by Sadie Moss
11
Willow
The feast continued well into the morning, but the brothers excused us from the room quickly after the meal was over. I had a hard time keeping my head from swiveling back and forth like I was some kind of gawking tourist as Malcolm steered me through the room with a firm grip on my elbow.
I found myself inexplicably flushed and warm, and I could feel my pulse throbbing in my core. I’d never been around such wanton carnality before, and it stirred something inside me that would’ve scared the shit out of me a month ago. My reaction didn’t frighten me anymore, but that didn’t mean I was ready to jump into a blood-orgy with a roomful of strangers just yet.
With three stunning brothers in the privacy of my room though? Yeah, that idea was starting to appeal to me a lot.
So much so, in fact, that I had to bite back my whimper of disappointment when Sol, Jerrett, and Malcolm delivered me to my door and stood back to let me enter my room alone.
Sure, tomorrow night I’d be facing another dangerous trial, and I should probably get some sleep and save my energy for that. The logical side of my brain knew it was probably for the best, but the illogical side didn’t care. She was desperate to kiss each one of these men again, to pick up where she’d left off with all of them and see where things went from there.
The only small consolation for my frustrated desire was seeing the same feelings reflected on each of the men’s faces as Malcolm pressed a goblet of deer blood into my hands. He’d sent a servant to fetch it when we left the great hall.
Weirdly, it made me feel better knowing the brothers didn’t want to leave any more than I wanted them to go. Maybe they really did want me, did care about me like I cared about them, but our timing just hadn’t been right yet. Maybe once one or two of the threats hovering over our heads were dealt with, we could…
Damnit, Willow. Focus. Live through tomorrow first.
I closed the door softly behind them, groaning at my pent up yearnings. Then I drained the goblet of blood, slipped off the dress I’d worn to dinner, and threw on a soft nightgown before curling up under the sheets in the large bed. A chill hung in the air, but the bedding was so soft and warm, I hardly even noticed.
The delicious food and wine from dinner settled in my belly, topped off by the satiating blood from the goblet. I felt so comfy, cozy, and warm it was almost impossible to imagine that tomorrow night, I’d be fighting for my life again.
But the comfort was an illusion.
And the danger looming over me was all too real.
For the second time since I’d come to the Penumbra, I walked down the halls of the castle without my usual escort of three imposing vampire brothers. Instead, my escort consisted of two guards from Carrick’s retinue. They were both tall and broad, though neither of them came close to Malcolm’s brawn. And unlike when I traversed the halls with the brothers, I didn’t feel protected. If anything, these guys were here to make sure I didn’t try to flee the castle grounds rather than face my next trial.
The possibility had occurred to me as I dressed this morning, but it’d only been a momentary thought, dismissed before it was fully formed. I couldn’t run now. Not without risking Malcolm, Jerrett, and Sol’s lives. If I ran, Carrick would come after me, and the brothers would die trying to protect me.
The best thing I could do was complete these trials quickly so we could get back to hunting the weird sisters and their murderous shades before they wreaked any more destruction.
My stomach felt like it was full of live snakes, twisting and bunching so tightly it was hard to take a full breath. If I had thought successfully completing one trial would make me less afraid to face the second, I’d been dead wrong. If anything, I was more nervous now. I’d already used up so much of my dumb beginner’s luck. Did I have enough left to survive again?
Just as they had last time, the guards escorted me into the back entrance of the arena and led me through the tunnels underneath the seating banks to the large wooden door. I pulled my ponytail tighter and rested my hands on my hips, biting my lip so hard it nearly bled.
When the door swung open, I expected to see the dirt floor outside flooded with lights.
I blinked.
What on earth is this?
The arena looked completely different.
Instead of bare dirt, there were now shrubs, trees, and rocks scattered around the space. They couldn’t have grown in one day, so they must’ve been created by magic.
The yellow-orange floodlights that had illuminated the entire arena floor had been replaced by small lanterns placed around the top of the ten-foot wall surrounding me. The rugged landscape of rock and plants cast misshapen shadows on the ground.
I swallowed hard but squared my shoulders and walked toward the center of the arena. My gaze traveled up, as if pulled by a magnetic force, and landed on the men who had become my family. The platform where they sat with Carrick was lit well enough for me to read the expressions on each of their faces.
Trying to ignore the worry I saw there, I focused on the pride I could see as well.
Carrick stood, gesturing to the crowd for quiet. Then he looked down at me.
“You’ve passed your first trial, Willow Tate. But the challenges you face are not over yet. To prove you are worthy of joining our great race, you must complete two more trials. Tonight, you will face a new opponent. And this time, you must kill your opponent to win.”
My blood chilled. I distinctly remembered him using the word “incapacitate” last time. That’s why, as addled with bloodlust as I’d been, I hadn’t tried to kill the giant vampire I’d fought in my first trial. But now that was my only option?
That wasn’t fucking fair. I didn’t want to have to kill anybody, and I hated that the only choice I had in this arena was now “kill or be killed.” This was just as barbaric as the gladiator battles in ancient Rome. Maybe it shouldn’t surprise me that ancient supernaturals followed such outdated practices, but I wished to Fate there was another way out of this.
