by Cree Storm
“Shit, we’re too late. We need to stop him from entering the ring,” Jewel said anxiously.
“No, you’re right, baby, it’s too late. Orion’s name has been called and he’s stepping into the arena now. If he steps back out, he forfeits the match,” Ezra replied.
Jewel turned to look at him and he could see the worry in his best friend’s eyes.
“There has to be a way to delay this, Ezzie,” Jewel cried.
Ezra turned to look at him, his concern and apology apparent. “I’m sorry, Nelson, but even I as the Re can’t stop the match once they have both stepped into the arena. It is our written law. All we can do now is have faith in Orion’s strength and ability, and pray he wins.”
Nelson nodded as tears burned the back of his eyes. He had no idea who this man, this vampire, was who his mate was about to face, but just from that one moment when their gazes met, he could feel the evil within the man. He knew his mate was strong and fierce, and had no doubt that he could beat anyone, but a sense of foreboding wrapped itself around him and Nelson was terrified for his mate’s life.
As he turned to watch the match his fox began to claw and maul inside him. Nelson could feel his animal’s need to come out, but he knew he couldn’t allow that right then. Nelson swallowed hard as he fixed his gaze on his mate, watching as Orion stepped into the center of the ring and faced the evil Nelson knew stood before him.
The referee raised his hand high into the air, then quickly brought it down, signaling for the fight to begin.
Napal immediately stepped closer as he threw a right punch but came up short. He then threw a left and another right, as he screamed in Orion’s face, but Nelson could see it was all for show, Napal was trying to intimidate Orion. Orion remained frozen, not even flinching, his gaze locked on his opponent.
As Napal stepped in and drew his arm back, giving away his intention, Orion struck. Balancing on his right leg, he threw his left leg forward, his large foot hitting Napal square in the chest and sending him reeling backwards. Napal hit the ground hard and the stadium came alive with cheers. The sound was deafening.
Napal got to his hands and knees as he tried to stand, but before he got the chance, Orion brought his right foot down hard on Napal’s back and the man screamed out in pain as his back bowed and he hit the ground again.
Orion danced on the balls of his feet as he moved around Napal waiting for the vampire to get up. Napal got to his feet and glared at Orion as he used the back of his hand to wipe the blood away from the side of his mouth.
Both men faced one another again, their eyes glowing, jaws clenching, and Napal breathing hard. Suddenly he rushed at Orion, but Nelson’s mate was prepared for the attack and jumped to the side, then quickly spun around so Napal wouldn’t be at his back.
Napal caught himself before he fell again and spun around to face Orion. Nelson could see the fury in the man’s eyes, almost like a wild, caged beast waiting to release his inner anger. The sight made Nelson shiver as goosebumps covered his body. Again, his fox was clawing to get out, begging Nelson for release, but he held him inside.
They began to circle, never breaking their eye contact, then all of a sudden Napal smiled in that wicked way that caused Nelson’s hair to rise. Nelson shifted his gaze to Orion and his brows drew down in confusion when he saw that Orion looked like he was frozen in place. Nelson could see the look of confusion pass over Orion’s eyes.
Instantly, Napal charged, wrapping his arms around Orion’s waist and let the momentum take them to the ground with Napal on top. He began raining blows to Orion’s head and body and Orion never fought back. Nelson cringed, and his fox whined.
“Somethings not right. Why isn’t he fighting back?” Jewel cried.
“I don’t know, Sweetheart, but it looks like… he can’t,” Ezra replied, and Nelson could hear the uncertainty in his voice.
“I know there are no rules and they can use anything at their disposal, but if this is some kind of magic Napal is using, then how is he using it? I didn’t think a vampire as young as he is had that kind of power,” Jewel said.
“He shouldn’t,” Ezra replied, narrowing his eyes as he focused on the match.
Suddenly a thought hit Nelson and he gasped as he turned to look at Ezra. “Are they allowed outside help?”
