Page 32 of Champion
“Excuse me?” Willa glared at me as I rose from the bed.
“Charick is right,” Adtovar said, gaining some of that sharpness for himself. “If the guard summons us with news of the Zarpazian as I suspect… then it cannot be good news, which means the Zarpazian might already lurk nearby.”
“More reason for me to go,” Willa huffed, crossing her arms across her chest. “Charick will need someone to watch his back.”
Adtovar shook his head sternly. “I will watch from a distance and keep him safe. But you need to remain here with the door bolted until we return.” He did not wait for a reply, instead strode toward the back wall of the cottage, removing a small gray stone, and retrieving a knife from the space beneath.
Gladiators were forbidden to keep weapons in their abodes. That Adtovar hid the blade to protect my mate captured my gratitude and respect.
“If anyone comes other than me or Charick, kill them,” Adtovar instructed, laying the blade atop the table.
Willa nodded, although a frown settled on her face. “I don’t like this.”
“Please.” I ran my palms over her shoulders and down her arms, finally closing my fingers around her wrists and drawing her against me. “Malakal has been helpful, but I do not trust anyone when it comes to you.” I let my gaze trip to Adtovar. “Except perhaps this asshole.”
“Same to you,” Adtovar shot back, fighting a grin.
Willa conceded with a sigh. “Be careful.” She looked pointedly at me, then at Adtovar. “Both of you.”
Adtovar headed toward the door. “Wait a few minutes before you follow, in case anyone watches.”
I nodded, grateful for the few minutes alone with my mate.
“Please be careful,” Willa gazed up at me, dark blue eyes shimmering.
“Are you worried about me?” I teased, brushing a thick, silky lock of hair from her forehead.
“Yeah, well, don’t get the big head about it.”
“If you are speaking about the head of my cock, it is already too late for that.”
Her laugh was everything.
I lowered my head, intending to kiss her softly, but was unable to stop myself when her lips parted beneath mine. It took every bit of control I possessed to pull away.
“I will return soon, and perhaps we can pick up where we left off,” I hoped aloud, letting my forehead rest against hers. “Promise me you will stay inside.”
“I promise,” Willa breathed, letting her lips brush over mine once more.
I followed the cobblestones, staying in the shadows until the pathway became nothing but dirt, the underbrush offering cover for my movements. Even in the darkness, it was easy to locate the small clearing where we’d met Malakal before. Namely, because the location was tattooed on my heart. It was the spot where I’d first held Willa in my arms and kissed her.
The moon wasn’t as bright as usual, spectral wisps of clouds obscuring the pink glow. The air seemed chillier, slightly thicker and held a bitter scent that reminded me of staleness and decay—possibly from the many poor souls who had forayed into the escarpment tunnels seeking freedom, only to find death.
I settled myself on a boulder, waiting and listening for approaching footsteps. A faint rustling came from somewhere to my right, but I saw nothing in the shadows. Adtovar perhaps? I would have much rather he remained to protect Willa, but I doubted my mate would have let me come alone otherwise. She cared for me, perhaps not as a mate yet, but we had grown closer, and I held no doubt that, in time, she would truly be mine. A smile settled on my lips at the thought, a smile I wore until I heard the hurried pace of someone’s approach.
Malakal strode into the small clearing, frowning at the data pad he held. A frown that only deepened when he glanced up to find me alone.
“Where is the human Willa?”
“She was tired after the sparring today,” I offered an excuse, not wanting to offend Malakal by suggesting I did not consider him safe when it came to my mate. There weren’t many I trusted. “Do you have new information?”
“Yes,” Malakal nodded, a smile forming on his face. It looked strange, most likely because I’d never seen him without a serious expression.
He held up the data pad, motioning for me to take it. I stepped forward, my fingers closing over cool metal for only a moment before his hand landed on my forearm, just above my wrist.
Pain.
I felt an intense burning sensation, as if Malakal’s touch melted my skin away and sucked out my blood through the point of contact.
