He takes a step forward, then props his arms on his hips. “I see what you are doing here.”
“What is that?”
“You’re baiting me, trying to force me to make a mistake.”
“You are doing fine all on your own.” I laugh, pleased when the sound comes out confident.
Out of the corner of my eyes, I see a soldier drag Gia toward the exit of the arena.
Almost there; soon she’ll be safe…until he goes to her. Which I plan to stop. If I have my way, only one of us is walking out of here alive, and it’s not him.
“And speaking of loyalty.” He jerks his chin at me. “Apparently, it’s not a trait you inspire in your men. It’s they who are imprisoning your mate, it’s your men who obey me now as I ask them to restrain you.”
“Take off my bonds, let’s fight now. Let’s show them who the real winner today is. And we both know it’s not you now, is it?”
He snarls and brings his fists up in front of him. Around him, the remaining soldiers grow restless.
One of them turns to Boris. “Dante’s right. You need to remove his bonds, make this more of an equal fight.”
Boris stiffens. He turns to the man, raising his hand. The fingertips glow with that eerie telekinetic light. “Nobody asked you for your opinion.”
I see the intent on his face for a second. “No, don’t,” I yell out, but it’s too late.
He points his finger at the soldier. A blast of telekinetic energy lights up the space. The next second, the soldier topples to the ground.
Anger tightens my skin. A strange calm fills me. I am going to kill him. All this time I’ve been loyal to him, despite the fact that he’d made mistakes, he’d always sent his men—my men—to take on impossible tasks, losing good people in the process. I should have spoken up earlier, but a sense of loyalty…yeah, the very thing that he accused me of not having, it’s that quality which held me back. But no more. I need to do right by my men. By her. I need to stop this senseless killing he’s indulging in.
“It’s time to fight, Boris.” I raise my head, look around at the crowd. “What do you say, citizens?” I throw my voice toward the throngs.
“Fight.” A woman jumps to her feet and fist pumps the air. More in the stands stamp their feet. The sound swells and fills the arena.
“You heard them.” I jerk my chin at Boris.
He bares his teeth. For a second, I am sure he is going to protest. Then he drops his head in a mock bow. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you, Colonel.”
I square my shoulders and hold his gaze.
He raises his hand and flicks his fingers. The telekinetic energy dissolves, taking some of the skin of my arms and around my hips with it. Pain laces my nerve endings. I clamp down on the groan that works its way up from my throat.
The fucker did that purposely to weaken me further.
Shaking out my arms, I take a step forward, pushing my foot into the ground for purchase, then stalk to stand in the center of the arena.
Around me, the crowd begins to clap. A round, then another.
The sounds slam over the space, feeling as final as the slap of the lid on my coffin. Goosebumps pop over my skin. I roll my shoulders, then take my stance, my fists held up in front.
The fucker watches me closely, his arms held close to his sides. He curves his lips up in a smile. A shiver of apprehension creeps down my spine. What the hell is he up to?
He raises an arm. The rest of his men position themselves at the corners of the arena.
“Last chance, Colonel.” He drums his fingers on his thigh.
My gaze drops to the movement. My breath comes in slow pants. The hair on the back of my neck rises.
All my instincts scream that it’s a trap.
There’s a low hum, then a net of telekinetic energy arcs through the air. The beams are as thin as cobwebs, as nuanced as the deadliest of weapons, as accurate as a laser beam. The fine threads mesh to form a web that floats down toward me. The spotlights pick out the glittering strands. He’s had this space rigged from the beginning. I never stood a chance. Even if he’d taken off my collar, he’d have caught me by surprise. I’d been too confident of being able to defeat him. Even with my collar hampering my telekinetic powers I’d been sure I’d be able to take him down. I had underestimated him and now I was going to die.
I look up as the web of telekinetic energy closes in on me.
“Any last words to your dear mate who is no longer going to be yours, not after I fuck her and bond with her? I am going to wipe out all trace of your essence from her, you hear that, soldier?”
Rage flushes my skin, twists my gut. I drop into myself, feel the telekinetic energy inside gather into a seething ball of emotion. It wells up, filling my chest, my throat, and it overflows from my skin. I know it’s going to hit the barrier of my collar and then short-circuit. It’s going to burn me up completely. But I am past caring. If I die, I am going to take him with me.
Flinging my arms up, I let the telekinetic force swell my cells, let the flames flare up, rising to meet the web of energy that descends on me.
“Dante.” Her voice swipes aside the haze of violence and hopelessness that holds me down.
I look to the entrance to find Gia racing toward me.
There’s a movement from the corner of my eyes. “No, no, no.” I hear the sound as if from far away and only then realize it’s me screaming.
There’s a burst of light, then Boris raises his hands. The fingertips glow. He fires at her.
35
Gia
There’s a flare of bright light as Boris fires at me. I swerve and roll to the side. The telekinetic energy rushes past me, singeing my hair. I snarl. I hate it when my hair gets the short end of a fight; it’s already unmanageable, and now I’ll have to cut it further, and it really doesn’t do well at short lengths…and I must be losing my mind to be thinking of my looks at a time like this.
There’s a shout from the other side. “Come at me, motherfucker. The duel’s between us, remember.”
A burst of panic sparks down the mating bond. It’s Dante, and he’s scared, terrified of what could happen to me. Even in the midst of this fight when it’s clear there’s no way that he can hold his own against Boris, not when he’s collared, he’s still trying to save me.
I want to look at him but don’t dare take my eyes off Boris.
He throws another ball of energy at me. I roll again and manage to evade it. This time the energy slams into the earth near me. The mud from the impact stings the skin of my arms, my face. Pain tightens my skin. My breath comes in pants. Sweat slicks my forehead. I manage to stagger to my feet.
I feel vulnerable; there’s nowhere to hide. But I need to go to him. Need to get to Dante and try to help him, but how?
There’s another burst of fire, so bright that I feel the heat slam into me. The flames rise high and sweat pours down my spine. A fresh wave of pain bleeds down the bond. Sweat beads my palms. For the first time since I met Dante, I sense his vulnerability. He’s always been so alpha, so larger than life, I’d forgotten that he’s not invincible, ultimately that he, too, has his failings. Me. I am the soft spot in his armor. It’s because of me that he turned his back on his clan. That he’s going to lose everything he’s spent his entire life building. He’s going to die because of me. “Not if I can help it.”