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The proud, fierce fey standing in front of him once lost…everything.
Despite losing so much she managed to pick herself up and carry on. Antonio saw the way she laughed with those two elves just before. She met those elvesafterthe attack on her village.
She once lost everyone and still chose to live.
Antonio lost one woman and chose to shut himself out from the world, neglecting those who cared about him most.
He and Sophia were not the same. She was so muchbetter.
“I’m so sorry that happened to you, Sophia.” He didn’t know what else to say.You taught me, a werewolf eight hundred years your senior, an important lesson today.
“You see why I have to win this tournament?” She looked at him with pleading eyes. “But for me to win you have to die, and I don’t want you to die.” She then lowly muttered to herself, “So even if I win, I lose.”
She collapsed against him, pressing her head into his chest. He cupped the back of her head and threaded his fingers through her hair, loosening her tight braids a bit as he did. “We’re going to figure this out. We’ll figure everything out. Trust me on this.”
Already, plans were unfolding in his head.
She couldn’t locate her parents? Then Antonio would locate them for her. Thankfully, the Payne Clan recently took in a vampire, Darius, who had once been Artem’s most trusted warrior. Of course, Artem ostracized Darius after he had betrayed the ruthless leader to save the woman he loved.
Darius would know where Artem kept his fey slaves, which meant Antonio needed to contact him. Immediately.
Antonio snaked his free arm around Sophia, holding her closer to him. As he looked down at the fey in his arms, the fey who had already endured so much, he realized he would do anything to ensure her happiness.
Which meant as soon as The Elaron Games ended, he was going to save her parents, and he would stop at nothing until he did.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Antonio Payne
Antonio stood outside his tent, his thumb hovering over the nameDariuson his phone, while Sophia napped inside.
“I can’t remember the last time I saw you looking so focused.” Lance approached Antonio while tossing a football in the air. Sweat trickled down his face, and when Antonio noticed elves rough housing behind his friend, he eyed Lance suspiciously.
“Were you just playing ball with my competition?”
“Oh, I most certainly was.” Lance winked. “I was tiring out the competition. Good deeds and all.” He laxly waved his free hand in the air.
“Ah, yes. Good deeds. That’s why you did it. It hadnothingto do with you having no one else to play with,” Antonio mocked.
“Absolutely nothing,” Lance smiled and Antonio couldn’t help but smile back. “You’re in a good mood. I take it the last two nights went well?”
“Very.”Lance still didn’t know Sophia was his mate, though Antonio didn’t see any point in hiding it from his friend any longer.“Listen, there’s something I have to tell you-”
“That the fey is your mate?” Lance was still grinning.
Antonio tried to speak but nothing came out. To say he was taken off guard was putting it lightly. How did Lance know and who told him?
“Don’t look so surprised.” Lance finally stopped tossing the ball around and set his complete attention on Antonio. “I’ve been watching you from the stands. I saw your reaction when that demon dragged your fey through the mud. Weallsaw your reaction.”
Antonio remembered that moment. His team wrongly believed they had already won capture the flag and that all their opponents were dead. But that damned demon took them off guard when he attacked Sophia. At that moment, while Antonio feared for Sophia’s life, he realized it washerfor him. Not Giselle.
“How’d I react?” Antonio asked, though he believed he had a pretty good idea.
Lance raised an amused brow. “Like how a werewolf would react to their mate being in trouble. How long have you known?”
“Since the opening ceremony.”
Lance whistled. “Shit, and you didn’t tell me? I’m hurt.”