Ezra’s head snapped in his direction as he looked at Nelson like he had two heads. “No honorable vampire would gain help in a match in the Ceremonies.”
“You’re right, Ezra, but listen to what you just said, no honorable vampire would do that, but what about someone without honor? You said yourself you didn’t like the way Napal fought. That he had no honor,” Nelson argued.
“Shit, you’re right,” Ezra agreed and they all turned back to the fight.
Napal was still straddling Orion as he punched him over and over. The referee moved closer, watching the two, but then he looked up, catching Ezra’s gaze, and Nelson could see the question in the man’s eyes. He was actually asking Ezra if he should stop the fight and call it.
Nelson looked at Ezra, his jaw clenched angrily, and he shook his head, indicating the match to continue.
“Shit, Ezzy look,” Jewel said, gaining both of their attention.
Jewel was pointing to a spot around the left side of the arena, not far from where the contestants entered through. There stood a man in a cloak that covered most of his face, but Nelson could see his lips and they were moving. There was no one around him so who was he speaking to?
“I don’t understand, Jewel,” Ezra said.
“He’s chanting, Ezzy. Watch his lips, they repeat over and over.”
Nelson focused harder on the man’s lips and Jewel was right. The man was repeating the words as if chanting.
“His focus is on the match, and I think you’re right, Jewel. It looks like he’s chanting,” Ezra said then looked back at the guards. He whispered something to one of them and the man nodded, then turned. He and another five guards took off in the direction where the man stood.
The crowd began to scream angrily as they jumped to their feet. Nelson looked back to the fight and gasped. Orion was now up on his knees, but he was swaying, blood covered his face and chest, and his eyes looked out of focus. Napal stood over him smirking, his right hand on the back of Orion’s neck, as he raised his left arm, hand clenched in a fist.
Just then Orion’s eyes widened as he took a deep breath, and Nelson could see his eyes looked clear now. He quickly shifted his gaze to where the cloaked man stood, but he was gone. Nelson looked back to his mate.
As Napal brought his fist down, Orion dropped forward, catching himself with his hands, then quickly rolled over and punched straight up, nailing Napal between the legs. The bastard brought both hands to his groin as he bent forward. Orion took advantage of the position and came up behind Napal, then lifted his right leg. With all his might, Orion swept Napal’s legs out from under him and Napal hit the ground once again.
Orion shook his head as if clearing cobwebs, then began his attack on Napal. Orion leaned down and wrapped his arms around Napal’s waist, then lifted him up onto his shoulder as he stood. Napal screamed out in surprise and fought to break free but Orion held him tight, then dropped down to the ground again, slamming Napal against the earth.
Nelson could have sworn he heard bone crack but wasn’t sure because the crowd began cheering so loudly again, Nelson thought his ears would bleed.
Orion pulled away and stood, but before he could get too far, Napal lifted his right leg and nailed Orion in the gut with a back kick. As Orion regained his footing, Napal stood and faced him, but he didn’t wait. Napal hit Orion again with a roundhouse kick to the jaw and Orion stumbled but didn’t fall. He moved closer to Napal and threw a right hook hitting Napal in the temple.
Napal brought his hands up to his head and shook. As he did, Orion threw another series of punches to Napal’s mid-section. Napal moved back to get out of Orion’s reach, but Orion surged forward, jumped in the a
ir, and wrapped his legs around Napal’s throat, again taking them both to the ground.
Once they hit, Napal punched at Orion’s legs trying to get free, then suddenly Orion stopped and rolled away, but he didn’t get up. Orion remained still just lying in the dirt.
“What the hell is he doing?” Someone from the crowd yelled.
Others began to join in, their voices growing higher as they made their anger known. Some yelled for Orion to get up, as others asked what was wrong with him. Then Nelson heard someone ask, “What kind of cheating is this? Is someone using magic on him? Re, this isn’t fair. If that animal can use magic, then Orion should be granted the same.”
