Resolute

by Alicia Rades

  My shoulders fell. “I hope they’re okay.”

  We entered the kitchen, which was basically a bunch of cupboards and countertops with a hand-pump sink in the corner. There were multiple coolers, but otherwise no stove or refrigerator. I pulled a loaf of bread from the corner and began working on sandwiches.

  “It’s not pretty, but they keep us fed,” I said. “Anyway, it won’t be long now before we can make our move. But we should probably wait to discuss specifics.”

  Venn nodded in agreement, then held his palm up when I handed him the sandwich. “I’m actually not very hungry.”

  I shoved it toward him. “I don’t care. You have to eat. You need your strength.”

  He eyed the sandwich curiously, then took it. “Strength for what?”

  I hated that I had to be the one to break the news. “For your initiation ceremony tonight. They’ll test your strength to see which vampire you should belong to.”

  Venn frowned. “That doesn’t sound good.”

  “No, it isn’t. My advice? Knock your opponent out. They’ll move on to the next fight if it’s not entertaining them.”

  Venn looked nervous.

  “With me, Valkas only wanted a source of entertainment. For you?” That wasn’t something I wanted to think about.

  “For me?” he pressed.

  “For you, it’s going to be an actual test. And you have to make sure you pass.”

  Venn will be fine. He’s a wolf shifter. He can handle anything.

  And I meant it.

  As night fell, blood slaves began making their way up to the chateau, and the “recruits” were rounded up. I didn’t know if I was invited to watch, but I figured no one would notice a cleaning maid missing from the chateau on a night like this.

  In the light of the moon, I followed the trail toward the fight ring I’d been thrown into my first night here. Several couples—vampires and their slaves—walked ahead of me on the trail. As they took their seats in the stands, I slipped around the back of the bleachers and stood in the shadows. The hair on the back of my neck stood. It felt like I was doing something wrong, like I wasn’t supposed to be here without a vampire to escort me.

  Screw that. I wasn’t letting Venn face this fight alone.

  I watched as more and more couples flooded into the arena and took their seats. My eyes fell upon Jenna as she and her vampire—Silas—emerged from the trees. The sight of him knocked the air out of my chest like a punch to the gut. He was tall, with broad shoulders and thick arms, and he had a scar above his eyebrow.

  He was there the night my parents were killed!

  Why hadn’t Jenna ever mentioned it? She always talked about her vampire so vaguely—when she talked about him at all.

  I urged to rush forward and pick a fight with him right then and there. After everything he’d done to Jenna—kidnapped her and forced her to give up her blood for him—he deserved it. But I swallowed down my fury and stayed put. Picking a fight with a vamp on a cliff full of vampires wasn’t exactly the best idea. I was reckless, but not that reckless.

  Jenna’s expression was unreadable as she followed her vampire into the stands. She acted like a robot. Which I guess was the only way to survive as a blood slave. It was that or show your true feelings and get yourself killed.

  Chatter filled the arena, and soon, the chanting took over.

  Fight. Fight. Fight.

  I knew Venn and the other recruits were picking their weapons right now. I just hoped he picked a good one.

  Soon, the entire island was seated in the stands. Valkas walked out of the trees, with Rogers in tow, and the chanting turned to cheers. Valkas held his hands above his head and spun around with a huge smile on his face. He craved the attention, like he was a king. It made me sick.

  Sit down already, asshole.

  Valkas dropped his hands, and the crowd went quiet. “I won’t bore you with a lousy introduction tonight,” he called across the ring. “Let’s just have some bloody fun, shall we? Let the games begin!”

  The crowd erupted into cheers again. From out of the trees, I saw Anton push a girl into the ring. She stumbled but quickly righted herself before placing an arrow on the bow she’d picked. She’d shoved the second arrow in the back of her jeans pocket.

  She whirled around and drew the bow just as a guy twice her size stepped into the light of the torches. He was one of the lumberjack twins, the one with the longer beard, and he’d brought a mace as his weapon of choice.

