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Chills trickled down my spine at the lack of any emotion within those words.
Vax responded with a dismissing snort. “If you want to file a complaint, take it up with Sol, Malakai. He’s the one that sent me to retrieve them from the garage.” He continued on past the demon without offering a further response.
It was impossible to miss the amount of tension that quickly unfolded when Malakai’s eerie eyes shifted toward the rest of us. As we passed by him, he turned his head slightly and seemed to sucking in a sharp breath. His eyes narrowed into thin slits.
It took everything I had not to immediately retreat to Asher’s other arm. My skin was crawling from the way he seemed to be smelling my scent. It reminded me of the day I had crossed paths with Asher, except this took that weary feeling in the other direction. While the prince had me soaking from that simple action, this bastard had me ready to bolt. Just the way he was gazing at me gave me the impression that he was ready to hunt me.
I couldn’t get past the freaky bastard fast enough. Once Vax pulled open a door that led to another wing of the building, the heavy weight finally dissipated from my shoulders and allowed regular airflow to my lungs. I tightened my grip on Asher’s arm as the room shifted slightly. This was not the place where I wanted to lose consciousness. I could already feel the weight of so many eyes swinging in our direction.
“Breathe, pet. All you have to do is make it to the seats.” The prince’s voice was soft. These words were only for my ears - my reassurance.
It didn’t seem possible to maintain so much control over something as simple as breathing, not without squeezing my eyes shut and attempting to shut out the rest of the world. It took everything I had just to make sure my feet were still moving despite the overwhelming chaos consuming my thoughts.
The front area for this section was meant as nothing more than an area for guests to gather while they waited for security to confirm their identities before they were allowed to go inside. Every single one of them parted as we drew close with those wide-eyed gazes locked on us. They didn’t give a damn about Vax or the other guards.
Their attention was on Asher and the pretty little doll hanging on his arm: me.
Pressing my lips together, I kept my attention locked on all the open doors ahead. I could already hear loud chanting coming from the other side with an occasional bright light that swung in our direction. Not a single ounce of it made sense until security ushered us through. Goosebumps sprang up along my skin as the chilly air in the entrance area was immediately replaced by one that was humid.
“Is that…Prince Asher?”
How I managed to hear a woman nearby whispering, I had absolutely no clue. All I allowed myself was a quick peek to discover that a young blonde in a sparkling dress had snapped at her two male companions until they were all staring at us in awe.
“It is!” The redhead sitting on her immediate right rasped.
The brunette on the far end of their little group drew his head back with a scoff. “I can’t remember the last time he came to one of the fights. He usually brings one of the demon lords, though. Never a woman.”
Just keep looking ahead, Quinn… You can do this. Believe you are a badass!
“So who is she?” the woman inquired with a quizzical glance.
Her redheaded companion offered a loud snort. “Does it really matter?”
Her head whipped toward his direction. “It most certainly does if this is not typical behavior for our prince! If he brought a woman here, then clearly she must be important.”
I slid my eyes over so that Asher’s expression was within my peripheral view. There wasn’t an ounce of surprise flowing through me when I found a slight smirk was already covering that flawless face. He’d heard the group just as easily as I had and he was pleased that our arrival was causing obvious rifts in the crowd. Raising my jaw, I focused on keeping my breathing going and my feet moving down the steps until my ass was finally in the cushioned chair.
Asher immediately shifted his arm to drape behind me. “You are much stronger than you realize, pet. You will adjust in time.”
Blowing out a breath, all I could offer him was an abrupt nod before I fixed my attention on the caged arena in front of me. Just seeing the sleek metal had every inch of my skin crawling. Although it wasn’t consumed with a deep negative energy that I had picked up from Malakai, I could still sense they’d seen their fair share of violence.
“Will there be anything else, sire?” Vax raised his voice just to be heard over the occasional shouting around us.
The prince simply shook his head.
“Sol will be by to greet you after the first match.” Snapping his fingers at the other two guards, Vax led the way toward the outer ring of the room.
Asher relaxed in his chair while those stunning golden eyes surveyed the large room around us. There wasn’t a single being in the crowd that held his attention for long, although he certainly caused enough stares from everyone else. He simply pressed his lips together and shifted his attention to the arena when the main lights started to dim.
I could tell the man coming around the cage wasn’t a demon by the way the other guests snarled and hissed at him. Yet the poor referee seemed to be used to that type of abuse by the way he simply sauntered on. With his quick hustle, he was within the cage in minutes. He raised a hand up into the air. It only took a moment before a microphone was lowered from the ceiling, straight into his waiting hand. Gripping it tightly, he turned to peer at the crowd. “Ladies and gentlemen… Are you ready for a night of fights full of broken bones and blood?”
My stomach churned, threatening to rebel against me. I had yet to see anything tied to that promise, but it didn’t seem to matter. I turned my head slightly, although I couldn’t quite break my gaze from the referee. “He’s…kidding, right?”
“Not at all.” Asher clicked his tongue softly.
I could feel my lips parting and my jaw dropping with disbelief.
The prince released an amused snort. “Our kind dabbles in all of the famous sins, pet. If it can offer any type of temptation for another, we invest and sell it. Fights just happen to be one of them - especially caged events. They all want to see blood staining that mat as long as it’s not theirs.” He slid his gaze over toward me with the edges of his lips twitching. “Do you get squeamish at the sight of blood?”
