The Arena novel Chapter 52

The arenas? The fucking arenas? My money is funding the very institution that I was a prisoner of for over a year? The same institution that I’ve been fighting to eliminate?

Tana’s hand slaps on top of mine. “Cedric.”

I don’t move. “Cedric, look at me.”

I turn and look at her. “We need him, just for a little while. Retract your claws before you kill him.”

“He’s not going anywhere,” Mr. Rime adds. He’s been sitting and watching, not saying anything until now. “I mean, he could try his luck against four shifters that want him dead, but that would only make his torture last longer. Wouldn’t you agree, Alpha?” he asks, looking at me.

I look at the bear shifter. “You said we couldn’t kill him here, so how do you propose we torture information out of him?”

“First,” he points to the walls and windows in the room, “Soundproofed room. I made sure we were scheduled for this room. Second,” he takes a remote from his pocket and hits a button. “Two-way mirrors.”

He sets the remote down and looks at me. “Have you figured out what type of shifter I am yet, Mr. Thierry?”

“Call me Cedric. And I’d guess polar bear.”

Tana’s answering smile tells me I’m right.

“A very good guess, Cedric. And I’m Edur. Now, do you know anything about polar bears?” he asks.

“You like the cold?”

“Oh yes. We love the cold.” He leans over and touches Nolan, freezing the spot where his finger pokes him. Nolan grits his teeth, trying to hold back his scream.

“Demons hate the cold,” Tana says to me and Bastian.

She turns to Nolan. “I would suggest you start answering questions, Mr. Silo. Or your body temperature will begin to drop rapidly.”

His lips tremble from the cold, already starting to turn blue. “What do you want to know?”

“Who is running The Masters?” I ask him. He begins laughing.

“You haven’t guessed? Maybe you don’t deserve to be the Alpha of Alphas.”

Edur must zap him with a more intense cold because his laughter cuts off, and instead, he makes a grunting sound of pain.

“I can’t tell you, he’ll kill me,” he finally spits out.

“You’re dead anyway, Nolan. It can be fast, or it can be slow.” Bastian says, coming to stand behind him. He extends a claw and slides it into his shoulder joint, adding to Nolan’s pain.

Edur pulls his finger away, and Nolan takes a breath, but a moment later, he’s screaming in pain as Tana puts her finger on the spot that was frozen and heats it quickly to the point where blisters start to form.

“We can do this all day, Mr. Silo,” Tana says, pushing her heat into his body. Whatever heat she’s giving him is obviously not the kind of heat that he likes.

He looks up at her. “What are you?”

“Something that can withstand a heat you could never dream of.” She pushes her heat, and he screams again.

“Troy! Troy is leading The Masters, Inc.,” he shouts, and Tana releases him.

Fucking Troy. Of course.

“Did he know?” I ask, already knowing the answer. “Did he know I was in the arena all that time?”

Nolan looks at me. “Who do you think put you there?”

“Where is he?” I demand.

“In the wind,” he says, laughing like a crazy man.

We spend the rest of the afternoon torturing information out of Nolan. By the end of the day, I’m frustrated, and we’re no closer to knowing where Troy is.

“I can find him,” Tana says.

I turn and look at her. “It will take me longer, but I can find him. I’ll follow the money as I did before.”

I nod, turning to Bastian. “Call a transport and get him out of here.”

“Already done, Alpha. They’re waiting downstairs.”

“I’ll show you the back entrance,” Edur says. Nolan isn’t in any kind of shape to walk out the front door. For a weasel, he held on longer than I would have expected.

“Tell the warriors what he’s done and give them carte blanche.” Nolan’s eyes widen as Bastian’s smile becomes feral. Nolan begins to struggle as hard as he can. He didn’t give us what we wanted, and now his suffering will last as long as he does.

When they leave, I stand, scrubbing my hands down my face. I hear Tana get up and go to the sidebar in the room. She pours what smells like whiskey before coming over and handing me a glass. I take it in one shot.

“How did I miss it? How did I not know?”

“No offense, Cedric, but you’re not exactly good at seeing what’s right in front of you.”