  I was already nervous for her. She was such a petite little thing, and he was huge. If she wasn’t a shifter, she didn’t stand a chance.

  Her arms shook as she anchored the bow to the corner of her lip, then let go of the string. She changed her mind at the last millisecond and pulled the bow to the side just as the arrow went flying off the rest. It interrupted the arrow’s trajectory, and the arrow went flying off to the side into the woods.

  She realized what she’d done a second later, and her eyes went wide. Lumberjack lifted his ball and chain and swung it at her. She jumped out of the way just in time for the spiked ball to land in the dirt where she’d been standing.

  Her mouth moved, but it was impossible to hear what she said over all the cheering. The look on her face suggested she was pleading with him. A heavy weight settled in my stomach like a bag of rocks. The Soulless didn’t care whether they pulled innocent people off the streets or not. They’d make sinners out of them one way or another.

  Lumberjack swung his weapon at her again, and she ducked out of the way, somersaulting until she was on the other side of him. She placed her second arrow on the string, then drew back a second time. I held my breath for her.

  She let go of the string just as the ball connected with her head. Everything happened so fast that it was hard to process it all. The girl fell to the side the same time the arrow struck the guy in the shoulder. Blood began pouring out of his wound and onto his white t-shirt.

  While he was momentarily distracted by the pain, the girl shot to her feet again.

  Definitely a shifter, I concluded. There was no other way she could’ve survived that blow.

  Using her bow, she swung it at Lumberjack’s head. It connected with such a hard thwack that I heard it above the cheers. The crowd screamed even louder at that. The guy stumbled backward, disoriented, and landed on his elbows.

  The girl rushed forward to grab the weapon that had flown from his hands. She swung it high above her head, then brought it down straight on his face. I flinched and turned my face away from the scene, but I wasn’t fast enough. The image of blood squirting everywhere would forever be seared in my memory.

  The crowd went wild. I slowly peeled my eyes back open to see that vampires were on their feet now, cheering for the shifter girl’s victory. Meanwhile, she stood in the center of the ring, staring down at the man’s mangled features. Her whole body shook.

  Valkas stood and made his way over to her. The crowd didn’t quiet long enough for him to announce her as champion, but he clapped her on the back and whispered something in her ear. Whatever he’d said didn’t seem to soothe her as her shaking legs carried her back toward Anton at the entrance to the trail.

  Valkas whirled back around and took his seat on his throne again, then said something to Rogers. Rogers mumbled an incantation, then Lumberjack’s body lifted from the ground as if it were attached to strings. Rogers guided it over to a group of vamps in the front row, who all were happy to drape the body across themselves and dig in like it was a Thanksgiving smorgasbord.

  What the hell was wrong with them? Couldn’t they at least show some respect?

  Of course not. They were vampires.

  Moments later, another figure stepped out of the trees and into the ring. He was as big as the last guy with the same look and muscular build. It was the second lumberjack twin, the one named Jackson. His eyebrows were tight, and his lips pressed together in a thin line. His eyes fell upon his brother, and I noticed his grip tightened on
his sword.

  He’d just watched his brother die, and they wanted to see how he’d handle it. I was beyond disgusted.

  Jackson glanced around frantically, as if calculating how he might be able to escape. Before he could take in his surroundings, Anton grabbed another recruit and threw him into the ring. My stomach sank when I saw it was Venn. I didn’t want him fighting anyone, let alone a guy who wasn’t even in the same weight class.

  Venn took a defensive stance, holding a dagger out like he was ready to strike if Jackson came too close.

  I didn’t know if I could watch this. What if the strategy to knock his opponent out backfired? What if Jackson gained the upper hand? Sure, Venn had killed vampires before, but never another human being. I didn’t think he’d do it just to save himself.

  Survive, Venn. That’s all I ask.

  I held my breath as the fight began. Jackson swung his sword out, aiming it straight for the side of Venn’s neck like he was going to decapitate him. Venn ducked out of the way and jabbed his dagger toward Jackson’s arm, where it would do the least damage. It barely nicked him, just enough that I could see a spot of blood, but not enough that Jackson reacted. Jackson spun toward Venn, looking like he was about to shoot fire out of his nose.

