by Zoey Draven
There was no mistaking her mate’s fatigue, but he pushed on. He met her eyes and even with blood smearing half of his face, with cuts and claw marks adorning his flesh, he was still the most handsome male she’d ever seen.
The last opponent stepped forward, the one that would determine everything. The entire amphitheater realized this too as a sudden calm seemed to take hold of the crowd. Kate imagined them all with bated breath as her heart steadily tried to beat its way out of her chest. She wondered if Bidan could hear it.
It took some time for either to make the first move. Vaxa’s face was completely drawn in concentration, in determination. His body might be tired, but his drive wasn’t. The other warrior, who Kate guessed was more experienced and trained than the others, waited as well, biding his time, observing her mate as intently as he was observing the warrior. The warrior’s body language spoke of confidence.
It began with a grappling. They rushed at one another at the same time, connecting loudly enough that Kate swore she heard a crunch. Grunts and growls filled the arena, echoing off the cavernous mountain. For a brief moment, they were both just a tangle of limbs and flesh, body parts undistinguishable from one another. When they sprung apart finally, their chests heaved and the opponent had a slash across his abdomen that was gushing blood. It gladdened Kate to see it. Anything to weaken him, to give Vaxa an advantage.
Her stomach clenched during the entirety of the fight. Every blow, every punch, every side-sweeping kick that connected made her wince. Her heart sank when the opponent gouged his claws into Vaxa’s side, but she inwardly cheered when her mate tore a chunk of flesh from the challenger’s arm. It was madness. It was chaos. It made everything in her hurt. She wished more than anything that she could tap into their blood bond, to potentially offer him comfort, but she didn’t want to distract him. She needed to trust that Vaxa knew what he was doing, that he was strong enough to defeat his challenger.
Kate didn’t know how long the fight lasted. From one moment to the next, it seemed either Vaxa or the warrior had the upper hand. But once her mate managed to grasp the challenger by the shoulders and drive his knee up into his windpipe with a sickening crunch did Vaxa really seem to have the upper hand.
It was then that she saw him.
The warrior from the marketplace that had grabbed her wrist hard enough to bruise, who had called her a ‘human whore.’
Kate didn’t know why she happened to glance at the edge of the arena. Perhaps she had seen movement, or perhaps she just sensed that something wasn’t right.
Regardless, it took her only a moment to recognize him, but in that moment, he lunged for the circle. In his hands was something that glinted in the blue light.
A silver dagger.
A silent scream lodged in her throat as she watched in horror as the unknown warrior took aim for her mate.
Vaxa’s challenger was between them and she saw the moment Vaxa spotted the dagger. With a jerk, he threw his opponent out of the way, but in doing so, he allowed an opening for the attack.
Black dots burst into her vision when she saw the dagger sink into Vaxa’s flesh. He had turned at the last moment, but the weapon still made contact. Rixavox cursed and Lihvan was already jumping down from the dais, the rest of Vaxa’s ambassadors following suit.
Her eyes were glued to her mate, glued to the silver dagger that protruded from his side. In a flash, Vaxa pulled the blade from his body with a grunt before taking aim at the warrior, who had just turned to flee the ring. But Lihvan got there first. He brought the warrior from the marketplace down and then restrained his arms behind his back as Cruxan and Vikan joined to help. Rixavox was at Vaxa’s side. Kate scrambled from her seat, wanting to go to her mate, but Bidan held her back.
“Be still, Kat,” he said in her ear as she struggled in his hold. “The challenger still remains. Vaxa’an would not want you put in any danger.”
Her eyes immediately darted to the challenger that Vaxa had tossed out of the way when her mate could’ve easily killed two birds with one stone. He could have used the warrior to shield him from the dagger, thus ending the Trials, and he could have prevented getting stabbed himself.
But my mate has more honor than that, she thought, tears rushing down her face. She prayed to God and to the Luxirian Fates and every other higher being she’d ever heard of that Vaxa would be okay, that the wound he received didn’t hit anything major within him.
