Winning the Legend (2 page)

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” Serge
replied, considering the offer. “The lower caves are unsafe.”

Thomas’ hope faded at their new option. The
ground beneath the wurdulac tunnels was riddled with caves, but
they were considered dangerous because even though the night humans
had immense strength and skills, caves could be a trap for someone
who didn’t know where they were going.

“I know my way through them,” Maxim
continued. “I’ve been exploring them since I was ten.”

Thomas typed more while Molina looked on.
The grounds were littered with night humans waiting for Arianna to
leave. Each person that was tracking her had brought additional men
to keep a watch out. Their jumpy figures showed their anxiety as
the day was drawing closer.

“Where does your path end up?” Thomas asked
Maxim.

“Move over there,” Maxim pointed to the left
of the screen. “I can get through the caves and up at several
points, but this would be the closest to your location.”

Thomas zoomed in and smiled. Arianna could
walk right under the men waiting outside, and they wouldn’t know
the difference. Not a single man was as far out as Maxim could go.
In fact, she would be close enough to the tournament estate that it
wouldn’t take more than an hour of running to get there. Thomas
looked back to the third tunnel. It wouldn’t be long before someone
found it. The night humans dotted the countryside, relentless in
their quest to find her. Thomas nodded to Maxim.

“How long will it take to get through?” he
asked.

“About three hours,” Maxim replied.

“And Andrew will fit through?” Thomas
questioned, knowing that Andrew would be in full-protection mode
from the moment they left the house, and Andrew was quite a bit
bigger than either Arianna or Maxim.

Maxim nodded regretfully. He would rather
leave the baku behind, but that was for personal reasons and not
safety. With Andrew around, Arianna hadn’t even looked once in
Maxim’s direction. Maxim wanted to catch her eye, but Andrew was
all consuming. Maxim observed, as everyone else had, that Andrew
was Arianna’s mate, but it didn’t mean he liked it or wanted to
accept it. Serge placed his hand on Maxim’s shoulder and squeezed
lightly. He knew his son was fascinated with Arianna.

“And from there will you need us to get you
to the estate?” Serge asked.

“No,” Andrew replied, now looking at the
screen as well. “We’ll be better off with just the two of us.
Arianna and I can travel during the daylight hours and not be
restricted like the other races.”

“Then we will plan for this to happen
tomorrow at eight in the morning. That way, you can exit the caves
at eleven, burning hours.” Thomas looked over to confirm with
Molina. She nodded. No one liked not being able to travel with
Arianna, but they all knew that she was safest with Andrew. Arianna
nodded to the people around her. She was their hope to change the
night human world and that would have to start with this
tournament.

After the travel details had been decided,
everyone left Arianna with Thomas to wrap up the tournament
specifics. He had already spent weeks drilling in the routine, and
it was second nature to Arianna by now, but Thomas was relentless
in going over everything to make sure every detail was correct. By
the time Arianna couldn’t hold back any more yawns, Thomas was
thankfully satisfied. After first a physical workout, and then a
mental one, Arianna was more than ready for bed.

“I got it,” Arianna finally said, her voice
subdued. “I’ll just greet them with the prepared speech and then
wait for you to arrive.” Arianna yawned again.

“Maybe we should do it one more time,”
Thomas suggested, not watching her yawn but concentrating on the
task at hand. It was his job to make sure she was prepared. He
couldn’t do much in a fight, or defend her like Andrew might, but
he could make sure every possible outcome was analyzed and that a
course of action was plotted.

“No,” Arianna complained. “I got it. Really
I do. Welcome to my tournament, yada yada, where you boorish pigs
can all fight over me like I’m the last bit of food you will ever
see, yada, yada. I got it.” Thomas smiled and nodded. He couldn’t
help but hold her to the same standard to which he held
himself.

“Fine,” Thomas replied, standing with her.
“Go to bed, get some sleep, and tomorrow this all starts.”

