ears. The two quickly dropped to the ground. They rolled in the sand,
each desperate to gut the other. Vampires, for all their claims to
civilization, were just as feral as the rest.
There were only six left, and two were doing their damndest to
kill each other. A fierce joy raced through him as he brought the hilt
of his sword down on a vamp he had tripped as he attempted to run
away. Silly creature. There was nowhere to run. He raised his sword to bring it down on the vamp’s throat. He was swinging it in an arc
toward the unconscious rival’s body when he was tackled from the
side. Beck roared as he toppled over.
“Quarter!” the vampire yelled as he scrambled to get his knife
properly in his hand. “He is out, Beck. You can’t kill a man who’s
already gone down.”
It was the same vampire who had drawn Dante’s ire. He was
covered in sweat and blood. His hood had fallen back, and his pale
skin was already burning. “Give it a rest, Beck. It’s over. The female
is yours. We give.”
50
Sophie Oak
Beck didn’t really hear him. He simply knew he was on his back
in a submissive position, and that would never do. With a single hand,
he tossed the vampire away like he was a child’s toy. Somewhere in
the back of his rage-addled head, he recognized that the gnomes had
taken to the floor. They were trying to help out the injured
combatants. It no longer mattered. His rage required blood.
“He’s gone insane!” Palgrave shouted, trying to get the referee’s
attention. “You have to put him down.” The vampire backed up as
Beck growled low in his throat and began to stalk him. He tossed
down his knife and showed Beck his empty hands. He had retracted
his claws, but the fangs remained. “I concede, Beck. We all concede.”
A horn blared. It seemed a distant, meaningless thing. There were