As I writhed on the packed earth, the violent tremors rose in my chest.
Nearby, the two colossal wolves that had been tearing at each other’s throats froze. Sensing the shift in the arena's energy, they slowly reversed back into their human forms.
"Anora!"
Darius came running toward me, his boots kicking up dust. He slid to his knees, immediately crouching over me and cupping my face in his hands.
"Anora, I am here. Breathe, please."
"Darius," I managed weakly, my voice barely a whisper.
"I am here," he repeated as his gaze flickered down to my wrists.
Running up from my fingertips and tracing along my veins were dark, thin black lines that pulsed with a sickening energy.
"It's poison," his voice was almost a whisper.
"Kaelan..." I rasped. "He must have laced his own blood with