Nelson looked to Ezra to see if he had heard the man too and by the way Ezra’s face lit up, Nelson knew he had. The vampire king smiled, then turned to look at the spectator and announced in his most fierce leader’s voice for all around them to hear, “You are correct, Enzo. Someone seems to be helping with magic. Seeing as there are no rules in these matches, and it does not specifically say someone from outside the fight can or cannot help, and Orion’s opponent has decided to go the dishonorable way, I see no reason why Orion can’t defend using the same means.”
“Hell yes!” Enzo shouted joyfully, then he and others around him began to chant, “Orion, Orion, Orion!”
“I’ll show you magic, you fucktard,” Jewel sneered, then threw his hands out in front of him, toward the ring.
Nelson quickly looked back to the fight and watched as Napal stood by Orion’s head and brought his heavy booted foot up over Orion’s face. Just as he was about to bring the leg down, he froze in position, then looked down at himself in horror and confusion as his clothes disappeared and he stood before the whole arena stark naked. Laughter filled the space as the audience clapped, cheered, and whistled.
“Oops,” Jewel said as he shrugged. “I meant to blow him across the ring, not blow all his clothes off.”
Ezra chuckled as he shook his head and wrapped his arms around Jewel from behind, then kissed his neck.
“Our mate needs our help. We have to stop this now,” his fox said inside Nelson’s head.
“No, not like you have in mind. It’s too dangerous. We need to find the man using the magic and defeat him. Orion needs to win this battle fair and square so there is never a question from anyone, even himself, that he deserves to hold the position as Regal to the Re,” Nelson argued.
“Orion doesn’t have time for us to search through this crowd. We need to stop Napal now before he kills my mate,” his fox replied.
“He’s my mate too, you know, and I won’t let you jeopardize his life while trying to defeat Napal. We have to figure out another way,” Nelson huffed.
“Fine, but we need to be smart about this. If we can get to whoever is helping Napal and stop him, then I think Napal will be powerless and I know our mate can take him.”
Just then Orion released a blood chilling scream and Nelson looked back to the ring. Napal grabbed Orion by the head and tossed him. Orion sailed through the air and landed hard a few feet away face down. Napal jumped on his back and grabbed Orion’s arm, then pulled it back behind him until Nelson saw it snap. Tears immediately filled his eyes, blurring his vision. He had to stop this now.
“No! Not like you want. You’ll end up harming our mate and others in the process, Nelson. And what will be the cost to you, to us, this time?” His fox shouted into his mind.
“He’s going to kill our mate if we don’t do something now,” Nelson argued.
“Please, Nelson, please, let’s do this my way. Please trust me,” the fox pleaded.
His animal begging him and asking for his trust brought back memories of their previous argument, and how he ignored his fox, destroying Fallon and his army, and injuring himself in the process. If he just unleashed all his power again to save Orion, the man he loved more than life itself, would he become comatose again? And if he did, would he ever come out of it?
He needed to save Orion, but he also needed to save himself and his fox at the same time, making sure that no innocent got harmed in the process. Nelson sighed as he accepted what he needed to do. First, he had to listen to his fox and believe in him. They were a team and needed to work together.
“Alright, cutie, I trust you. What’s the plan?”
Nelson felt a wave of relief wash over him and a sense of peace. He knew he had made his fox happy.
“Thank you, Nelson. Now first, we need Jewel’s help,” his fox answered.
CHAPTER 10
Something was very wrong with this battle. Right from the moment he had stepped foot in the ring, Orion could feel a sense of doom, almost like a living thing. He had been watching Napal’s matches all day and from the first fight he knew the vampire had no honor.
Even though the Ceremonies had no rules, there was still an unspoken rule of respect for the competitions and for the contenders. Each man or woman was fighting for a coveted place within the vampire ranks that would lift their station in the eyes of their kind, either from the bottom of the Crimson Corps to the top position which he was competing for, the Regal to the Re. All positions held great honor in their world and everyone who competed since the first Summoning Ceremony fought with respect, integrity, and principal.
