Page 35 of The Lost Siren

I tightened my grip on my sword, swallowing heavily. Sweat beaded on my forehead.

“Release them.”

Gasps and grumbling reverberated around the stadium, before falling into startled silence, wondering what would happen next. D’Arcy laughed; a dark, patronizing sound that sent chills up my spine.

“Ihighly doubtyou want me to do that.”

I licked my lips, fear threatening to overwhelm me. The Lykos’sheadwas bigger than me, their growling felt deep in my gust. I questioned whether to call his bluff. He rolled his eyes and gestured grandly around us.

“The moment I release them, they willripyour throat out.”

I turned and met the large golden eyes of the beast behind me, his black fur rippling with exertion. The smaller one whined from between his legs.

Choose fear or choose something else.

Right now, I was alive, and so were they. If we were alive, there was hope. I raised my head, easily meeting D’Arcy’s turquoise gaze.

“I don’t think they’ll attack me. I’m sure they know that the moment they do, hundreds of Drakens will descend on them and shred them to pieces.Certainly,they don’t want that.”

I could have sworn the Lykos chained in the corner on the right grinned at me, his large tongue lolling out of his mouth. D’Arcy crossed his arms, as if the whole affair didn’t concern him one bit.

“What if I release the Lykos, and we will simply see what happens? They could choose to attack, or they could not.”

The Drakens around me muttered, but no one objected out loud. My eyes narrowed. So much for being theirhonoredguest. I heard two voices yelling before they were quickly muffled. At least Kieran and Ronan had my back.

D’Arcy eyed the Lykos as if there were nothing other than interesting toys, sent here to amuse him.

“If you decide to attack thehuman, I promise that the last Lykos left standing will be spared and released. If you donotattack,I will, starting with that one.” D’Arcy pointed one finger lazily at the small Lykos behind me, and the ball of fur cowered deeper against the black Lykos’s legs. My daggers flicked into my right hand, the sword still in my left.

“I’ll gut you like a fish,” I snarled.

“Benedict won’t save you,” D’Arcy taunted.

The brown Lykos on my right blinked slowly at me, his head tilting quickly to his left, towards the smaller Lykos. The movement was so small I almost missed it. I blinked back. I decided to voice my thoughts from earlier.

“How’d you get the Lykos here, D’Arcy? Quite a feat to bring in three by yourself. Got some friends on the outside?”

The other Drakens eyed D’Arcy warily, hesitation written all over their faces. They hadn’t thought about that. D’Arcy’s face flushed in anger.

“Howdareyou. You’re nothing but a spy, sent here to try and kill us all.” Gasps greeted his accusation and my lips twitched. At least the cards were out on the table, now.

“Takes one to know one,” I countered.

“Enough,” he hissed, sensing he was losing the crowd. He jerked towards the Lykos. “Choose.”

With a flick of his wrist the chains were gone, and several things happened at once. The black Lykos pushed the cub between my legs, and I crouched defensively in front of him, his reddish fur soft as he huddled against me.

“Don’t move,” I ordered. The black Lykosoverme, placing himself between me and D’Arcy. The brown one joined him calmly, as it was now three-against one. It was tempting to glance at the balcony, but I wouldn’t. I believed D’Arcy when he said Benedict wouldn’t save me.

“They are protecting their young. Surely that’s something aDrakenunderstands above everything else?” I pleaded.

The mood in the arena shifted, and the ugly look on D’Arcy’s face told me he sensed it as well; he looked ready to explode at the loss of control over his own event. The black Lykos growled, but I moved forward and put one hand gently on his massive head, my fingers grasping the soft fur between his ears. I walked between him and his companion, as the small cub stayed behind us. With a massive beast on either side of me, I felt invincible. D’Arcy was breathing heavily as he took a step backward.

“If you don’t get the hell out of my pit, I will snap your neck.”

I met D’Arcy’s icy stare with a gaze full of fire.

“No, you willnot.”

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