The next evening we gather outside among the gardens, where a small arena has been hastily erected for the final challenge.

It isn’t much but a bunch of bleachers arranged around a raised platform, but vampires do nothing without style. The whole thing is decked out in so many flowers and silk swags and velvet cushions that you can barely see the seats. It looks like a hookah lounge on the side of a step pyramid. Or a particularly challenging Mario level. Or perhaps moving day at a Transylvanian castle. It looks like—

“Sasha, you ready for this?” 

I blink, glancing away from the stands as Claudette hurries up to where I’m standing near the edge of the platform. She's carrying only one drink this morning, which is probably a good sign. 

“What are you doing?” She asks, squinting in the direction I’d been looking.  

“Making up bad similes,” I confess. “To distract myself from the fact that I’m about to get into a death match with two vampires.” 

“Oh you’ll be fine,” Claudette waves a hand dismissively. “Neither of them wants you dead.” 

I sigh, knowing there’s no point in trying to explain to Claudette that I’m not really worried for myself. 

“Nice outfit,” She mocks glancing at my ceremonial gear. I don’t want to be dressed in a head to toe animal skin bikini and miniskirt, but apparently, the outfits are a part of the rules.

Hello, my name is Xena, warrior princess.

“Anyway, I’ve got something for you,” She reaches into the pocket of her dress. “Something to help you take out both of them.” 

Her hand reveals a small glass vial stoppered with gold wax. Blood sticks darkly to the sides, thick like the skin on a pudding. When she swirls the vial before me, I don’t see, as much as sense, the glow of magic moving within it.  

“Witch blood?” I guess.  

“One sip of this and you’ll be more than equal to Arsen or Niko,” Claudette whispers eagerly.

“No, Claudette,” I hiss, hiding the vial with my hand and peeking around to make sure no one saw. “I told you I’m not cheating!” I’m whisper yelling back at her and if anyone’s watching, we probably look ridiculous.

“Then you’d better have a damn good plan,” Claudette says, frowning. “You need to win this. And Arsen has already—" 

She’s cut off as the crowd assembling in the bleachers cheers Arsen’s arrival. He’s dressed in dark brown leather pants that slouch on his hips, black shitkicker boots and no shirt. He swoops in from behind us, grabs me by the waist and spins me around, planting a kiss on my lips as he sets me back on the ground. He’s acting like the fucking prom king.

"Good morning, beautiful," he says, grinning from ear to ear. His smile falls flat as he notices Claudette, to whom he directs a barely civil nod. "Claudette." 

"Arsen," she replies, her chilly politeness tinged with sarcasm. Those two could communicate a lot with nothing but a glare and a name. She turns her attention back to me, dismissing Arsen entirely. "I'm going to go find my seat. Good luck, Sasha. Get in a few good nut shots for me." 

She spins around, casually dumping out her drink on Arsen's shoe as she does. "Whenever you're ready to come crawling back to me," she says as he shifts back to try and avoid the splash, "remember I prefer the crawling to be literal and the teary apologies to be accompanied by cash gifts." 

We watch her swan away and I shake my head. 

"She sure is something," I say. 

Arsen grunts like he'd like to say something impolite but instead hugs me close again. 

"You ready for our death match?" He asks with a crooked grin. 

"Promise not to go easy on me?" I ask in return.

He laughs, squeezing me. "Not a chance." 

We hear tepid cheering and a few boos and look up to see Niko heading towards the platform from the opposite side of the arena.  He’s wearing a similar outfit to Arsen, which is basically nothing. It’s all black leather pants and bare chests. I’m just waiting for someone to show up with baby oil.

"Guess it's time to get started," Arsen says, taking a deep breath. I squeeze his hand, frowning as I notice it's unusually warm. Does he have a fever? Maybe it's just the excitement.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” He smiles down at me. He does seem fine, climbing up onto the platform and offering me a hand up. 

The officiating Elder joins us as we meet Niko in the center of the arena. 

