Page 56 of Dark & Dreadful Brutes

Should’ve expected that one.

“It’s alright, I can probably cook them if they try to hurt me,” I said to lighten the mood.

“Your magic doesn’t work fast enough. We need to try to control it, too.”

“I don’t think it’s controllable. Nissa mentioned that she can’t control hers either, and I noticed Kaelle’s hair blowing around, which didn’t seem intentional.”

Ravv’s gaze grew slightly curious, and I realized that at least a little of his anger was just a front to distance himself from the other kings and seem like more of a threat. “Perhaps humans weren’t meant to hold magic as strong as yours.”

“Seems likely,” I admitted.

“You still need to prepare for the fight we’re using as an excuse for having you here,” he told me. “You’ll be training a lot until I’m confident you can go into the cage without dying.”

“Thanks for believing in me,” I drawled back.

The kings put swords in our hands, and told us to fight each other to show them what we could do.

We exchanged blank stares.

Those swords were too damn heavy.

They finally decided to start from the basics, and had us run through hour after hour of fighting positions.

My body was screaming by the time we went back to the castle for dinner and sleep, and I collapsed in bed afterward without so much as a word to Ravv.

Chapter 12

Laeli

The next two weeks passed in a whirlwind of food and training. We didn’t see any sign of the magical assassins hunting the kings, thankfully.

Ravv gave me the space I asked for, and I appreciated it.

I also appreciated the comfortable feel of his skin against mine when we went to bed every night. And the way he massaged my scalp when I let him wash my hair.

My muscles were still sore when we finally entered the cage on the day of the fight the kings had planned, wearing the most ridiculous outfits I’d ever seen. They were literally metal lingerie, made with strips of metal that barely covered the important bits. We had small scarves of glittering fabric tied dramatically over our handprints, too.

Our swords were stupidly heavy, and though I’d gained plenty of weight with our constant eating, I was nowhere near the level of a fae warrior, nor would I ever be.

The crowd roared as we walked deeper into the cage, the sound nearly deafening. A fae man waited for us; he had announced our magic before we even entered.

Kaelle looked nauseous, so I leaned close to her and called out, “Are you alright?”

“I don’t know.” Her gaze flitted around the massive crowds of fae in the stands. The stadium was so loud, I could barely hear her. The wind that constantly blew around her picked up, whipping all of our hair around our faces. “Something’s wrong,” she said, her voice barely audible.

“What’s going on?” Ravv growled into my mind. “Why is her wind blowing harder?”

“I’m not sure.”

“I’m getting you out of there.”

“I’ll be fine.” I stopped him quickly, before he did something to make the rest of the fae suspicious about the possibility of a bond.

The announcer dragged us into place until the three of us faced each other, and then he called for the fight to start with a booming yell.

We all stayed where we were while he crossed the cage, then shut the door.

One of Kaelle’s hands lifted to her head, pressing to her temple as she leaned her weight against the sword she held in her other hand. Her face was twisted, like she was in pain.

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