Krystyna dropped her shield too far in an attempt to lean forward and jab her lance into Gabby’s. That was her mistake. Seeing an opening, Gabby raised her lance. As if she was stabbing with a sword, she thrust it forward. I caught her lips moving as Gabby mouthed a spell.
Gabby’s lance slipped right past Krystyna’s shield and kept going. The lance embedded itself through armor, into Krystyna’s chest and clear through to the other side of her body.
Everyone in the stands gave an audible gasp. As Elijah ran past, Gabby held onto her lance and ripped it out. Krystyna went spinning off of Albin’s back and landed on her back in the dirt. Even from here, the large, gaping wound in her torso was clear to see. The whole thing had happened in seconds.
Albin let out a high-pitched whinny as Krystyna fell from his back, though it sounded more like a scream. He skidded to a stop. The alicorn’s eyes rolled back in his head, and he reared up, flashing out his hooves as he continued to cry out.
When Albin came back down on all fours, he changed into a man again, and crawled to Krystyna’s side. At this point, she was already dead. Her eyes stared out lifelessly, mouth hanging open, as Albin reached out and pulled her onto his lap. Tears streamed down the shifter’s face as he began to sob. Albin wailed, clinging Krystyna’s lifeless body to his chest. Blood pouring from her wound soaked his armor and clothes, creating a puddle around his legs.
Gabby and Elijah stopped at the end of the arena. Both of them were grinning with a sickening satisfaction.
Nobody in the arena cheered or moved. Nobody made a sound.
After a few long moments, alicorn officials hustled onto the field. I recognized a lord and lady from the alicorn Faction with them, probably sponsors. They leaned down and spoke to Albin while others tried to pry Krystyna’s body away, but he wouldn’t let go.
An official from the dragon Faction muscled his way into the circle and managed to yank Albin and Krystyna apart. An alicorn carried her body off the field while others had to drag Albin past the gated doors. A large circle of red stained the ground where Krystyna’s body had been.
Gabby and Elijah returned to the competitor stands as if they’d done nothing. They brushed dust off their armor and stared at the field, bored already they had to wait this long to get on with it. The other competitors in the stands inched away from them, giving them their own space.
A chill ran up my spine. Gabby and Elijah weren’t here to lose. They were going to play dirty. And by the gods, if they had to kill every contestant in their way of getting that crown, so be it.
My own dazed stupor ended at the sound of Emma’s heavy breathing. Tears ran down her face, and her whole body was trembling. She was having a panic attack.
“Emma. Emma, look at me, you have to focus.” I took her face in my hands and stroked her cheeks with my thumbs gently. Emma took deep breaths as she tried to breathe, but she was more or less gulping down air.
“That can’t happen to me. It can’t,” she forced out. Across the way, Gabby was giving a snotty smirk of triumph, but I ignored her.
“That’s not going to be you. I’d die first.” I wiped the tears away from her eyes. “I vow on my life I’ll never let anything happen to you.”
I wrapped my arms around her and hugged her tightly to me. People eyed me, yet I ignored them. We were showing weakness in front of the other opponents, but I didn’t care. The only thing I cared about was making Emma feel safe and secure.
And right now, I didn’t feel like I could, because in a few minutes I’d be putting her at risk out there.
“I don’t like this, Ethan. That wasn’t right,” she forced out. Her trembles ceased as I held her against my body. Her frantically beating heart began to steady as its rhythm synchronized to mine. It was an exhilarating feeling unlike any in the world.
“Em, if you’re not okay with this, we can go home,” I said. “I’ll forfeit.”
“You’ll do that?” An edge of disbelief entered her tone.
“Of course I will. Just say the word.” It was a crazy notion, but I’d give up the crown so she wouldn’t be afraid. It wasn’t even something I had to consider. Just something I naturallydid. This was what mates were supposed to do. Be ready to sacrifice it all for love.
Emma paused, as if considering it. The thickness in her voice thinned as she cleared her throat and said, “No. No. I want to be here. I want to do this. I’m sure.”
“Okay,” I said gently. I pulled away, though it was agonizingly painful for me to do so. “What can I do to help you in this moment?”
She grabbed onto my hand again. “Just keep me the fuck away from that dragon when it’s our turn. And don’t let me fall off. Or get impaled.”
Nausea churned in my gut, because I couldn’t promise anything. “Done.”
I had Emma calmed down by the time we were called to the joust. Her demeanor had completely changed. The panic had dulled from her eyes and been replaced by a strong determination. Not a sliver of fear was recognizable in her expression. It was almost as if she’d become emotionless.
“Are you ready?” I asked.
“I’ve been visualizing. It’s something I do before each competition,” she said. “This is just another show. Nothing more.”
When we got down to the arena, I changed into a wolven. Emma swung herself onto my back, and Lord Lucien handed her a broad blue shield and silver-colored lance.
“Keep your eyes up,” Lucien told Emma. “Aim for your target, and it’ll hit true. Ethan— be agile. The dragon is intimidating, but he isn’t fast. You have the advantage of being swift.”
