Scoundrel (Emerald Isle Tigers Book 1)

by Cass Reynolds

  Draven paused for a moment, then rushed on.

  “Sex seals the deal. If we fuck, you’ll never be rid of me. I will be compelled to be with you, so much so that I’ll follow you to the ends of the earth.”

  He glared.

  “And I get the feeling you might not be too pleased about that.”

  Diana gaped at him. It was the most ridiculous thing she’d ever heard, and Draven was right. She wasn’t too keen on having a tiger forced into her life.

  “Well then,” she said, watching his face carefully. He was still staring at her with that terrible expression. Probably it went both ways - he wasn’t too keen on having her forced into his life either.

  “I guess we should address this later, after the situation with Chase is dealt with.”

  The mask settled back over his face.

  “Fine.”

  Diana swallowed hard. If she was his mate, could he really just push her aside like that?

  She shook her head slightly, trying to clear it.

  “I actually came in here to ask you something. If you were fleeing the city, where would you go?”

  He shrugged. “Hovenweep. Diesel has a pretty nice place there. He would probably put you up for a while.”

  Diesel was the other tiger shifter who’d been enslaved at the Coliseum. They could probably trust him.

  “Okay. I guess we’ll go there. Thanks.”

  Feeling like, somehow, she’d just made a terrible mistake, Diana left the room as fast as possible.

  Chapter Eight

  Draven left the Coliseum’s main office, his mission accomplished. He was now Chase’s sponsor, allowed to visit him whenever he pleased. Now all he had to do was go inject the guy with a magic potion, reenact Romeo and Juliet, and try not to remember that once this was done Diana would leave.

  No sweat. Except for that last part, but he’d get there when he got there.

  He descended the stairs, nodding to the guards and flashing his token. One of them unlocked the gate, allowing him access to the slave quarters. The very last place he ever wanted to be.

  For the first time, he thought maybe his brother had it right. Better to hide your nature than constantly worry about being thrown in a cage.

  Men and women filled the cells on either side of him. These were sizeable and outfitted with halfway decent furniture. If a fighter was well liked and well behaved, they got some extra perks. Chase hadn’t been here long enough to be upgraded.

  Besides, something told Draven he probably wasn’t well behaved.

  As the corridor snaked further into the building, the lights dimmed and the stench grew. Here were the out of favor slaves and the criminals thrown in to fight off their debt to society. Entertaining the masses for a couple years apparently made up for rape and murder.

  Draven shook his head at how cynical his thoughts had gotten. He had always been a cynic, of course, but not about this city. If you had asked him a week ago, he would have generally approved of the way it was run. Hearing Diesel’s story had given him pause, but he’d shoved those thoughts to the darkest corners of his mind. Nothing like burying your head in the sand.

  He must be getting close now. He glanced back at the token in his hand, double checking the cell number. Ten cages to go.

  He stopped in front of cell six twenty five, studying its prisoner. He’d been hoping that Chase wasn’t in too bad of a shape before the fight even began. Zephyr’s point about tenderizing meat had merit.

  Chase gazed back at him defiantly, with those same emerald green eyes that Diana pinned him with.

  Well, one eye at least. The other was swollen shut, and his nose was definitely broken. There was an assortment of other bandages decorating his body, but nothing looked too serious. Besides, he seemed alert. Far better than in a coma, which was always a possibility.

  Time to introduce himself. Luckily there were no guards this far down, so they could talk openly.

  “Hello, Chase.”

  Chase raised one eyebrow, instantly curious. “Have we met?”

  “Not until now. I’ve recently become acquainted with your sister. And... some other characters.”

  Chase shot to his feet, alarm all over his face. “What do you mean you’ve met my sister? You bastard, if you’ve done something to her I’ll rip your stripes right off your skin!”

  Draven stepped back, faintly amused at the outburst. This guy was in no way beaten down. Good. Hopefully that meant he’d survive the night.

  “I’ve done nothing to your sister outside of grievously offending her, multiple times. She has actually recruited me to haul your sorry pelt out of this place, and this is the greeting I get?”

  Chase wasn’t buying it. Suspicion took over his expression. “So, what, you bought me or something?”

  Draven snorted. “Ha. No. You’re much too valuable to them. It’s not that I don’t have the funds, it’s that you’re not for sale. No, we have a fairly dangerous plan involving my own brother, who hates me, a magic spell, and the faint hope that your opponent won’t turn you into ground beef. You in?”

  “Could you be more specific?”

  “I inject you with this stuff. When I tell it to, it will... kill you. Like Juliet and Sleeping Beauty. You will appear to be dead. Then I ask them very nicely for your body and deliver it to Diana, after which I’ll miraculously bring you back to life. And then you get the hell out of Emerald Isle, because any number of people would kill us all for this scheme.”

  Chase’s eye narrowed.

  “Why are you doing this?”

  Draven blinked. What is it with this family and questioning my every motive? he wondered. It was smart, sure, but annoying.

  “Because of your sister. I’m not happy about it, but apparently she’s my mate.”

  Chase snorted, doing his best to hold in the laughter. “Did you tell her this?”

