Free Her Warriors' Three Wishes (Dante's Circle) by Carrie Ann Ryan Page A

die.
    He just hoped it wasn’t the latter.
    The key to the door lay on the second demon’s chest, attached to a chain around his neck. Balin took it from him, hid the bodies, and went in, locking the door behind him. He hoped if anyone came by they’d think the dead demons were passed out drunk, not dead, thus letting the world know there was an intruder amongst them.
    There were hundreds of cells in the basement below the fighting floor of the coliseum, and it would be pointless for Balin to search them for hours, but he knew there was a list of prisoners and cell numbers in the back room where the game leaders would make bets of their own.
    Instead of hiding, he strode through the place like he owned it. After all, he was a demon, scarred from war and his father; he’d fit in. Better to hide in plain sight than look like he was out of place.
    He made his way to the back room, ignoring the other demons as they walked past, though they ignored him as well.
    Thankfully.
    The board was a mishmash of names, cell numbers, species, and fight times. There was no real order for anything, but Balin looked anyway. He scanned the names, cursing when he couldn’t find her…
    There.
    Human. Cell 475. Midnight Death .
    As far as Balin could tell, there wasn’t another human on the board. Relief then fury spread through him at what she would have to face if he didn’t get her out of there.
    Midnight Death was the highlight of the games. A bloodbath of torture and rape before they killed their victim.
    Well, fuck that, Jamie wouldn’t be part of it. He’d get her out of there before then.
    He made his way through the tunnels, aware he had to be careful not to draw attention to himself, though, in reality, no one knew him past a quick glimpse here and there in his life due to his father’s torture, so he was in the clear.
    Finally, after what seemed like hours, he found her cell.
    Each door unlocked from the outside without a key so he made his way in once the guards left for another section of patrol. He clicked the door open and slid in, anticipation on his tongue.
    This was it. 
    “Who are you?” a deep voice said from the shadowed corner.
    Hell, did he have the wrong cell?
    “I doesn’t matter. I’m here for someone else,” he answered, cursing himself for not finding Jamie right away. He didn’t know who was in the cell with him, but because of the way the door was, he couldn’t have seen in right away anyway.
    “Who?” the voice asked.
    “No one you’d know.” Balin squinted, trying to see in the dark corners. When something shifted behind the large shadow, Balin’s body shook, his heart connecting to something he hadn’t thought possible.
    “Jamie?” he asked, his voice raspy.
    “What? How did you know my name?” Jamie slid from behind the dark shadow, fear and tears on her face.
    The last time he’d seen her, she’d been bloody, her cheek broken, and her body chained to a wall. It looked as if Pyro had healed her before sending her to the games—most likely for more money.
    Wait…what was he supposed to say now?
    He’d had everything planned yet hadn’t. He felt like a fish out of water. He was an alpha demon—even if he hadn’t been acting like one since his world had turned on end when he’d found her. Yet the sight of this little woman who could be his—who was his true half, left him speechless.
    The shadow moved, and Balin found himself against the stone wall, the rivets digging into his back.
    “Who are you?”
    Balin struggled, but he knew he was too weak at this point to fight much harder. “I’m Balin. I’m here to get Jamie out of here.”
    “Hunter, put him down,” Jamie said, her voice soft and strong, though Balin could still hear the fear beneath it.
    He didn’t want to be jealous of the way she put her hand on Hunter’s arm to settle him, but hell, he couldn’t help it. She was his—and maybe Ambrose’s—no one else’s.
    “Tell me how you know her,” Hunter said