I turned away from the king, my body going tense and alert as I scanned the arena. In the dim, shadowy landscape, it was difficult to tell if my new opponent was already out here or not. I sniffed the air, but there were too many scents filling the space for me to tell if any of them might be a threat.
Then a door opened on the far side of the arena, and my breath stopped.
“Holy shit…”
The giant that lumbered out of the tunnel was so big, he had to drop down into a low squat to fit through the large opening. When he stood, my head tipped back to take in his massive frame.
Why the hell had Carrick bothered littering the arena floor with trees, scrub, and rocks? This hulking monster couldn’t hide behind any of them.
But I can. Maybe—
That thought went unfinished as the giant let out an earth-shaking roar and ripped the nearest tree from the ground. He threw it toward me, and the sight of an entire fucking tree flying toward me stunned me enough to freeze my feet to the ground for a moment.
By the time the signals from my brain reached my muscles, I barely had time to dodge out of the way. I dove for the ground as the tree hurtled over me. It hit the packed dirt with a thundering crack, sending branches and dirt scattering like missiles.
As the dust settled, I looked up in time to see the giant lumbering toward me.
At least the monster’s size made him slow. I took advantage of my vampire speed and raced to the other side of the arena, putting more distance between us so I could gather my thoughts and make a plan of action. The giant blinked stupidly, squinting as he searched for me in the large space.
My gaze darted around the arena, and I noticed something else was different from last time.
Large weapons hung off the walls all around me—swords, axes, knives, whips, all there for the taking.
I’d never fought with a sword in my life, but I was going to need all the help I could get against the giant. Darting forward, I hefted a s
hort, thick-bladed sword from the wall. The one right next to it was massive, almost as tall as I was, and as tempting as it may look, I didn’t think I’d be able to use it effectively. I needed to stay light and quick.
The ground shook as the giant ran toward me, crushing shrubs and knocking trees out of the way. Swallowing my fear, I ran back to the center of the arena, slipping into the shadow of a small boulder. When the giant lumbered past, I burst from the shadow, gripping my sword’s hilt with both hands and swinging for his leg.
He was so tall I was only able to reach his mid-thigh. I’d have to bring him down to the ground to be able to reach the rest of him.
But my sword rebounded off his thick hide, the shock traveling painfully up my arms as he roared in anger and skidded to a halt.
Damn it. He must have some kind of magically impervious skin. I’d swung with all my strength, and it hadn’t even nicked him.
I ducked into another shadow to hide, rubbing my throbbing shoulder. The giant bellowed again, reaching down to uproot the shrub I hid near. The shadow it cast disappeared, forcibly ejecting me. I stumbled, landing on my ass on the hard dirt. The giant tossed the shrub away and reached down again for me. His huge, thick fingers brushed my shoulders as I scooted across the ground, sliding through his legs and regaining my feet.
Shit. He may be slow, but he was also almost impossible to injure. And if we played this game too long, I’d probably be the one to make a mistake first. I needed to end this quick.
I looked back over my shoulder. The giant had turned toward me again, his yellow eyes glinting in the light as he glared down at me.
His eyes.
Maybe they weren’t as impervious as his skin was. It was the only chance I had.
I just needed to get to them.
Adjusting the grip on my sword, I ran toward the arena wall, holding back my vampire speed at first to give the giant a chance to track me. He gave a rumbling growl and turned to follow me, his thundering footsteps gaining on me.
As I neared the wall, I put on a burst of speed, using all my strength to leap toward the ten-foot partition. My feet touched the wall about halfway up, and I pushed off again, pivoting to face the giant as he reached me. I flew through the air toward him, bracing my sword with both hands.
It plunged into his eye, and he gave a screeching, snarling roar. The hilt was ripped from my hands as I dropped to the ground, and the giant stiffened, his roar trailing off into a moan. Then he collapsed, dropping to his knees before toppling onto his side.
The ground shook with an almighty crash as his huge body landed. I stared at the massive, still form for a moment, my breath coming in sharp gasps.
I killed him.
The thought didn’t make triumph or pride swell in my chest. All it did was make me slightly nauseated. I had to believe this guy was a dangerous predator, and he’d certainly been out for my blood, but I still wouldn’t necessarily have chosen to kill him if I’d had a choice.
Leaving the blood-covered blade where it was, I stalked back toward the end of the arena where Carrick sat above the fray. I wanted to look into the king’s eyes, wanted him to see that even though I played his games, I saw him for what he was.
But when I tilted my head up toward the dais, something strange caught my eye. Rather than looking at me, Carrick gazed past me to my left. He gestured, giving a sharp nod, and I whirled.
Another door opened on the far side of the arena.
My blood froze. What? Was I supposed to fight something else? This wasn’t right, was it?
Dimly, I was aware of raised voices behind me on the platform—Malcolm, Jerrett, and Sol arguing with Carrick. But my brain blocked them all out as a new creature emerged from the gaping hole in the wall.
A spider.
A huge fucking spider. Its legs were like mini tree trunks and its body was at least as tall as me.
