Page 12 of High Stakes

He slapped me on the back. “You’ll do fine.”

Thanks for the pep talk.

I waited outside the arena door, my right hand twitching towards the comfort of my stakes. Three in a row were fastened to the side of the tight-fitting suit, but I took out my favorite, my thumb tracing the shape of the cross Maru had carved.

Once Maru signaled to Victor that I was ready, the red light above the door blinked once and then turned blue. As the clear door slid open, I took one last look at Maru and stepped inside. At my back, the door slid closed behind me with a whoosh of air, sealing me inside.

Victor’s eyes met mine. He pulled the microphone to his lips. “Men and women of our armed forces, you’ve seen the brutish strength of Titus and the unstoppable speed of Abram. Now, I’d like to introduce you to Eve. You’d be wise not to underestimate her. She rarely makes mistakes.”

What a bastard. I hated him almost as much as I respected him.

My face glowed on the four large screens projecting the arena from the center of the ceiling.

The ring-side announcer strode across the floor, making a beeline to me. He held out the microphone and asked, “Eve, what advice would you give the vampire who is about to face you?”

Without missing a beat, “Don’t blink,” I answered truthfully. For some reason, the crowd went wild. The announcer left as fast as he entered, safely tugging the cord of his mic out of the arena with a snap before the door closed in front of him.

As he did before every fight I’d faced, Maru yelled, “The weakness of the enemy makes our strength.”

I mouthed the words back to him. The weakness of the enemy makes our strength.

It was a saying passed down to him through generations, from wise chieftains and fierce warriors. The fact that he gave it to me as my mantra made my spine turn to steel for a brief moment. My fist tightened around the stake and I pretended my skin was still glued to the wood.

The noise of the crowd faded completely away as a pair of soldiers escorted a female vampire to a door across the arena. Long, tangled strands of her hair were caught in her lashes, but her eyes were fixed on me. Her head tilted to the side. Predator or prey? she asked silently. With a perceptible nod of her chin, she dismissed me.

Big mistake, sweetheart.

Her door slid open and the soldiers unfastened the chains around her arms and shoulders, holding her still while they carefully unhinged the steel mask covering her mouth.

As it clattered to the ground, she stretched her jaw, revealing her fangs. The soldiers stepped back in unison, the door sliding closed instantly. She turned to face her captors, a blur of color and movement. I crept across the floor as she hissed at the soldiers on the other side, clawing at the glass. The high-pitched shriek of fingernails on plexi had everyone in the place gasping and covering their ears. Stealing a glance at Victor, I silently asked for permission to end her now. If he wanted more of a show, I could draw this out for a few minutes.

He gave me the go ahead, nodding once.

The vampire banged her fist against the door, shattering the plexiglass.

The sound of my breath in her ear was her only warning. My stake cut through flesh and bone, tearing into her heart with a squelch. Her mouth gaped open as she looked down at the pointed wood protruding from her chest. I grabbed her by the hair and wrenched her head back, hissing, “They weren’t who you should’ve been watching.”

Chapter Five

The arena burst into a thunderous cacophony, accented with screams, whistles, stomping feet, and clapping hands. Overhead, they replayed a close-up of me and the vampire, my words repeating over and over. “They weren’t who you should’ve been watching.”

Every time the clip played, the crowd got louder.

Victor motioned to someone outside the hexagon and another set of soldiers brought a second vampire forward, pushing him into the arena. This one was different. This vampire was newly turned, and that made him dangerous. Maru gave a whistle and I knew he was warning me of the same thing.

The newcomer tore the steel mask off his face, throwing it across the arena. It broke in two on impact. The vamp’s head was shiny, shaved clean of hair. Crusted trails of blood disappeared into his grizzly, brown beard. His white t-shirt was stained with blood and sweat. Lewd tattoos slithered up his throat and climbed down his meaty torso and arms. There was still a pink tint to his skin, especially on the apples of his cheeks. He was fresh, and he was ravenous.

He took a step into the arena and sniffed the air, closing his eyes. “You smell delicious,” he rumbled, a myriad of emotions flashing through his eyes. Anger. Intrigue. Wariness. Humor. Lust.

I decided to play on the latter.

“I am delicious, “I purred, smoothly sliding my stake into its holster and slowly walking toward him, swaying my hips back and forth with each step. His eyes took the bait.

He smiled as I got close, ticking his chin toward the desiccated female laying behind me. “I’m not going to let you stake me like you did her,” he boasted. “I watched you kill her. I’m not letting you out of my sight.”

That’s what I’m counting on.

“You like what you see?” I asked lasciviously. The vamp grunted in response, his eyes glued to my chest. “I can tell you’re new. When were you turned?” I asked conversationally.

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