by Stormy Glenn
I didn’t really care.
“The next batch won’t be here until Saturday,” the guard insisted.
“I don’t want to hear your excuses.” Wow, the guy was waving his hands. His face was turning red with rage. “Either find another contestant or you’ll be in the ring with the beast. Your choice.”
“Boss—”
“Just do it, Westcott!” It was obvious from the way the guard cringed when the guy shouted that he was in charge. “I don’t have time for this shit. We have several VIPs coming in tonight. Do you have any idea how much money they have? These people demand excellence, and that’s exactly what we’re going to give them.”
I would have snorted if I’d been in my human form, but that would have alerted them to my presence. It wasn’t as if they didn’t know I was there, though. I was locked in a cell. Hopefully, I wasn’t important enough to acknowledge.
I preferred to keep it that way.
The man in the white suit stormed off. A door slammed a moment later. I tried not to shiver in fear when one of the other guards walked up to the first one. I hated it when there was more than one. It was like they egged each other on to see who could inflict more pain.
“What did he say?”
The first guard lifted his lip back in a snarl. Even from where I was curled in the corner of my cell, I could see the hatred in his eyes. He did not like his boss.
“Either we find someone to toss into the pit,” Westcott said, “or he’ll make one of us fight the beast.”
“Fuck.”
Westcott turned to look at his coworker. “Can you get anyone?”
“Not before tonight’s event. There’s not enough time. The damn thing starts in twenty minutes.”
Westcott shot the man a hard look. “Well, I sure as hell ain’t gonna do it.”
The other guy shook his head rapidly. “Me either.”
“If we don’t get someone—”
“We’ll get someone.”
“What about that one?” Westcott asked.
I forgot to breathe when I realized he was pointing at me.
The second guard reached up and rubbed the back of his neck, looking a little hesitant. “Me and the other guys were kind of hoping to keep that one around a little longer.”
And that right there was why I was ready to be thrown to the beast.
When both men walked toward my cell, I turned my muzzle back into the corner and closed my eyes as tight as I could get them. I might be ready for death, but I didn’t want to see it coming.
“He’s not going to offer much entertainment.”
“No, but he’ll bleed when the beast rips him apart. That’ll make ’em happy.”
I didn’t whimper.
I didn’t.
This was it. This was when I was going to die. I let out the breath I had been holding. Okay, I could do this. I was ready to escape this place any way I could, even death.
Hell couldn’t be any worse.
* * * *
Samson
I stiffened and then lifted my head when the guards stopped in front of my cell. I braced myself, knowing what was coming. I refused to voluntarily step into the pit. The guards knew that, and they enjoyed shooting me with their disgusting drugs. They enjoyed watching me fight to retain control as the extra doses of adrenaline raced through my body.
I jerked when the darts hit me. It would have made sense to try and dodge them, but I had been hit enough times to know I couldn’t escape them. There really was no place to run. If I stayed in my cell, they shot me. If I went out into the pit, they shot me.
They always shot me.
I was going to shove those darts down their throats before I ripped them out.
I knew I needed to conserve my energy for the clash ahead. I had been battling them long enough to know my opponents would play dirty. I couldn’t very well blame them. They were fighting for their lives.
And I had no mercy.
I couldn’t remember how many I had killed. Being an assassin, the deaths on my hands shouldn’t have bothered me, but they did. This wasn’t sanctioned killing. It was just killing. Worse than that, it was killing for someone else’s enjoyment.
I clenched my hands as my body came to life, my blood pumping faster, my heart racing. The drugs they pumped me with when they wanted me to fight shot through my system at an alarming rate. I knew I had mere moments before my reason would be gone and I became what they called me, a beast.
I started to pace the length of my cell. My ability to think was a mere slip of a memory. Everything was becoming an angry red haze. I dug my claws into the palms of my hands as I tried to fight it off. The smell of blood—even my own—made it that much harder to fight. It aroused my instincts to hunt and kill.
I heard the chanting long before the gate leading to the pit rose. I thundered down the narrow stone corridor almost against my will. Every muscle in my body was tense, making me anxious. I could smell fear. It was a thick, cloying scent. Acidic.
It was a weakness.
A weakness I needed to destroy.
The clapping became a thunderous noise when I entered the pit. The sound pounded in my head, a beat that goaded me on. I lifted my nose into the air and inhaled a deep breath. The stench of death hung in the air. The fear was stronger. The excitement nauseating.
I growled when the gates lifted. Two men came out, one to the right of me and one to the left. Their claws were already extended, ready to fight. I curled my lip back and flashed my fangs at them before darting a glance at the gate directly across from mine. The closed gate.
No one appeared.
That was strange.
I always fought three opponents. I always killed three opponents. Where was the third man I was supposed to kill? I wanted to get it over and done with so I could go back to my cell. I hated having all the people watching me. I hated being their entertainment.
If I could, I’d kill them all.
After determining no one was coming out of the gate—at least not immediately—I turned my attention to the other two men. The crowd was not going to be pleased that this would be so easy for me.
