Page 59 of Mated to the Enemy
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Klaue was trying to stop himself from whistling as he walked the corridors of Ursidae Manor.
It was tough, though. His mood was threatening to break through the icy façade he had in place. Normally, that just made him grimmer, cooler than normal, but today he was downright jovial. Things with his mate were progressing at a speed that was constantly leaving him surprised.
All he needed to do now was keep at it until she was comfortable telling him what was going on, and then maybe the entire House would begin to see her the way he did. Klaue couldn’t wait, because Jessica was a wonderful person, and absolutelynotdeserving of the hate she was getting, even if he understood the reasons behind the rest of his House’s treatment of her.
Just because I understand it, doesn’t make it acceptable. They should know better. Act better. We are High House Ursa! Not some pathetic minor squabbling mass like House Panthera or Raptere. We should be above this.
The glow in his eyes faded as he grew irritated once more at the harassment of his mate. Klaue wondered if he should reveal that shewashis mate. So far, only Kincaid and the Queen knew about it. They’d kept it under wraps until now, mainly for her safety, but maybe it would help.
“Klaue.”
He turned to see Kasperi coming down the hallway toward him. “Kasperi,” he said, returning the greeting.
The two former combatants clasped forearms, the animosity of their bout long forgotten. If there was one thing real fighters could do, it was set aside their emotions during a fight, especially in organized combat like the Trials.
“What can I do for you?” he asked.
Kasperi pushed back the hair from his face, the thick brown tinged with natural blond highlights.
“I thought you would want to know the results of the fight.”
He perked up at that, having forgotten the fights had been this morning. In the Trials of Combat and Weapons, the nominees to face him had been clear-cut. In the Trial of Claws, however, two foes had emerged, neither having strong enough backing to claim themselves as nominee outright. In true Ursa tradition, they were to then fight for the chance to face Klaue.
“That didn’t take long,” he said, glancing at his watch. “The fight was to start less than fifteen minutes ago.”
“Karnne is dead.”
“What?” He stared at Kasperi.
Death in the Trials wasn’t unknown, but it wasn’t common either. Death between two potential nominees, however, was nearly unheard of. On top of that, he’d had his money on Karnne emerging victorious, but that was also because he knew next to nothing about the challenger. He was backed by several other Title Holders in Ursa, and some other benefactors who had declined to be named.
“How?” he asked, needing more information.
“Korpez…” Kasperi shuddered. “He’s big, mean and likes to kill. He waded in there and took Karnne apart like he was a beehive. It wasn’t fair, Klaue. Under five minutes. That’s all it took for him to win.”
“How did he win?” Klaue needed to know. To know what he was up against.
“He crushed Karnne’s skull,” Kasperi said, looking pale as he spoke. “Just like that. Didn’t give Karnne a chance to submit. Knocked him down, stomped on it. The end. Got up, shifted back and walked away, didn’t even wait for the Queen to pronounce him the nominee. You need to be careful when you face him.”
“Yeah,” Klaue said, drawing out the word as he made a mental note to review the footage of the fight. He didn’t enjoy watching the death of a fellow Ursa, but if this Korpez was as vicious and mean as he sounded, then Klaue was going to need every advantage he could get to not end up dead as well.
“Thank you,” he said, clapping the other man on the shoulder.
“You’re welcome.” Kasperi shook his head. “I didn’t like it. We don’t need someone like that as our Champion.”
“I’ll do my best,” Klaue assured him with a tight smile.
“I know.” Kasperi gave him a respectful nod. “I need to go. Guard change is soon. My boss will kill me if I’m late.”
Klaue laughed and pushed the other man on his way. “Damn right, he will. That guy is an ass!”
“He’s got a good heart. I think. I’ve yet to find it. See you in a few…Boss.”
Klaue was still chuckling at the byplay when he walked by one of the common areas. It wasn’t one he frequented himself. Several other cliques, those closest with Kvoss the Assassin and Korred the Magi, had claimed it as their own, and so he gave it a wide berth when he was off duty.
Right now, though, he was in and wearing the duty uniform of the House Guards. It was a black sweatshirt and pants with red piping along the legs. Rank chevrons dotted both arms like most military’s. It wasn’t the most impressive-looking outfit, but considering it was destroyed every time a guard shifted before they had a chance to strip, it kept costs down.
