Chapter 36 36
Chapter 36 – The Madness
Odessa’s POV
“What the hell are you wearing?” His mouth dropped open when I entered our room. He had been resting on the bed while I was getting ready with Giota across the hall.
“You don’t like it?” I smiled and spun around.
“Where did you get it?” He couldn’t take his eyes off me.
“Aleksei brought a few up and I picked this one. There was a cat, a bunny, a maid, and a police officer. Giota picked the police officer costume. You seemed to like the red coat on me earlier, and this had more fabric on it compared to the others because of the hood.”
“I’m pretty sure red riding hood wouldn’t dare visit her yia-yia wearing something like that!” He grabbed my bare waist and pulled me to him. The feel of his touch on my skin sent my heart fluttering.
“She would if she’s visiting her big bad wolf.” I fluttered my eyelashes and smiled at him.
“Who did your make-up?”
“Katya.” I wasn’t sure if he thought it was too much. Russian women were into fashion, makeup, and their trim figures. Kazimir’s mom was no different and she was beautiful.
“You look like you’re ready to step into one of my wicked fantasies,” he whispered as he trailed kisses on my neck. I couldn’t wait to jump into his fantasy world, but this was not the time or place.
“I’ll save the costume for later, we have to go,” I told him.
Hades was going to leave my backpack with Kronos and Anatoly. If lady luck was on our side, we’d be on the plane back to Greece tonight. Hades had arranged to have the LaRue jet ready for a late night departure. I pulled the door open just as Giota stepped out of her room, she was dressed in the sexy policewoman costume with a blue wig on.
“Fuck! Ninos is going to kill me,” Hades groaned, shaking his head. “Hell yes, he is!” Alec said walking toward us with a fake mustache and
full beard that was not there during dinner. He pulled a black karakul hat on, and I hardly recognized him.
Hades tugged at the hood of my costume and tried to stretch it out to cover more of me. Then he resorted to pulling my hair over my shoulders and down my front to cover more of my skin. His eyes roamed down to my legs, and he let out a deep breath.
“Maybe you should wear some leggings or something?” He suggested. “Ohh, some fishnet stockings would look good,” Giota suggested.
“No!” Hades replied. His eyes kept shifting and I could feel Haze struggling. We needed to keep moving before Hades changed his mind about us attending. His resolve was teetering back and forth.
I placed my hand on his chest to help calm Haze and mind linked him. “Everything will be okay. No one will touch me. Focus on getting Thea and Alina out safely. When this is over, Olympia wants quality time with you.” My horny wolf let out a yip, wanting to be with her mate again. His eyes darkened, letting me know his wolf was on the surface and he kissed me.
Giota and I took the taxi with Sasha to the fight arena. Alec was in a car a few lengths behind us with other pack warriors. The fights would start at nine and go until midnight. This required the prostitutes to be there at nine as well. I knew the next hour would be hell for Hades because he wouldn’t arrive at the arena until ten.
I reached my hand to Giota’s and squeezed it. My nerves were starting to get the best of me the further we drove away from Hades. I couldn’t feel him through the mind link anymore and Olympia was restless.
“Focus on Thea,” I reminded my wolf.
My mind wandered back to dinner earlier this evening. It had gone surprisingly well considering the strained relationship between Kazimir and his father. Now that Yuri was dead, Alpha Volkov seemed interested in having Kazimir return because of his cyber skills. In the short time I had spent with Kazimir, I already knew he didn’t care for Bratva business. He was much happier living in a pack and helping to lead. After tonight, I hope Alina will give Kazimir a chance.
“Would you like me to come with you?” Sasha asked, looking at the crowd outside the arena. He was human and couldn’t have been much older than me. It was really sweet and brave of him to offer.
“Thank you, Sasha, but we’re meeting someone here. Anatoly will arrive in about an hour. Wait with him, we should be done around midnight.” I took a deep breath and we stepped out of the taxi.
“Ladies, I’m Sergei,” a tall and muscled shifter greeted us. He had a spiderweb tattoo covering half his neck and I assumed this was one of the pack members who was also involved with the Bratva business. He didn’t say much because we were supposed to be prostitutes and not friends. Sergei led us inside to the ground level and walked us to an area with two dozen other women, all dressed in costumes.
“A man will be out to offer twenty thousand rubles to one of the whores to be part of the prize for tonight’s main event,” Sergei told us.
“The winner gets a prostitute for the night?” I asked. “Is this a normal offering to whoever wins?” I knew Hades and Kazimir had been fighting for years and winning but were they also winning sex?
“The death fights typically bring in a big prize purse. Most are fresh from prison and haven’t been with a lady in a while. If they win, they win
their freedom, and what better way to celebrate,” Sergei shrugged. “How much is twenty thousand rubles in euros?” Giota asked.
“About two hundred and fifty euros. It’s more than double what they make, and they can refuse. They will usually give the prettiest ladies first choice, so I thought I would warn you. She will have to go to the cage and show her goods to both fighters because it will be the last time one will ever see a woman.” Sergei stepped away and a few more women arrived.
