“He isn’t going to make it,” I mutter out.
“Most of them won’t.” He leans closer, and I feel the heat of his breath against my neck. My eyes shut with the feeling. “And you can stop this all. Only you.”
“You need to leave.” My eyes open, and the man that was once running, is frozen. His figure is sculpted from ice. Then, it shatters along the rusty dirt.
“Kaine is next.” Koen leans closer. “A few men are after and then, the people of Eekatia will decide if you shall try again or not.”
“And I won’t even make it till then if you stay beside me.” My head whips towards him, beaming a raging glare. “Please go. Before Lykia sees this.”
His jaw clenches, and he pulls his gaze away from me, shifting his body backwards before jumping up on the ledge to climb back over.
“Next time you ride, get out of your head. Whatever is distracting you, will kill you.” He leans over, gripping the edge of the railings of the arena stands.
I whip my head around, locking eyes with his piercing, emerald gaze that suddenly softens. A single raindrop descends, caressing his skin, and a surge of jealousy consumes me. Jealously of a damn raindrop that gets the pleasure of gracing his skin. My eyes follow it, gliding over his bottom lip before falling off of his chin within a matter of my heart taking a beat.
My eyes lift to meet his. “You are the one distracting me. You are the very thing that is inside my head. You will be the death of me.”
I shift my body around, facing the arena as Kaine walks out. My whole body tenses knowing Koen is still staring at me, but I will not move. He is right. My mind being wrapped up around him is going to have me killed.
My back straightens, and I give Kaine a subtle nod. A gentle smile tugs on his lips before he takes a stern stance, his legs parting as his hands lift. The wristband is wrapped around his wrist in case the Fireninze runs out of the cage. I glance down towards mine, catching the green light scanning around it, pulsing like a heartbeat, which confirms its activation.
My brows deeply cave in, before flickering back to Kaine. I drop my knee so fast, leaning over to study his bracelet.
Red. His bracelet is red.
The lights don’t flicker. They just beam the bright crimson.
His isn’t activated.
My heart plummets, eyes glancing towards all the cages. Four cages. Four horses. Even if the one of water is not here, maybe they keep it in case they capture the one of darkness.
My nostrils flare, eyes never blinking as I frantically watch and wait impatiently to see what gate rises. Damn it, do not let it be the Fireninze.
The roar of the crowd sends shivers down my spine. My chest rises and falls, and a sweat bead drips down my head as the raingently falls from the sky. The wind picks up, replacing the heat that was once baking my skin into a chilly coolness.
Don’t let the horse of fire escape that cage.But the cage rises, and flames engulf the arena.
My eyes widen more as my heart sinks down to the pit of my stomach.
“Run!” I violently scream towards Kaine. He glances up, startled, but then locks eye contact with the horse.
No. No. No.No.
His hand frantically presses the button as he realizes it isn’t working. My chin rises to where the Queen is, her brows dipping in.
Is someone after Kaine? Or is this purely an accident?
The horse charges towards him, but Kaine jumps and rolls. The red dirt flickers up, catching in the wind as it flies directly towards us in the crowd. A loud grunt escapes his lips as he holds his side tightly. He is still healing. He will never make it if he cannot activate his wristband.
My eyes search for any exits for him, unsure if maybe I missed something being in the pit. But there are none. If he climbs, he’s dead. If he stays in there alone, he’s dead.
“Damn it.” I slam my hands against the rocks. I lean forward to jump, but a strong grip pulls me back, fingers digging deeply into my leather gloves.
“Absolutely not.” My eyes lock onto the hands, lifting slowly up to meet Koen’s violent glare. His head slightly shakes, begging,pleadingfor me not to.
I yank away with one swift motion. “I will not let my friend die. I might have already lost one, I will not lose another.”
With a kick off of the rocky wall, I slam to the ground, my hand beating against the ground.