"Welcome, all," the Elder calls. "To this celebration of one of our most ancient traditions. Though it has changed and evolved with the times, it has endured in the same spirit. We too, must adapt and grow as time passes, but hold on to the same culture, the same soul, in which our clan first came together. That of a family, building shelter against the cold. As in all families, there is strife, but also love. Today three of our kind emblemize that as they reenact that oldest of conflicts, The Provokar Challenge. Two men, like the beasts we all once were, struggle for the right to lay claim to their desired mate. And, for the first time, in this season of change and growth, a new perspective is added to this classic tale. That of the woman herself, fighting for the right to make her own decision. There are those among us who bemoan this change in tradition, this rewriting of such an old tale. Others, like myself, think it is a long overdue update. Whatever the results of this contest, I am certain it will leave a lasting impact on our clan, which I, for one, think will be for the better." 

He turns to the three of us, smiling at each of us in turn. 

"This will be a three-way duel, to submission, unconsciousness, or death. Submission can be declared verbally or by raising both arms in a gesture of surrender. Leaving the ring, either voluntarily or because an opponent has expelled you, will also be considered submission. An opponent may be killed in battle but, if an opponent falls unconscious or submits, no further harm to him is allowed on penalty of disqualification. Allowed weapons are teeth, claws, and any natural magical abilities. Illegal weapons will result in disqualification. Are you all ready to begin?" 

Once he's receives a nod from each of us he steps off the platform and moves a safe distance away, readying a pistol to start the race. 

Niko and Arsen glare at each other, the air between them electric. There is cool, calculated murder in Niko's eyes. Arsen looks confident, almost relaxed, like he isn't worried in the least. I’d expect him to be at least a little concerned, going into a fight for his life. But he seems like he doesn’t even think it’s a serious threat. I’m not sure what to make of that. It only makes me more worried.

My eyes flick to the Elder as he raises the starting pistol. I tense, anticipating, as his finger tightens on the trigger.

The shot rings out, and before its echoes have even dissipated Niko collides with Arsen with a sound like thunder. All I can do is get out of the way as they tear at each other like rabid animals. I see blood but it’s happening too fast for me to tell who it’s coming from. I have to get them apart, fast. I’d been planning to try and aim for a ring out. Now seems like a good time. I hunch my shoulders and run at them like a linebacker, slamming into both of them, shoving them towards the edge of the platform with all the momentum my new vampiric strength can muster.

They stumble towards the edge and for a minute as Niko’s heels scramble to grip the platform I think they’ll really go over. But Niko shoves Arsen away to regain his balance and Arsen, stumbling back, just laughs.

“Nice try, gorgeous,” he says, winking at me. There was something savage in his stare and the glint of his teeth as he looked at me. “Don’t fucking try it again.”

But then his attention returns to Niko, who’s lunging at him with renewed ferocity.

For the next several moments, things are chaos. The two vampires are totally focused on one another. I’m doing my best to stay between them, keeping them separated, but I can’t do much else. And Arsen is getting more aggressive by the minute.

At first it was Niko on the attack, but every second Arsen pushes him further back, tearing at him with claws that never seem to stop lashing out, trying to drag him close enough to bite. Niko already has several heavy bleeding bite wounds on his arms and shoulders, and I think I can see a touch of fear behind the anger in his eyes. Still, he won’t let up. He’s as determined to kill Arsen as Arsen is to kill him.

I’ve never been in a real fight before. But something about this, even in the panic of trying to keep these two from killing each other, it feels natural. I’m moving faster than I’ve ever moved in my life, and there’s a strength in my every movement that I’ve never felt before. I know becoming a vampire made me faster and stronger, but I haven’t really tested the limits of that so far. It feels incredible. Super human.

The excitement of it is almost enough to make me forget the life or death situation I’m in. Almost, until in one of my wild flails to keep Arsen’s claws away from Niko’s throat, I hit Arsen in the eye.

For a moment, he looks at me like he doesn’t even know who I am, like I’m just an enemy in the way. His arm hits me like a steel bar and sends me flying. I hit the ground and slide, nearly right out of the ring. My whole chest is one painful bruise and it takes a minute before I can even make myself breathe again.

When I can roll over and look towards the other two again, I can barely recognize Arsen. Niko is one hundred percent on the defensive by this point, and Arsen looks like a wild animal, a lion or a bear, or a fucking sasquatch, pushed past the point of all rationality or self-preservation.

