Chapter 9 · Pit-Fight Reunion

"Get up, you little rust-rat!"

A heavy boot slammed into my ribs, sending me skidding across the grit and oil of the pit floor. I coughed, tasting copper and old grease. Above me, the crowd was a roar of jagged noise, thousands of voices screaming for blood in a basement that smelled like a slaughterhouse for machines.

I rolled onto my back, blinking through the sweat. Standing over me was a guy twice my size, wearing brass-plated knuckles that looked like they’d been designed to crack skulls. He wasn't even breathing hard.

"Is this the best Cinderport’s got?" he sneered, spitting a glob of phlegm right next to my ear. "I was promised a fight, not a cleanup job."

"I'm just... getting warmed up," I wheezed.

Beside the pit, leaned against the rusted railing, Elise Vane looked like she wanted to kill me herself. Her arms were crossed, her silver huntress armor gleaming under the flickering mag-lights. She didn't look worried. She looked disgusted.

"Jax, if you die in the next three minutes, I'm not carrying your body back," she yelled over the noise. Her voice was sharp, cutting through the chaos. "Just stay down and take the loss.