Page 32 of Urban Gladiator

First, I’d come no closer to a solution that would save my mate. Second, she knew just the right things to say to twist the knife in my chest. But then, she didn’t know she was my mate. She saw herself as my captive, and she wasn’t wrong. And now this.

I raced through the streets. In wolf form, I moved like the wind, darting down alleys and side streets. I entered my part of the palace through a secret side door, then headed down into the belly of the castle into the dungeons.

They were well-lit and clean. I plodded to the cell holding the necromancer and shifted. At my appearance, Marco lifted his dark head and stared. His power was breathtaking. He was the most powerful necromancer in a thousand years. His pewter eyes held the secrets of the ancients. And I knew the bargain I was about to offer him would cause a ripple effect and might come back to bite me in the ass.

“Well, if it isn’t the Prince of Avalon, come to pay me a visit. What can I do for you?” His voice was so deep a baritone and multilayered, it even gave me pause. And there was little that made me flinch.

“I’m here to make you a bargain. It’s a one time only offer. There will not be another.”

He leaned back against the wall in his cell and crossed his arms. He was bigger than me. “Hmm. This visit gets even more intriguing by the second. Good ahead with your offer, boy.”

I gritted my teeth because, to him, I was. “Well, old man, I’m here to grant you your freedom if you can extinguish witch fire. If not, you can rot in here for the rest of your sorry existence.”

“Witch fire? Come on, boy, give me something more difficult than that.” He chuckled with a shake of his head.

“Do you know a way to reinforce the barrier wall around Avalon?”

Other than a muscle ticking in his jaw, he gave no hint of emotion at my question. “No. The witches created that spell in secret without the aid of necromancers. I know it requires blood. And I could see what assistance I could be. But why me? Didn’t you win the witch that will be sacrificed to reinforce it?”

“I did,” I grated out through clenched teeth.

He cocked his head and his eyes deepened, like he was peering beyond my form and into my soul. “You don’t have the same bloodlust as dear old dad, do you? Pity. You could have been a formidable opponent.”

“I have no problem with taking lives, necromancer.”

“But this witch? What’s different about her?”

“None of your business,” I growled. The less this fucker knew, the better.

Marco tossed his head back and laughed, his voice sounding like organ bellows. “Ah, a wolf in love. Talk about a catch twenty-two, eh?”

“Look, will you extinguish the witch flame to gain your freedom or not?”

“Piece of cake. Get me to the flames, and I’ll extinguish them like that.” He snapped his fingers. “And they will remain extinguished as long as you keep your word. But know, if you betray our bargain, I will light the fucker up and let it burn.”

Making a deal with the devil always came with consequences. But I was between a rock and a hard place. And I was betting that after fifty years in the dungeon, Marco was more concerned with gaining his freedom than attacking the palace again. “Deal. Let’s go. And know if you try to pull a fast one at any time, there won’t be a next time because you’ll be dead.”

“Many have tried, boy, and all have failed. You will too.” He rose to his full height with a shrug.

I was out of options and time. Slapping my palm on the handprint scanner, the magical barrier fell. “We need to leave and not be seen.”

Marco smiled evilly. “I can take care of that. Don’t want Daddy to find out about our deal, eh?”

“Let’s go,” I replied through clenched teeth, already regretting this deal. When I tracked Ember down, she was going to get the thrashing of her life. She wouldn’t sit pretty for a week.

Marco and I, with his power shrouding us, exited the castle with no one wiser. And he flashed us to the arena. Not all necromancers had the ability to travel by portal, except for the most powerful among them. And Marco was the unanointed king of the necromancers.

“Boy, did you piss off your witch.” Marco chuckled darkly with amusement.

“Just put the damn fire out already,” I snapped, done with this song and dance.

“With pleasure.” He lifted his arms. Air swirled around him, and little by little, the fire in the arena diminished until it was no more. The arena was charred beyond redemption. But at least the rest of the city was safe.

But the damage to the arena had been catastrophic. We would need to rebuild. But a part of me wondered if we should. My father would see it done, so it was a moot point.

“You’re free to go.”

“Finally.” Marco grinned.

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