Page 162 of Kingdom of Aramis

Again, the crowd parts, and Gianna walks through, looking smug. “I will challenge the queen who usurped a ready-made bond group who was meant for one of us instead of picking from her marked potentials, and when I win, I will take the crown and her mates for myself, and I’ll keep the spare.” She points at Liam’s brother, who blows her a kiss and gives her a wink.

“Eww,” I mutter childishly. “Those two deserve each other.”

“You dare to question my decrees?” The goddess’s voice reverberates around the arena, her gaze laser focused on Gianna. I have to give Gianna credit. She either has big lady balls or is completely batshit crazy, because she just shrugs and nods.

“Yes.”

“So be it, but I’ll have you know Colbie wears the matching mate mark for this bond group. It is as it should be,” the goddess announces. The crowd, which had been looking a little rebellious after Gianna’s statement, settles when the goddess tells them this.

“Well then, clear a space. You will strip and fight until someone either submits or dies.” Bryson moves from the VIParea, taking control of the challenges. “The king challenge will be first.”

Liam steps out of the line and starts stripping off his clothes. I grit my teeth and begin to growl under my breath. I do not like all those thirsty female and male eyes on my mate. I glare at the crowd, and anyone who meets my eyes drops their gaze to the ground, bowing their heads and submitting to my dominance.

“Aww, baby, you know I only have eyes for you.” Liam approaches me, now completely naked, and gives me a quick kiss and a wink. “But hold onto all that aggression, and we can angry fuck later,” he promises before jumping down from the stage and stalking into the fight ring. Liam’s brother does the same thing, then the goddess waves a hand, and ten thrones appear on the stage.

“We may as well take a seat and be comfortable while Liam eviscerates him,” she says, unconcerned, and gestures for me to take one before claiming the seat next to me. The guys join us, but I can’t get comfortable despite the cushioned seat under me. I’m too tense, biting my lip as I wait for the fight to start.

“First to kill wins, unless one concedes,” Bryson tells them, and they give him short nods. Liam’s brother roars and shifts, a huge brown grizzly bear taking the place of his human form. He snarls and starts to run toward Liam, who just fucking stands there.

“What the fuck are you doing? Shift,” I scream, forgetting about being the polite and regal queen with my concern for my mate.

The rest of my mates are shouting words of encouragement too, but none of them look worried. Even my new mates are relaxed. Nox even goes so far as taking out his phone and checking his messages.

The grizzly is quick, and he swipes at Liam, who hasn’t even shifted yet, with a huge paw that has claws that look like daggers.

Liam just dodges to the side and laughs. “Is that all you have? You’ve become fat and slow since I saw you last, Lionel,” he taunts. “That’s what happens when you’re a lazy fucker who treats his pack like slaves.”

The bear roars again and charges once more, his thunderous stride echoing through the colosseum as he barrels toward my polar bear. Again, Liam dodges to the side, swift and light of foot, his muscles rippling with the movement. I hear a sigh of admiration and find Gianna staring at a certain part of him with longing. I jump to my feet, clenching my fists.

“Shift and finish this,” I command my mate, completely done with this shit. He’s definitely going to get an angry fuck later. How dare he flaunt what is mine in front of all these women? Especially that fucking bitch.

He chuckles and winks at me, feeling exactly how pissed I am at him, but my glare turns into a look of surprise when, unlike his usual shift, which has his body contorting, he is enveloped in a cloud of purple magic, and when it clears, we see his polar bear.

“Holy fuck,” Gem mutters as we take in Liam’s shifted form. I guess the magic must have enhanced my mates as well as me. His polar bear is almost double the size it was before. He rears up, pawing at the air while roaring loudly. The crowd shrieks and moves farther back as Lionel charges once more, undaunted by the monster polar bear in front of him.

“Fuck, Lionel’s animal is in the driver’s seat. No rational thought, just pure instinct. He’s going to die,” Gryffin, who is on the throne on my other side, mutters.

Lionel rears up onto two feet and lunges at Liam with his front paws extended. I scream when Liam doesn’t move, just swipes at him with one of his massive paws and sends the bear flying backward, blood splattering the crowd as he lands heavilyon the sandy ground. A puff of dust forms around him before it settles back down.

When it clears, Lionel is still, a pool of blood staining the sand ruby red as he bleeds out from the massive claw mark across his chest. I can see muscle and sinew in the gaping wound. His chest shudders as he takes a final breath before it stills, his sightless eyes staring up at the sky.

Liam killed his brother!

He lets out a bone-shuddering roar and rears up, pawing at the air in a frightening display of dominance. Shifters all around the cleared area drop to their knees in submission. I search the crowd, looking for Liam’s father, and when I find him, I don’t like what I see. Instead of the expected grief, his father looks furious, and there’s a calculating gleam in his eye. He melts into the crowd without a backward glance for his fallen progeny.

“King Liam is the undisputed winner,” Bryson declares loudly, and the crowd shouts and stomps their feet in approval. There’s a flash of purple light, and Liam shifts back to his human form. Brodie jumps up and runs over to him, slapping him on the back and wrapping his discarded cloak around his shoulders. I send him a wave of gratitude through our bond for covering Liam, and he gives me a playful wink. They move back and take seats on their respective thrones.

“Queen Colbie?” Bryson gestures for me to stand.

The goddess gives me a nod of reassurance. “Kill her. You don’t need to be constantly looking over your shoulder,” she recommends, and I grimace. That’s not the kind of advice I was hoping for, but what more can I expect from a primal deity?

I step forward, and Gem moves with me, assisting me by drawing the zipper down on my dress.

“You’ve got this. Just shift immediately. You’re faster and way more powerful. You should get her to submit instantly,” he coaches, but I’m laser focused on Gianna and don’t respond tohim. My creatures are baying for blood. I don’t want to kill her, but I will if I have to.

My dress pools at my feet, and I feel my cheeks heat with embarrassment. I’m left standing in my panties, as there was no need for a bra in this dress. All eyes are on me as I peel my underwear down my legs. I hear murmurs of admiration, and there is a spike of lust from our bond. My mates’ gazes are on me, and this seems to infuriate Gianna. She makes a show of stripping, throwing her dress off to the side with a flourish before doing the same with both pieces of underwear.

“Same rules apply. There is no conclusion until someone submits or dies,” Bryson warns us. We both nod our acknowledgements, and Gianna doesn’t even wait for him to say anything else before she shifts. The crowd shouts in encouragement, and I see money exchange hands, but there are many more looks of disappointment at Gianna’s behavior, and this gives me confidence. Gianna finishes her shift, and she stands there, a small red fox, snarling at me. I can’t stop the snort of laughter that leaves my mouth.