I growl and contemplate just kicking it in. “Open the fucking door.”
“Ha! Nice try, but that was last week’s password. There is a new one for this week.”
Tilting my head back, I steady myself with a breath as my wolf threatens to burst out. “How about, open-because-your-king-stands-on-the-other-side.” Using my influence as king has never been something I enjoy, but if Kane truly is in this place, then it’s better I don’t waste time getting him out.
“Oh sure. Like you expect me to believe”—the door handle jiggles as the click of a lock sounds—“thatHis Majesty,King Kai, would deign to show his ugly mug here—” The door swings open, and a pair of brown eyes meet mine, their owner’s mouth sputtering to a stop. “Holy fuck, you’re big. I don’t envy the male that has to go againstyou.” He shuffles back, swinging his arm dramatically out in front of him. “I’ll let you pass without the code if you promise that you’ll win your fight. I haven’t been lucky with my bets.”
Ducking my head, I step past and enter a dingy room, a single flame gem casting just enough light to see a small staircase straight ahead. “What were you saying about the king?” I ask, the floorboards shuddering beneath my weight as I walk towards it.
“Well, some of us are more blessed than others in the looks department.”
I look over my shoulder. Scraggly hair hangs at his shoulders, looking as if it hasn’t seen a comb in a while. He smiles as I study him, eyes sparkling with happiness or alcohol. It could go either way. “See what I mean? You and I could pass as brothers, we’re so handsome. But, alas, our ruler is cursed with looks no betterthan a mangled rock. I’m sure he’s an acquired taste for some, being king and all.”
“I’m sure.” I turn and head down the stairs encased in darkness. The sound of shouts and cheers grows the farther I descend, and it isn’t until the last few steps that I can see what the hell I’m walking into.
The air is thick with sweat and ale, and the ground is made of mostly dirt, except where large pits are dug out. Chain links connected to wooden posts surround the pits, and shifters of every gender and size push against them as they revel over whatever is happening below. Animals meander throughout the space, and as I move to inspect one of the pits, I brush against the side of a large jaguar. It snarls at me, but I push my power forward until my eyes glow, and the shifter scurries away. Standing behind a shorter male, I look down just as the crack of bone rings out. Burning hell, these are fighting pits. I’ve heard the rumors of places like this, where those down on their luck—or worse, those with nothing to lose—come to find some solace. I just didn’t believe them to be likethis.
I am going to kill my cousin. To work out some stress is one thing, but to come here and risk his life as though he isn’t essential to our kingdom running efficiently… If he hasn’t been beaten to shit, then I am going to do it myself.
I make my way through the throng of people, using my height to check over the raucous crowds and look down into the pits they surround. It isn’t until I’ve crossed all the way over to the other side that I find him. Leaning against an aged wooden beam, I fold my arms over my chest and watch as Kane stands in conversation with a shorter male—one who has every inch of his skin tattooed in the traditional shifter lines. All except for his face. My newest tattoos start to itch under the sweltering heat of this place, but I avoid scratching at my chest and instead watch as Kane nods his head and begins to stretch out his arms.
The shifters to my left cheer loudly, drawing my gaze over to the pit. Money is exchanged, and ale spills from their mugs as they clang them together in victory. A male with a shaved head is pulled from the pit, his unconscious body tossed to the side as if he’s nothing more than a piece of trash. The victor of the match pulls himself up, revealing a male nearly as large as me in height but who has me beat in width. He doesn’t even lookphased, sweat curling the short strands of his black hair the only indication that he participated in the fight.
I bring my attention back to the pit Kane was standing next to, only to find he isn’t there. Pushing off from the post, I reach the edge of the growing crowd, their whispers hushed as they look down at its occupants.
“A new challenge is about to begin!” a male shouts from somewhere across the pit. “You know the rules—no interference until one of them is either knocked out or”—he drags his thumb across his throat—“dead. Challengers, enter the pit!”
