This is where the humans put up a fight—or where they tried to.
As we drive further into the city, the remnants of war begin to fade. Whatever destruction took place in the inner city has been repaired over the years, leaving any sign of the massacre to the outer layer.
My head swivels from side to side as I watch vampires and werewolves walk the streets, dipping into restaurants andstores. Groups of them laugh and mingle on the sidewalks and in doorways. It’s utterly human.
“I thought vampires kept to themselves mostly?” I ask Thane, continuing to gawk at the image of these two species sharing the city as equals.
“Isolation is in their nature, and some choose to live that way.” He nods to a group of vampires standing outside, drinking out of blood bags. “But here and in the main cities, they’ve chosen a less traditional approach. When the treaty was created for both species to come together and rid the world of your kind, it resulted in a new way of living. For so long, the vampires had to hide underground and within the shadows of the city. Once they were free, many embraced the human lifestyle. The werewolves were already accustomed to it, so it just made sense to keep it going in the major cities, leaving the woods and smaller towns to those who wanted to embrace their more animalistic side.”
I lean back in my seat, allowing that information to sink in. Of course I thought this is what would happen after the war ended. I had assumed they wanted our world for their own and everything that came with it. But after spending time moving within the forests and sneaking into the ocean towns, I had come to the conclusion that it wasn’t our world they were after, but simple freedom. Out there, they left the towns abandoned. It never occurred to me that the bigger cities would be any different.
Knowing the truth of it now is somehow more terrifying. Monsters, beasts, animals. That’s who they are to me. Who they have always been. But seeing them act so human, challenges that belief. Sure, I’ve seen Thane’s people act somewhat human, but this is different. These aren’t territory leaders or guards. They’re civilians. They’ve created community andfriendships. They have jobs and probably spend their evenings laughing over dinner.
I’ve always prided myself on being open-minded. After being judged my whole life for the way my eyes looked, or the clothes I wore, or for being unwanted by my own parents, I never wanted to judge others. And when the Last War ended, I almost didn’t blame them for wanting the freedom that I myself longed for.
Still, I couldn’t ignore what they had done. They chose to annihilate an entire species, taking millions of innocent lives without a second thought. Maybe they thought that was the only way, but I’m not convinced it was just about freedom for them. Vampires and werewolves crave power too. No matter how much I can understand them wanting their freedom, I have to remind myself that they also viewed themselves as superior. Hate filled their hearts the day they decided to come for us, and no matter how human they may look right now, they lack one important thing…humanity.
“What are we doing here?” I ask when Thane pulls the car over right outside of the Seahawk’s stadium.
He speeds over to my side of the car and opens the door, motioning me to get out. “This is where we’re going to find my new leaders.”
I don’t bother asking any more questions as I follow him toward the stadium. Whatever answers I seek will be revealed to me soon enough, and I’m not sure I should be in any rush to find out.
The moment we pass through the doors, I’m hit with the roaring sound of a distant crowd. I’ve never been inside the stadium before, and as I’m taking in the building’s entrance, Thane grabs a hold of me and takes off. A blur encompasses usfor a quick moment before he comes to an abrupt stop in the middle of the stadium. As I look up at the tens of thousands of vampires and werewolves filling the stadium seats, I find myself wishing I were back in the cold, dark dungeon.
Cheers erupt with the arrival of their Alpha, and an explosion of howls echo from all around. The field that was once meant for football has been dug up to create a deep pit filled with a thick layer of sand. The barrier that surrounds it is made up of sharp metal spikes that must protrude at least three feet from the wall, and the field goals have been replaced with ten-foot walls of spiraled barbed wire. My eyes catch on the huge screens at the far end that now have Thane’s face plastered all over them. When I turn back to look at him, I notice someone had brought him a microphone.
“Tonight, I look to replace the two leaders who have chosen to disrespect me.” His voice booms with underlying rage, which I’m sure is meant to come off as a threat. “Only the strongest will be allowed to serve by my side. Who will come out on top, and who will be left dead?” His last word catches me off guard, though I’m not sure why. Of course he would choose to have the two outcomes be to win or to die. “As you have all noticed, there is a human here with me tonight.” He motions to me, and my entire body stills as the breath expels from my lungs. Hisses and growls tear through the crowd, and I don’t have to look at the screens to know that it’s now my face plastered on them. “As retribution, I have chosen to keep her as my pet.” A burst of cheers breaks out, but is quickly silenced when Thane raises his hand. I remain still as he walks behind me and moves my hair to one side. “Let it be known that she is marked. Should anyone eventhinkabout coming for her, know that there will be no mercy. She ismine.” He growls so savagely that I jump at the power of it. At once, the entirestadium of vampires and werewolves bow in submission. “Let’s begin.”
The chanting resumes as Thane leads me to the edge of the field, where a man pushes the wall covered with metal spikes to reveal a narrow staircase leading up to a platform customized for Thane. It sits where the fifty-yard line would be and stretches over the first four rows of seats.
“About time you guys got here,” Kole chirps from his large, cushioned seat. I shouldn’t be surprised that he’s here, but since Thane never mentioned he would be joining us, I can’t help but be a little surprised to see him.
“We would’ve been here sooner, butthis onedecided to try and kill me by crashing the car into a tree on our way here.”
Kole’s eyes flash to me with a look that almost reads as impressed. “Wait.” His brows furrow, and he turns to Thane. “Not the Aston Martin…”
“Take it up with her.” Thane points to me and takes the far seat, leaving the middle one for me.
Great.
“Oh, Grey.” Kole sighs, tossing his head back. “How could you? I mean, trying to kill him, I understand, but why did you have to take it out on Mr. Martin?”
I look to Thane for his reaction, but he just rolls his eyes at his brother and redirects his attention to the field. As each contender makes their way to the middle of the pit, their picture flashes on the screens with details like their number of kills and specific strengths. Since the two leaders Thane killed were werewolves, there are no vampire participants as twenty in total line up, each one looking just as deadly as the one next to them.
“So, how is this going to work?” I finally ask Thane while eyes burn into the back of my head from the surroundingvampires and werewolves, watching the three of us closely. “Last two standing earn the position?”
“Pretty much,” he answers, crossing an ankle over his knee like he’s getting comfortable to watch the show.
“You’d rather lose eighteen strong werewolves than just choose two winners?” I challenge, even though fewer werewolves seem pretty appealing to me.
“If they can’t take down those of similar skill level, they don’t deserve to be in the position.” He turns to me with seriousness written all over his face. “It’s not a game in the real world. It’s life or death. If they can’t survive in here, they won’t survive out there.”
“Why do I get the feeling there’s more discourse between the vampires and werewolves than I’ve been led to believe?”
“There’s nothing easy about creating peace between two species who spent hundreds of years wanting nothing to do with one another.”
“Why not just split the world in two? Half for the vampires. Half for the werewolves.”