“Luxirians heal fast, don’t they?” she asked, her voice breathy and slightly desperate. She was still being restrained by Bidan, but she hardly noticed. All her attention was on her mate.
“Tev,” Bidan murmured, but she heard his frown. “We do.”
Vaxa pushed to his feet in the center of the arena, brushing off Rixavox’s assistance. He held a hand over his side, where she could see rivulets of blue blood running over his fingertips. He stood to face his challenger and Kate’s lips parted in disbelief. He couldn’t possibly be thinking of continuing with the Trials, not when he had a wound like that. Kate might not be a doctor, but even she knew that he was losing a lot of blood. If he continued to fight, he could bleed out more quickly.
The warrior stood and faced her mate. The crowd was completely silent, waiting, watching. They seemed to be in as much shock as all the rest of them were, some with horrified expressions, others with grim expressions.
And Vaxa still continued to bleed.
“Where is Privanax?” Kate asked, mostly to herself.
Bidan answered, “Until there is a ruling, none can have medical aid.”
Kate’s eyes were drawn the stains of blue blood dotting the ring, where four Luxirians had already died and been taken away. The challenging warrior spoke to Vaxa, his voice reverberating around the mountain.
It was times like these where she wished she understood their language.
* * *
“Why did you spare my life?” Brelix asked, his eyes straying to the struggling Luxirian male currently being held down by Lihvan, Cruxan, and Vikan. That alone spoke of his strength, that he needed three warriors to restrain him.
“You challenged me,” Vaxa’an replied, trying to hide the way his chest heaved, trying to ignore the icy pain that was spreading from the gushing wound in his side. “I will ask you this once, Brelix. Did you organize this with him?”
Brelix physically recoiled. “I have more honor than that, Prime Leader. I wanted a fair Trial, a fair fight.”
“Yet in challenging my rule, you dishonored my luxiva, dishonored my unborn heir, and dishonored me,” Vaxa’an growled.
Brelix wisely remained silent. The edges around Vaxa’an’s vision began to blur and he shook his head, trying to clear it.
Then, Vaxa’an realized he was being unfair. Brelix had a right to challenge him, just like all Luxirians.
Brelix straightened, casting his eyes to the crowd that surrounded the arena and then back to him. “I was challenging you because I believe it is right. Humans have no place with Luxirians.”
“I am surprised by you, Brelix,” Vaxa’an said quietly, his voice dangerously low, his vision blurring once more. “You are only slightly older than I am and yet you support such outdated views. When will you realize that Luxirians will be no more in a hundred rotations? No young has been born in over ten. You should be thankful that we are compatible with humans because it gives our race hope and opportunity to rebuild anew.”
“We are compatible with other species,” Brelix argued. “Humans are weak. They would pollute our strength and we rely on our strength to survive.”
“One thing I have learned about my luxiva is that she is not weak,” Vaxa’an said. “And you will be careful not to insult your lavrix’an in front of me.”
Brelix’s jaw remained shut.
“I will give you three options, Brelix,” Vaxa’an said. “One is we continue the Trials.”
“I will not fight you, Prime Leader,” Brelix said. “You have been injured and it would not be an honorable f
ight.”
“Then you choose death, or exile,” Vaxa’an rasped. He was sweating now and getting dizzier by the second. The blade had cut him deeply and he needed the wound mended quickly.
Brelix was silent as he debated his options. Vaxa’an knew that he was one of their best warriors, but his prejudices had no place on Luxiria.
However, perhaps it was the blood loss or because Vaxa’an had simply taken too many Luxirian lives that span, an idea formed in his mind. It could either bite him in the varx or it could sway Brelix’s opinions. He walked closer to the warrior until they were a few feet apart and said quietly. “Or I have an assignment that I would like you to join.”
Confusion and wariness sparked in Brelix’s gaze. “An assignment, Prime Leader?”
