The great cataclysm wiped almost all life from the face of planet Earth, but tiny pockets of survivors crawled from the ashes, with only one thought: survival, at any cost.
But not all survivors were human.
In the dark, militant society that has risen in the aftermath, vampires, once thought to be mythical, have been assimilated and enslaved. Used for blood sport their lives are allowed to continue only for the entertainment of the masses. Reviled as savages, they are destined to serve out their immortal lives in the arena, as gladiators.
And there is no greater gladiator than Mira: undefeated, uncompromising...and seemingly unbreakable. When an escape attempt leads Mira into the path of Lucian Stavros, the city’s Regent, her destiny is changed forever.
Lucian, raised in a culture which both reviles and celebrates the savagery and inhumanity of vampires, finds Mira as intriguing as she is brash. An impulsive decision - to become Mira’s patron – changes more than just Lucian’s perception about vampire kind. The course of his life is altered in ways he could never have predicted – a life that is suddenly as expendable as hers.
Can Mira prove to Lucian that all is not as it seems? Can Lucian escape centuries of lies, bloodshed, and propaganda to see the truth? Or will the supreme power of the human overlords destroy them both?
Excerpt
The roar of the crowd, all
twenty-five-thousand people in attendance, rose to a thundering
crescendo when Mira delivered a bone-crunching blow to her opponent’s
ribs. Standing only five feet tall, she might not have appeared a
formidable warrior, but the thin, spiky-haired waif of a vampire
could hold her weight and more when put to the test. Amplified by the
superb acoustics, the sound of bones cracking echoed through the
Superdome arena. The defeated, a red-headed male vampire staggered,
punch-drunk, and then dropped to his knees. Dirt and sweat coated his
face but could not mask the fear in his icy blue eyes. His was a look
Mira had seen so many times before. Her opponent’s immortal life
had finally come to an end, and he was ready to take the final deadly
blow.
Above her, Mira knew the fifty-foot
mega screen showed her hapless victim in brilliant resolution,
ensuring that all who were attending, and those watching from the
comfort of their homes, could see these last gruesome moments in
crystal clear high-definition.
Mira gazed down at her opponent’s
blood-soaked face. Though he was her enemy for the moment, she did
not relish having to end him. No one should be forced into the arena
and told to kill or be killed. It wasn’t right. But it was what was
demanded of her, and given the choice between her life and someone
else’s… well, there really was no choice. No matter the cost,
Mira was a survivor.
She glanced up to the large private box
overlooking the arena. A well-dressed man in deep-purple robes sat,
enjoying what appeared to be a dinner of filet mignon and roast
potatoes. Even here, in the dusty arena below, Mira’s enhanced
senses picked up the tantalizing scent of very rare, bloody steak.
She could hardly believe that a human could not only watch the murder
about to take place, but also sit and eat the dead flesh of a
once-living being while doing it. From the smell of it, the poor
beast was practically still bleeding on his plate. Who was truly the
more savage creature?
Over the crowd’s roar, an announcer
introduced the well-dressed man, Lucian Stavros, Regent of the Iron
Gate. Lucian gently and purposefully slowly set down his knife and
fork. He took another moment to wipe his face clean and then smiled,
acknowledging the roaring crowd.
Chants of “Death, death, death,”
rang out from the throng as a single unified demand.
The Regent listened for a moment,
making a show of putting his hands to his ears to hear screaming
hoard’s request, and then held a hand out, with his thumb pointed
to the side.
As if the next moment were the most
important, the anticipating mass hushed. Eerie silence filled the
arena as everyone watched for the Regent to make his decision.
From her vantage point below, Mira saw
the steely look of determination cross the Regent’s face. If she
didn’t know better, she might have thought he took this decision
seriously; but then, he was human, and they never cared much if her
kind lived or died. Lucian Stavros took a cursory glance down at
Mira. Their eyes met. It was only a brief moment, but in that short
time, Mira saw him waver.
Could it be true, she wondered, or was
it just a trick of the light? No human actually cared about the lives
of vampires. The moment faded, and the fleeting thought left.
Mira saw the Regent’s decision. He
turned his thumb down. Death!
The crowd went wild.
The last hope for her defeated opponent
had vanished; Mira had to finish him. “Sorry,” she whispered to
the half-dead vampire on his knees before her. Though her fangs
tingled at the prospect of tasting his final dying moments—her
reward, if you could call it that, for living through another battle—
she did not enjoy what she was about to do. Like her, he was a slave,
forced into servitude to the humans as they saw fit. He had not asked
for this, and neither had she. But, despite what either of them
wanted, it was the will of the crowd, the humans, that had to be
served.
Aiming to sever the carotid artery with
her fangs, Mira dove at her opponent’s neck. His death would be
quick. At least she could afford him that luxury.
Author Bio
And if you can believe all of those lies, there is some beautiful swamp land in Florida for sale…
Katie Salidas resides in Las Vegas, Nevada. Mother, wife, and author, she does try to do it all, often causing sleep deprivation and many nights passed out at the computer. Writing books is her passion, and she hopes that her passion will bring you hours of entertainment.
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