What. The. Actualfuck?
Subduing the rest of the threats happens on autopilot, my attention repeatedly drawn to the stands and trying to make sense of what I’m seeing.
Decades. I’ve kept her as a pet fordecades,thought it was only thanks to Stone that she’d lived this long. If she’s a spy, she’s had access to… everything. Absolutely everything.
In all of the years Avery’s been by my side, she’s never once given any indication that she’s one of us. That’s the curse of being at the top of the food chain, though, I suppose. Nobody else registers as a threat, and dragons can only sense spikes of emotions, not smells, so we can’t differentiate between our kind and humans.
Several people try to take a swipe at me, but I dispose of them without even really being aware of what’s happening. Anyone that comes too close dies; no theatrics this time. And anyone that tries to hurt someone in the crowd dies moments later. Simple. Threats are disposed of, swiftly and effectively, so I can return to my mate’s side.
Jogging up the stands, I crouch in front of where Amara’s clutching the passed out woman, holding her against her body to offer her some coverage. Shirtless, I don’t have anything to offer, frantically looking around for something to cover her with so I can move them somewhere safer.
I’m not nearly stupid enough to pick up a naked woman in front of my mate; this has ‘trap’ written all over it.
“Here.” Carina thrusts an oversized t-shirt into my hands that’s covered in scorch marks, and I’m wise enough not to ask a single fucking question. I simply offer it to Amara, letting her dress Avery.
Not Avery. Fuck, I don’t even know her real name.
Struggling to get up, Amara huffs, “Are you going to help me out here?”
Lifting my hands in surrender, I carefully pick the woman up off her lap. “Let’s take her to one of the locker rooms. It’ll give us a semblance of privacy, and we’ll likely be able to scrounge up some more clothes for her. If the demonstration from Evren’s auction is any indicator, she should be waking up relatively soon so we can get some answers.”
Carina cuts me off before I’ve taken a single step. “There’s some important things you need to deal with before-” she gestures at the unconscious woman helplessly, at as much of a loss as we are “- delving into whatever the fuck is happening here.”
Glancing over her shoulder, I find Stone and Kodiak standing guard between a few dozen people they’ve seated nearby, and Amara. Bodies litter the stands, the security team is keeping anyone else from getting within two hundred feet of us, but I can still feel eyes boring into me from behind the tinted glass of the VIP box.
My mouth is suddenly too dry to speak.
How can I be trusted to decide who would be a good fit? I didn’t even realize Avery was making a fool of me all these years.
“Amara.” Blood spatter coating his chest, Kodi strides forward confidently, bypassing me completely as he triple checks that our mate wasn’t hurt in the chaos. Finding her unscathed, he smirks, holding out a hand expectantly. “Don’t think I didn’t see you taking notes throughout the tournament. Show me.”
Cheeks tinting, she fishes a small notebook out of her pocket. “I knew there’d be too many to keep straight in my head this time.”
Flipping through, he reads every single one of her notes, stealing her pen and making a few of his own. From there, he passes it to Stone, and only once it’s passed through Carina does it make its way to me, but not only do I already have my hands full, I don’t want to see it.
I trust them.
“Go ahead, Amara. None of this would’ve happened without you, so you should be the one to make the announcement.”
Poor girl pales as all eyes turn to her, but she recovers enough to shoot me a glare and take her notebook back from my sister. Taking a deep breath to brace herself, she faces the small crowd waiting for her to decide their fate. Hell, half of them didn’t even fight in the event today, and I’m sure they’re terrified to hear whatever’s about to come out of her mouth, but still, they look at her with hope and adoration.
She has all of the power that these people have only ever dreamed of, and instead of hoarding it to protect herself after everything she’s been through, or exploiting it for her own gain, she’s just… giving it away.
Amara clawed her way out of the darkness long enough to find the light she was robbed of… only to bring it back and show everyone left behind that they were only lost, never truly alone like they thought.
“If you didn’t fight in the tournament, I don’t know your name, so forgive me for just pointing you out.” Rattling off a list of six names, she then points to another six people. “The rest of you can go.”
One scowls as he rises to his feet. “How’s this fair? Half of them weren’t even in the running for the seat!”
Stone takes a step in front of her, but she walks around him to stare the guy down. “Thatis why you didn’t make the cut. You were fighting for status, not because you believed in anything other than your own best interest. Did you watch the rest of the matches?”
The man narrows his eyes, but doesn’t say a word, only offers a terse nod.
Amara gestures to each person as she speaks. “Then you’ll have noticed that these six either checked on their opponent at the end of the match, tried to end it quickly rather than drag out pain for the sake of showing off, or fought like they had someone at home counting on them. And they-” she gestures to three men and three women “- didn’t have anything to gain, but jumped in to protect people without a second thought. Sure, a lot of others did, too, but they attempted to minimize damage, prioritized evacuation, and kept one alive for interrogation since they had no idea what was going on. Theycommunicated, worried about the bigger picture instead of only surviving the moment.”
The guy blinks a few times, considering her words, before eventually dipping his head. “You’re a good leader, Ms. Garrison. I can’t say I’m not disappointed, but-” he scrubs a hand down his face with a resigned sigh “-you’re right. I wanted that seat simply for the sake of having it.” Meeting her eyes with steely determination, he stands taller. “I’m sure you guys will have your work cut out for you during the transition, though. If you’ll have me, I’d be honored to help out wherever you need, even if it’s just a doorman or driver.”
I raise an eyebrow. “So you can get close enough to get even for passing you over for the job?”