“Show her goods?” Giota gave me a questioning look.
“There’s not much left to the imagination with most of their costumes,” I whispered, taking in the other women.
An oily-looking man, who reminded me of a ferret, spoke to us in Russian. Several women raised their hands, and one even flashed her tits at him. I assume this was the choosing of the lucky prostitute that would service tonight’s main event winner. A tall woman with shoulder-length black hair and pale skin was selected. She had been dressed in a sexy nurse costume and she looked the part.
“She touches our mate and I’ll cut her,” Olympia snarled.
The arena started to fill up and the women started walking around, looking for their meal tickets for the night. Some moved to the second and third floor levels, but I couldn’t help noticing the second floor had seats and waitresses. The men that filled the seats were well dressed and emanated wealth. The ground level was standing room only and the bar in the back had a long line. The cage seemed smaller than what I remember in the few videos I had seen. It was a square cell in the middle of the building with bars lining the top.
I walked around and tried not to make eye contact with anyone. Some men tried to speak to me in Russian and I pretended not to hear them. I was relieved when the fights started because the men turned their focus to the fights. Giota was on the other side of the arena, near a door. She pushed it open and disappeared.
The first fight ended, and fortunately, it wasn’t a death fight. The crowd cheered before many rushed back to the bar for drinks. I was surprised to see so many women in attendance at such an event.
“Thea!” Olympia barked and I looked up to see her standing next to a man on the second level.
It was Belsky, I’d seen pictures of him. They sat down in big chairs and Thea practically disappeared out of view when she sat. She looked unharmed but nervous. My heart ached to hug her. Several men stood close behind them and their eyes swept the arena. I lowered my head and moved in Alec’s direction. His eyes moved up to the second level and he was also aware of their arrival.
Alec forced a smile and looked me over like he was interested in a prostitute. “Giota slipped downstairs?” He asked and I nodded. “If she takes too long, tell Sergei to go looking for her, pretend she has a client who wants to hire her,” he suggested.
The second fight started, and it was brutal. They were both covered in blood and beating each other with their fists. I tried not to keep looking up at the second level, but I was so worried about Thea. Some of the working girls had already found clients to go home with for the night. They were hanging on to them, kissing, drinking, and enjoying the fights.
A tall man with beer breath lowered his head near my ear and reached his arm around my waist.
“Privét kisa,” he purred. I knew the word kitten, but if he thought I was a kitten, he was sadly mistaken. I gave his hand a hard squeeze with my wolf strength and he pulled it back quickly.
“BLYAD!” He shouted what I assumed was profanity and I smiled. “Otvali,” Sergei appeared behind the man and shoved him along.
The third fight started, and I tucked myself into the shadows of a corner, wondering if Giota was okay. The air smelled of blood, sweat, and alcohol.
I watched the fight for a while, one man kicked another in the balls and the crowd booed. There was no referee in the cage with them, this was the equivalent of a dog fight, complete with bets being placed.
“Odessa?” Hades’ voice came through the mind link and I trembled with relief. He was near.
“I’m here,” I replied.
“Baby, are you okay?” He asked anxiously.
“Yes. Thea is here. She’s on the second level with Belsky and they have four armed guards.”
“Where’s Giota? I can’t get her through the mind link.”
“She slipped downstairs, there must be concrete cells down there!” “They won’t let me warm up down there. She has to be here.”
The third fight was over and Giota reappeared at the door. She made eye contact with me and moved in my direction. A man reached his hand to grab her breast, and she used her plastic police baton to smack his arm away. The touchy man pulled his hand back and it caused an eruption of laughter from his friends.
She gave me a nod, letting me know Alina was downstairs. A few men circled like sharks, and I could feel their hungry eyes on me. Alec and another wolf I didn’t know came towards us, he leaned into my ear and pretended to proposition me.
“Nod your head and smile at me,” he whispered, and I did. I looped my arm through Alec’s and returned to his standing area with him. Giota did the same with the other wolf.
The fourth fight started, and everyone’s attention returned to the fight cage. This was a tag team match, two against two.
“She’s down there. I could sense her, but there were two armed guards and cameras everywhere.” Giota whispered to Alec.
Alec smiled at her and nuzzled his nose into my neck. “I’m sorry, Belsky’s men are scanning the crowd, make sure you look interested in me. And whatever you do, don’t tell your brother.” I laughed because his newly acquired facial hair tickled.
“What’s going on?” Hades demanded through the mind link.
“Alec and another wolf had to pretend to proposition us to keep the other men away.”
“Don’t leave his side. If anyone asks, you’ve agreed to spend the night with him.”
“Did Giota tell you?”
“Yes, Kazimir is outside with his father working on it right now.”