Niko hasn’t given up and has taken every opportunity to score wounds that should have been debilitating, but Arsen barely seems to notice them, and it’s all Niko can do to keep Arsen’s teeth away from his throat.

And all I can do is stand here. After all I’ve been through to get to this point, with all this power I don’t know how to use, all I can do is watch them tear each other apart. They barely even notice I’m here. I might as well not be here.

Fuck that. I’m going to make them notice I’m here.

I move forward with purpose, pull back my fist, and punch Arsen hard in the nose. He reels for a moment and I feel a flash of pride that I was strong enough to do that. I half expect Niko to come at me while my back is turned, but he’s more badly injured than I thought. As soon as Arsen is off of him he drops to one knee, looking like he’s close to passing out. I don’t have time to worry about him however. I have succeeded in getting Arsen’s attention. 

He roars. There’s nothing human left in his eyes.  

He throws himself at me like something wild. It’s all I can do to avoid the ferocious swipes of his clawed hands. I get in a few good hits of my own, aiming for soft spots, for anywhere vulnerable enough to do real damage, but it’s not even slowing him down. And as his claws whistle past my cheek I realize he genuinely intends to kill me. He’s too far gone in whatever this rage is to stop.  

I narrowly dodge another strike, not noticing his other fist coming toward me. I flinch, anticipating the pain, but it never comes. Instead, I feel a spray of blood against my cheek. 

Niko has put himself between me and Arsen, catching the blow on his already wounded shoulder. He glares down at me, his eyes full of anger and pain, snarling through gritted teeth. 

"Fight!" He demands. "You're useless to me dead!" 

He turns, slamming his fist into Arsen's jaw, then dodges, trying to get out of range, but too slow. Arsen catches him by the ankle, yanking his legs out from under him and dragging him backwards. I jump in, sinking my teeth into Arsen's arm deep enough to taste blood. He shakes me off almost immediately, sending me skidding backwards, but I give Niko enough time to scramble free. 

"Drive him towards the edge!" I shout to Niko. I don't know how I'll deal with Niko, but right now getting Arsen out of this fight is a matter of life and death.  

I don’t know if it’s the fact that he’s my sire or that we’re both Baetal, but Niko, for all his faults, knows how to work in a team. He gets the idea immediately, and as Arsen comes after me he darts in to land a blow of his own. We trade off, each getting in small strikes and keeping Arsen distracted, preventing him from tearing into either of us. Together, we lure him closer to the edge of the platform, trying to goad him into rushing off.

But however savage he's gone, it hasn't made him stupid.  

I catch Niko's eye and I can tell he's thinking the same thing I am. Arsen's not going to go over unless one of us pushes him over. He gives me a nod and dives for Arsen's flank, shouting and making broad gestures. He's taking the more dangerous job of keeping Arsen occupied while I look for my opening- there! I go in low, hoping to use his size against him as I hit him in the knees, toppling him over the edge of the platform. 

Or almost, anyway. 

He falls forward, catches the edge of the platform. Frantic, I try to push him again, and he reaches back, grabs me by my shirt, and flings me over him. I have only a second to realize what happened before I hit the grass. 

In the second it takes me to get my breath back, I hear Niko cry out, the first genuine pain sound he's made since the fight began. Fear lances through me. I stumble to my feet, holding my aching chest, to see Arsen pick Niko up and throw him bodily across the ring—but not out of it.

Niko hits the platform, skids a few inches, and doesn't get up. He's out. But Arsen is still coming for him. Arsen is too far gone to care that Niko is unconscious, or close to it.

Christ, he's going to kill him. 

I'm leaping back into the ring before I know what's happening. I cross the distance between us, moving faster than I ever have, to throw myself across Niko's prone body, my arms up to ward Arsen off.  

"Arsen, stop!" 

I shout his name as he rushes towards us, teeth bared, and for just a moment he hesitates, a glimmer of the man I know returning to his eyes. 

In that moment of hesitation, six other vamps swarm him, holding him back, dragging him away from us. The Elder hurries to the center of the ring. 

"Contestant Sasha, defeated by ring out!" He calls. "Contestant Nikolai, defeated by knock out! Contestant Arsen is victorious!" 

