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Mae dodged his lunge, but he still caught part of her leg and knocked her down Her back brushed briefly against the barbed-wire ring as she fell, and Justin winced when he saw the bloody tears in her shirt Falling to the floor, she and Eugene rolled around ato pin the other Justin flinched again as one of Eugene’s knives sliced at her shoulder The crowd roared with delight, even though he couldn’t actually e to keep Mae down
If the injuries fazed her at all, she didn’t show it, and in an eye-blink, she juene tried to follow suit, but she was faster, and she ca proportions She executed it gracefully, packing a force that no one her size should have been able to deliver, not even a prætorian Eugene staggered to his knees, and then she was on hi her knife so swiped across the cheek Justin could see that she’d originally been targeting thenear Justin, drew in his breath as Eugene quickly wiped at the large, bloody gash on his face, inadvertently s more dark blood across his skin He sweated and breathed heavily now, clearly in the throes of physical exertion Mae showed less distress, but it was obvious fro rapped up in this fight That glittering dark aura continued to intensify, and as it did, he saw the change in her Her expression grew harder, her er
They paced around the ring again, with Mae now feinting, drawing him out so that he would lock up into defensive rehile hers stayed the salaoddess left, said Magnus She recognizes a losing match, and she isn’t that well established yet
Who? de to their policy of caution with gods’ naain atte a full-body assault Mae met hi da deeply through both skin and fabric Justin heard the other man cry out, and with another swift kick, she knocked the knife fro behind him, too far out of reach for hi hi, he switched his reht hand, just as Mae came at him in full force Maybe no one else could see that dark fire, but judging by some of the faces around Justin, it was obvious that the pohich she ene to the ground and this tiene’s face as he looked up into Mae’s Her expression was terrifying, filled with bloodlust and exultation It was Mae’s face and yet not Mae’s face
In a ene in this moment of triumph She would have looked up at Raoul, blade poised above his son, andto stoop to their level, how killing wasn’t the way Justin knew that ending wasn’t going to happen today She was going to kill Eugene She wanted to Justin could see the desire in her eyes She wrested Eugene’s other knife away froht her own knife down to his throat, apparently in preparation to slit it She froze at the last possible h the croarehouse
The crowd’s screa faltered, and all turned to the sound of the noise Mae reene attempted to use the opportunity to ’s floor and pinned her blade to the exposed vein on his throat He didn’t ain, and she peered around, a snarl on her face, as she sought out the interruption
Following everyone else’s gaze, Justin looked toward an aisle between the bleachers that led froht to where Justin stood with Raoul Menari The noise had apparently coripped by a bland-faced plebeianwith fury, took two steps forward down the aisle
"What is the --"
A woman suddenly stepped out beside the man Raoul paled as he saw her, and several others in the crowd gasped Justin, meanwhile, wasn’t sure if he should welcome or fear this new development She was older than Justin--early forties, if he reed beauty that struck hiranduished her plebeian features, and she wore her dark hair in a chin-length, asymmetrical cut She strode forward, as others parted, and finally ca her hands on her narrow hips
"It really is you," she said in a low, throaty voice "I thought it was a joke"
"Hello, Callista" He did his best to put on his game face and act like he wasn’t in a bloody makeshift arena "I wish this was a joke, believe , languid once-over "Untie him before Internal Security finds out you idiots abducted one of their employees," she snapped Raoul pushed forward
"No! We deeance for Nadia!"
Callista fixed him with a hard look "Raoul, I’m very sorry for your loss, but what happened to Nadia was Amarantha’s will Rest assured, there’s a purpose for her absence Surely you aren’t questioning the goddess?"
Amarantha Justin hadn’t heard that na of other goddesses, though her followers had been scanty last he knew
Raoul acquiesced to Callista after a few o help Eugene out of the ring Everyone seeotten about him and Mae in the wake of Callista’s entrance, and Justin was surprised to see the tere in exactly the saainst his throat Mae stayed where she was until one of the guys tried to pull her away In one fluidhis body into the barbed-wire periuy wailed, but no one really noticed because in the space of a heartbeat, Mae had punched the other guy and followed through with a rib-cracking kick Justin heard the click of guns and Raoul shouting for reinforcements