by Lexi Blake
“You’ll go with who I tell you to go with.” Donovan opened the door with a wicked frown on his face. A shorter man in a suit came in behind the king. He stared at me, wariness on his attractive face. “I’m doing this for your own good, Kelsey. Don’t you interfere, Z. If I allow her to walk into that arena and she gets killed, you’ll never forgive me. Henri, persuade her to walk into the Council chamber and take back her accusation.”
The blond guy named Henri narrowed his eyes as he concentrated his will my direction. A rush of power sizzled across my skin as he attempted to get me to do his will. He was strong, much stronger than Michael had been. He was stronger in this way than the king, but he wasn’t anything close to Marcus. The impulse was right there. My legs wanted to move. I wanted to rise and do exactly what that voice ordered me to do. I would walk into the chamber and tell them I made the whole thing up.
My feet hit the ground and I saw the king relax. He thought it was going to be all right. That was what really did it. I pushed through because I didn’t intend to give the king what he wanted. That slight smile gave me the strength I needed. I shoved back at the magic invading my limbs. I pictured that wall in my head and slammed it shut with everything I had.
“Hell.” Henri staggered back. He put his hand to his forehead as I climbed back on my bed.
Just to piss the king off, I slipped my hand back into Marcus’s.
“She shoved you out?” the king asked, frustration evident in his voice.
“Yes. That was very unpleasant,” Henri complained. “I’ve never had that happen before. I would like to avoid it in the future.”
“She’s extraordinarily strong,” Marcus said and I heard the satisfaction in his voice. “Don’t feel bad, Henri. She almost managed to shove me out the first time I tried. With training, she will be able to.”
“Fine,” the king said, gritting his teeth. His Texas drawl got worse when he was angry. “Marcus, if you get her to take back the accusation, I’ll let you train her.”
“And she would never trust me again,” the Italian replied, letting his arm wind around my shoulders. “I won’t bend her to my will. I will, however, give her something to think about. You’re good at invoking rights tonight, Your Highness. Perhaps I should invoke one of my own. I am the oldest vampire walking the Earth plane. You have placed her under the protection of the Council. I invoke my right to be Kelsey’s patron.”
The queen’s jaw dropped. “Marcus, no.”
The king let his head drop back and a groan came out of his mouth before he looked back at us. “This fucking night is never going to end. Hell, if you think it’ll work, I’m willing to give it a try. I’m out of options. You’re betting a lot on her, Marcus.”
I pulled away from the vampire who, it seemed, claimed some right over me. “What does he mean?”
Marcus flashed a secret little smile. He reached out and gently touched my cheek. “He means I do not wish to live in a world that would grind you into dust, cara mia.”
“He’s your patron, Kelsey.” The queen’s perfect pale skin seemed whiter than before. “If you’re killed, the alpha will demand Marcus’s head and Daniel will be forced to give it to him.”
“My fate is tied to yours,” Marcus put succinctly.
“Motherfucker.” I was going to have to kill another damn wolf.
Chapter Seventeen
“Take it back,” I growled, standing on my toes to try to look the vampire straight in the eyes.
“No.” Marcus smiled infuriatingly. He was enjoying this. I tried to remember that the first time I’d seen him I felt his terrible sorrow. Now, there seemed nothing but amusement and a willingness to see what happened next.
“I don’t want you to be my patron,” I swore.
“I don’t want you to die in the arena.”
“I am not taking it back, Marcus.” That decision had been made in Helen Taylor’s backyard when she’d asked me for justice. I’d promised. I had nothing left but my word.
He lifted a shoulder, elegantly showing me his lack of concern. “Then you will fight, but you will fight for my life as well as yours.”
The door opened and we stopped the argument we’d been having for the last fifteen minutes. Once I’d started yelling at Marcus, the king and queen had taken it as their cue to leave. Now the king was at the door again.
“It’s time,” he said grimly.
I stared up into Marcus’s beautiful, serene face. He didn’t look like a man terrified of dying. He seemed like he would accept anything fate offered him. He’d tied himself to me in a fundamental way, and I knew I couldn’t let him down.
