Page 11 of High Stakes

Mostly when I didn’t let a vampire knock a stake out of my hand. I’d peeled the stake and glue off this morning, along with a layer of skin. Although my tech suit accelerated my healing, it hurt like hell not being able to block my pain receptors.

“Remember, this is a demonstration of strength. You can’t use your tricks. Victor doesn’t want them to know everything.”

“I know.”

“The one they have reserved for you took out two guards this morning, and managed to make it as far as the second checkpoint before they misted her.”

My brows rose. None of the captured vamps had ever made it that far. “I expected nothing less from Victor.”

“He shouldn’t have done it.” Maru stopped, staring down at my hand.

I tightened my fingers into a fist. “It’s fine.”

“Eve—”

“It’s fine, Maru.”

He shook his head and pinched his lips together.

Victor only did what Victor does in those situations. He taught a lesson his pupil wouldn’t forget. It wasn’t what Maru or I would have done, but it didn’t kill me, either. Was it embarrassing? Yes. Was it an asshole-ish thing for him to do? Yes. Was it something I couldn’t handle? No.

We watched as four soldiers escorted two vamps into the arena, releasing them and quickly stepping back so the door could be closed behind them. Abram and Titus lashed out at the vampires, who were incredibly fast. The three of us were trained to subdue them on our own without enhancements. We had to be ready for everything.

Titus was teasing the tallest vamp, stalking him. Even though I couldn’t hear him, I could imagine the cocky words tumbling from his mouth. He waved, daring the vampire to come at him. The vamp was fuming mad, like a bull being taunted with a red cape. Titus avoided him easily each time he charged with a cocky grin on his face.

Maru interrupted my perusal of the match. “Since Titus and Abram are teamed, Victor said you had the option to let me back you up. Or not.”

“Not,” I asserted. “I can take care of myself.”

We both knew it was another of Victor’s tests. I had to prove myself if I wanted to stay in the program, and especially if I wanted to travel. He’d lost faith in me. I had to show him I deserved it again. My eyes flicked to Victor, who was carefully watching Abram and Titus.

“He talks a big game, but you’re too valuable to replace at this point. None of the other Assets are on your level. They can’t send anyone else.”

I turned to face him, taking my eyes off the action in the ring. “That’s not the point. He wants me to show him I deserve to go. Beyond that, I need to prove it to myself.”

Titus subdued one of the pale vampires while Abram crammed a stake into his heart. In a flash, the second vamp was on Titus’s back, snapping at his neck. Abram hooked an arm over his shoulder and pulled him off. The vamp hit the ground with a thud and Titus, stake already in hand, ended the monster. The vampires withered on the arena floor, turning an ashen gray color – the color of the corpses they really were.

Vamps fed to stay alive. They didn’t get sick, and they didn’t tire or age, as long as they fed regularly. A stake through the heart or decapitation were the only ways to kill them. They were volatile, emotional, and easily angered. They loved the taste of blood, but their favorite meal was fear.

I stretched my calves as a clean-up crew removed the corpses from the arena. The noise of the crowd dulled to a buzzing hum during the brief intermission, a welcome respite from all the different voices warring with one another.

“You’re up,” Maru announced.

My heart began to thunder in rhythm with the stomping feet surrounding me. A sheen of sweat formed on my forehead. I swiped it away and ran my hands down my suit. It, too, was off.

No tricks. No manipulating anything. This fight would be fought naturally.

“You look like you’re going to puke.”

I tried to smile. “I might.”

“You shouldn’t worry, Eve. The vamp is strong, but you’re quicker. Your natural reflexes are faster than anyone else’s I’ve seen.”

I laughed. “I’m not nervous about the vampire. I’m nervous because there are so many people watching.”

Maru ticked his head back. “You’re kidding, right?” he smiled. “You have stage fright?”

“Shut up, Maru, before I drag you into the hex with me after all, and let the vamp gnaw on your neck a little before I end her. You know crowds and cameras are my least favorite things.”

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