Recent content by Marro Thackett

"What am I doing here?" Marro asked. "Making your boss the easiest few hundred silver," grunted his minder. Marro knew where hew as from scent alone: Burnish's estate. There was a cage, with runes etched in silver ahead of him. A single wooden chair inside. He stepped in and let them...

Marro breathed a sigh of relief as the Serpent went down. Then, as she was grabbed by Wardens, he bristled. A large hand set itself upon his shoulder. "I hear... So many things in the kennels... And I've only been here a week." Marro stiffened. The silver etched runes in the collar around...

He could not look away. Her master wouldn't risk her these days on truly dangerous fights. He had told himself that if she was thrown into that kind of danger he might not watch. Better to hear the news after than watch her torn apart. "Come on," he hissed under his breath. At this distance...

His posture looked relaxed to anyone who did not know him: shoulders loose, one leg stretched out, hands resting on his thigh. Only the faint tension in his jaw and the way his fingers curled and uncurled betrayed him. Markal was a lesser noble with more coin than sense. He'd wanted Marro along...

"Feet off the stands!" Marro's master, Lord Markal spilled some of his port as he waves it at the wolf. Marro had planned to stop lounging anyway. He tucked his feet under his chair and sat forwards, elbows on his knees. "And smarten yourself up. I've got company arriving and I want them to...

Marro watched her move about the small room, towel clinging to damp skin, steam rising lazy from the refilling tub. The first bath had taken the worst of the arena off him: sand, sweat, and the blood of men who had never stood a chance. His skin still bore fresh bruises and shallow cuts, but the...

Marro let her cradle his face, let the warmth of her palms chase away the last chill of the arena. The kiss she gave him was slow and deliberate, and he drank it in like a man who had forgotten water could taste this sweet. When she rested her forehead against his, he closed his eyes and simply...

Team 1 Vaezhasar Drakspae Vyx'aria Szesh Team 2 Lilette Blackbriar Thalos Mirecant Rovan Ravenhill Team 3 Koltûn Cynical Aspie Nuir Have I missed anyone?

The door opened without a knock. Marro slipped inside as silently as smoke. The latch clicked shut behind him. The silver collar was gone (he had learned long ago which guards could be bribed and which ones slept hardest after the fights). He looked exhausted He smelled of sand and blood...

Marro’s eyes never left hers. The moment she stepped forward, the air in the narrow corridor changed: sharper, charged, like the hush before lightning. Blood still crusted his knuckles, silver still burned at his throat, but none of it mattered while Raniya stood close enough for him to catch...

His expression stiffened for a moment. Marro realised that Burnish was considering purchasing him. How much easier would their lives by if he was nearby? If they were deliberately pushed together. Then he felt sickened to take joy in possibly having his slavery changed to better suit them. It...

The handler, a thick-necked man with a face like old leather, gave a snort that might have been a laugh. “Strength and cunning, m'lord. And the fact he comes back to the cage every time without us having to chase him down. Most of ‘em still dream of the woods. This one is smart enough to...

The cart rattled over uneven stone as it carried Marro back into the shadowed belly of the Ashcroft keep. The iron cage had become a familiar confine around his body. The silver collar pressed a constant, biting weight into the skin of his throat. Its sigils a dull throb that anchored him...

The last of the rebels hit the sand with a dull, heavy thud. His body slid to a halt at Marro’s feet. The werewolf stood over him, chest rising and falling in slow, measured breaths. Cuts striped his arms. Blood clung to the dark fur along his jaw. The captured rebels had been given simple...