me as I strode off the field without a backward glance.

  Hushed whispers broke out as I neared the tunnel that would take me back to the dressing room. Ice encased my heart, protecting me from the audience’s thoughtless words.

  “Heartless bitch, isn’t she? I’m glad the government has her to keep us safe,” A male voice in the crowd commented.

  “She should be kept muzzled. Filthy mage. Only good when on a leash.”

  On and on it went as humans reveled in my captivity.

  I locked down my emotions, my face displaying nothing. Then, when we were out of hearing range, I let a sigh escape. Next to me, Shadow’s hands twitched. Does he want to comfort me or kick the shit out of those morons?

  I laid a hand on his forearm to keep him from doing the latter. “They aren’t worth it.”

  “No, they aren’t,” He replied coolly.

  Despite all the letdowns today, a bud of hope stubbornly grew within me. I’d seen Quinn, and he said they had a plan. With faith and a little luck, I would soon be home. And maybe then, I could find out why, with everything that had happened, a pair of blue eyes still haunted me.

  Chapter 36

  Lucan

  My fists clenched hard enough that the skin beneath my nails indented, and blood pooled in the crevasses. But the discomfort was nothing compared to the agony slicing through my heart. The mate bond throbbed inside me, demanding, threatening, enticing. And yet, as I watched Mackenzie trade blows with the gryphon. I could do nothing.

  My dragon had won. Knowing where Mackenzie would be for the first time in months, I didn’t even fight him when he demanded we attend.

  My eyes never left Mackenzie’s lithe form. She’d lost weight, and my dragon seethed at the sight. Don’t worry. You can feed her to your heart’s content when we get her back. He puffed out his chest and sent me an image of a giant fat deer lying at her feet. I responded with a picture of Mackenzie hunting with him. Eyes wide, he did an excited dance in my mind.

  After drinking in the sight of her, I tore my gaze away and focused instead on Shadow, the silent assassin. He was a potential obstacle, and if I had to beat him to free her. I needed to study his movements closely.

  Sam was doing well. Fast, agile, and highly adaptable in a fight, the Reaper was a force to be reckoned with. I cringed in sympathy when one of his nimble blades bit into the bicep of his opponent. Shadow didn’t react. It was as if the hit never landed.

  Tendrils of darkness peeled away from the man. Some clung to him, creating a mantle that cowled his head, and the rest floated around his body, obscuring his movements. Squinting, I tried to remember where I’d seen it before.

  The cloaked man lashed out with black daggers of his own. They were small, the blade barely the length of his hand. A large ring on the pommel fit neatly over his thumb, and he used the pivot point to switch the weapons from a guard to attack with fluid precision.

  Sliding out of the way, Sam’s knife parted nothing but smoke. By the Old God, the asshole was like a ghost.

  Watching the pair go at it was like watching a cat play with a mouse. Shadow could have ended it six or seven times by now, but instead of taking the opportunity, his moves became flashier and more outlandish as time passed. Nevertheless, they were such incredible feats that I watched them with unyielding attention.

  Movement in the corner of my eye changed my focus. Mackenzie closed with Quinn, but their blows were halfhearted. Stunned, my legs locked. Was Shadow purposely making a scene to give Quinn and Mackenzie a chance to speak?

 

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