  Come on, Venn. You can do this.

  Jackson took another swing at him, this time at his legs. Venn jumped, just barely making it over the top of the blade. Jackson quickly tried another method. He jabbed the sword toward him like he was going to impale him. I flinched, but when I opened my eyes, Venn had dodged out of the way and spun toward the guy. He grabbed on to Jackson’s wrist and yanked him forward, then sliced his dagger across the back of his hand.

  The crowd cheered, and Jackson dropped his sword. Venn quickly bent to retrieve it, then tossed both weapons toward the edge of the cliff. The dagger flew into the darkness, while the sword teetered on the edge, then slipped off into the water.

  Jackson’s eyes went wide as he realized his weapon had vanished. Venn didn’t waste any time. He immediately threw a punch at the guy’s jaw. He stumbled backward a bit, and Venn took aim again. Jackson regained his composure a moment later and lunged for Venn.

  I gasped when Venn slammed into the ground, over two-hundred pounds of muscle squashing him. Jackson drew back his fist and shoved his other hand into the collar of Venn’s shirt. He hesitated, then his eyes flickered to his dead brother’s body. A moment later, his fist pummeled Venn’s face.

  My hands shot over my mouth, and my knees shook beneath me.

  No! My mind screamed. Fight back, Venn! I need you. You have to survive.

  I wanted to rush in and help him, but I knew the vampires wouldn’t allow it. I’d die right there with him.

  That’s how it should be, I thought.

  My feet moved beneath me before I gave them the command. I was just about to run into the ring, but I stopped myself when I saw Venn’s face morph into a black wolf’s. Half the crowd shot to their feet in excitement. Meanwhile, Jackson paused as he realized he was no longer holding on to Venn’s clothes but on to his fur. Venn’s powerful jaws snapped at the guy’s hand, and a pained scream broke out above the noise of the crowd.

  Jackson scurried off of Venn, distancing himself from him. Venn rolled onto his feet and curled his lips back over his teeth, growling at him.

  “Venn, don’t,” I whispered to myself.

  Of course, he couldn’t hear me. He lunged forward, and his paws slammed into his opponent’s chest. I thought for sure he would rip his throat out, but he only stood on top of him, growling. Jackson’s eyes darted around the arena—to the vampires on either side, to his brother’s body, and finally to Venn’s eyes. His lips moved, but I couldn’t tell what he said.

  Without ceremony, he shoved Venn off of himself, scurried to his feet, and sprinted to the edge of the cliff. The whole crowd gasped, including me, as Jackson hurled himself into the rocky water below.

  Several vamps at the edge of the bleachers rushed over to the edge of the cliff and peeked over. They must’ve liked whatever they saw, because they turned back to the crowd and began cheering.

  Venn had gone as still as a statue, staring out into the dark water like he couldn’t believe what had just happened. Relief flooded through me. It was horrible, considering Jackson was as good as dead. If the rocks below hadn’t killed him, the water would. No way could he swim back to the mainland without drowning, even if he was a shifter with super endurance. But I was so happy Venn was alive.

  Valkas hesitated for a moment, then stood and made his way out into the middle of the ring. “Ladies and gentlemen… our second champion of the night!”

  At the sound of the crowd cheering, Venn blinked and seemed to come back to reality. His lips curled back over his teeth, like he wasn’t at all pleased by the outcome. He looked two seconds away from ripping Valkas’s head off, but we all knew how that would go.

  Still in wolf form, Venn’s shoulders dropped, and he slumped back toward the other recruits in the trees, appearing more worn out than I’d ever seen him before. Looking at him made it feel like someone had punched a hole straight through my gut. I just wanted to hold him and tell him everything would be all right, even if it was a lie.

  I quickly abandoned my hideout in the shadows of the bleachers and raced into the forest after him.

  16

  “Venn!” I cried, rushing through the trees toward him.