“Maybe I’ll decide two thousand years is plenty of time to live,” I warned him, though I knew I was only talking tough.
“Not quite two thousand,” he corrected with that mysterious smile.
He held out his hand for me. I wanted to reject it. I wanted to tell him to fuck himself, but I wanted his warmth even more than that. I’d listened to everything he said about trainers and Hunters, and while the idea of having Marcus be my personal Cesar Millan rankled, I also found it tempting. What if I could feel love without the presence of a love spell? What I’d had with Gray had been the best feeling of my life. It had been like seeing the sun after a lifetime of rain. I still felt it. I didn’t know how long the spell would last, but I didn’t want it to go away. Even if the pain was heartbreaking, it was better than the dull fog my life had been before it.
“The arena is covered in sand,” Donovan explained as he walked us toward the elevator. “It’s best you go in barefoot if you aren’t used to fighting in it.”
“Is Castle used to fighting in it?” I asked.
Donovan’s blue eyes were hooded with concern or maybe plain irritation. I couldn’t tell. Things hadn’t gone according to plan, and I had the feeling not many things had the nerve to go against Daniel Donovan’s plans. “No. The arena is where we train new vampires. Castle wanted the fight to take place in the wolf compound in Denton, but technically you belong to Vampire according to ancient laws concerning Hunters. Lone wolves aren’t popular in the wolf world. It was easy for the previous councils to claim ownership of them. I have the right to determine where you will fight since he chose the weapons.”
“Shouldn’t I have been the one to choose where to fight?” I asked curiously. “Or Marcus? He is my patron.”
“And I am your king,” Donovan stated firmly.
I snorted. I really had to stop that. It was neither feminine nor pleasant, and yet Marcus always smiled when I did it. Donovan wasn’t as amused.
We got into the elevator and Marcus’s hand played with mine. “And where would you choose, cara mia?”
“Starbucks. I could use a Frappuccino.” My stomach was grumbling. I really should have taken Donovan up on his offer to get me something. “And one of those little cookies. Maybe a bunch of those cookies.”
Marcus chuckled. “I promise to feed you properly after you have defeated the alpha and, I suspect, the two betas.” He slid a glance to the king. “Am I wrong, Your Highness?”
The king shook his head as the elevator plunged downward. “No. By accusing the alpha, she accuses the pack. Yes, he is insisting she fight him and his two betas. I didn’t want to scare her.”
No, because I hadn’t been scared at all. “And I don’t get any weapons?”
“I managed to negotiate with McKenzie on that point,” the king said. “You’ll be allowed to use cesti.”
I had no idea what that was. “Yay me.”
“It is a glove used by gladiators in Roman times,” the king explained as the doors opened and I was assaulted by the sound of people chanting. We got off the elevator and we seemed to be backstage, so to speak. Above me, the ceiling seemed to rumble and shake with sound. The arena seating was over my head and from the sounds of it, the place was packed.
“Kelsey?” Zack Owens held a large box in his hands. His face was tight as he walked over to us. “It seems like every
wolf in North Texas made it. I found what you needed in the armory. I got the smallest pair we had, and we’ll still have to tape them on.” He stared down at me and I wondered what he saw. I was a five foot six, one hundred twenty pound female in clothes that didn’t quite fit and no shoes. I was sure I came off as pretty pathetic. Zack turned to the king. “Damn it, master. Let me take her and run. She’ll get torn apart out there.”
“It’s her choice, Zack,” the king said.
“Yes, now it is her choice,” Marcus interjected with a bitter flair. He eyed the king. “You have given her no say in anything that is to happen to her up to this point, but it is her choice to fight the alpha. Perhaps you and Devinshea will get everything you desire, Your Highness. You will have quelled the wolf rebellion by allowing such a valuable asset to honor their traditions and, if she dies, you can get rid of me as well. Your precious family will be safe from me once I am gone.”
