“As much as I like this,” Coen’s voice rumbled, his hand in my hair. “You actually need to say that you surrender.”
For a just a few, weak moments, I flirted with the fact that I didn’t have the strength of will to resist Coen and his deep, rumbling voice. I considered that I wanted to be on my knees before him, and …
But no.
Nope.
I was Willa Freaking Knight. Baddass Extraordinaire. Best Dweller in the World. And I was going to attempt to kick the ass of the massive Pain sol even if it was the last thing I did.
“Take this!” I shouted … or mouthed, more like, but my point was still made.
I tossed the sand into his face, surging to my feet and running away from him.
Before I could figure out a plan, a huge body slammed into me and lifted me up to drive us across the arena, all the way to the barrier where the Abcurses still stood.
My back slammed against the wall. It was hard and hurt a little, but nothing like it would have if Coen had used all of his muscle.
His breath washed across my cheek, and I went a little dizzy at the woodsy, fresh-cut pine scent he had going on. I could feel his body trembling; he was on the brink of losing control and I couldn’t even open my mouth to try and save myself. Instead, I tossed my arms around his neck, plastering myself to him in a fierce hug.
I might have been a terrible fighter, but I was a stellar hugger. One of the best.
When I drew back, Coen’s stone-chip eyes locked onto mine like a predator to his prey, and I could feel the faint vibration of his growl as it passed from his chest to mine. Instinct took over and I leaned closer to snuggle my face into that spot between his shoulder and neck.
His body shuddered beneath mine, the hands on my back tightening. “You have to surrender, Rocks. I can’t stop until you do.” There was pleading in his voice, and as I pulled back, I opened my mouth and closed it just as quickly, before shaking my head. I put my hand on my throat to tell him that I couldn’t surrender, even if I wanted to.
Can’t speak.
More than one growl sounded from around me then, and I knew that the other brothers had heard my thought. Coen swung us around so that he could glare up at the glass box, and then his voice slipped out into the air around us. “Close your eyes.”
Our stare held for an eternity, and I was relieved to see that he was as unhappy about what was happening as I was. I gave him a quick head nod, and closed my eyes, mostly trusting that I would make it through this. My feet gently hit the sand as Coen took my face into both of his hands, the tingling pain started quickly, and increased to the point where I wanted to cry out, but thankfully, with a quick snap of energy, darkness took me.
When I woke up, there was pain everywhere, but most of it was focussed around the area of my chest. I struggled to pull myself into a sitting position, peering cautiously around at the stone room. It looked kind of like a dungeon, with bare, stone benches and a barred door—which had thankfully been kept open. I groaned, doubling over and clutching my stomach. The Abcurses were near, but they were stretching me out, taking the distance right to the edge of what I could bear. I slipped off the bench, my head swimming dizzily, and padded toward the door on shaky legs.
“Fuck the gods,” I muttered, just to make sure that my power of speech had returned.
It had. Check that off. I was also still in possession of every single one of my limbs, which I considered a feat, seeing as I had just jumped into the Sacred Sand Arena to face-off against Coen Abcurse, pain-master of Blesswood.
“Fuck the gods,” I said again, a little louder this time. Just double-checking. “Fuck the fucking gods!” I screamed. I had no excuse for that one. It just felt good.
“We get it,” a familiar voice noted dryly. “You’re a little angry.”
“Emmy?” I blinked at my best friend as she came into view, walking down the stone corridor toward me. “Am I in a dweller dungeon?”
“No.” She reached me, pulling me into a fierce hug. “You’re below the arena. Atti was attending this sun-cycle and he came and got me when they called you onto the sands. He said you might need some clothes.”
“Are the gods still here?” I asked as she set me back, running her eyes over me critically before handing me a bundle of cloth.