Then it moved. And holy shit, unlike the giant, this thing was fast. It scuttled across the open space at the perimeter into the more densely filled area in the middle of the arena. In the dim light of the space, it was almost impossible to see the huge arachnid as it hid among the shrubs and trees.
I gulped, scanning the landscape desperately. Where the hell was it?
Not taking my eyes off the arena before me, I backed up slowly until I hit the wall. I reached out blindly and grabbed a weapon from its holder. Not a humungous sword, luckily. An axe.
Gripping the handle, I hefted the weapon. I’d never used one of these in a fight either, but right now the heavy weight of the wood and metal was just about the most comforting thing I could think of.
Slowly, I edged around the arena, keeping my back to the wall and straining all my senses to try to locate the massive spider.
A flash of movement caught my eye. Leaves rustled on a tree ahead of me to my left, and I froze. My enhanced senses were nearly useless in this fight. Someone like Sol could probably have sorted through the overload of sensory input, but it was too much for me. The air was too thick with the scent of hundreds of vampires’ blood, and their din drowned out any other small noises I might’ve picked up.
Another bush rustled, this time directly in front of me. Fuck. I hadn’t even seen the spider move that time. It was hiding in the densest part of the landscape, working its way toward me.
I stepped away from the wall, lifting the axe over my head.
But before I could move, a white sticky substance shot out of the dense foliage. It struck me dead on, driving me backward and gluing my legs together. I landed hard and rolled over once, looking up just in time to see the spider burst from the trees, skittering toward me on eight thick, hairy legs. I hacked at the sticky web around my feet, struggling to stand.
Another burst hit me in the chest, and suddenly the spider was there, looming over me. Its multitude of eyes gleamed like jewels as its maw opened, emitting a harsh shrieking sound. I was lifted roughly by two huge forelegs, and suddenly more of the sticky web substance began to wind around me.
Panic exploded in my chest.
No! No, no, no!
I was being trussed up like a fly about to be fed on. I still had my sword, but it was pinned to my body, held in place by thick, sticky webbing that was too strong for me to break.
The spider’s big legs surrounded me like a prison as its fat body hovered over me. Dimly, screams from the crowd reached my ears, but the sound didn’t seem real. None of this did.
This couldn’t be happening. After all I’d been through, after all the close calls and near death moments, I was going to be killed by a giant spider?
No.
That can’t happen.
I can’t be here.
The thought resonated in my brain like a prayer.
Suddenly, I felt my body fading away into smoke, dissolving and losing mass. Shock filled me, but instinct took over.
I rolled to the side, slipping out of my cocoon and through the spider’s massive legs. I still held my sword—it had become incorporeal with me—and before I could doubt or second guess myself, I dove forward again. I slipped through the cage of the spider’s legs like a wisp of smoke, coming to stand directly below the hulking monster.
Then I willed myself to become solid again, and the moment my body coalesced, I stabbed upward with all my strength.
The spider shrieked and jerked as dark red blood spurted from the wound. It was warm and thick as it splattered over me, sliding down my arms. I yanked the blade out and scrambled to the side as the spider shuddered, its legs curling inward until it collapsed in a ball.
I flung the bloody sword to the ground, propping my hands on my knees as I tried not to collapse from the adrenaline still coursing through me. It made my legs shake and my breath come in short gasps.
Finally, I became aware of a sound like rushing water around me.
What? Damnit. What now?
I straightened slowly, pushing my blood-matted hair out of my face. The noise wasn’t water. It was the sound of hundreds of
people whispering and muttering amongst themselves in the stands.
On the dais, Carrick stared at me, his nostrils flared and his eyes wide.
Oh shit.
I’d just gone incorporeal in front of the entire gathered crowd.
Something they knew only a fae could do.
12
Willow
Fear rose in my chest, squeezing my lungs hard and forcing all the air from my body.
Revealing my fae heritage had been the one thing I wasn’t supposed to do. The brothers had warned me. But it had been my only chance to survive the spider’s attack. I hadn’t even thought about it—the shift had been an entirely instinctual reaction as my body’s primal impulse to stay alive had taken over.
But now I might die anyway.
I couldn’t tear my gaze away from Carrick’s dark, shocked eyes. Beside him, I was dimly aware of Malcolm, Jerrett, and Sol standing at the edge of the platform. Had they been about to jump into the arena with me to try to save me from the spider?
The whispery, breathy sound of the crowd around me began to rise in pitch and volume as the vampires recovered from their surprise. I finally wrenched my attention away from Carrick and surveyed the vampires around me. Excitement and hunger lit up their faces.
Then a young man with shoulder length blond hair leapt over the side of the wall, landing softly on the dirt floor of the arena. He straightened, licking his lips as he stared at me, and my blood turned to ice.
Not good. So not good.
Could King Carrick hold off all these vampires by commanding them to leave me alone? And more to the point, would he? Maybe he would just let them tear me to shreds and feast on my blood. He obviously hadn’t wanted me to win this trial, or he wouldn’t have sent a second monster after me.
A soft thud sounded from my other side, and I whipped my head around quickly. Another vampire, an older female this time, had followed the first one’s lead and leapt into the arena with me.