The king shoved his hands through his short, dark blond hair. “Damn it, I am so sick of being in the middle of this. I have no problem with you, Marcus. I have no problem with any of it. You think I don’t remember what I felt the first time I met Z? I was eight years old and I knew I was going to spend the rest of my life with her. I don’t begrudge anyone that, but I can’t get Dev to understand. I don’t want you dead, Marcus. You’ve been my friend, my freaking father half the time. I can’t stand having you look at me the way you have the last two years, but what do you want me to do? He’s my partner.”
I took a step back, not quite understanding the conversation, but feeling so wretchedly jealous of the queen I could hardly stand it. She had three men fighting over her it seemed. I only wanted one, but even he had been an illusion.
“I apologize, Daniel,” Marcus said solemnly. “I don’t agree with you on the way you have handled Kelsey. I also do not wish to put you in a bad position. I withdraw from the Council. Henri can take my place until another election can be held.”
“Marcus,” Donovan said, practically pleading.
“It’s for the best. I will return to Venice,” Marcus explained as my heart fell. “I have been gone far too long. If it helps, I have no intention of acting on any impulses I might have. Your family is safe.”
He was leaving and I would be alone here. He’d promised to take care of me, but I’d learned that people only kept their word when it was convenient for them. No man except my brothers had ever offered to do so much as open the door for me. Except Gray…
“Evan might have something to say about that one day.” The king stared at Marcus as though he could will the older vampire into doing his bidding. He finally shook his head. “This isn’t over. I’m not going to let it be. Tomorrow we’re going to sit down and talk this out. I have to go make sure everything’s ready.”
As the king walked away, I sat back on a bench and my uncle opened the box he was holding. Lying in the box was what looked like twin gloves with silver blades embedded on the back. The blades were long and wickedly curved. Cestus, Zack told me as he held them out for me. Claws, I thought dully as Zack started to pull them on me. They fit over my hands and up my forearms. He was right. They were too big.
Marcus sat down beside me. “You are all right?”
I sucked it up. I hadn’t cried about Gray. I sure as hell wouldn’t cry over him. I promised myself I would learn. I wouldn’t let another one in. “I’m fine.”
He sighed and his eyes had darkened, his mouth curving down. “I’m sorry, cara mia. You don’t understand the situation. It’s best for everyone if I remove myself.”
“It’s not best for her,” Zack said under his breath as he wrapped tape around the cestus to keep it on my hand.
“The king will never allow me to train her,” Marcus argued.
“Hey, no big deal.” I concentrated on the feel of the leather on my hand as Zack went to work on my other hand. “I don’t intend to let anyone train me. I intend to sit my ass in a cell until the king either kills me or lets me go. You weren’t going to change that. I don’t buy the crap you’re selling, Vorenus. I never did.”
“I do not want to leave you,” the vampire insisted and I got the feeling he saw right through my defensive posturing.
Zack finished taping my left hand and I stood up, ignoring the vampire. The light from the arena glowed in front of me. I would go out there alone. A picture of Gray crossed my mind and I felt tears gathering. He would never have allowed it. I wondered what he would do if he knew. Would he rush in to save me or let it happen because he didn’t want me anymore? I would have given anything in that moment to feel his arms around me one more time.
“No one fights for you, do they?” Marcus stayed close to me as I walked to the edge of the large entrance.
Even from where I stood, just outside the light I could see them. Some I recognized from various places like Liv’s school or the clubs I’d been to the last few nights. Some were total strangers, but they had one thing in common. They’d all come to watch me die. All in all, it wasn’t how I’d thought my day would end.
“I can fight for myself.” The beast inside was starting to twitch again. She was starting to call me a whiny fucking pansy who deserved everything she got if I walked out there all pathetic and ready to die.
The beast inside me isn’t polite. She’s kind of a bitch, but she did have a point. Was I really going to give them what they wanted? Was I going to give them my life? Was losing Gray so overwhelming that my poor little heart couldn’t take it?
