Page 31 of Obsidian Prince

The prince stood very still. His face calm. "Have I given you some reason to be angry with me, Liliana?" His deep voice purred as calm as his blank face.

The spider seer knew that blankness was control of his emotional expression, not a lack of emotion. She had seen beneath the façade.

He felt.

In this moment, she didn't know if he felt angry, hurt, or afraid, but she knew the bored face was a mask he used to hide deep emotions.

One movement of her hand holding a sword tip against his chest would end this magnificent man. Horrified by the thought, she eased the pressure of the sword so it no longer drew blood. "I am angry because you are not the sort of man to be kind to people who love you, even when you don’t love them back.” She acknowledged the true source of her anger. “I wish you were." Her soft words were nearly lost in the noise of the crowd.

Alexander’s voice lowered so only she could hear him. “William was going to kill someone if I didn’t put a stop to it.” A muscle jumped on the edge of his jaw, spoiling the illusion of perfect calm. “If he killed someone in my service, following my orders …”

“Then you might as well have committed murder yourself.” In his position, she would have separated herself from the wizard with the same haste. Although, she hoped that she’d show a bit more compassion. Liliana pulled her sword tip away from the prince's chest, noting the tiny spot of blood on his white dress shirt. If she had a hand free, she would wipe it away.

The two lions and the badger surrounding the prince sagged in relief. They were soldiers, loyal to the Colonel, and, no doubt, skilled fighters, but no one would like the odds of four against hundreds. If they killed the champion of someone with a legitimate claim to be pride-king, they’d start a war with their own pride.

"There is a high probability that I will not live though the next ten minutes,” Liliana blinked human eyes suddenly hot with unshed tears. “If that happens, I will not be there when death comes for you." She risked not only her own life, but his. That hadn’t occurred to her until now.

Alexander Bennett reached through the bars. He tilted her chin up to face him, his thumb gentle on her cheek. "Do you regret that?"

"Yes,” she whispered. She looked into his deep brown eyes because he forbade her to do what she wanted, look through them to the fascinating, complexly layered soul beneath. The hundreds of beast-kin all around her, the cage that imprisoned her, the lion who would be king standing beside her, the weapon in her hand, all faded to meaninglessness.

Alexander's thumb stroked her cheek.

In all the universe, only that tiny motion mattered.

"I would very much like it if you would kiss me again," Liliana told him.

His lips quirked on both corners. "Survive the fight, and I will," His soft voice travelled only to her ears.

Liliana closed all her eyes for a moment, feeling that callused thumb touching her. It sent electric tingles through her whole body. She and this prince were not done yet. It would be a great tragedy if they both died before exploring the chemistry between them. So, she had to survive today.

She smiled wide, showing him her fangs. “You better make it a good kiss."

He chuckled in a way that made her belly flip. "It will be." He returned her broad fierce smile with one of his own for a moment, but it faded quickly. "You better live to collect it." Now, Liliana could identify the emotion placing the barest wrinkle on his forehead despite his control.

He was worried. For her.

Liliana's heart soared into the rafters of the old hanger. "I will do my best."

"Are you done?" Tray Bradley's gruff voice called from the other side of the dome. He stood inside the dome, and his second had left to join the crowd outside. He held a mace as big as her head, and a massive shield she would have difficulty even lifting.

Liliana studied her enemy with her second eyes that saw in different spectrums. She saw what most others couldn't see beneath the demi-lion's fur. There was extra heat from swelling around Bradley's left knee, a small slash of blood on his left thigh, and another heated swelling under his right eye.

Tray Bradley must have faced at least one other challenger today, perhaps more than one. He showed signs of fatigue, but there had been plenty of time for the big lion to recover from his previous bout. The minor injuries would not slow him down a great deal, but they might give her some weak points she could exploit.

Liliana nodded to Daniel.

He opened the inner door, letting her into the dome proper. The steel cage door clanged behind her.

"I am ready," she said.

The huge lion-kin roared and charged at her.

Chapter9

Lion Versus Spider

The were-lionthe size of a mountain gorilla bore down on the petite spider-kin like a semi-truck barreling toward a doe.

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