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But he did kiss me back, didn’t he?She thought to herself, remembering the moment he forced her lips to his for a second kiss. He definitely seemed to enjoy the act in the moment, which was so unlike anything she learned about how a werewolf mourning his mate should behave.
Bewildering man.
No, dangerous man, she reminded herself, recalling the conversation she just had with Casper.
Deciding that Antonio was more of an enemy to her than a friend, Sophia put as much distance between the two of them as she possibly could, making sure to find a place to standfaraway from him.
As competitors packed in behind them, Sophia made sure to remain as near to the concrete wall as possible. If needed, she’d be able to protect her backside.
She patted the dagger hidden on her thigh, relieved to find it was still there. At least she had a weapon.
The building cheering around her was overbearing. It was almost too much to handle. The crowds roared for their favorite competitors and the competitors roared back.
Sophia rubbed her temples as she searched the stands for the royal suite, relaxing a bit when she found it. There, three banquet tables rested on two separate levels of an extended platform adorned with blue silks.
King Valaris stood at the uppermost banquet table, a golden chalice in his hand. But that wasn’t who she was looking for. She continued scanning the suite until her eyes landed on the table her friends sat at. She allowed her gaze to settle on Casper. When their eyes met, the unbearable noise around her seemed to fade away. If Casper was scared for her, he certainly didn’t show it. Though he also didn’t cheer along with everyone else, nor did his siblings.
Because they knew what was about to happen.
Just as the arena’s pit seemed to become almost too packed, Sophia heard an irritating grinding sound coming from the gate as it began to close. When it clanked shut her heart skipped a beat. They were locked in now.
“Now, now,” Valaris called out to the crowd, motioning for everyone to settle down with his hands. They did. “Welcome,everyone, to the twenty-second anniversary of The Elaron Games!” The crowd erupted in applause once again and he happily allowed it.
As the cheerful crowd hollered, Sophia willed herself to look away from Casper’s comforting stare and to the overcrowded pit she was standing in. After sizing up the unnatural beings that stood around her, she searched for Antonio, curious to see if he was still standing on the opposite end of the arena’s floor.
Sure enough, he was.
She may have created a lot of distance between them, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t totally aware of where Sophia was standing. He wasveryaware, his hardened eyes unblinkingly set on her. At times like this she really wished she was better at reading emotions. She couldn’t read his cold stare at all. She only knew she didn’t like it.
What were his intentions?
He didn’t pay any attention to Valaris as the king spoke, his attention set solely on Sophia. Something about the way Antonio stared at her chilled her to the bone.
She swallowed hard before taking a few steps forward, hiding her body behind the mess of immortals standing between them. Something told her she didn’t want to be within his sights. Not tonight.
When she decided she hid herself from him well enough, she looked back up to Valaris and began listening to his continuing speech. “… and to the brave competitors, know that the risks are great, but the rewards are greater!” More thundering cheers. Sophia wasn’t sure how much more of this she could handle, her anxiety at an all time high. “As always, the winner will be granted the privilege of being a part of our infamous elven court until the next bi-centennial games take place. You may enjoy our lavish balls and rally with our political leaders whenever you wish.” Sophia didn’t care much for that. Thanks to Conall andCauladra, she was already well versed in life within the elven court and always would be.
“Great wealth will also be promised to the winner, though I believe we all are aware of this. Most of you are not here for wealth or status but for this year’s greatest treasure - The Heart of Aphrodite.” A small, redheaded boy with bobbing ears walked up to King Valaris, handing him a thick wooden box. Valaris nodded at the boy, grabbing the ancient looking box and holding it up, showcasing it for everyone to see. When Valaris opened that box a necklace revealed itself. It was laced with so many diamonds even a human would kill to have it.
Humans may desire it for its rich beauty, but unnatural beings desired it for something far better - the power it contained within. The necklace held the ability to grant one wish without repercussions.
The perfect gift.
“The Heart of Aphrodite was found by a few of our greatest elves nearly a century ago, hidden deep beneath the Mediterranean Sea. Her heart has been safely stored all these years as we waited for this exact moment to finally reveal its beauty to the world. One wish will be granted to the winner of this necklace. But you must remember, Aphrodite is the goddess of love. Your wish cannot be created from hate, only from love.”
Valaris clasped the box shut, handing it to the young elf beside him. As the boy scrambled away with it Valaris said, “Now, as I proudly announce the official start of The Elaron Games, I have one last bit of news to share with everyone.” It was then when he found Sophia in the crowd, his ominous gaze locked on her, exuding with warnings.
Sophia knew the meaning behind his foreboding eyes. The games were about to begin in the bloodiest way possible.
Sucking in a panicked breath, Sophia backed up until her small body was tightly pressed against the wall behind her. Shescanned her surroundings, gathering as much information as she could before the fighting began. She noted that three elves, one vampire, and one sorceress stood nearer to her than anyone else. Those were the competitors she’d have to worry about the most. At least for the first thirty seconds.
Sophia’s breathing hiked, her heart pounding so loudly she was surprised she could hear Valaris’ voice over its deafening thudding. “When the horn sounds off, every competitor in the arena will fight one another to the death. Eliminate as many opponents as you can, because once you hear the sound of the second horn, you must cease your fighting immediately.”
Sophia wasn’t sure why she did it, but she looked across the battlefield in search of Antonio. He was no longer standing where she saw him only a moment ago, and there was no way she’d find him in this mess of a crowd.
She fleetingly felt a pang of disappointment.Why am I upset? He’s going to kill me, she reminded herself.
But whatever disappointment she felt vanished the moment the first sound of the horn blasted her eardrums.