  I saw his silhouette shift from wolf to human form. He reached out and steadied himself against a nearby tree. I was almost to him when an arm swung out of the darkness and swooped me out of the air.

  I instinctively swung my elbow backward, but my assailant ducked out of the way. My elbow met nothing but air.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” a deep voice asked in my ear. Anton.

  I relaxed until he set me back on my feet, but he didn’t let go of me. I looked up into his silver eyes behind me. “He’s the champion of his round, and he needs medical attention. I would hope the vampire he’s assigned to would want him in top shape for his first feeding.”

  Anton finally released his hold on me. Venn’s gaze flickered to mine through swollen eyes. Blood dripped from a large gash on his cheek. His eyes pleaded with me, like he thought it was best if I let him be instead of fighting with the vamps.

  I turned back to Anton and spoke through gritted teeth. “May I take him back to his quarters?”

  Anton glanced between me and the latest fight in the ring. He huffed. “Fine, but do not make it habit, Raven Girl.”

  “Yes, sir.” I rushed over to Venn and draped his arm over my shoulder, helping support him on our way down the trail. He barely let me help him, but he seemed a little disoriented. “That was quite a beating.”

  Venn blinked a couple of times, as though he was still trying to process it. “It… it all happened so fast.”

  “How’s your face?” I asked. The blood had reached the bottom of his chin now.

  Venn shrugged. “He had quite a punch.”

  “Yeah, I can see that. He might’ve given you a concussion, too.”

  Venn shook his head, still looking dazed. “No, I just…” He pressed his fingers to the raw skin on his cheek and came away with blood-soaked fingertips.

  “We’ll talk about it once we get you to the bathhouse,” I said.

  Venn didn’t say anything the rest of the way there. I led him inside the bathroom and instructed him to get into the tub. I handed him a wash cloth to wipe his face, then took a towel and headed to the kitchen, where I wrapped ice from one of the coolers in it. When I returned to the bathroom, Venn was lying in the tub with his head leaned back and his eyes closed.

  “You okay?” I asked.

  His eyes sprang open, and he started. “Yeah, I’ll be fine. A healing spell might help, though.”

  I frowned. “My magic isn’t working lately.”

  “Ice is fine, then.” He took the ice pack from me while I turned and lit the lamp in the corn
er. I rounded the tub and placed the plug in the bottom, then began pumping the water for him.

  “What the vampires do to initiate their prisoners is horrible,” I snarled in disgust.

  Venn shivered as cool water rushed over him. “When they told us what we were going to do—that we had to choose a weapon and fight—most of us thought they were joking. I might’ve too if I didn’t already know how ruthless vamps were. I mean, why would they bring us here if they were just going to kill us?”

  “It’s their form of entertainment around here.”

  Venn sighed. “I know. I was being rhetorical.”

  “It’s sick, if you ask me.”

  Venn scoffed. “Yeah, it’s sick you if you ask me, too.”

  Several quiet moments passed. The only sound came from the water rushing out of the tap. I dared to break the silence.

  “What did Jackson say to you, right before…?” I couldn’t finish my sentence.

  Venn slowly pulled the ice away from his face until his eyes met mine. “That’s the crazy part. He sacrificed himself so I could win.”

  “Sacrificed himself?”

  “Yeah. He said, ‘I won’t become a killer for them.’”

  “He didn’t want either of you giving up who you are,” I whispered. It reminded me of what Jenna had said to me, how she couldn’t choose what the Soulless did to her, but she could choose how she reacted to it. Jackson chose not to play their game. “He wasn’t willing to sacrifice his character.”

  Venn nodded solemnly. “I don’t know if I could’ve done it. Killed him, I mean.”

  I stopped pumping the water and sat on the floor beside the tub. Reaching out, I took Venn’s hand in mine. “I'm so sorry.”

  After a beat of silence, Venn spoke so softly I barely heard him. “I don’t know if I can do it again, Rae.”

  “Do what?”

  “Be a blood slave.”

  “Venn…” I wished I could find the words to reassure him, but there was nothing I could say to make this better.