The Bond and Other Curses || Book Two

CHAPTER 10 - ORION

I felt only satisfaction—mine and Tritteon's swirling together pleasantly—as we followed the greeter and guard through long, brightly lit, white stone tunnels, up a set of lifts, and down one more hallway to a tall black door.

The VIP box must have been sound-proofed because I didn't hear a thing until the greeter opened the door and stepped aside to allow us entrance. The room was a decent size with three rows of tiered seats, one giant floor to ceiling window at the opposite end, and a glass kitchenette with a long countertop that took up the left side of the room. The countertop held an assortment of dishes, most of them identical or similar to those I'd seen at the Gevala.

Most of the group rushed forward to crowd in front of the huge window. Cozmin was a bit slower, Tritteon behind her.

"You're not a FengDohrn," the greeter said, before I could follow the others fully into the room, eyes narrowing.

I paused, Tritteon's spike of unease making it clear this was not a conversation I should brush off and ignore. He didn't look back though.

"Quite the interesting crowd you choose to associate yourself with," he continued, his attempt at an amused grin jabbing me worse than his words.

I gave him a flat glare. "Why do you think you can talk to me?"

His mouth pinched. "I mean no disrespect. Only curious." He looked me over, slowing as his eyes slid over my hair, and I noted the guard shifting a bit at the corner of my eye. "What sort of position do you hold in Dugana's court?"

And there it was, the cause of Tritteon's unease. Asserting myself hadn't been enough to convince them I was a Guardian. My hair. My damning, red hair. I'd had to resettle on that fact over the last three days, with every new guard or staff member I'd encountered. I hadn't needed Tritteon's Vek to know exactly what that fear in their eyes had meant.

But I'd discovered one thing that seemed to help in situations like this, that seemed to ease their fears quite a bit. So, I answered his question.

"The replacement Guardian in training kind," I said, allowing a black, silver-veined claw to slide out of my middle finger.

The shock was priceless. I nodded to both of them and shut the door in their faces.

Tritteon's amused approval lighted in my chest before I turned to see his grin. He chuckled. "Expertly handled."

I curtsied and nodded to the window. "What am I missing?"

The view through the window was an impressive sight, the oval shaped arena massive. At least a hundred other VIP boxes surrounded the midpoint at the same level as ours. Tiered stadium seats surrounded the lower and upper sections, and the ground floor was smooth and pearly black with both stone and wood beams jutting out of it in no obvious pattern.

"If this is just a duel, why all the wood and stone?" I asked.

"Same reason Tritteon has them in his," Gauwin said, grinning toward the far end of the arena where a group of eight were stepping out of a large, arching tunnel, the two in the lead dressed in black, scaled, body suits. "Obstacles, climbing, and makeshift weapons. Gotta have something to throw your opponent against, a rock to bash their head in with, or a long, sharp bit of wood to stab them with."

"Aveeve knows all about that last one," Tritteon snorted.

I grimaced, knowing exactly what he was remembering. Our first match when he'd learned I knew he was a Vek and had tried to kill me. I'd impaled him with a long javelin of wood to subdue him.

The two tall, thickly built males separated from the others, stopping near the center of the arena. They were at least in their early thirties. Neither wore boots, their scaled, taloned feet on full display, the male on the right crimson, and the left, a deep, sapphire blue.