Winning the Legend (23 page)

‘I can’t. I can tell he’s
losing blood because I can sense it as easily as I can smell yours.
How do I explain that? We have to wait for it to show through the
bandages.’
Arianna winced as Nik tried to
attack, and Turner dodged it yet again, causing Nik to fly to the
ground. The force of the ground was enough to press the bleeding
through part of the white bandage. Arianna immediately
stood.

“Match is done,” she called out, and ignored
the glare from Nik. He was slowly pushing himself up from the
ground. Obviously, he was in a large amount of pain, but pride kept
him from admitting it. Even injured, Nik was still the sour-faced,
spoiled brat he had been since she met first him.

“On what grounds?” Nik asked, now glaring at
Polo, who wasn’t stopping Arianna.

“On the grounds that no one will be dying
while I am watching these matches,” Arianna replied, nodding to
Serge. “And since these are my games, I can make whatever
additional rules I want.” She added before the extra men there
complained. They were all ready to plead their argument for the
match to continue. Anticipation rolled off them at the thought that
Nik would die. Not a single night human there wanted to stop the
match.

“Mr. Winter is the winner,” Serge added to
signify that the match was complete.

Polo rushed to the field to take his brother
away for a second time that day. Nik fell back to his knees, and
Polo had to staunch the bleeding. The men around her were all
disappointed at the outcome. Nik was still alive. Rhys’ eyes were
upon her. He was filled with curiosity over why she would help Nik.
Arianna nodded to Polo, who helped his brother more. Polo was
grateful at her saving his brother’s life, and the feeling of
appreciation poured off him. Arianna smiled and nodded again.
Quickly, Rhys’ feelings changed from curiosity to anger. Why was
she smiling at another night human?

‘Andrew,’
Arianna didn’t turn around as she talked to him.
She felt Rhys’ anger grow. Loan was not a good enough fighter to
stand up to Rhys when Rhys was in a good mood. Arianna had no idea
what Rhys would do when he was in a bad mood.
‘Help Loan, or he will die at Rhys hand.’

Andrew stood as the men all watched Nik and
Polo on the field. Turner joined Arianna, huffing from the exertion
of the fight, or rather, the exertion of the running around he had
needed to do at the end. Andrew stopped beside Loan, who was
talking to his retainer and getting ready for his fight. Andrew
slipped a vial into Loan’s hand and disappeared before the night
human could even ask why.

‘Stay away from Rhys before
the match,’
Arianna said to Loan. Loan’s
head snapped up at her voice.

‘How can you talk to me
like this?’
Loan asked.

‘I drank your blood to
decide who was stronger in the second test. I have better sense
than any test,’
Arianna gave a lame excuse
she hoped Loan would buy.

‘Just a vial of blood can
make you able to communicate with other night humans?’
Loan asked, not even suspicious, but more in awe
than anything.

‘Yes, just a vial gives me
access to talk to other night humans,’
Arianna replied. Loan swiftly scanned his mind for any silent
communication that would have embarrassed him. He was the only one
of the men at the competition that was worried about being
embarrassed, not worried that she would know they were plotting,
because he had yet to join the various groups forming with Rhys at
the head of most of them.

‘And this?’
Loan asked about the vial in his hand.

‘The only chance you have
to stay alive during this fight,’
Arianna
replied. Loan started to look her way, so she quickly added,
‘my blood.’
Loan froze
in his movements, unsure if he heard her correctly.

“Mr. Duran and Mr. McKinny,” Serge
interrupted their conversation as Nik was finally cleared from the
field, and Andrew was safely tucked behind Arianna, listening in on
her conversation with Loan.

‘Don’t go near him,’
Arianna warned, as Loan stood to move to the far
side of the ring, intent on walking right by Rhys.
‘He can curse you like Nik if he can touch
you.’

‘Shoot,’
Loan replied.
‘Then how
do I fight him?’
Loan trusted Arianna
unquestioningly and veered away from Rhys.

‘He can’t curse you during
a fight; he does that before. Just don’t go near him now as you
walk,’
Arianna directed Loan. Loan glanced
in his hand as his retainer talked to him.
‘The vial is edible. Just break it in your mouth, and no one
will know you have my blood.’

