Page 35 of Urban Gladiator

“Very well. A meal would be greatly appreciated. And if you truly don’t mind carrying me—” I glanced over my shoulder again just to be sure.

“It would be my sincere pleasure.” Ansel scooped me up into his arms. I caught a hint of bergamot and magic. The guy even smelled nice. Although not as good as Rowan. Holding me against his chest, he floated back over the pond and then strode up the hill. “I didn’t get your name, Beauty.”

“It’s Ember.” He didn’t need to know my last name. I’d be stopping long enough to eat, and then I had to push onward.

“Ah, that you are like a flame. Tell me who or what is after you?” he asked.

“I don’t know.” I bit my bottom lip, wondering how much I should divulge. I’d prefer to keep it at the bare minimum. The less he knew, the better. But that didn’t mean I didn’t need to offer a few scraps in exchange for the promised meal.

“It’s obvious to me you’re running from someone. What brings you to my part of Avalon?”

“I’d rather not say too much because I don’t want them to harm you. But let’s just say if he finds me, it won’t be good.” And while I might be willing to share a meal with him, he was an unknown quotient.

“Hmm. Intriguing,” he murmured as we arrived in a gorgeous clearing full of tall grass and wildflowers. His encampment was huge. There was a lavish, multiroom tent in a deep navy blue.

When we reached his tent, he lowered me to my feet and held the entrance open for me. “Are you running from a jilted lover who means you harm?”

I didn’t want to go into the tent. It would be too intimate. But the scents wafting on the inside were too delicious to ignore. “In a manner of speaking, yes.”

Because my former captor believed I was his mate, of all things. It couldn’t be possible. A witch mated to a wolf shifter was simply preposterous.

“Ah, well, then his loss is my gain.” His gaze slid along my form. There was no mistaking the lust in his eyes. “After you, Beauty.”

With a swift prayer to the goddess to protect me, I entered the tent. It opened into a main room with a seating area and dining tables laden with food, each dish more succulent than the last. There was a bedroom with a huge mattress covered in warm blankets. I couldn’t see beyond that, but it looked harmless enough.

The moment I reached the dining table, Ansel came up behind me. He pressed his fingers against my temple, and exhaustion flooded me. I couldn’t keep my eyes open.

“Sleep, Beauty. We’ll talk in the morning.”

I opened my mouth to argue, to beg the goddess for aide. But his powers were too potent to withstand, and I felt myself falling. The last things I saw were Ansel’s glowing deep blue eyes. And then the world receded.

Awareness returned, and I jolted awake. But my arms were bound, and Ansel lay on the bed beside me. That eerie blue gaze watched me intently.

“Hey. What’s the meaning of this?” I jerked at the restraints and knew instantly I would have to use magic to free myself.

Ansel leaned over and traced a finger down my cheek. “Now you’re mine, Beauty. You are a rare gem of a woman. And soon, you will call me Master.”

“And what about what I want?” I would have laughed at my situation if it wasn’t so familiar. Because Ansel stared at me like he couldn’t wait to undress me. And a part of me wished I could just give in. It would be so much easier than fighting. It was all I ever seemed to do. Fight to raise my sister and keep her alive. Fight to my hold my head high as I was led away in chains. Fight to maintain a safe emotional distance from Rowan. Fight to flee Avalon City. Always fighting. And I was exhausted by it.

“What do you want, Beauty?” He dragged his hand down my body.

I shivered, but not out of desire but fury. Who the hell did he think he was? Did he think I shouldn’t get a say? But I told him the truth. “To leave Avalon. I have someone after me. They’ll find me and kill you.”

He tsked. “Oh, that’s not your fate. The outside world would chew you up. No, your place is at my side. And no one will find you. My tent is invisible to all but me. My powers won’t allow anything through. You’re safe here.”

It was a relief that Rowan wouldn’t find me here, but I wasn’t going to tell him that. “There’s a price on my head. Please, I need to leave Avalon. If you have any kindness in you, you’ll let me go.”

He tipped my chin. His strange, glowing eyes were even more vibrant. “For a beauty such as you, I’d take on the king himself.”

Well, you’re not far off, buddy. I wanted to snatch my chin back. His touch didn’t turn me on. Not even a blip of arousal. If I’d met him before Rowan, I’d likely have fallen into bed with this man and not gotten out. But two could play his silly game.

“Really? You would do that for me?” I batted my lashes up at him and tried to give him my best I’m a scared, helpless female look.

His eyes darkened, and his gaze dipped to my lips. “Anything for you, Beauty. I’ll give you whatever your heart desires as long as you’ll be mine.”

“What if I wanted the king’s head on a spike? Would you do that for me?”

Ansel’s smile grew wider. His gaze simmered with pleasure. “Bloodthirsty and beautiful. I knew the moment I saw you that you were perfect for me. And if that’s what your heart desires, I’ll give it to you. If you want the king’s heart, I’ll deliver it to you still beating.”

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