“You bastard,” I hissed as he sauntered up to me, looking awfully smug. “You won’t get away with this.”
“Oh, but I already have.” Sneering, Danrian crouched down in front of my cage so he could meet me at eye level. Behind him, the other men were moving the cages out of the room, “You may have shut down the bank, but our operation extends far beyond Sandin Federal. I may not be able to continue the Shifter Royale in Canalo thanks to your antics, but believe you me, our plan is well underway. You may as well forget about being rescued by those mages you hang out with – soon they’ll be too buried under their own troubles to spare you a thought.”
“‘Our’ plan?” I spat. “So I was right – you’re in league with the Benefactor, aren’t you?”
Danrian’s eyes narrowed. “So Petros Yantz did tell you about the Benefactor,” he said. “I always knew his lips flapped a little too much.”
“Is there a fucking roster somewhere listing out all the members of Club Benefactor, and do you all get together once a month for tea or something?” I demanded. “Because that would be really helpful.”
Danrian laughed. “Even if there was, it wouldn’t be much use to you after you’re dead. Surely you must know you’re going to fight tonight.”
“How do you know I won’t survive?” I sneered, refusing to show the fear that was pumping through my veins.
“Because you’re going up against your beloved cousin, and I have no doubt that someone of your principles would rather die than kill a family member.”
Cold horror spilled through my veins, and I turned my head just in time to see Mika’s cage being hefted onto a forklift.
“NO!” I railed at the bars of the cage, slashing at Danrian’s throat, but I couldn’t reach far enough with the shackles binding my wrists. “You bastard, leave Mika out of this! Let her go!”
“I’m afraid not.” Danrian stood up, and regarded me with his cold, dark eyes. “I warned you not to get involved and you didn’t listen, so now you’re about to pay the price. Boys, put her under.”
One of the men beside him stepped forward, that tube-like instrument in his hand again, and I ducked my head to avoid the first dart. But the second one struck me in the shoulder, and my vision went hazy in a matter of seconds. The last thing I saw was the forklift approaching my cage, and then I was out.
I came awake with battle fever pounding through my veins, the urge to kill so strong that I lunged forward without even knowing whether or not there was an enemy in front of me to kill. My forehead smashed into the iron bars, and I snarled, falling back against the hard floor and clutching my head.
Fuck, that hurt!
The pain cleared my head a little, and I sat up into a crouch. The battle fever continued to sing through my veins, and I trembled with the effort of holding myself together long enough to take stock of my surroundings. Not that I really needed to – the bright lights jabbing at my brain and the fighting cage looming just thirty feet from me told me that I was at the Royale.
Gritting my teeth, I turned my head and scanned the other cages in search of Mika. She was only two cages down from me, gripping the bars and snarling like a madwoman, her eyes bloodshot and her fangs dripping saliva. The sight stirred my own bloodlust, and I growled, my beast wanting her blood.
Stop it. Mika is family.
“Ladies and Gentlemen!’ the announcer cried, and I turned my head to watch him. “Thank you all for coming out tonight! For our first match, we have a very special treat – black panther vs. jaguar! In case you don’t know, these two cats are actually the same species, so it’s a matter of light versus dark rather than a battle between species. I hope you placed your bets accordingly!”
The crowd burst into excited whoops and yells, and I braced myself as I watched several of the humans stride purposefully toward my cage. I tried to attack them as they dragged me from my cell, but they were fast and well trained, and I was still weak from the drugs as well as lack of food – I hadn’t eaten since that measly sandwich in the early morning, and it had to be past nightfall by now.
The humans shoved me up a set of stairs leading to the platform, and then through the doors. I waited for them to unbind my wrists, but they simply slammed the doors shut on me, and I watched in horror as they walked off.
How the fuck am I supposed to fight if I can’t even get my hands free?
By Magorah, no wonder Danrian wasn’t concerned about my odds. He’d set me up so that I couldn’t defend myself even if I wanted to.