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ChapterTwenty-Nine
Ilook around the holding area before gazing out the window at the arena below. The atmosphere is electric as the crowd waits with bated breath to witness murder by moonlight. I see couples who have that first date vibe, but instead of buying flowers, they bought carnage. The sheer number of people waiting for human life to be snuffed out for sport is staggering, and it makes it hard to remember why we’re doing this. This is why I keep mostly to myself. It’s not that I can’t be social. It’s that people, given enough time, will inevitably disappoint you.
I used to think my expectations were too high. But looking around at the people dressed in their finery, waiting for the violence to begin so they can clutch their pearls while their panties get wet, makes me want to move to the mountains and pretend I’m the last human left on earth.
“I love you.”
I whip my head around in surprise and find Vega beside me.
“You don’t have to say it back. That’s not what this is. I just need you to know, win or lose. I’m with you every step of the way, and it’s not because of the people who are missing or the Colosseum. It’s because I’d follow you to the ends of the earth,” Vega vows, making butterflies erupt in my stomach.
“You want to know why I call you Duchess? It’s because you’re a class act. I knew it the second I laid my eyes on you. Not prissy like a princess, and way too fucking good for someone like me. But the way you looked at me, made me feel like a king. Loving you makes me feel powerful and no matter what happens here today, with you by my side, I’m already a winner.”
Okay, so maybe I don’t want to be the only human up on my mountain. Not everyone sucks. I have my girls and these guys who have come to mean so much to me, more than I could have imagined. I never planned for this, but I don’t regret it. Not a single second of my time with them was a waste. I might be facing death, but I wasn’t really living until they invaded my life.
Billions of people on the planet, and I was lucky enough to find all the ones made just for me. Who gets to say that?
“I’m not going to tell you I love you. Not now. Not like this. When I tell you, it will be while we’re covered in blood and holding the keys to the castle.”
Vega grins and tugs me to him, holding me tighter than normal. I return the embrace, not letting my mind drift to the what-ifs. We will all walk away from here today. We have to because if one of us falls, we all will.
“You think Law will find anything?” Blink asks from the other side of me, his eyes on the crowd.
“I honestly don’t know. Shit, I didn’t think he’d actually come.”
“Who, Law?” Blink asks, staring at me with a confused look on his face until I point to the throne in the crowd.
He turns back in time to see Titus being lowered onto the throne, this time wearing a suit and tie and looking far more put together than when I saw him earlier in his silk pajamas. Even so, a closer look at his face shows how pale and tired-looking he is even from here. Mentally, he might be in fine form, but Titus’s body is giving out on him faster than I’m sure he would have liked.
“Fifteen minutes,” a loud voice calls over the speakers.
“He looks like shit. Just goes to show you that karma doesn’t give a fuck about how much money is in your bank or how expensive the suit on your back is,” Graves grunts out.
“Why couldn’t he have just left his shit to someone in his will like any regular, normal person?” Blink questions.
“Because regular normal people don’t have an amphitheater,” I answer wryly.
“Good point.” The door clicks open as Blink replies.
We collectively turn to see Philip entering.
“Everyone ready?” He looks at us, assessing.
“We’re ready,” Vega replies.
“Good. Follow me, please.” He leads us out of a gate on the opposite side of the room before asking us to wait. He walks forward and opens another gate, disappearing inside before returning moments later with Deity and her team.
I feel the guys tense beside me and move closer as they take in our opponents.
Physically, we are pretty evenly matched, but our fighting styles are another thing altogether. We haven’t had much opportunity to watch them fight since everyone was kept pretty isolated, but there were a few nights when we were in the knockout rounds that our paths crossed. They are good fighters. Quick, strong, and they work well together, like a well-oiled machine. Their moves are clean and tight as if they have been fighting together for years instead of months.
Even so, I know we have something that makes us better. They say the best way to fight is to keep your emotions locked down, but I call bullshit. If you’re not fighting for something or someone, then you lose the raw intensity that only comes from the fear of losing that which is most precious to you.
You can train your body and focus your mind, but it’s the person that fights from their heart that has the edge every time.
Butcher looks me over and smirks before licking his lips. I roll my eyes and ignore his ogling, knowing it’s just to rile us up.
“Deity, take your team around to the left and Malice, around to the right. Once you step into your designated areas, the gates will lock and you won’t be able to get out until the fight is over. Good luck to you all.”
