I folded my arms, but didn’t pull away. “I’m just annoyed you disappeared out of nowhere.”
He placed a kiss on my forehead before whispering in my ear, “Look at you. I leave for a few minutes and you’re beside yourself. I enjoy this needy side of you.”
“I’m not needy, you were just gone a while.”
He reached behind me to pluck a sugary treat from the counter. “The cinnamon rolls are still warm.”
“Fuck you.”
He barked out a laugh, his normally somber features lighting up into something reminiscent of sunlight breaking through storm clouds.
The view tugged at my rage-fueled heart until the anger simmered away, and I wrapped my arms around him. “OK fine, I missed you. I’m not used to having people around me anymore. So don’t just vanish like that.”
“Understood,” he smiled, and my tummy did a sappy little flutter like the smitten bitch I am. “I promise I’ll never leave you alone for too long, Princess.”
Oh. That did something to my heart-places. My arms tightened around his back. His hand trailed along my spine, soothing away the loneliness I’d held onto for too long.
Don’t you fucking cry on this man, Cherry.
My savior came in the form of a knock at the door.
“I’ll get it,” Dante sighed.
I nodded and quickly pulled away, rubbing at my eyes. The front door creaked open, followed by a hissing noise. When I turned around, green smoke billowed from the doorway and into the room. Harsh wet coughs erupted from Dante before he fell to the floor.
“Oh shit!” I snatched a cloth from the kitchen and put it to my face, trying to block out the smoke, then dove for him. Something hard hit my side, and I crashed to the floor. I gasped, taking in lungfuls of the smoke before the coughing fit started. My limbs grew heavy, and it was a struggle to so much as lift my head.
Dark silhouettes filled the doorway before the hushed voices of men filled the room. “You sure this demon is worth any money?”
“A big fella like this has gotta be better than nothing. Besides, do you have a better idea? I can’t lose any more coin to that damn Boomslang. If he dies, it’s not like we’ll be any worse off.”
The taller figure reached down to grab Dante, who was still unmoving on the floor. “Dammit, this fucker is heavy. Grab his legs.”
My nails dug into the wood floor as I tried to drag myself over to them. “Back off,” I croaked.
The man behind the one grabbing Dante froze. “Shit, man, there’s someone else in here? Let’s just go.”
“Stop being a fucking coward and just take that one too. Two fighters are better than one.”
The man at the back cursed, then stepped around his cohort to approach me. “Oh fuck no, this one’s a human. I’m not catching that charge.”
“Well, obviously don’t take her, then.” He shrugged Dante off like a dirty sack of potatoes and approached me. “I have to do everything myself,” he said. His foot came down, and the world went black.
Chapter 19
Cherry
When I came to, Dante was gone, and I had a wicked bruise on my head. “Shit, shit, shit! OK, deep breaths, Cherry, don’t panic,” I said, clearly panicking. Fear had turned my blood to ice under my skin. Dante had been kidnapped. Actually fucking kidnapped, and I had no idea what to do.
My limbs still felt sluggish, but I struggled to my feet and called out for Alexis. No answer. Dammit, if she was still gone too, it was possible something could have happened to her when she had gone to the barracks. That just left me. Which… didn’t bode well for anyone else.
A plan. I needed a plan. The two men mentioned fighting and… Boomslang? Where had I heard that name? Realization dawned and my stomach dropped. “The coliseum.”
As expected, the coliseum was packed. The announcer regaled the roaring crowd with tales of their reigning champion, Boomslang. Banners painted with the snakeman’s likeness hung all around the coliseum walls. Some patrons in the stands held up signs cheering for their favorite fighters while others had painted their faces in a lime green that matched the snake’s scales.
In an effort to unseat the undefeated champion, tonight’s match would be open to all challengers from far and wide. The announcer paused to offer anyone in the crowd a chance to step forward and face the champion. Surprise, surprise, no humans stepped forward.
Buying a ticket to get in had been easy enough, but the section where they kept the gladiators was completely closed to the public. Which made sense if you were forcing demons to fight against their will. Can’t imagine that was great for their public image.