The crowd cheers, but the vampires who pulled Arsen away are still struggling to get him to calm down. The Elder helps me to my feet as two Baetal vamps with medical badges come to check on Niko. The Elder keeps looking back towards Arsen, who's shaking his head and shoving away the people trying to calm him, but he at least he's not attacking anyone anymore. 

"I've never seen fighting that vicious outside of open war," the Elder says, clearly a little stunned. "Nor a Provokar Challenge that one sided! I can't fathom why Nikolai would challenge him at all if he was capable of that." 

"I don't think he knew," I confide, a little stunned myself. "I didn't know. It was like he went crazy. He didn't even recognize me." 

The Elder frowns, looking thoughtful, then dismisses it. 

"You run along to the medical tent," he says, pushing me gently towards a white silk tent which Niko is currently being carried into. "Get patched up before the celebration tonight." 

"I will," I assure him, pulling away. "I need to talk to Arsen first." 

The Elder looks unsure, but I leave him behind, heading after Arsen, who's stomping away from the platform now towards the quiet and shade of the trees beyond the arena. 

"Arsen?" I call out cautiously as I approach, worried he might still be dangerous. But he looks up and smiles sheepishly when he sees me. He seems tired and on edge, but not wild anymore. 

"Hey babe," he says fondly. "You alright? I didn't hurt you, did I?" 

"Not badly," I reassure him, moving closer. "I did make you promise not to go easy on me." 

"Still," he looks a little ashamed. "I also promised never to hurt you." 

"I'm more worried about you," I say, reaching out for him. He backs up to avoid my touch, clearly still feeling guilty. "You were... crazy out there. Like a totally different person." 

"I'm fine," he assures me, laughing. "Just got a little too into it. I told you winning this means a lot to me." 

"You're not fine," I tell him flatly. "You're bleeding all over the place." 

"Oh, right, well, yeah aside from that," he says, looking down at his various injuries. "I'll be fine. Takes more than that to kill a vampire." 

"As you just about demonstrated on Nikolai back there," I joke, reaching for him again. He lets me this time, and I stroke his cheek, relieved to see him back more or less to normal. His skin still feels too warm, but the madness is gone from his eyes. 

"Wouldn't have been a huge loss," he says, smiling and putting his hand over mine. "What matters is that I won. We won." 

I purse my lips, wishing I was more certain about this victory.  

"I'd still feel better if I'd chosen it myself," I whisper. He squeezes my hand, then pulls me close into a warm embrace. 

"You did choose it," he says. "You chose me. You're choosing right now. I know you. If you really didn't want this you would never let it happen. But you're here, with me. It's normal to have doubts. But that's all they are. This is right. Just let it happen." 

I hug him, wishing it was that easy to let go of my fears. I want to believe this is the right decision, but something still feels wrong... Speaking of which. 

I frown as I feel something in the pocket of Arsen's leather pants. I would dismiss it, but we just came from the arena. What would he keep in his pocket during all that, especially considering weapons weren't allowed? 

I pull it out without really thinking. My eyes widen as I recognize the glass vial, its inside still smeared with blood. It's exactly the same kind Claudette offered me. 

"Witch blood?" I say, shocked. Arsen stiffens, pulling away from me to see the vial in my hand. He turns pale. "Is that why you went crazy? You were cheating?!" 

"Sasha," Arsen says quickly, hushing me. "I had to, I couldn't risk losing. This was too important." 

"Too important?" I say, outraged. "You could have been disqualified! The whole challenge could have been voided and I would have ended up with Niko by default! In what universe is that worth risking?”

“I did what needed to be done, Sasha,” Arsen says, jaw set, making it clear he won’t back down on this. “I always do what needs to be done.”

“I-” I start to say more, not sure how I feel but knowing this isn’t right, but I’m interrupted by someone coming through the trees behind us.

“There you are!” says a vampire I don’t recognize. He’s wearing a medical badge however so his intentions are clear. “Jesus, what are you guys doing back here? You couldn’t wait till the party to make out? “He laughs, then ushers us both towards the medical tent. “Let’s get you both bandaged up. Everyone’s waiting for you to start the party!”