Page 377 of Hunters and Prey

Chapter 10

“How much longer before they take us out to play?” Helgi wondered.

I adjusted the daggers in my boot, my back to the camera. It was surprising they hadn’t taken the blades off me after our stint in the arena. But I guess everyone had been too shocked by the whole kid-falling-into-the-ring thing, and Jezebel, the huge axe, had been the more obvious weapon to confiscate.

The events of the night before burned in my mind. They hovered on the tip of my tongue, wanting to be aired. Surely, the others deserved to know there was hope, that there was a resistance. My gaze slid to Dante, and my heart missed a beat. He was watching me from beneath hooded lids, arms tucked behind his head, all lazy and uncaring, but man, he was anything but that. He’d put on a great show, though. Making the others think that he didn’t give a shit, when, in fact, this was all he cared about.

“Anya, did you hear a word I said?” Helgi huffed. She lowered her voice. “Fucking hell, woman, just fuck him if you want. I doubt anyone in here will give a shit.”

I tore my gaze away from Dante. “What?” The word came out louder than intended, and I quickly dropped my tone. “No. I was just thinking.”

She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, thinking what his cock would feel like inside you.”

I glanced at Dante, and his lip curled in an amused smile. Of course he could hear her. He was a fucking Dreki.

Damn, now my neck was all hot. “Actually, I was thinking that we should do some exercise—keep sharp and pass the time until they make their next move.”

It was totally off the top of my head, but now I’d said it, it was a pretty good idea. We’d be fighting our way out of here soon. We needed to be ready.

“Good cover, chick.” She winked. “But I’ll roll with it.” Helgi clapped her hands to get everyone’s attention. “How about some sparring, eh? Get the blood flowing, keep those muscles in good form, eh? Make sure we’re up to kicking some Blood arse when the opportunity arises.”

She had no idea how close to the truth she was.

Bran pulled himself to his feet. “I’m in. Who wants to go first?”

Helgi’s mouth split in a wicked grin. “I’ve been itching for a rematch since we rumbled at the Tap.”

Bran rubbed his chest. “Yeah, you got a heavy punch, woman.”

“You ain’t seen nothing yet.”

I laughed. “Just remember, it’s sparring, so try not to injure your opponent too much.”

Dante hadn’t moved from his spot on his mattress, but around us the other Skins in their cages were on the move. Probably glad to have something to do, even if it was beating each other up.

I strolled over and stood above Dante. He’d overheard Helgi’s and my conversation, but it didn’t matter, because when it came to sex, I was no shrinking violet.

I nudged his hip with my boot. “You want to spar?”

He opened his eyes. “Do you?”

Was that a hint of suggestion in his tone? “I’m not in the habit of asking for things I don’t want.”

He propped himself up on his elbows; his hair had come loose from its cue and tumbled down his back in silken, crimson waves. “Are you in the habit of asking for things you do want?”

I offered him a seductive smile. “No. I usually just take them.”

His pupils dilated, and he let out a bark of laughter. “Let’s spar, sexy scales.”

Sexy scales? What the ... But he was already on his feet and ready for some action. We ducked and punched and spun for the better part of an hour, switching partners then doing a tag team and then working two against two. Helgi and I faced off against Bran and Dante and managed to hold our own against the bigger dudes, largely due to the fact that Dante was most definitely holding back and Helgi and I worked like a well-oiled machine. We’d smacked down enough to know instinctively what the other was going to do. For the guys, it was like fighting a singular super-efficient opponent.

We rounded off back in our original pairings. As Helgi pinned Bran up against the bars with a wild cackle, I somehow lost my footing and ended up on the mattress with Dante straddling me.

His thighs bracketed my hips, and his hands pinned my wrists to the mattress above my head. Something dark and primal flashed across his face. His fingers bit into my flesh a little more and lust spiked, sudden and violent, shooting through me like an electric charge. It settled at the throb between my legs, sending tingles across my thighs. My lips parted involuntarily, and I flicked my tongue out to moisten them. He latched on to the movement, and his thighs flexed. Oh, fuck. I was wet for him. His nostrils flared and panic seized me. Could he smell my arousal? My ankle flared in pain where the chain lay, and the sting cleared my mind. I raised my leg, twisted my hips, and rolled, taking him with me. He lost his grip, stunned by the move, and then I was the one straddling him and that was bad. Really bad in a way too good way, because damn, he was big and hard, and shit—

I leapt off him and turned away, hands on hips. My breath was coming faster than necessary for the level of exertion. Helgi and Bran had finished up, and she caught my eye with an arched, knowing brow.

Dante rose to his feet in the periphery of my vision, but before I was forced to deal with our little moment, the door at the far end of the room opened and Sophia trundled in with the meal cart. She tucked in her chin, but not before I noted the sickly pallor of her face, or the red, puffy skin around her dark eyes. My scalp prickled in foreboding. And then Dante was at my side.

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