Page 380 of Hunters and Prey

He was referring to escape. And I thought I was the optimistic fool. The power would go off soon, and we would be in the arena, watched by hundreds of Bloods, watched by Gustov himself. How the hell was escape possible? But my mind was already latching on to the conviction in his tone, wondering if the doors leading out of the arena would suddenly spring open when the power went out. Wondering if we’d be able to get past the Wyverns to escape?

The cages began to move forward, but there was no way to see where we were being taken. The floor was solid, and the outside was covered in some kind of barrier. But it didn’t block out sound and the crowd’s chant was audible through the thin plastic.

The cages came to a halt.

“Get ready,” Dante said.

Weapons? Where were our weapons? My stomach lurched as my cage broke away from Dante’s and dropped. A yelp tore from my lips, and I latched on to the bars as I hurtled down. The impact with the ground jarred my bones. The plastic was still on. I couldn’t see anything, but I heard it—the most horrific, bone-chilling roar. This was no Wyvern, this was something else. The plastic dropped away from my cell, falling to the ground, and through the cloud of dust I caught my first glimpse of the Dreki. Obsidian black, twice as large as a Wyvern, with ivory claws as long as my arm. The Dreki had its attention on the crowd, its enraged roars crushing their excited cheers.

Two bodies were pinned to the wall opposite with a spear through the neck, their mouths open in silent screams. The faces were all too familiar—the faces of the resistance, of Buddy and his floppy-haired companion. Sophia had known this would happen. They’d been caught and executed, but ... the power was still going to go off. So, fuck you, Gustov. Fuck you!

The Dreki let out another cold-blooded bellow.

Five meters away, suspended on a rack, weapons glinted in the sunlight. Jezebel, my beautiful baby, beckoned. My cell door clanged open. The dragon’s head whipped round, and I ran, legs pumping, arms swinging. Claws slashed, missing me by a hairbreadth, and then Jezebel was in my hand, and metal met ivory with a scrape that set my teeth on edge and pushed my back against the rack with the force of the impact. I rolled away, coming to stand on the other side of the beast.

The black Dreki swung its head to glare at me with fiery orange eyes. For a moment, it looked like it was grinning.

“Anya! Anya, it’s him. It’s Vesper!” Dante shouted from his cell.

The obsidian dragon’s head whipped up, and his eyes narrowed. He was pissed. Real pissed. And how the fuck could I know that?

Don’t hurt her.Dante’s voice was in my head. She’s important to me.

Why aren’t I surprised?a new voice said, smooth with a sarcastic lilt. And yet you allow her into the pit with me when I’m hungry.

I came to get you out.

No, you got yourself captured, that’s what you did, and now you’re trying to play the hero for the pretty girl. Typical Dante.

What the fuck was going on here?

Vesper lashed out, swiping with his lethal claws. I rolled out of the way just in time to avoid getting my head torn off.

“Easy. Damn.”

I’m not into going easy.

“Well, maybe it’s time to start.”

He paused in his attack. Did you just respond to me?

“Why? Are you used to being ignored?”

You can hear me.

She can hear you, Dante confirmed, his tone not as surprised as Vesper’s.

“I can hear you both.”

Don’t speak. Think,Dante instructed. His voice was a comforting presence in my mind.

I snapped my mouth closed. What the fuck did he mean by think? Like project my thoughts?

Yes, just like that,Vesper drawled. Well, Dante, this is interesting. I can almost forgive you for ignoring protocol and getting your arse captured.What have you found for us to play with?

My temper spiked at his overly familiar tone and the insinuation. I’m not a plaything.

The crowd was booing.

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