The guards didn’t leave once Merrow regained his feet. Instead, they widened the circle. They flattened themselves against the walls of the arena as the gate creaked itself closed.
Kade noticed immediately, realizing they wouldn’t be left alone for this fight. They stepped away enough to give the illusion of space while still being close enough to step into the fight if needed. It wasn’t an arena anymore. Merrow had built a cage around them and disguised it accepting the challenge.
He didn’t look at the guards again. They didn’t matter.
Merrow stood opposite of Kade, brushing sand from his shoulder as if he’d simply stumbled on his feet instead of sent to his ass in front of his people. No anger showed on his face, no embarrassment. Only a cold calculating expression stared back at h
