Jude’s POVThe horn split the air, jagged as a blade.The break was over.I stepped back into the arena, my boots dragging trenches in the blood-soaked sand. The roar of the crowd slammed into me like a wave. A thousand eyes tracked me, hungry, expectant. Some jeered, some screamed my name, but most were waiting to see me fall.The poison still burned in my veins, a fire crawling under my skin. My sword felt heavier than lead, but I lifted it all the same. Because if I walked back into the pit unarmed, it wasn’t just my life Calix would spit on—it was my will.Dante came for me first. Of course he did.He was a beast of a man, broad shoulders glistening with sweat and blood, his axe already raised. He didn’t hesitate, didn’t circle—he charged, a mountain of fury.“Die slow, boy!” he roared, his voice cracking the air.The axe fell, splitting the earth where I’d been standing a heartbeat before. I rolled, sand grinding into my open wound, my lungs burning. The impact sent shards of bon
Last Updated : 2025-08-23 Read more