  “Yes. She seemed quite dismissive. But like I said, since I deeply offend her every other hour or so, I’m sure you won’t have to deal with me after today.”

  “So this is all going down today then?”

  “Yes. You’re scheduled to fight tonight.”

  Chase shrugged. “Alright, guess it’s better than the alternative. You need an arm?”

  “Yes please.”

  As Draven carefully injected the sparkling liquid into the proffered arm, Chase gave him one more searching look. “Are they all alright? My family?”

  “Well, I didn’t really get into the specifics of everyone’s relationships. There are four people in perfect health holed up in my apartment. Diana, a teenager who has a frightening amount of magic in her veins, some seemingly worthless wind spirit, and a very taciturn avian shifter. Sound about right?”

  “Yes,” Chase said, his face collapsing in relief.

  Chapter Nine

  Diana fidgeted in her seat, anxious for the night to be over and for her brother to be back with her. Draven sat next to her, his lips pursed in annoyance. He had been quite clear in his desire for her to wait with the others, and she had been quite clear that she would do no such thing.

  Here she was, ready to watch the fight and charge in to defend Chase if need be.

  There was an excellent chance none of them would survive the night.

  With still an hour or so until the fight, she desperately needed a distraction.

  “So... how did two tiger shifters come to be so rich and powerful, while openly inhuman?” she asked Draven, chewing on one thumbnail.

  Draven shot her a look. “Theron is one hundred percent human, remember? Not magic at all, remember?”

  “Oh. Right.”

  “And as for myself... Probably the best thing that can be said about Emerald Isle is that you can be a supernatural here and do just as well as a human. Sure, there’s always a chance some unscrupulous demon will snatch you up and make you fight to the death, but that’s a chance everywhere. At least here, the magic outnumbers the walking dead.”

  Diana choked on her
drink. “I’m sorry, the what?”

  “The walking dead? You know, how the humans are dead inside? No magic in their blood?”

  “That is so rude! Being magic-less doesn’t mean you’re dead inside.”

  Diana hadn’t had any idea that Draven had such a low opinion of humans. Of her.

  “Well, I mean, it actually does. The magic comes from the earth and the gods. They were here before everything else, and they created all life, except humans. Humans are just some sick mutation, born of those who completely rejected the earth’s embrace. When they die, nothing happens. They don’t go back into the cycle to live again, they just rot away. Why are you crying?”

  Draven stared at her with a flabbergasted look. How can he not know that I’m human? He had to know. He was just being deliberately cruel again.

  “You’re talking about me, you asshole! You’re calling me a walking dead thing, saying my life means nothing, that I’m a mistake. How could you say that to my face?”

  Now he just looked puzzled. “You’re not human. I mean, you’re more human than me, but definitely less human than the people I’m talking about. Honestly, the definitions need updating... You’re human, but with a very healthy dose of magic flowing through you.”

  “What are you talking about? I don’t have any magic.”

  “Sure you do. I can smell it.” He tapped his finger to his nose. “This never lies.”

  “Then... what is it? I can’t do anything.”

  Draven shrugged. “Hell if I know. Doesn’t really smell like anything, so you’re not a shifter. It’s the white kind. You should have some kind of talent. If you were more human, you might just be unnaturally good at whatever it is. But with the magic, it takes it to another level. Is there anything you’re supernaturally good at?”

  Diana frowned. “No.”

  “See, now you’re just being deliberately obtuse,” Draven said, making a face. “You know what it is, you just have to think. Anyways, the match is starting.”

  The air filled with the clanging of bells, and all thoughts of her ‘talent’ fled Diana’s mind. She leaned forward, her eyes scanning the doors leading into the arena. Any minute now, she would see him. In no time at all, he would be free.

  On either side a gate slid open, revealing narrow hallways where the fighters would emerge from.

  Both tunnels were empty.

  Diana began trembling, almost vibrating, she was so on edge.

  And then, movement! A blur of grey was barreling down the left hallway. It exploded onto the killing floor and kept going, racing around the circle madly. Draven winced in sympathy.

  “Shit, that’s a tough one. I didn’t know they had any mad shifters in their cages.”

  “Mad shifters?”

  “Yea, that’s a werewolf. He’s totally lost control. You see his eyes? They’re red. If you ever see a shifter with red eyes... well, pray to your god. Cause you’re dead. It could be bad news for us too. Poor beast doesn’t have the sense to know when his opponent is done. He’ll just keep tearing into the body, especially if they’ve been starving him.”

  Diana just looked at him in horror, mouth hanging open.

  And then, from the right side, a shadowy figure came into view. Chase walked out, strong and tall, a silver sword flashing in one hand, chain mail glittering in the light.

  “Wait, what? He didn’t have a sword or armor at the last fight.”

  Draven bopped her lightly on the head with his closed fist. “Remember silly? I sponsored him. That’s not just a thing you say, it involves upgraded equipment. Hopefully the chain will keep him intact long enough for the guards to pull the wolf off. I mean, they don’t give a damn if the body is intact or not, but they’ll want to keep starving their slave.”

  Diana felt her eyes filling with tears again. She was just so emotional tonight. “There’s a person in there somewhere. Poor man. I wish we could help him...”

