Total pages in book: 108
Estimated words: 105679 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 528(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 352(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105679 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 528(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 352(@300wpm)
Stone was no longer fighting. He was simply trying to survive.
My heart lurched in my throat as Adrian wrapped his arm around his opponent’s neck, with terrifying efficiency as if he had done this too many times. Stone’s eyes bulged as Adrian locked him in a headlock. His face turned purple as he clawed desperately at Adrian’s arm.
The Pit fell into an eerie silence, the only sound Stone’s choked gurgling.
Adrian lifted his head. Blood streaked his face, his shirt was torn but his gaze was clear and focused… as they found me across the expanse of The Pit.
Thud.
Those mad, mad blue eyes locked onto mine, unblinking, unwavering.
Thud. Thud.
In them, I saw something I would never forget.
Raw primal rage.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Adrian was devastatingly beautiful and utterly terrifying all at once—a dark avenging angel. A monstrous warrior.
He held my gaze as he gave one sharp, decisive twist.
The crack was a sickening, final sound that echoed through my bones and my whole body shuddered.
The Pit erupted with a roar as Stone’s body went limp in Adrian’s hold and then he crumpled to the floor like a discarded puppet.
Dead.
My hand flew to my mouth, stifling my gasp.
I couldn’t move, I couldn’t breathe…
I just watched a man die.
I watched Adrian kill a man in cold blood. Purely for entertainment.
He was killing for… sport.
Shit, I was going to be sick.
Adrian took a step away from the limp body, eyes holding mine for a second longer before he turned around and stalked away.
He didn’t stay to enjoy his win or the love of the crowd.
No, he simply walked out of the cage, and once again blended into the shadows of The Pit.
“Serafina?”
Giulia’s voice made me practically jump out of my seat. I felt like I was going to crawl out of my skin. My flesh was alive, tingling like hundreds of sharp needles poking me.
“Are you okay? You look very pale.”
No, no I was not okay.
I was absolutely not okay.
“I need to excuse myself,” I said, stuttering a little.
Giulia started to stand up, but I shook my head, smiling tightly. “It’s okay, I know where the restroom is. I saw it when we came in.”
I needed to be alone.
I couldn’t handle an audience right now. Especially not if I was going to empty my stomach.
I got up and walked past the bodyguards to the back of The Pit. It was darker, but quieter, and I followed the bathroom signs on the walls.
My stomach heaved.
I had never seen death with my own eyes before and I hadn’t realized just how… quick it could happen. With just a snap of a neck.
How fragile we were.
And yet how stupid we were… to find entertainment in death. To play with it. To tempt it.
The glowing sign for the bathroom was right in front of me when I felt it. Felt him.
My body tingled.
My heart thudded.
And my protesting scream was stuck in my throat when I was pulled away.
It happened so fast, the world spinning under my feet. An arm wrapped around my waist and I was dragged into the dark corridor next to the bathroom.
Away from any seeing eyes.
My back slammed against the wall, hard. “Ah,” I yelped, pain vibrating through my spine.
“Shh, Princess.”
His voice cut through the chaos of the crowd—dark, throaty, and utterly unhinged.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Serafina
Adrian’s bloody, bruised face loomed over mine.
I gasped, my heart hammering so violently against my ribs I feared it might burst through.
His breath came in ragged pulls, the scent of copper and sweat enveloping me. Blood trickled from a gash above his eyebrow, staining his cheek with crimson streaks. His lips were swollen, split at the corner, yet curved in that maddening half-smile.
God, I couldn’t stand that smile.
“Did you have fun?” he rasped, his voice deep and masculine.
“Let me go, Adrian.” I squirmed in his arms, trying to break free, but I couldn’t. I was perfectly trapped between the wall and his body, just like he intended.
His grip tightened around my waist, pulling me closer until I could feel the heat radiating from his battered body. “Why are you here?”
“Matteo brought me,” I said, my voice trembling.
Adrian’s eyes darkened, a dangerous glint flashing within them. “My brother brought you to my fight?” He laughed, the sound hollow and bitter. “Oh silly him, he brought you to my arena. To me.”
The implication hung between us like a poisonous blanket. I tried to push against his chest, but my hands slipped on the blood-slicked surface of his torn shirt.
“You killed that man,” I said, the accusation sharp in my voice before I could even mask it. “How can you be so calm about this?”
Adrian’s expression didn’t change, his gaze unwavering. “It’s not my first kill.”
The casual way he said it made my stomach clench. This was a man who had taken lives before, who had watched the light drain from another’s eyes and felt... what? Nothing?