Shouts and cheers rise as fists pump into the air. I shoulder my way through the tightly knit horde, earning grumbles of protest until they turn and catch sight of my face. In a rare moment of vanity, I’m hoping the silence is because they recognize me and not because my features areundesirable. I groan at the thought, the urge to punch myself only abating when I see Kane drop down into the pit. His ankle rolls, and he nearly goes down, his body wobbling when he attempts to straighten himself out. I stare down at him as my jaw clenches, noting his already swollen lip and the giant bruise that stains the skin at his ribs.The asshole has already fought tonight. Kane draws a hand down his face before shaking his head and bouncing on his toes.
The volume increases when Kane’s contender makes his way through the crowd, their bodies moving to give him an unobstructed path. Pain shoots up my temples when I grind myteeth. It’s the unphased male from the last fight—the one whose previous opponentstillhasn’t woken up.
He drops down into the pit and eyes Kane, rolling his head side-to-side as he stretches his neck. His muscles speak to combat training of some kind, and while Kane is naturally physically gifted, and I know hedoestrain, it’s like staring down at two different species. My heart pounds as I clench my hands at my sides. He’s going to get himself fuckingkilled, and while my fondness for my cousin only stretches so far, his work with the nobles is needed. There may also be a miniscule part of me that isn’t eager to lose what little blood-related family I have left to stupidity.
I move to shout his name and force him to leave when a bell rings out three times and both men leap into action.
Fuck.
“Yeah! Kill him, Manu!” someone to my right shouts, his drink spilling over onto my shoe. His glazed eyes lift to meet mine in a watery smile before he chugs his drink and then drops the pewter mug right into the pit before returning to cheering for the opponent.
Despite the evidence of Kane’s fight and his earlier off-balance actions, he rushes at Manu quickly, sending a right hook into the behemoth’s side that makes the male grunt. Kane paces back a few steps, lifting his arms to block as he dodges Manu’s fists before lunging forward and swinging one of his own up. It connects beneath Manu’s jaw, snapping his teeth together loudly.
But despite the hit, Manu counters with unparalleled speed, sending a combo of punches into Kane’s chest that makes my cousin stumble backwards until he falls on his ass. Spectators around the pit scream ravenously as they lean against the chain barriers. Manu doesn’t go in to finish Kane, instead creatingdistance between them so that Kane has time to jump back to his feet.
“Come on, pretty boy. Don’t be afraid,” he taunts, crooking his finger. The dare has the desired effect, and like a damn fool, Kane charges at Manu without any finesse. He lowers his shoulder and jams it into Manu’s torso, but Manu stays upright.
Kane’s sides are left open as he draws his right arm back, fist poised to punch his opponent’s jaw. But Manu grabs his wrist andtwists, a crack sounding that makes my cousin immediately drop to his knees as he screams out in pain. Breath is pulled from me as I watch, my magic rising along my neck as gold frames my vision.
Manu pumps his arms up over him, egging the crowd on as they chant his name.
“Stay down,” I growl under my breath, remembering that the match doesn’t end until Kane is either knocked out or dead. But the idiot stands, cradling his dominant arm to his chest as he snarls at Manu.
“We aren’t done yet, asshole!” He wobbles where he stands, sweat dripping from his temple. “Come on! Or are you too much of abitchto fight me properly?”
Manu chuckles, flexing his right hand out in front of him as he begins to prowl towards Kane. “It’s going to be pleasurable ending your pathetic life!” he shouts, a sadistic grin peeling his lips back. “After all, it’s what yourfatherwould have wanted.” My blood runs cold as I narrow my stare on him, Kane momentarily stunned before he lets out a growl of his own and lunges again.
The other male latches on to Kane’s arm as he sprints towards him, using the momentum to send a knee directly into his gut. Kane’s breath sputters, but Manu doesn’t taunt him with space this time. He laces his fingers behind Kane’s neck andpulls his face down into a brutal knee jab, the crunch of Kane’s nose echoing out over the screaming crowd.
Dirt billows out where Kane’s body falls, Manu delivering a kick to his side that rolls him from his stomach to his back. “Staydown,” I say louder, elbowing a few males off who push into me. Kane moans, turning onto his side before lifting to his hands and knees. Manu positions himself at Kane’s head, leaning down to say something that I can’t hear against the thunderous noise surrounding me. Tugging on Kane’s hair, Manu sends another powerful punch into his jaw, rocking my cousin’s entire body before he collapses to the ground.