But what he had witnessed throughout the day when he watched Napal, was nothing short of disrespect for everything. The man was a menace, not a warrior. Sure he fought hard and defeated his opponents, but it was always with some kind of underhandedness, never a true battle. Instead of two warriors meeting on the battlefield, it reminded Orion of two thugs who faced off with street fighting and showed little respect for the warrior they challenged.
Even when enemy armies faced one another in battle and would most likely fight to the death, there were rules of war, lines that shouldn’t be crossed. There was still respect for the opponent, and above all else, honor.
From watching Napal, Orion knew it was something the man was incapable of. So what would that mean for his Re, his mate, his coven, and his people if the vampire won the position of Regal? Orion shuddered to think of the answer. He needed to defeat the man to ensure their safety.
At first everything was going as expected, a few punches thrown, some kicks, and a few jabs, but then just as Orion was about to advance with a move he knew would at least stun the bastard momentarily, he felt his body stop. Everything just stopped. He had no control over his own movements.
Everything inside him screamed the vampire was using some kind of magic and his inner vampire hissed his fury, wanting to come out and defend, but Orion wouldn’t fight that way here. He was a warrior—a soldier—and he respected his Re and his kind. To lower himself to the sewer where this… man stood, would be spitting in not only Ezra’s face, but all the other Res who came before him.
When he was suddenly able to move again, Orion quickly counterattacked, stunning his opponent momentarily. He could see the confusion and shock in Napal’s gaze and in that instant, Orion knew Napal wasn’t doing this on his own. Orion could feel no power coming directly from Napal, so that meant there was someone within the arena somewhere who was helping him. But Orion couldn’t spare even a second to look around. The distraction might have been all Napal needed to defeat him. So Orion focused on his opponent.
Just as he was about to attack, Orion felt tingling in his back which quickly spread. Napal grabbed him and flipped Orion onto the ground and he was again frozen but now Napal stood above him looking down at him with a triumphant smirk on his lips and victory in his eyes.
Napal raised his booted foot and hovered it above his face and the thought, “This is gonna hurt,” was all Orion could think. Suddenly, in the blink of an eye, Napal stood naked before him and it was now Orion who was confused. If Napal had some kind of magic helping him, then why would this person use that magic on Napal? Unless maybe Ezra, Nelson, or Jewel figured out what was going on and were trying to help him? Maybe it was the butterfly dragons?
Orion didn�
�t have time to contemplate things further, as Napal’s gaze filled with fury. Orion scrambled to his feet and braced himself for attack. Napal charged again, slamming into Orion. He tried to dig his feet into the dirt, but Napal used the momentum and pressed Orion backwards toward the wall.
He waited for his moment and when they were within feet from the wall, Orion wrapped his arm around Napal’s throat and lifted his feet up, using Napal’s body for leverage as he quickly moved his feet, using the wall to his advantage and walked up the wall as if running up its surface, then flipped his large body over Napal’s head, twisting him and taking him down, slamming him into the unforgiving earth.
Orion quickly released him as he heard a whoosh of air escape Napal’s lips. As Napal tried to catch his breath, Orion didn’t give him a moment of reprieve. He leaned down, bringing his right arm up, then thrust his elbow down and up connecting with Napal’s nose. Immediately he heard the crunch of a break, then blood began to flow down Napal’s face.
From the look in Napal’s eyes right before he attacked, to the way he moved, Orion knew this fight was not for position. This was to the death. He was fighting for his life. Nelson’s handsome face flashed before his eyes and Orion’s chest constricted thinking about his wonderful mate being left alone here in the world without him. He would not allow that to happen.
Fire built inside him and Orion clenched his jaw. This was no longer just a fight―this was war.
He pulled on all his training as a soldier and steeled his spine as he clenched his jaw and his fists. Orion let the anger consume him. He would use it against his foe, for his mate.