“Yes. You will accompany Ambassador Lihvan on an infiltration mission of the Pit. Those humans that you are so fond of…” Vaxa’an sucked in a sharp breath as pain radiated from the wound, pulsing and hot. “Those human women have been imprisoned against their will. My luxiva has made me realize how shameful this is. And while she has forgiven me for participating, there are women there who continue to be mistreated. Luxirians do not stand for the mistreatment of females, do we?”
“No, we do not,” he said. Something fired in Brelix’s gaze, but then he asked, “You spare my life a second time? Why?”
“Because I have known you since we fought together on Hwaronia, do you remember?” Brelix nodded. “You are an honorable male and a good warrior. Perhaps your only fault is that you are too steadfast in Luxiria’s ways and this has clouded your vision. This mission may help to sway your opinions. Regardless of what you may think of me, I do not relish the thought of taking your life. Too much blood has already been spilled this span.”
Brelix glanced towards his feet, at the gore and blood spatters decorating the arena.
He was silent for a few moments and Vaxa’an pressed harder onto his wound, trying to stanch the blood flow.
Then Brelix finally glanced up at him and said, “I will accept your mercy, Prime Leader.”
Vaxa’an nodded, looking towards Rixavox who had been closely watching the exchange. “Take him,” he said to Rixavox. “Make sure he is sequestered before the assignment begins and inform Lihvan.”
Rixavox nodded, his eyes straying to the wound. “What of the other male?”
“Imprison him until I am recovered. Then leave him to me,” Vaxa’an rasped, his eyes flickering over to the male in disgust. “Find Privanax, as well. I need him to mend this.”
Rixavox nodded and Vaxa’an turned away, letting his ambassadors deal with this mess. His eyes found his female’s only to find that she was being held back by Bidan. He gestured for her to come to him once he was far enough away from the arena and then continued into the tunnel hidden behind the raised dais. Away from the seemingly endless pairs of eyes, he finally let himself stagger, hissing out a breath in pain, and leaning against the cool stone wall.
His Kat was there in an instant and for a moment it was just the two of them. His head lolled as a wave of blurriness crashed around him and she gasped his name, over and over again.
“Vaxa, don’t you dare,” she was whispering. His eyes focused on her face and he saw her cheeks were wet with tears. “Just hold on, Privanax is coming.”
He felt her hand gingerly press against the blade wound in his side and he groaned, his body feeling cold one moment and unbearably hot the next.
“Vaxa,” Kat said, her voice sounding panicked.
That was the last thing he heard before his world went black.
TWELVE
“Kat,” Privanax called, eyeing her from the bedroom door of her and Vaxa’s home. “You should rest this night. It has been a hard span. You need to rest this night.”
Kate’s gaze strayed down to her mate, who had had it hardest of all that day. It was only a few hours after the Trials had ended in a most confusing manner. Rixavox had needed to make two announcements to the crowd in order for them to disperse. She had heard that many questioned what would happen to the challenger, since technically, the Trials had been left unfinished. When Kate had asked Rixavox the same question, he told her that Vaxa had given him a choice: exile or death…or to help Lihvan with some future mission. When she’d questioned him further about this mission—all while wondering why Vaxa would give him an out for something like that—Rixavox had gone silent, telling her that it was a topic best discussed with her mate.
Rixavox had left with the rest of Vaxa’s ambassadors once Privanax had announced him stable. Kate had been wary, wanting Vaxa to be kept at Privanax’s lab just in case something should happen during the night, but the doctor had assured her that Vaxa would be fine after the emergency surgery to stop the internal bleeding and that he simply needed rest.
Privanax had told her that in the morning, Vaxa would be well-recovered, something she didn’t quite believe as she looked down at her unconscious mate.
Luxirians do heal fast, but surely, not that fast, she thought.
Privanax left shortly after and she bit her lip, breathing in a deep breath, before retrieving a cloth and a basin of water from their hot spring.
