The Fighter (Book 1)

Chapter 4

Rome was a city out of a glorified romance novel, complete with cobblestone streets, crowds of tourists, flowering bushes and trees lining the roads. Zack and Taylor both brushed the beauty of Rome off as if it were nothing more than another walk to the supermarket, and they whined at me as I took my time gaping at…well…everything!

“Treble, sweetheart, I promised we’d go see it all while we’re here,” Zack laced his fingers through mine, pulling me along, “But for now, we have to get registered and find our rooms and get schedules and everything else that comes along with war.”

“But Zack,” I stuck out my lip in a pout, “I’ve never been anywhere outside of town.”

“How about this,” he brushed my hair back, “If we finish early enough, we will start sightseeing, okay?”

I nodded with a childish grin on my lips, adding a bounce into every step I took. Zack let out a soft laugh, and Taylor rolled his eyes, trying and failing not to smile. “Where are we going?”

“The Colosseum,” Taylor answered, slowing his pace to match ours. “It’s kind of a portal.”

“To where?”

“It’s a secret,” he grinned slyly. “Only angels and demons know.”

“Angels, demons, and everyone being drafted for the war,” Zack rolled his eyes. “And I know plenty of beings that know where the Colosseum leads.”

“Not legally.”

“What is legal?” Zack squeezed my hand. “Certainly not our relationship.”

I stopped short, “What?” Did I mishear him?! Did he say we weren’t legal?!

Zack tugged on my arm, getting me to move again, “Do you honestly think the breeds are allowed to mix?” he ran a finger down my arm. “If anyone finds out about us–anyone official, that is–we’re dead…Did you not know this?”

I shook my head violently. If what Zack was saying was true, that would be the explanation for a lot of very previously confusing events in my life. There were always rumors that Sam heard–that he told me about–dealing with our parents.

“Yeah, you might’ve gotten us in trouble with that Incubus. Your distraction about the hybrids? Not gonna sit well with them,” Zack slid his wing around my shoulders, taking great care not to get the horn anywhere near my head. “But like my parents, I’m great at persuasion. We should be fine.”

“And if we’re not?”

“I should probably kiss you soon, just in case,” he grinned sheepishly.

I barely heard him, still focused partly on the beheadings in our possible future and partly on my parents. Then I was distracted completely by the mass of ancient stone in front of us. This was it. This was the Colosseum. The one place I had always dreamed of visiting when I got really into Roman history.

“Holy shit,” I let out an involuntary laugh. “Am I dreaming?”

“Hard telling,” Taylor shrugged his shoulders. “Prick her.”

“Wait, what?” I looked at Zack, wide-eyed.

“I’m not gonna prick you,” he smiled. I blinked at him, awaiting an explanation on what pricking would be. “My horns,” he wiggled his wings. “You know how vampires need blood to survive so they have fangs?” I gulped and nodded. “Demons have evolved to no longer be dependent on blood, but we still have the horns for self-defense and shit.”

“Do you ever…?” I couldn’t finish my question, pointing at his wing.

“Every once in a while…It’s kind of like chocolate. You don’t need it for survival, but it’s one hell of an indulgence,” he squeezed my hand. “Especially yours.”