Loan took his spot across from Rhys, and
popped the blood vial into his mouth, transforming at the same
time. The men in the audience all gasped, assuming the increased
strength was his, not that he had Arianna’s blood. In the
preliminary exhibition, Loan had never shown that kind of power,
but now all the men appreciated that he had been chosen for the
final matches.

“Does he stand a chance?” Loan’s retainer
asked, standing behind Arianna.

“No,” Arianna replied, as the match started.
Loan stared at Rhys while Rhys stared at him, neither one in a
hurry. The outcome had already been determined once Rhys got pissed
off. Rhys was now out to cause pain.

Chapter 25

Arianna was happy to be leaving the matches
after Rhys beat Loan unmercifully. The much younger Loan never
stood a chance, but with Arianna’s blood within him, he saw through
the illusions and was able to protect himself as Rhys beat on him.
The sidhe king was an expert fighter, and Arianna cringed with each
hit. Rhys was inflicting intense internal damage without leaving
outward marks, which would cause the match to end. He wanted to
draw out Loan’s torture. It wasn’t that Rhys was necessarily upset
with Loan. He didn’t suspect that Loan had Arianna’s blood. Rhys
was angry at the rest of the men, including Nik Katsulas, who
didn’t seem to get the hint: the only reason Nik was still alive
was a promise. Loan’s retainer let the match go for only four
minutes before he called it, worried about his charge as much as
Arianna was.

The anger radiated off Andrew as they made
it back to her room. In the other direction, Nessa followed a few
steps behind her brother, who was just as furious. The exertion
from the match had done nothing to calm Rhys down.

“There has to be something I can do,” Andrew
said when they were finally alone in Arianna’s room. “You got lucky
today, but I doubt neither Rhys nor Nik will be as kind.” Andrew
still wanted to protect her, and had no way to do so.

“Bind,” Nessa said, magically appearing from
the open window. Arianna and Andrew already sensed her coming, so
neither was surprised when she finally showed up.

Arianna turned to Andrew. It was obvious he
had called Nessa in for help. Rhys was her brother, after all. If
anyone knew how to beat him, she would. Nessa tossed a small book
to Andrew. Andrew caught it and read the cover.

“And that is?” Arianna asked, frustrated
that this new world of hers had its own set of rules which often
left her feeling one step behind everyone else.

“Would such an archaic practice work?”
Andrew asked, obviously understanding what Nessa meant, even though
Arianna did not. Neither explained it to Arianna.

“I don’t know, but it’s her best shot. If
you bind, she should be able to share strength and experience,”
Nessa added. Arianna liked the sound of that, but still didn’t know
what it meant.

“Experience?” Devin asked from the doorway,
always aware of the goings-on around Arianna. He was obviously
upset at Nessa for her suggestion. “I’ve heard that can happen, but
not all the time. Sometimes bindings cause power to diminish. Maybe
you’re setting her up to fail. How can you be sure it will happen
one way and not the other?” Devin’s rapid-fire questions didn’t
seem to fluster Nessa at all.

“We can’t be sure,” Nessa responded
honestly, not caring for the insinuation that she was there for any
reason other than to help Arianna. Nessa had proven her worth to
Arianna, and couldn’t see what she had ever done to upset
Devin.

“And then what, have her bind, lose her
power and be unable fight at all? Even better, suggest she bind to
Andrew, the only night human here that could actually beat your
brother. That way you’ve killed two birds with one stone. Maybe the
binding will take his power away. Such a devoted sister,” Devin
sneered. His anger was leaking out of him. Arianna glanced between
them. Nessa was obviously getting just as mad.

“Do you think I’d suggest anything that
would hurt Arianna? If I truly thought the binding would lessen her
power, I wouldn’t suggest it. Andrew called me for help. This is
the best I can do.” Nessa’s dark, curly hair bounced as she talked.
She was just as ready to pounce across the room at Devin as he was
at her. It was obvious that there was no love shared between
them.

