Page 29 of Villains and Vengeance
‘You ever see how an arania’s regular web-spider cousins hunt?’ I ask casually.
‘Can’t say I’ve ever noticed,’ Jayce replies, stepping even closer.
‘They lie in wait in a hole, or in a tunnel, ready to spring when their web is disturbed,’ I say, noticing the white strands all over the ground next to Jayce’s boot.
‘You don’t say.’
The idiot moves even closer and I roll my eyes. I should let him kill himself through his own stupidity, but Maddox would probably have something to say about that.
I reach out and grab his jacket, pulling him a couple of steps back.
‘Do you actually use that brain at all?’
He grins, not at all disturbed by my manhandling. ‘Sure I do. I just take more risks than you do, bro.’
‘Not more,’ I say. ‘Just dumber ones. It’s amazing you’re still alive. I can only attribute it to luck, my dumb friend.’
Jayce just shrugs. He doesn’t give a shit what anyone thinks, not even me and the rest of the clan. ‘Okay, so if she’s in there with that thing, how do we get her out?’
‘We don’t,’ I say, turning and walking back down the tunnel.
He follows. ‘Wait. Then how—’
I glance behind me but keep going. ‘That’s an arania lair. Going inside isn’t an option. That ain’t a risk. That’s a suicide mission.’
‘But how are we going to—’
‘We aren’t,’ I interrupt again. ‘At least, not right now. With Axel on the inside, assuming he’s still alive, we won’t have to.’
‘Assuming he’s still alive?’ Jayce echoes, his brow furrowing as if Axel being dead had never crossed his mind. ‘You think that thing killed him?’
I shrug as we walk back down the stairs. ‘I don’t think anything, but they don’t keep captives longer than a few hours before they’re consumed. Unless Victoria has full control over that beast, there’s no way Axel is alive. We have to be prepared for that.’
‘So how will we get her if Axelisdead?’
I snort. ‘Very carefully.’
‘I’m serious,’ he says from just behind me.
‘First time for everything,’ I mutter. I glance back at him. ‘We’ll come up with something. We still have a few days to figure it out. And I don’t think Axel is dead. He has experience with aranias. If anyone could handle himself, it’s him.’
Jayce doesn’t say anything else as we return to the lower levels and reach the main cave. There’s a fight today and, since I’ll be participating soon, I like to do my research on my potential opponents. The roar of the crowd is deafening in its echoes and we hear it long before we reach the cavern itself.
Looks like everyone comes to spectate, I note as I see other prisoners who are marked by rags and squinting eyes from a life lived mostly in the dark. These guys are clearly lifers and dwell deep in the tunnels most of the time. But a little excitement gets everyone out from under their rocks.
I look up at the crevices that litter the ceiling. I wonder how many times Victoria was lured here by boredom to watch. Then I frown. Why am I thinking about her at all? I should be concentrating on my clan, on Axel. The only reason Victoria should be in my thoughts in any way, shape, or form is because we need her to gain a foothold of power in the Mountain or, fingers crossed, a way out of it. That’s it.
I watch the ring. Dragon shifter vs. wolf shifter. No holds barred, but no shifting in this fight. I wonder what rules I’ll have to play by. It doesn’t overly matter, I guess. It won’t affect the outcome. I won’t be losing.
CHAPTER8
JULES
When I open my eyes, I find myself under my blanket in my bunker. I’m on my front. My shoulder aches dully and is a little itchy, but that’s it. My head is clear and I push myself up to my knees, the blanket falling away.
I reach back to feel the wound. It’s covered in a Siggy Band-Aid.
‘We’re even.’