“Let’s make a deal, you and I. If you live, I’ll take you with me,” Marcus promised. “We will go to Venice and there is nothing the king can do about it. You’ll like Venice. I will teach you. Anything else that happens between us is up to you.”
“I don’t need your pity, Vorenus.” The floor was cold under my feet. I wondered if the sand would be warmer.
Marcus put his hands on my shoulders and spun me around. His face was savage as he looked down on me. “I have no pity for you. I have affection. I have desire. I have gratitude because you’re the first thing that has made me feel alive in years. I’m not offering to take you with me because I feel sorry for you. I’m begging you to come with me because I’ll feel the loss if you do not. Please, cara mia. Have mercy on a man. Come to Venice and allow me to soothe you. Come to Venice and allow me to teach you. Come to Venice and give me the chance to seduce you.”
I nodded because there wasn’t a place in my life anymore for turning down a good offer. I hugged the vampire, his touch immediately flooding my senses with his will. He wanted me to live. He wanted me to come to Venice with him.
He wanted…me.
I wasn’t sure how I felt about the last part, but I liked the rest of it and I trusted him. He would never force me into anything. I could go with him and he would wait until I decided what I wanted. The thought of being far away from everything seemed like heaven. In Venice, I could find out who I really was. There would be no king, no Castle, no Nate or Liv to deal with. There would be me and my teacher.
Yes. Yes. Yes. The beast inside liked that idea very much. She longed to be close to Marcus. And all we had to do was kill three creatures who outweighed us by a hundred pounds of muscle a piece and had years more experience killing than we did. Yeah, she liked that idea, too. I never said she was smart.
“I’m supposed to take her to her room when it’s done,” Zack said to Marcus. He stared out at the arena, too. He handed Marcus a key card. “If Trent takes her instead, here’s the key. Get her and take her out the back. I’ll have a car waiting to drive you to wherever you want to go. I’d advise hiding out for a day or two and then heading to Houston. You can catch a flight to Europe from there. Daniel might look for you, but if I promise you’ll come back after the initial three months, I think I can eventually convince him to let you go. He feels bad enough already.”
“Zachary, you have never betrayed your master,” Marcus said with sympathy in his eyes.
Zack’s head shook, a firm neg
ative. “Nor am I betraying him now. She’ll come back. I know she will.”
I wasn’t so sure about that, but before I could answer I was pulled abruptly from Marcus and whirled around to face my brother.
Zack shook his head Jamie’s way, surprise plain on his face. “How did you make it back here? We have a ton of security.”
“I have my talents, too,” Jamie growled at the wolf. “I’m taking my sister and getting her the fuck out of here and there’s nothing you can do about it.”
I dug my heels in. Not only was I fairly certain Jamie was overestimating whatever talents he thought he had, there were several reasons me leaving was a bad idea. “I can’t go.”
Jamie’s fingers threaded through mine. “You sure as hell can. I’m sorry Nate sold you out like that. I don’t know why he did it but it’s obvious he cares more about his friends than his family. He can go to hell. We don’t have to talk to him again.”
I pulled away from him. “Jamie, stop it. If I let you take me, they’ll come after you, too. I really am what they say I am. If I don’t get this under control, I could seriously hurt someone. If I make it through…”
“If?” Jamie practically yelled.
“When,” I corrected myself. The beast wasn’t the only one who didn’t appreciate my pessimism. “When I make it through this thing, I’m going to get help and I’ll get this under control. Marcus is going to teach me and then I’ll come back and we’ll sort it out, Jamie.”
I would have a lot to deal with if I lived. I could cut Liv out of my life even though it would hurt, but how did I deal with Nathan and my mom?
Marcus moved between my brother and me. He was taking control. Once he’d made the decision to take responsibility for me, everything changed. There would be no more asking permission of anyone. Marcus was in charge. “Mr. Atwood, your sister has to fight. There’s no way around it. If she runs with you, the king will hunt you down and so will the wolves. Daniel has to because of the danger she poses. You’re getting her emotional when she needs to stay calm. You will leave my student alone or I will dismiss you myself.”