Chapter 491

Nina

My eyes widened as a small trickle of blood made its way down Enzo’s neck.

“Stop!” I shrieked, my voice having more power in it than I expected after a long night of misery. “Please, don’t hurt him.”

“It’s okay, Nina.” Enzo’s voice was more hoarse than mine. “I’ll be okay.”

But it was clear that he wasn’t; he swallowed against the guard’s blade, his Adam’s apple bobbing beneath the cold metal. I turned to Mila then, deciding to throw away any dignity I had left in that moment to pray for my husband’s safety.

“Please don’t hurt him,” I begged desperately. “You can’t—”

Mila examined her dagger-sharp nails, looking bored by our misery. “You knew the rules,” she said coolly. “Refuse to comply, refuse to fight, and I’d have no choice but to punish this insolence.”

She flicked her cold ruby eyes to Enzo. “One or both of you will have to die if you continue trying to resist the pull of our tradition. So, who will it be?”

“I—”

Suddenly, before I could finish, I heard Enzo’ voice in my head through our Mindlink; somehow, he was calm despite the blade at his throat. “Use Luke as your champion, Nina. I have a plan, but I need you to trust me.”

I took a deep, shaky breath. Something in Enzo’s voice made me wonder what he had planned or if he was just saying that to get me to comply, but I had no choice. I couldn’t bear to see that knife at his throat.

“I said that I wouldn’t fight, but I only meant that Iwant to appoint a champion,” I said hoarsely.

The words felt numb and foreign on my tongue. I couldn’t believe that I was in this impossible situation, caught between the potential death of my husband and the death of one of my closest friends.

Mila arched one slender eyebrow at my words. “Oh?” She flicked her fingers again, and the guard finally eased back the dagger just a little bit. Enzo gasped in a breath, his shoulders sagging with relief.

I licked my dry lips. “Our friend Luke would like to take my place as champion, in exchange for my guaranteed safety after the fight.” I forced a steadiness into my voice even though I felt like screaming and crying.

“If he loses, we would like to request for you to let Nina and our baby return home to Mountainview unharmed,” Enzo chimed in. “They’ll never get in your way again; you can have me after that, I promise. Just let them go home.”

As Enzo spoke, my eyes went wide, my head slowly swiveling around to look at him again. Was this it? Was this his plan? To make Luke take my place, in exchange for me to go home—alone? While he stayed here?

No, it couldn’t be. There had to be more to this.

Right?

Mila tapped one long nail against her chin, considering Enzo’s words carefully. “I must say, this is highly irregular,” she said.

Enzo swallowed again. “I know a little bit about your traditions,” he said softly. “I know that champions are a viable option. And I know that you’re not unreasonable, Mila.”

Mila’s eyes flashed with a mixture of satisfaction and cruel contempt. I couldn’t decide which was more terrifying. “You’re not wrong,” she retorted. “Very well. I’ll allow the champion to take the whore’s place.”

Hope leapt wildly in my chest, although it stood no chance against the dread for the upcoming fight. The knife was finally pulled away from Enzo’s throat and he sagged forward, sucking in a large lungful of air.

After a moment, he lifted his head to face Mila. “So we have a deal, then?” he muttered. “When I defeat Nina’s champion, she and the baby will be allowed to return home, unscathed?”

Mila’s ruby eyes flashed with momentary annoyance. “If your champion prevails, I will… consider releasing them,” she hissed coldly. “But she must remain here, bound, for the duration of the fight. I can’t have her scurrying away like a rat.”

Enzo’s eyes narrowed. “How can I trust you?” he growled. “You’ll only consider letting her go home?”

Annoyance flickered over Mila’s perfect features before they smoothed over again. “Fine. I vow that if you win, no harm will come to your mate or her… mongrel offspring. But attempting to flee before the battle’s end will instantly forfeit my mercy. Do we have an accord?”

Enzo paused, his eyes flickering over to me. I felt like a fly caught in a web, unsure which way to flap my wings in an attempt to escape. And the spider was right beside me, knowing fully well that my attempts to flee her web were pointless.

“Fine,” Enzo finally muttered. “We have a deal.”

Before I could react, Mila’s guards suddenly looped coarse silver ropes around my wrists, searing pain coursing through me. I gasped as my eyes began to water, the silver instantly sapping my strength.

Enzo cursed, but didn’t resist as we were hauled outside toward the gladiatorial arena at the heart of this macabre underground palace.

My bound hands shook as the guards forced us forward. Since I couldn’t run now, all I could hope for was that Enzo had a real plan hidden beneath the surface; something better than sending me packing off to Mountainview without him and without Luke.

But what could he and Luke possibly do against Mila’s magic, and the countless armed guards surrounding every possible exit?

My apprehension must have shown on my face. Enzo’s eyes met mine, his voice coursing through my mind once more. “Just trust me, Nina. I’ve got a plan.”

But I knew better; I could hear the slight waver underneath his determination, the way his blistered hands trembled. His plan wasn’t concrete.

Too soon, the guards dragged me to a platform overlooking the arena’s edge, just behind Mila’s black throne, and forced me down onto a crude wooden bench. They surrounded me so I couldn’t move.

Across the packed dirt ring, crimson banners snapped up above, the jeering crowd thirsty for violence.

And beside me sat Mila on her obsidian throne, her wine-red gown spilling like blood to the arena floor.

The clang of gates drew my gaze to two tunnel openings at opposite ends of the oval. Enzo emerged from one gate, his silver ropes removed. He held his blistered palms up, playing to the crowd.

Roars and boos echoed from the circular benches at this show of defiance.

At Mila’s subtle gesture, the opposite gate rose upward. Luke stepped out a moment later.

My heart stuttered at how small he looked. He was always the smallest man in our group, always relying more on his smarts and powers of electricity over his strength. His soft eyes searched the crowd until he found me.

I tried to give him a bolstering smile, but it felt ghastly on my face. How could I smile at a moment like this? How could I smile when my friend was about to die?

Trumpets blared as Mila rose, her arms uplifted. Her amplified voice echoed off the black stones. “My people! On this day, we cull the weak to make way for the strong! A champion has been chosen!”

The mob erupted into raucous applause. Across the arena, Enzo tensed into a fighting stance. His strength had returned quickly after the silver had been removed. Luke hesitated, then did the same.

Their eyes met and something unspoken passed between them. What was Enzo planning?

“You know the stakes. Let us see which combatant fate deems worthy!” Mila concluded.

She swept her arms down and screamed, “Let the battle begin!”