Bane and Zion decided to arrive separately, with Bane going first. Leaving Nola had proved more difficult than ever, the urge to return to her unrelenting. The woman had bewitched and transfixed him, and he had no regrets.

However, beneath affection and arousal was an endless pit of fear. He’d once swore he would never need another person, ever. But he needed Nola like a thirsty man needed water. She made his world better. If anything happened to her...

His claws lengthened. Without her presence, the beast became frenzied, prowling and growling with more vigor.

Hurry, hurry. Get this over with. Bane had portaled near the remains of the prison. What used to be the remains, anyway. Someone had cleared the area. Probably the Enforcer, Seven.

Frigid winds blustered, shards of frost pricking his cheeks. In the middle of an ice valley, invisible walls of energy formed a wide circle. Already a handful of combatants waited inside it. In a hooded black robe, face obscured by shadows, Seven stood off to the side. Like a grim reaper of legend, he carried a scythe.

Enforcers were forbidden from interacting with combatants outside the assemblies and ceremonies like the Mark of Disgrace—Enforcers weren’t allowed to interact with anyone, period. They were tools used by the High Council, never allowed to live lives of their own. Or have names. They were given number designations, one through ten, and there were hundreds of thousands of each number. The higher the number, the more vicious the individual.

Head high, Bane approached. As he stepped past those energy walls, tingles ran the length of his body, and his goggles ceased working. Nothing with a mystical component worked until the meeting’s conclusion.

“Look at the little beasty-boy,” Ronan called. “Word is a Terran female has removed his balls.”

“Who said he came to Terra with balls?” Petra retorted.

They taunted with words rather than lashing out, fighting forbidden immediately before or during an assembly. The only time a combatant didn’t have to worry about being ambushed or tricked.

The pair had caused the RV crash, putting Nola’s life in jeopardy. One day, they would pay. Unfortunately, he wouldn’t let himself kill them tonight. Circumstances hadn’t changed. Until he decided to end the war, he had to make sure plenty of combatants survived each battle.

As the other combatants issued taunts of their own, Bane tuned them out, letting his thoughts drift back to Nola. No better time to reflect.

For two weeks, they’d lived together. When he’d dared to sleep, he’d gotten to hold her. He’d made love to her in a thousand different ways, cuddled her and talked for hours. She’d cooked meals that had made his taste buds weep with joy.