Arena Shifters (A Paranormal Romance Novel) by Casey Evans Read Free Book Online Page A

pointing to cut along her bare shoulder.
    “Just a scratch,”
    “I never seen a scratch that
bled that much before. You need to see a doctor.”
    “Yeah, well why don’t you
send for one. In the meantime start tearing up some strips of cloth from that slave’s
tunic.”
    The boy clearly didn’t like
being told what to do, but he complied anyway. They could not afford to build a
fire to sterilize the wound so she would just have to make do with some
relatively clean “bandages.” With a little help from a queasy boy, she managed
to bind up her would pretty well. It should slow down the bleeding
significantly. Now it was time to leave. Pretty soon trackers would find the
place, see the dead slaves and be on their trail again. She jumped to her feet;
too fast. Suddenly the world around her began to spin, then everything went
black and something struck the back of her head. When she woke the boy’s face
was just inches from her own. She put both hands on his chest and pushed with
all she had.
    “Hey wait,” he protested,
“I’m wasn’t trying to kiss you, honest, I wasn’t. You just stood up then passed
out. You okay?”
    “Yeah…sure, I’m fine.”
    “Oh good, ‘cause I’m
starving…and I’m thirsty too, so get me some water too.”
    “What? Are you serious? I
just saved your life and lost a quart of blood in the process and now I have to
go hunt something for you so you can have your dinner?”
    He looked uncertain for a
moment, then continued with the demands. “And I need help walking, I seemed to
have twisted my ankle. I’m pretty light, you could just carry me on your back.”
    Petronia looked at the boy
like he was some alien or something. “You wanna survive? Or do you want to just
wait around for more slaves to show up? You do what you want, but I’m heading
north.”
    “What’s north?”
    “Home I hope.”
    They had gone on for no more
than an hour when they a horn sounding in the not too far away distance.
    “What’s that?” The boy asked
as they trudged along.
    “A horn.”
    “That’s not what I meant.”
    “Then why not say what you
mean?”
    He was about to reply when
another horn sounded, this time a little closer and in another direction
completely.
    “Is it a rescue party?” He
asked enthusiastically. The prospect of being rescued energized him. Suddenly
he was walking faster, and right towards the second horn blast.
    “Wait,” she protested. We
don’t know who is blowing that horn. It could be a trap, and I don’t think I
have any more fight left in me. If we get caught, you’re on your own kid.”
    Suddenly another horn blast
rent the air. It was in the direction as the first one they heard. A minute
later another horn sounded from the direction as the second, closer horn. She
could tell now that they were two different types of horns. If she had to
guess, she’d say that someone had escaped the slaughter of the caravan and the
horn sounding was the Lanista’s soldiers on the way to rescue them. The other
horn, she could only surmise, was the slaves trying to confuse her and get her
to go to the wrong horn. Now she had a choice to make. Which horn was the
rescue party? She had no idea, and in the end, the horn she chose was the near
one, just because it was so close now that it was likely to overtake them
anyway. And so she stood, sword drawn standing over the boy protectively when
the Dominushimself rode up, along with some twenty
soldiers in tow.
    When she woke up three days
later, in the care of the House physician, she had no memory of their rescue,
except that she had not wanted to give up her sword. She just could not believe
that after nearly three days of wandering with no food and water, that they
were actually safe.
     
     
    * * * * *
     
    CHAPTER SIX:
    The Birthday and the Blood Orgy
    Part One
    Lucias
     
    * * * * *
     
    Dominus’ eldest son Dionysius
Tiberius was turning 15 today and no longer considered a child. Nearly half of
Roman children do not