This time, I let my beast release his fury. The roar cut through whatever Watcher said next, silencing the soldiers and their jeers.
“Looks like he wants to fight!” Watcher shouted. “Let the battle begin.”
The lion’s eyes flashed to the side where Watcher usually stood before meeting mine. The arena was small, ill-fitted for fighting. It made it easier to tear into one another.
I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been dragged into the Pit, but I knew now this was my punishment. Not getting hurt like the lion. But having to tear him apart, instead.
I failed at taking out the strange shifter. He should have bled. I should have taken his heart, but instead I released him. Let him take me toher.
I should have tried to fight the winged male. Instead, I let him pierce my flesh with his blade. Had felt his magic try to steal from me.
So now, one of the beasts’ deaths would be mine. To prove that I was nothing but a weapon forhimto use.
The lion leapt. I swiped at him, my claws piercing the soft flesh of his belly. The force of my hit had him slamming into the ground, blood pooling around him. The soldiers roared their approval, but I did everything I could to drown them out as the lion failed to stand.
I clambered towards him as he released a whimper. Up close, his ribs poked through his skin. Dried blood was quickly replaced by fresh, and the wounds that hadn’t healed before were overcome by the one I’d inflicted.
The amber eyes of the lion met mine. They pleaded with me to end it. To finally give him release.
“Come on, Thor! Give him a chance to fight back!” Watcher screamed.
I couldn’t bring myself to look in his direction. He would deal another punishment upon me if he saw fit, and I would take it. So long as I could offer at least one of my fellow beasts reprieve.
I brought my paw up and used my claws to slice through the lion’s throat. The life left his eyes almost immediately as his blood spilled.
The soldiers turned from cheering to anarchy. They wanted a fight. Not an execution.
Watcher’s anger was palpable. “Fucking mutt,” he shouted. “Fine then! You want a chance to take on the mighty Thor? Line up! He’s going to have a long fucking night.”
How many would I be able to kill before Watcher ripped me from the Pit? Many, I hoped. Let him bring the soldiers in. My beast wanted to fight.
10
Xerxes
The false king made his way towards me, dark eyes set on my cage. His eyes were a blue that reminded me of a lake. What made them dark, though, was the presence of unmistakable evil. We did not believe in true evil; there was corruption, there was danger, and there was power—those three things could influence a Primal to go against our basic instincts for peace.
But there was no other word to describe the male approaching me. His dark, tainted power prickled the hairs on my arms, ruffling my fur uncomfortably. There was something wrong with him as he stopped in front of my cage.
“My enforcer says you can speak,” he said, eyes scanning my Primal form. “What an…interesting creature.”
A low growl left my lips. “I will tear you apart.”
The male chuckled as his two followers joined him. The Fae remained blank faced, but the vampire sneered. “Funny,” the false king spat. “None of your brethren could take anyone in my army. What makes you think you can?”
My claws elongated, the nails scraping my palm as I curled my hands into fists. I could not move from the centre of the cage where the collar held me. The other beasts were free to roam their cages untethered.
“You tried hard with Thor, but it appears you two wereevenly matched,” Dante continued, rubbing his chin. “I won’t kill you—yet.”
My stomach sank, but I tried to tear myself from the chains, anyway. The collar around my neck sparked, sending a shock of power through my body. My muscles tightened, spasming, and when the shocks released me, I dropped to the floor with a grunt.
The vampire laughed, his voice throaty. He had a darkness about him, too, but not like the evil surrounding the false king. His was a cruelness born of something else. “They always fucking try.”
I would enjoy tearing his throat out.
The false king pressed his hand against the bar, amusement leaving him as he stared at me. His irises changed, taking on a soft glow. I felt something in my head as his eyes locked on mine, a pressure building in the back of my skull. Almost like an intrusion, it felt like a tapping against my flesh, a prodding touch trying to break into me.
And it did, silently and without resistance. I could not protect myself fast enough from the dark power that infiltrated my mind.