  “No. Absolutely not. Even if we could magically spring yet another prisoner from this place, that one is beyond saving. He’s crazy. His mind is gone. All anyone could do for him is to put him out of his misery.”

  “Has anyone ever tried?”

  “Tried putting him out of his misery?”

  “No. Saving a shifter who’s gone mad.”

  Draven’s face was knit with consternation. He did not appreciate her need to save the world. “Okay, fine, I don’t fucking know. Mostly they just get killed on sight. My brother might know, but I am not helping you save that wolf.”

  “I know, I know. We have to get Chase and leave. It’s just...”

  Diana’s voice trailed off. The wolf was circling his prey. Chase seemed unconcerned, just standing there and twirling his sword in one hand. He was very good with a sword. She hoped he wouldn’t forget himself and win the fight.

  The wolf leaped to the side, and started his running-in-circles move again. He was fast. Too fast. Maybe Chase couldn’t win anyways.

  The grey blob made a sharp turn and hurled himself into her brother. They both went down in a pile of whirling fur. Diana bit her lip, and fought the urge to charge into the arena. Draven must have sensed that urge, putting a restraining hand on her arm.

  As she watched, hints of orange started flashing through the grey. Was Chase shifting? Why would he do that?

  The chain mail couldn’t protect him if he wasn’t human, and he was less likely to stay in control and remember to lose the fight as a tiger.

  “You need to put him out.”

  “What?”

  “You need to do the spell. As soon as he fully shifts. Otherwise he’ll kill the wolf.”

  “Diana, I told you we’re not saving the... oh right. He has to lose.

  “Exactly.”

  Draven stood up and leaned over the rail, squinting at the brawling pair. “It’s going to be pretty hard to figure out when he fully shifts. And if I do it too soon...” Everyone knew one basic truth about shifters – if they got stuck halfway through, it was very bad news.

  “Well, hopefully if he gets a good hit in on the wolf it’ll retreat. And who knows, he could be fully in control...” She was not putting a lot of hope in that possibility.

  A few agonizing minutes later, a deep roar sounded out from the floor, and the wolf broke away. The tiger stood, shaking himself off and glaring around at the crowd. His eyes were completely gold.

  “Now!”

  Draven nodded and whipped a small knife off his belt, making a deep cut across the back of his hand. Blood welled, and he positioned the drops to fall onto the wooden box that the syringe had been contained in.

  Diana saw a flash, and the tiger collapsed. Which was actually very suspicious, considering that he was snarling and roaring perfectly fine just the second before. Hopefully the owners of this place weren’t the type to question the death.

  Now the only problem was the wolf. She watched, hands balled up into tight fists, as the grey animal cautiously approached his fallen foe. He sniffed at him, and then looked up at the crowd, scanning it. When his blood red eyes met hers, he paused. After holding her gaze for a few beats, he looked away, and then resumed racing around in crazy circles.

  “Did... did you see that?”

  Draven was wrapping his hand in some fine gauze. “What?”

  “The wolf. He just looked at me. Like, stared straight at me. I swear he was trying to communicate.”

  “Were his eyes still red?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then he was definitely not trying to communicate. I told you, there’s nothing left up there.”

  “Why isn’t he attacking Chase, then?”

  Draven paused and looked into the ring, considering. “Hmm. That is odd. No idea though. Maybe he’s so conditioned to fight that he doesn’t know what to do with a body? Seriously though, forget the wolf. We need to go claim your brother.”

  Chapter Ten

  Draven ground his teeth, well aware that his irritation would only make the situation worse. Chase�
�s “death” had been a bit suspicious, and now the Coliseum’s manager wanted to ask a few uncomfortable questions.

  “Look, I don’t know why he went down like that. I only met the man tonight.”

  “And why did you decide to sponsor him?”

  “You know full well that I’m a tiger shifter. Why wouldn’t I want to sponsor one of my own kind?”

  The manager wasn’t buying any of this. Luckily, he hadn’t yet told the guards not to put the body in Draven’s wagon, so hopefully Diana could get him away before it was too late.

  “Why did you not sponsor him as soon as he arrived?”

  “I don’t spend all my free time here, you know. I only saw him for the first time the night before last. So I would say I sponsored him just about as fast as I could.”

  “And now you want his body.”

  “Yes. For Theron. I know you know who Theron is, and what he does. A tiger shifter’s body will be very useful to him.”

  This earned Draven another pointed look from the annoying little man. “And you don’t have any moral reservations about your brother experimenting on a tiger corpse, all things considered?”

  “Should the manager of an entertainment venue with only fights to the death really be asking me about moral reservations?”

  Based on the pinched look on the man’s face, Draven was guessing he’d struck a nerve.

  “I suppose I don’t care what your feelings on your brother are. But the fact remains: that was a very suspicious death. I’m afraid my superiors are not convinced the fighter is actually dead. There are any manner of spells available these days...”

  Draven had to get out of here before they threw him in a cage and realized Chase was already gone. They would find the wagon, find Diana. He had no idea if she had already gotten away, but he had to risk it. The only way to get out of here alive was to cause a scene.