Page 30 of The Beautiful Blade

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

JORGE

The morning sun was harsh against my skin, baking the dust and sweat into a second layer over me as I walked. My legs felt sluggish, each step harder than the last, as though they’d turned to lead after the morning spent resisting Charlotte’s advances.

My cock was the lightning rod she'd called it. I was surprised the eager thing wasn't burning a hole in my pants to get to her. My brain wasn't fully operational yet. It kept trying to spark to life. After thatcataclysmic orgasm I'd had from her mouth on me, I didn't have enough juice to start my engines fully.

The fairy princess had drained me dry. And yet she pouted beside me, constantly stealing glances at the very erect rod making itself known in my pants. My cock wanted her. My tongue wanted her. I wanted her.

But wanting her wasn’t the same as taking her. Not here. Not now.

The last time we’d gotten comfortable, the world had reminded me how easily it could rip everything away. I had lost my hand, which I would trade again and again if it meant saving her. But the price of three years apart? That had been too much. Too cruel.

The memory of those years—the games, the pain, the nights I thought I’d never see her again—sharpened my focus. These games weren’t a stage for idle fantasies; they were a graveyard waiting to claim its next resident.

And beyond the arena, there was Adom. I couldn’t ignore the shadow of the prince, the man who trusted me, who might yet discover the ultimate betrayal. If he’d realized the fairy princess at his side was a fraud, what then? Was the palace even looking for the real Charlotte now?

Beside me, Charlotte’s hand was warm in mine, her fingers lacing through mine like a lifeline. The quiet strength in her grip steadied me, even as my mindchurned with unease. Her defiance, her fire—it was what I loved about her. But it was also what made me fear for her in this place.

The village of competitors stretched before us as we walked toward the arena. It was just as I remembered: a patchwork of desperation and chaos. The sounds of crying filtered through the air. Laughter, too, sharp and wild, the kind that came from the lips of people who had accepted their own doom. And then there were the sounds of pleasure, of people fucking like it was their last day alive, because for some it was.

Charlotte looked around, her chin lifted, her expression steely. I knew that look. She wasn’t afraid, not like the others. She was determined. But determination didn’t make you invincible. I kept my senses sharp, my eyes scanning the crowd for anyone who might see her as more than a competitor. For anyone who might see her as a threat.

Two soldiers emerged from the shadows of the village entrance, their armor catching the sunlight in sharp flashes. They moved with purpose, their gazes sweeping over the area until they landed on us. Recognition dawned—but for which one of us?

My body tensed, instinct firing through me like a second heartbeat. My hand twitched at my side, the mechanical fingers humming faintly, ready. I pulledCharlotte closer, keeping her half-hidden behind me, and met the soldiers’ eyes with a steady glare.

"Commander, it really is you," said the taller one, giving me a salute.

The thicker one followed suit, his fist going to his heart and thumping his chest three times. "Who knew one of the most decorated fighters in all of Solmane came from the Games as a conscript? May we escort you to the arena?"

Neither one of them had even spared a glance at Charlotte. They likely thought she was some doxy I'd used for the night. I didn't disabuse them of that notion.

The announcer’s voice boomed over the din of the crowd. “Entering now, a warrior of Solmane and veteran of the Troll Wars—Jorge Terran! Soldier of the Iron Sun Brigade, Commander to the Lion Prince!”

The crowd erupted into deafening applause, their cheers rolling like thunder over the coliseum. My face appeared on the large crystal viewer that would broadcast all over the developed parts of Lunaterra.

I fought the urge to pull Charlotte back into the shadows with me. There was no way Adom wouldn’t know I was here. Maybe trying to run had been the better choice. Too late for that now.

The gates groaned open. The arena’s blinding light spilled over us. The roar of the crowd surged again. Heat and sound crashed over me in waves. The smell ofsweat, blood, and the tang of scorched earth filled my nostrils as we were thrust into the battlefield for the next game.

Charlotte gripped the dagger I'd made her all those years ago. There was no fear in her, only focus. Goddess, she was brave—reckless, too, but brave. I stayed close, my body coiled like a spring, my prosthetic hand rolling through its catalog of weapons that would keep her safe.

The first wave came fast—too fast for some. A massive figure charged toward us, their armor dented and blood-streaked from previous rounds. I stepped in front of Charlotte, my blade slicing the air in a smooth arc. The fighter’s weapon clanged against mine. The vibration jarred up my arm, but I didn’t falter. I pressed forward, forcing them back. Nothing was getting past me. Not to her.

But I wasn’t perfect. One competitor did slip by me—a wiry opponent with wickedly fast reflexes. I spun to intercept them. My steps faltered as my gaze locked on Charlotte.

For the past three years that I'd pictured her in my mind, it was always the pliant Charlotte after I'd spent at least an hour between her thighs. I'd forgotten that she had trained herself. That she'd watched these games and practiced the moves like they were her religion.

All that devotion paid off. She was magnificent.

Every movement was a dance, every strike pure poetry. Her lavender skin glowed in the sunlight. Her hair whipped around her like a silken halo. If her wings hadn't been bound to her back, she would have stunned them all into offering their necks just to get close to her.

Charlotte was strong and quick. She darted past her opponent’s defenses with the grace I’d seen her exude at stately dinner parties. Her blade sang as it sliced through the air.

I forgot everything as I stood still and watched her. I forgot my mission, my fears, my doubts. There was only her. Beautiful, deadly, breathtaking Charlotte.

More fighters came. I held them back. They needed to wait their turn to dance with my beauty and her blade.

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