Like I gave a fuck.
I tilted my head back and roared loud enough to shake the rafters. I was angry, enraged, and downright pissed off. The haze that had started with the darts was quickly spreading until I didn’t care that the men I faced were probably not there of their own free will.
I just wanted to kill.
I wanted to feel their blood on my hands. I wanted to hear their screams as I ripped them apart, and then their last breaths as they left this world.
I snarled at the two men, watching as they started moving toward me from different directions. They might not have met before now or had the chance to talk to me, but it was obvious that they realized I was the greater threat. A smart man would try and team up with his opponent to take me out first.
I wondered how smart these guys were.
My chest heaved as I breathed, my muscles bunching. The extra doses of adrenaline I’d been shot up with surged through my system, taking away my ability to think. Fear and excitement permeated the air, saturating it until I couldn’t smell anything else.
I heard the crowd above me go wild as the two men leapt at me. The pain that ripped through my body as their razor sharp claws sank deep into my flesh only heightened my need for blood.
And not my own.
I roared again and swung. Elation filled me when my claws connected and my hand came away bloody and wet. I swiped out at the nearest shifter again, watching as large scratches appeared across his face. It was a wound he wouldn’t be healing from.
I grunted when something hit me from behind. I snarled as I slowly turned. How the man had gotten his hands on a wooden club I would never know, but he was going to wish he had never picked it up. I ripped the club out of the man’s hand and tossed it away. I didn’t need weapons to kill.
I was a weapon.
The crowd roared as I
picked the man up and threw him across the pit. He hit the wall hard before falling to the floor. I was on him before he could get up, ripping out his throat. Blood splattered my skin, drenching me in death.
I fisted my hands, tossed my head back, and roared my victory.
Panting heavily, I gazed up at the shouting people. Their screams and shouts fed the adrenaline coursing through my veins.
I had been victorious.
I had won.
I had killed the enemy.
The last gate rose.
I turned and stared, lifting my nose into the air to sniff. Blood and sweat, fear and excitement, arousal, all of it melded together until I could smell nothing else. When a small figure stumbled out of the opening and fell to the ground, I grinned.
My third kill.
I moved, my claws extending to their full point. I grabbed the small man by his sandy-blond hair and yanked his head back, raising my arm in the air, at the ready to rip out his throat.
Brown eyes as dark as chocolate blinked up at me, fear making them almost liquid. I dropped my hand a bit as I tried to remember why I wanted to kill this delicate creature. I knew there was a reason, but…
I glanced up when the noise around me grew louder. I frowned at the violent uproar, my eyebrows drawing together. They wanted his death. They wanted more blood. I could see money passing hands as the bets grew larger.
I raised my hand again.
Brown. Liquid brown. Sweet, milky.
Terror.
My frown deepened. I needed to…I needed to…there was something…I wrinkled my nose and then shook my head, some of the red haze falling away.
What?
What was I supposed to be doing?
“Please.”
One word.
Whispered.
Desperate.
I glanced at the crowd again. I could see the guards readying their dart guns. I knew if I didn’t perform, they would shoot me with more of their horrible drugs. Maybe one of these days they would actually shoot me with real bullets.
I grunted when one of the darts hit me in the shoulder and another dose of adrenaline shot through me. I snarled at the guard who had shot me. As far away as he was, I still saw him gulp.
Idiot.
But it had the desired effect. The haze that had been clearing from my head thickened as adrenaline began pumping through my veins once again. I tightened my grip on the fistful of hair in my hand as I stared down at my prey one more time.
Brown eyes.
Why was that important?
Angered, I yanked the man up and bit into his throat, intent on ripping it out. Hot, sweet blood rushed into my mouth, stilling my movements. The urge to kill was still there, but I no longer wanted to destroy the man in my arms.
I would never kill my mate.
Chapter Three
Samson
My senses went haywire. The adrenaline running rampant through my body urged me to kill the man in my arms. The heady scent wrapping around me urged me to claim him. My body hardened, arousal sweeping through me from the man’s scent and the fact that I had been victorious in battle.
I wanted my reward.
I started to pull at the man’s clothes, but a small whimper froze me in place. I carefully extracted my teeth and then yanked on the hair in my hand until those soulful brown eyes stared up at me again.
When they darted toward the stadium seats and the roaring crowd, I growled, my protective instincts flaring.
Mine!
I lifted the man into my arms. I snarled up at the people watching us in sick anticipation and then carried my prize back into the cavern that led to my cell. I heard the gate go down behind me, but ignored it.
I stopped before I reached my cell, keeping us in the darkness of the tunnel. I sniffed the air again. When that wasn’t enough, I pressed my nose into the soft skin of the man’s throat. The coppery scent of blood was strong. The scent of my mate was stronger.
I thought I was going to go up in flames as I devoured my mate, moving from his neck, to his chin, to the tender skin of his throat, time and again, teasing him with my kisses. My hands swept over his chest, his sides, and down to his hips.
I wanted him senseless with passion.
