Solid armor met cleaving metal. Skin split, bone shattered with the impact, the guard’s head landing in the sand, his helmet rolling away, body toppling in the other direction.
“Thanks,caro marito. Good to see you’re still pretty agile for an old bird,” Emberline teased, her whole face glowing with joy.
I didn’t think I’d ever felt more whole than I did right then, half-dead and broken, my wife looking up at me like I was the most powerful male in the world.
“Fucking show-off. I’ll draw away a few more of thoseguards, give you better odds.” Nico winked and was gone, racing straight toward the Overseer, three of his guards breaking off to meet him.
Gabriel gave me awhat the fuck are you waiting forlook, jerking his chin toward the Overseer and his shrinking detail.
“Get the fuck on with it; clock’s ticking.”
I had no idea what he meant, except there must be a plan, and whatever it was, it had better end with us all getting out of here. I checked my wife over one last time, making sure none of her injuries were life-threatening.
She rolled her eyes. “Oh, just go ahead and just say it. I know you want to.”
“He’s mine. Stay out of this,” I warned her. “I mean it.”
“Fine.” She shot me a saucy grin. “But when you get into trouble, I’m swooping in to save you like usual.”
I grinned, deciding I’d never been happier than I was right now, then hefted the axe in one hand.
Solid. Balanced. Sharp. The perfect weapon for what needed to be done.
Across the fight pit, the Overseer spread his arms, exposing that barrel chest and brawny arms. I could barely believe my luck. After all this time, I had my chance.
No tricks, no drugs… and if we played this right, no guards to interfere.
My body was weak, my leg a mess, but the guard’s superpowered blood and a rush of adrenaline gave me all the edge I’d need. And I knew one thing, more clearly than anything else. If I left the Overseer here alive, I would never know a moment’s peace.
After imagining this moment for years, I wanted to take my time. Wanted him to pay for every ugly word he’d said to my wife, for touching her with his filthy hands.
For hurting her.
My eyes caught again on her bruised cheekbone. Heat crested over my skin like a wave of fire, and I took a breath, forced myself back to calm.
“Stop mooning over your wife and get on with it. I’ll go help Nico with the rest of the guards.” Gabriel gripped my arm. “You’ve got eight minutes to kill the bastard. Don’t fuck around, make this quick and clean.”
Across the sand, Nico had already downed two of the guards and was about to take out a third. The Overseer was laughing as he motioned another guard to join the fray. Nico’s jaw clenched as he took a hard blow to the arm.
“I’d hoped to make it slow and ugly,” I muttered.
Gabriel threw his head back and laughed. “No doubt, but unless you want to haul him back to Venice with us, I suggest taking his head and being done with it.”
I stalked forward,shoulders squared, every movement sharpened into purpose. The axe was an extension of my rage, divine justice; today was supposed to be my ending, but instead, it would be the Overseer’s.
Banked fire burned in my gut, a reminder of how badly this could go if I lost control of myself and a reminder that I was more dangerous than any of my friends knew.
“Prisoner 1445,” the Overseer crooned. “Still breathing. How disappointing.”
I didn’t bother with words. I brought the axe down.
My first strike wasn’t elegant. It was fury given form, a blow meant to carve the world in half. The Overseerblocked with his heavy blade, stumbled a step, surprise written all over his face.
I struck again, and his expression shifted from surprise to shock as he realized I wasn’t as weak as he expected.
Outside my periphery, Nico and Gabriel battled the enormous guards, no mean feat, but they fought well together, while the guards were confused by their broken ranks, by their world crashing down around them. My friends picked them off, like shooting fish in the canal.
The Overseer fought masterfully, every strike economical, precisely placed. He was faster than I was. Stronger than me. He knew how to exploit every injury. Every weakness.