She returned to her mate and gently began washing the blood off his body, blotting against the scrapes and gashes. This was simply a normal part of her life now, cleaning the blood off her mate, she mused. She’d done it over a dozen times now.
The rise and fall of his chest comforted her as she bathed around the incision that Privanax had cleanly closed. Already, she could see signs that his body was healing. Some of the shallower wounds he’d sustained already seemed to be on the mend.
She’d just finished washing him and had just set aside the cloth when she looked up to see him watching her.
Kate’s heart skipped a beat and she smiled. She’d been sitting on a small stool next to the bed so she wouldn’t disturb him and she moved it closer to his head so she could lean down and brush her lips across his.
“How do you feel?” she murmured, stroking back his hair.
“Like I took a blade to the side,” he answered. His voice was all smoke and huskiness. And he’d clearly meant to try to assure her, despite his words.
The sound she made was a cross between a laugh and a sob. “Don’t make a habit of that, okay?”
“I will try to keep that in mind, female.”
Without warning, the emotions that she’d kept so carefully bottled—or at least had tried to keep so carefully bottled—began the process of emptying out of her. She leaned her head down to the crook of his neck, breathing him in, and let out a loud sob, incredibly grateful and relieved that he’d come out of this alive. For now. She didn’t know if there would be another Trial to finish the first or what he planned for the other challenger.
“You know I cannot bear to see your tears, luxiva,” he said softly.
But she couldn’t help it. She remembered the body-numbing moment when Vaxa had collapsed in the tunnel from his injury, her panic trying to revive him until Privanax could make his way through the arena floor. He had been so pale, so weak…unlike the Vaxa she knew. It made her realize that her strong, formidable mate was very mortal indeed and while he had lived through the Trials and through the attempt on his life…would he be so lucky if something like that should happen again?
God, she’d turned into a weepy female. All she did was cry these days.
“I’m sorry,” she murmured, lifting her face, wiping her nose in the most unattractive way possible. “Y-you know…the hormones and everything…”
Vaxa’s face softened enough for her to detect it, but he said nothing. He just let her compose herself and get her damn emotions under control, but he lifted a hand and put it on top of hers.
“Come,” he said, patting the furs beside him. She didn’t care that they were covered in his blood, she simply did as her mate bid and joined him on the bed, being mindful of his wounds. Keriva would be aghast at the sight of her dress when she eventually saw
it, but to Kate, being with her mate was worth much more than a million of the finest dresses.
“What happens now?” she asked once they were settled. Carefully, she placed her head on his unmarred shoulder, tracing the line of his jaw, the curve of his horns with her eyes.
“The Lunar Celebration happen this next night,” he said.
“But you are injured,” she protested. “You can’t possibly think of going.”
“I will heal by morning,” he said. “It takes much to kill a Luxirian, as our enemies well know.”
The thought sobered her and the only thing she could manage was a nod. “You fought well today,” she whispered. “If I wasn’t so scared for your life, I would have thought that the way you fight is almost…mesmerizing.”
“Fighting is not beautiful by any means,” he murmured. “It is costly.”
“I am sorry for your warriors,” she murmured. “I know that it must’ve been hard for you…to take their lives.”
He blew out a breath that ended in a slight grunt. “They chose willingly.”
They lapsed into silence. Kate left him to his thoughts, intentionally not tapping into their blood bond. Some things needed to be felt privately and Vaxa needed to mourn what had happened that day.
Kate decided against not telling him about the male from the marketplace. She always found herself in the position of purposefully not telling her mate something in fear of his reaction. And if she told him that the same male that had attempted to assassinate him today had been the same one to harm her in the marketplace…he would jump out of bed, injuries be damned, and go wring the male’s neck himself.
Instead, she told herself it could wait until the morning, when Vaxa—and Privanax—was sure he would be well recovered.
The full moon’s light spread across the floor of their room and Kate drifted off into a relieved sleep with her mate’s palms carefully cradling her belly between them.