Arianna nodded before giving him a quick
hug. She missed both Devin, her protector since she had started her
life as a night human, and Turner, the best friend that she made
along the way. Since they had both entered the tournament, Arianna
couldn’t see them until they started the competition. They were the
only constant in the night-human world into which she was dropped
over a year ago. Right now, she missed them both greatly. It was
nice to at least have Thomas around, no matter how stuffy and
grown-up he was at times.

“We will be fine,” she said, trying to
reassure them both at the same time. “How can we not? I am a
legend, remember.” Arianna winked at him as she opened the door.
“Legends always win.”

Thomas only nodded, though he didn’t agree.
Some were legends because they’d died young. He didn’t want her to
be that kind. He sensed, deep down, that she was meant to be the
kind that changed the world. He hoped he was right. He smiled and
waved her away. Nothing could damper her spirits, no matter how
unsure she was. Thomas needed her positive energy right now to get
through the next day. Plan as he might, Thomas needed to be ready
to change anything at a moment’s notice.

Arianna silently approached her bedroom
door. She felt Andrew inside it. Without visually seeing anything
she already knew he was lying across the bed, reading. Her senses
were almost fully developed, and Andrew was the easiest to feel.
She’d grown even closer to him in the past month, and could sense
everything about him as if they were her own feelings. Even without
seeing him, she pictured every movement as he turned a page.
Slowly, she crept through the open door and paused just within the
shadow of the doorway. He was a sight to see, lying stretched on
his back, propped up on her pillows. He was, of course, as he spent
most of his time—shirtless. It was easier to run around shirtless
than to be continuously ripping off shirts when he changed into his
night human form, not that Arianna minded much. Arianna admired his
sculpted form as he relaxed. Day humans would be jealous of his
six-pack abs and lean arm and shoulder muscles. He wasn’t
bodybuilder bulky, but not skinny either. He was well-formed from
years of training. Andrew tucked an arm behind his head while still
holding the book with one hand. His perfect pose now showed off not
only his abs, but his muscular arms as well. Arianna held in the
sigh that wanted to escape from her lips.

While all the men in her life were beyond
attractive, all-American Devin, rebel Turner, and even studious
Thomas, something about Andrew made him stand out from the others.
Arianna wanted to believe it was more than her night-human essence
calling for its mate in his essence. It felt deeper than a primal
need for each other. Andrew always made her feel safe and cared
for. Even at this distance, where they were far enough apart to not
feel each other essences, Arianna couldn’t help but to just stand
and stare at him. Andrew was all she ever wanted, and if they lost
the tournament that might not matter. This tournament changed
everything. She agreed to the tournament—a glorified fight for her
hand in marriage—only to save her people from war. As she watched
Andrew read, she was filled with regret. She could never feel about
someone else the way she felt for him. She loved him with every
fiber of her being. Arianna hoped Thomas’ plan would work, but if
it didn’t, she would be losing the only thing in the world that
mattered more to her than her own life: Andrew.

In a blink, Andrew was across the room
wiping the tear that had slipped down her face. His thumb gently
rubbed her cheek, keeping a few more at bay. While his touch was
always tantalizing, she couldn’t enjoy it. Tomorrow was the day her
life as she knew it for the past year was truly ending. Even
through all the changes, she was finally getting used to her new
night human life. Now it would no longer be that way; she would
have to stand before thirteen hungry men waiting to devour her. Not
a single one knew her for whom she was or loved her in the way that
Andrew did. They all wanted the prize of her bloodline. Arianna had
kept up a strong front for the full four weeks they had been
training, but now it was all becoming more real. She was sure she
was going to lose Andrew.

“Hey,” Andrew said in barely a whisper. “You
promised, no more tears.”

Arianna sniffled. Yes, she had promised
right after they arrived, but she didn’t really mean it. When she
knew she was alone in the house, she would let herself cry, just
not in front of Andrew.

“Until you turned on the waterworks, I
didn’t even know you were here,” Andrew said, trying to cheer her
up as he lifted her in his arms to carry her back to the bed.

“Really?” she asked. All her worry flowed
away. She couldn’t continue her train of thought about losing him
when he held her. Right now he was hers, and felt so much more real
than what was waiting.