What little rags were worn as clothing, I tore quickly from our bodies, leaving us with nothing but glorious naked skin.
I leaned down and wrapped my lips around the flared head of the hard cock bouncing in front of me. The taste of pre-cum exploded across my tongue and I knew I wanted more. I slowly pushed the cock to the back of my throat, then further still, letting my throat muscles relax until pubic hairs tickled my face.
I heard a swift intake of air, and then my mate shuddered against me.
Encouraged by his response, I began to move. My cheeks hollowed as I bobbed my head. I ran my tongue over the slit at the top of my mate’s cock and then under the edge of the crown.
I could feel his thighs tighten under my hands and knew it wouldn’t take long for the man to come. I closed my lips completely around his cock and sucked him all the way down my throat. I flattened my tongue as I swallowed the heated flesh.
When the man’s balls started to pull up tight to his body, I increased the speed of my movements, sucking each inch down my throat faster and faster. When his cock began to swell, I lifted my mouth.
My mate’s cry of protest mingled with the sweet sounds of his release. He came hard, his hot seed splattering all over my hand. I quickly scooped it up and slid it down to his tight little hole.
His high-pitched grunt filled my ears even as my fingers filled his tight little ass. His body stiffened for a moment and then rippled. I could feel his heart thundering against my chest.
And then he slowly leaned back. He licked his lips as his gaze fell to my mouth. I knew what he wanted. And I knew his need scared him.
I also knew his natural instincts would take over once he forgot about his fear. With that in mind, I started thrusting my fingers into his ass over and over again, until I felt the little ring of muscles stretch and pulse against my fingers.
I pulled my fingers free and lifted my mate in my arms. I lowered him slowly onto my cock. Inch by inch, my cock pushed up into him until he was fully seated on my lap his ass. I hooked my arm under his leg and started moving, thrusting deeply into his tight flesh and then pulling out until just the tip of my cock remained inside.
I watched my mate’s eyes as I fucked him, waiting for the moment when he abandoned his fear in pursuit of pleasure. It came slowly, but bit by bit the apprehension bled out, and they started to turn darker and darker until they were a beautiful dark-chocolate brown.
The sight of my mate’s arousal thrilled me. I could only pull his face to my neck as I prayed he would give in to his instincts. At the first hesitant scrape of teeth against my throat, my entire body shuddered.
My mate struck quick and fast, almost as if he couldn’t help himself. White-hot pain swept through my body for a split second, and then it was replaced by a pleasure so intense that stars exploded inside my head.
My thrusts became faster, more erratic and wild. I was in pure ecstasy. When he clenched his inner muscles around my cock, I groaned from the sensations. Pleasure swamped me in huge waves, seeping deep into my skin and setting me on fire from the inside out.
I spanned my hands over his hips, stroking them over the beautiful rounded curve to his ass. His skin was flushed, glistening with perspiration. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. The noises he made inflamed me. They were soft and mewling sounds, growing louder each time I thrust my cock into his tight little hole.
Just when I felt sure I couldn’t hold back any longer, my mate went rigid beneath me, and his hot release filled the space between us. That’s all I needed. I closed my eyes and let the pleasure my mate’s body created in me carry me over the edge into sweet oblivion. I could feel the knot at the end of my cock expanding, taking hold inside of his sweat dampened body.
&n
bsp; My mate was languid beneath me. I wrapped one arm around his waist and then scooted forward until I was cuddled up to him. We would need a moment before we could be separated. My cock had not yet let go of him. For the time being, I was stuck.
And I didn’t care.
I just knew that I held my mate in my arms. I stroked my free hand down his chest, watching as the rapid panting slowed to a low rise and fall. When his head flopped back against my chest, I reached up and brushed the sweat-dampened hair back from his face, only to find a set of brown eyes peeking up at me.
I cradled the delicate shifter in my arms, refusing to let him go even when my muscles began to ache. Now that the haze from the drugs had begun to clear and the bodies had been cleaned from the pit, I could smell him better.
And oh man, did he smell good.
I had always thought Shade and Stone were weird when they told me about the first time they scented their mates. They talked about how magical it was, that first sniff. The first realization of what they had found.
Now, I knew.
My future lay in my arms, and he had begged me to kill him.
I had to wonder what he would think when he learned that I really was a killer. Would he hate me? Ask me again to kill him? Would he understand why I did the things I did?
I knew he was a shifter. Once his wound had stopped bleeding and I had licked away all the blood, I could smell it on him.
A lion shifter.
An omega.
I had thought being held prisoner was hell, but I didn’t know hell. My little omega did. I could hear the guards talking at the far end of the tunnel. I heard how they beat him, and they would pay. Before I left here, there would be more blood on my hands.
Their blood.
I brushed the light-brown hair back from his eyes again. It was long and scraggly. He obviously needed more care than he was getting at the hands of the guards. Food, clothing.
A bath.
While there was a sweet scent back behind the man’s ears, the rest of him stank, but I supposed I did, as well. I had wiped off as much of the blood as I could manage, but without a real shower, I was pretty rank.