We watched the next five fights, each bloodier than the one before. I kept sneaking the occasional glance at Thea, hoping she wasn’t watching. This was something I didn’t want her to see. There was a brief intermission before the main event and people scrambled for the restrooms, alcohol, or to place bets. The anticipation was killing me.
“There’s the gatekeeper. You should try to get his attention so you can get close enough to lift the key from him. He’s left-handed and keeps putting the key in the left pocket.” Alec whispered in my ear.
“He’s too fat, old, and ugly!” I hissed back at Alec. “There’s no way he’s going to believe I’m interested in him without suspecting something.”
“You might have a point there, but prostitutes don’t care what the men look like as long as they have money,” Alec said.
“Can’t I just plunge my claws in his jugular and take the key when we need it?” Olympia asked, hating that we had to play such games.
“Patience,” I tried to calm my wolf.
I stepped away from Alec and neared the cage. The gatekeeper looked me over with appreciative eyes and my stomach felt queasy with disgust. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to do this, I didn’t even speak Russian, how was I supposed to flirt with him?
The gatekeeper moved to the cage and propped the door open. The lights flickered on and off, reminding everyone it was almost time to start again. The crowd started chanting something in Russian and returning to their seats or standing areas as excitement charged through the air.
“Hades, is there a plan?” I nervously linked him. “Yes, stay with Alec,” he responded.
Another man stepped up to me and spoke in Russian. I understood nothing and just smiled, before I knew it, he reached for my hand and placed it on his erection. Olympia was pushing to extend her claws and I quickly pulled my hand back. He laughed and I stepped around him, but he was fast. The man snaked his arm around my hips and pulled me back to him. I did what any woman would do… I stabbed the sharp heel of my stiletto into his foot, and he screamed in pain.
The heel snapped, but a chunk remained in his foot. I scampered back under the safe protection of Alec’s arm and Giota gave me a proud smile.
“Well done,” Alec whispered in my ear.
A voice boomed out and the announcer started speaking. A door was opened and a line of men wearing black prison uniforms marched into the arena. Hades had to fight and kill all of these men to help keep Thea safe. I kept reminding myself that these were criminals who probably deserved death. Frenzy swept across the audience and women flashed their breasts at the prisoners who smiled and nodded.
The first man stepped inside the cage, he was big, muscled, and unshaved. The crowd continued to cheer, and the announcer pointed to
Hades who stalked in through the crowd and made his way into the fight cage. The Russians booed and hissed, but Hades was focused on the mission at hand.
“Don’t worry, they’ll be cheering for him in the end,” Alec whispered. I looked up to see Thea standing up, looking down into the cage. She had recognized her Alpha and there was nothing I could do to shield her from the carnage she was about to witness.
Hades scanned the crowd, his eyes locked in on mine, they were dark, and Haze was on the surface. His opponent glowered at him and swung his arms from side to side, stretching them. The oily-looking man from earlier moved into the cage with the prostitute dressed in the skimpy nurse costume. Catcalls, cheers, and whistles exploded when she stepped into the cage.
“Horny bastards,” Olympia huffed.
The prize purse was announced. Anyone who sends Hades back to the underworld would receive their freedom, five million rubles, and a woman for the night.
The woman turned her backside to the prisoner in the cage and bent forward, lifting her skirt, she exposed herself to him. She wasn’t wearing panties and stood with her legs spread. He licked his lips and grabbed his crotch in appreciation. The crowd went wild when she slowly swung her hips around towards my mate, allowing the audience a chance to see her goods as well.
“That little slut!” Olympia snarled, but Hades wasn’t looking at her or her naked ass. His eyes were focused on his opponent. She stood upright and sauntered out of the cage. The gatekeeper moved to the door and locked them in.
The man swung furiously at Hades who blocked his punches. Hades rocked forward and delivered an elbow to the man’s face. His nose leaked blood and the crowd cheered. I wasn’t sure who they were cheering for, or if they just loved carnage so much. It was madness. The man staggered
back, and Hades delivered several kicks to the man’s ribs, causing him to fall and the crowd to gasp. The prisoner was on his knees trying to stand back up when Hades delivered a sidekick to his throat and crushed his windpipe.
Hades was a skilled fighter even by werewolf standards. He was calculating and savage with every blow. He could even kill shifted wolves in his human form, which was unheard of in our world. Watching Hades fight when my father attacked our pack had inspired my brother to enhance our warrior training in human form with martial arts.
The gatekeeper opened the door and another man stepped inside without removal of the first body. Hades glanced over at me and I gave him a quick smile. The second man was tall and skinny, with a scar over his right eye. He attempted to deliver a high forward kick into my mate's chest before the cage was even locked, hoping to catch Hades off guard.
Hades caught the man’s foot and snapped it at the ankle with no mercy. The man cried out and the crowd erupted again in complete madness. Hades wrapped his hands around the man’s throat, lifting him off the ground. The man frantically tried to pry his hand off, but Hades gave a squeeze and crushed his throat.
The cage door was opened again and this time, three men stepped inside.