“Really,” Andrew assured her. He had done
his best to train her in stealth. If he didn’t have the connection
they had, he really would have lost her. She was almost as good at
it as her great uncle Gabriel, the head of the baku night human
family and the best at stealth for generations.

Tears still burned in her eyes as Arianna
leaned against his bare chest. His heart beat beneath her. The
swish of his blood perked her night human appetite, but she kept
her craving to herself. Any feeding on Andrew would weaken him, and
she needed him at full strength for tomorrow. He was her last
chance at freedom if Devin and Turner could not win the
tournament.

“Love,” he murmured as she caressed his
neck, “you need to feed now.” He moved her up so that she was in
perfect position to feed on him.

Waves of anticipation rolled through him as
he thought she would feed.

“Not now,” she said, scooting back down into
his arms. “I fed earlier today.” It was a lie, but one that was
getting easier to tell him.

Andrew nodded and allowed her to cuddle into
his arms. He, too, felt the change coming and was anticipating the
fight to keep her safe. They would protect her. They had to. She
was the one born to change the night human world.

Chapter 2

Arianna and Andrew had been following Maxim
for over two hours as they twisted and turned through the endless
tunnels. Arianna hoped Maxim was right about where they were,
because by now she was completely lost. Andrew seemed lost in his
thoughts, more than likely mapping their route in case he needed to
get them back to the estate. Andrew always seemed to be more on
protection mode when around Maxim, as if he sensed the young man’s
longing for Arianna.

“This one might be a little tight for the
pale giant,” Maxim called ahead of Arianna. Like all night humans,
Maxim thought that his own night human form was the most
magnificent. Arianna couldn’t deny that he was a sight to see. His
refined features set off his dark eyes and even darker hair. He
wasn’t grossly exaggerated in any sense and seemed like he could be
an underwear model with his perfect body.

Andrew grunted behind her, acknowledging his
thoughts of Maxim’s insult of him. Arianna was between the two men,
and it had been a long walk of insult trading. Neither seemed to
like the other. Arianna reached back mentally to Andrew.

‘Just let him talk,’
Arianna said.
‘We need
him to get out of here.’

‘And then I can smash his
head in?’
Andrew asked.

‘No.’
Arianna reached forward and took the hand Maxim offered to
help her over loose stones.

Even in her night human form, which gave her
several inches, Arianna was still short. Halfway over the stones,
she was lifted into the air from behind, breaking her contact with
Maxim. Andrew ducked to get through the tunnel as he set Arianna
down in front of himself, regretfully putting her closer to Maxim
again. Maxim smirked back at Andrew and offered his hand again.

‘If he finds any more
reasons to touch you, I might have to remove a few
appendages,’
Andrew threatened.

Arianna declined Maxim’s extended hand. He
looked disappointed. Arianna smiled encouragingly, trying to hurry
him along to their destination. She felt his interest just as much
as Andrew, but was better at ignoring it.

‘His appendages stay
on.’
Arianna used her authority voice, and
Andrew sulked. As his leader, he had to obey her orders and this
wasn’t one he was happy to follow.

‘The night human brat needs
a lesson in manners,’
Andrew
replied.

“Watch your head here.” Maxim ushered
Arianna forward, putting her in the lead and now he could follow
and watch her.

Arianna moved forward until there was space
to pass and motioned for Maxim to keep leading. Maxim brushed past
her, making contact on his way. Andrew growled a response before
Arianna pulled his hand to her waist. Andrew calmed down as she
turned to keep walking, but kept closer to him than Maxim.

“How much further?” Andrew asked, getting
sick of all the times Maxim had tried to hit on Arianna since they
entered the caves.

Maxim didn’t answer but kept leading them
along.

‘I think I’ll start with an
arm,’
Andrew grumbled to
Arianna.

‘You’ll start with
nothing,’
Arianna
replied
. ‘If you’re going to act this way
the whole time, then maybe I’ll have to leave you back here with
him. I can’t have you ripping off arms of the leaders of the
thirteen clans.’
It was a disaster in the
making, bringing Andrew along. Time alone had only strengthened
their bond and made the whole process of the competition harder for
both of them.