Page 141 of House of Crimson Kisses
“Only three fighters?” Cordelia says, a nervous laugh bubbling out as she welcomes the audience. A poor showing for this trial. An embarrassment for Cordelia. She’s losing control of the trials. Losing control of me.
She glances at the Chief, a flicker of worry threading through her forehead. But the Chief shakes her head.
“Fine. Welcome, vampire nobles, hunter elders, humans, friends. Tonight is the trial of strength.”
There’s a stilted round of applause that smatters around the audience. I glance at the faceless crowd, too many expressions, too many faces to determine one from another. But what they do all share is tension.
Even the people recognise this city is falling apart and these trials are all a ruse that’s failing.
Cordelia claps her hands. Her black gown is elegant this evening. It matches the colour of her hair, a silver bustle at the back matching the swipe of grey in her bangs. “Sadie and Dahlia. You will fight first. Xavier and Talulla, Keir and Gabriel you score zero for this trial. Red, out of the ring while they spar it out.”
I hop out of the ring and watch. Sadie is going to lose, though she will put up more of a fight than I will.
Around the ring, more spectators arrive. Dozens of vampire nobles appear from the shrubs and darkness of the forest. They’re followed by hunter elders. More spectators pack into this tiny clearing and spill into the depths of the forest. And then, to my surprise, a veritable selection of blood monks from the church arrives. I spot the lovely monk who helped me and made me laugh away the nerves before the trial of spirit. He catches my eye and inclines his head.
It makes me uneasy, but I can’t quite put my finger on why.
The Chief raises her hand for silence. “The rules are two-fold. There will be no death. If you knock your partner unconscious, that signals the end of the fight. Two, there will be no weapons save your fists, feet and fangs. Do not pick up a weapon or you will be disqualified. Understand?” the Chief says.
Sadie and Dahlia both nod and then draw back into fighting stances.
“Fight in three. Two. One. GO.” The Chief leaps out of the ring and to the ground as Dahlia launches at Sadie.
Sadie dives out of the way. She’s lightning quick as she spins in the air like a ribbon. She dives onto Dahlia’s back, pummelling her head with savage blows.
But Dahlia is up and screaming as she hurls Sadie off and kicks her leg out, knocking Sadie over.
It goes on like this. One minute passes, then another. By minute three, I would be struggling. But on they fight. Blow after blow until the pair of them are panting and slick with sweat.
Sadie glances at me, and that moment of hesitation on her behalf is the instant Dahlia takes the upper hand. She lands a fist against Sadie’s jaw that cracks through the night like a gunshot.
The crowd hisses and cringes as Sadie flies backward.
She staggers to her feet, albeit stumbling and dazed. Dahlia is relentless. She speeds across the ring, landing blow after blow on Sadie. Dahlia lurches forward and swings an uppercut with such force that it throws Sadie from the ring. She smashes into a tree, her head crunching against the trunk.
She slides to the ground with a squelch, part of her skull left embedded in the bark. If Dahlia did that to me, I wouldn’t be getting back up. But Sadie will awaken in a few minutes.
I swallow hard, knowing that I’m not getting out of this without serious damage. But perhaps that’s the best thing for everyone.
Dahlia roars in the centre of the ring and then she rounds on me, beckoning me to join her in the ring.
Cordelia steps up to the rope. “Dahlia, do you not need a rest?”
“For this pathetic scrap of a human? Not likely, Mother.”
“So be it.” Cordelia glances at the Chief again, those same worry lines carving deep ridges through her face. It ages her in a way I haven’t seen before.
Not that I care. The only reason she’s worried about me is because she doesn’t want me to cop it before I open that fucking door for her. She’s just another fucking person trying to control me.
“Then let the fight begin in three. Two. One,” the Chief says.
Even though I knew it was coming, the speed with which Dahlia moves at me takes my breath away.
Despite what I said, I don’t want to die. Not in this moment, anyway. I duck, leap and scramble out of her way. But she is unyielding. She thunders across the ring, her boots hammering into the ground as she stalks me like prey.
I laugh maniacally. Is this what Amelia experienced? Being Dahlia’s prey? Gods, maybe I should have been more sympathetic.
I spin on my heel and jerk up, landing quite the blow to Dahlia’s chin. It takes her by surprise, and she stumbles, her eyes wide.