“Lessen?” Andrew asked, pulling the
conversation back to where he wanted it.

“Theoretically, a binding is to combine
strength,” Devin replied, in his textbook-explanation tone. “But
every so often, when there is a great difference in power, it
doesn’t strengthen the one with more power, but weakens them
instead. There have only been a few recorded cases of this
happening, but it does happen. That’s why I didn’t suggest it
earlier.”

“Really? And your undying love for Arianna
had nothing to do with it?” Nessa replied, now sitting beside
Arianna, trying to keep calm and not strangle Devin. He was trying
to stop the best chance Nessa had found for Arianna. “You want us
to believe that there wasn’t an ulterior motive, such as you don’t
want the love of your life bound to someone else for eternity, and
never being able to take her back.” Devin was now fuming and looked
like he was ready to lunge across the room.

“There were no other reasons?” Andrew asked,
looking only at Devin for confirmation that Nessa was just being
vindictive.

“Nothing has changed,” Devin answered,
staring daggers at Nessa.

“Sounds to me like he’s changed his mind,”
Nessa flipped a few curls over her shoulder, getting impatient at
the debate. Devin’s loyalty was admirable, but right now his
personal feelings were getting in the way. Nessa and Andrew both
knew the truth.

Devin glared over at Nessa. “And you don’t
think maybe the sidhe here has other alternatives to helping you?
Maybe she wants to weaken you?” Devin accused. Arianna watched from
her spot on the couch. Emotions were roiling off Devin. It was odd
to see the doors crack open and emotion come out, even if it was
anger.

“Nessa is helping us,” Arianna replied, now
receiving a glare from Devin.

“So she says,” Devin responded. “And what
does she have to gain from you going free?”

“What does she have to gain from her brother
winning me?” Arianna replied just as quickly.

“Umm, let’s see, maybe her freedom?” Devin
replied.

“She will already get that. She had to
pretend to be her brother and move on to the next round. She did
that, and now she can be free. And the law that everyone signed
means she can’t be forced to marry,” Arianna tried to explain.
Nessa had no motive to hurt Arianna.

“Is that the story?” Devin asked Arianna,
but he stared directly at Nessa. “What about the fiancé your family
already arranged for you back home? Can you leave him now that you
did a good job for your brother?”

Nessa didn’t reply to Devin’s jeer. Arianna
already had seen inside Nessa’s mind. Nessa would not marry the man
that had been chosen for her, no matter what Devin thought. Turning
back to Arianna, Nessa continued to talk. “The binding cases where
people lost strength were all when a night human bound to a day
human. There has never been a recorded case where a night human
lost strength when bound to another night human.”

“You’ve each pled your case,” Andrew added,
hoping to help stifle the anger in the room.

“What exactly is a binding?” Arianna asked,
looking from person to person.

“That, he should discuss with you,” Nessa
pointed to Andrew before walking to the doorway where Devin stood.
She wasn’t as angry now. Andrew was right. She had pled her case.
“We don’t need to be a part of this discussion.” Nessa shooed Devin
back, and, surprisingly, he let her. He had presented his case
equally well.

“Care to walk me back to my room, in case I
decide to plot more against you?” Nessa sarcastically added. Devin
huffed, and followed behind her.

“Please think about everything carefully,”
Devin added before leaving.

Andrew stood and followed them both to the
doorway. They were walking down the hallway side-by-side, neither
talking, but still just as mad at each other. And maybe a little
something else. Andrew smiled as he shut the door. Maybe Devin had
the ability to show emotion all along, he just needed the right
person to pull it out of him.

Andrew shimmered back to the couch to be
beside Arianna in an instant. He was happy with the new idea, and
anticipation poured off him. He had never heard of anyone doing
bindings recently, but the thought that he could bind Arianna to
himself forever was a great idea. He liked even more the idea that
she would gain his experience. He would never have to worry about
her in a fight again. They would be unstoppable. His worry was
completely gone.

“Explain,” Arianna said, crossing her arms
and staring at him as he tried to take her hands in his own.
“Details, now.” Andrew smiled slyly and snuck his hand into her
hand anyway.