Free Caged Warrior by Lindsey Piper

at the end of the tunnel could’ve heard it. Leto’s smirk twitched.
    He walked through her small cell like a god. There was no other way to describe his
     stride, his straight back, his proud shoulders. He moved with refinement despite the
     weight of each step. After kneeling before the large leather bag, he pried it open.
     Metal. Gleaming metal of all shapes and sizes. Each piece shone with deadly purpose.
    Dragon-dark eyes lifted to meet hers. “First, we learn materials.”
    One by one, he introduced her to the weapons available to them in the Cages. A machete
     and a mace. A wicked dagger and a sickle. Even something that resembled a metal skull.
    “I don’t understand,” she said once he finished. “Youhaven’t mentioned anything more about what may be a mystery Dragon-born gift. And
     now you’re teaching a course on Medieval Weaponry 101.”
    “Your gift needs to be developed. But even a warrior in complete control cannot rely
     on it. During a match, an arbiter controls the Cages. With the flip of a switch, our
     collars activate again. Survival becomes a matter of blood combat. That means working
     with steel and martial arts—even if your pyrotechnic display was impressive.”
    “And completely gone from my memory.”
    “Another problem, yes.” He leaned closer. Breath against skin. Lips near enough to
     brush her ear. They never did. “My job is to make sure you can survive those random
     minutes when our powers won’t mean a Dragon-damned thing.”
    Audrey shivered. Her body was already edgy with an energy she couldn’t control. To
     feel Leto’s warm skin so nearby added another layer of sensation. Want. She tried to push it away. She called it a betrayal against the husband she still
     missed with every heartbeat. Yet the craving for physical contact was undeniable—contact
     that didn’t mean pain and fear. She took a deep breath, filling her lungs with the
     heady power of his scent.
    Feeling out-of-body, she reached to pick up the metal skull.
    Leto snatched her wrist and glared. “Do you take me for a fool?”
    “How am I supposed to learn to use them if I can’t touch them? Tell me, at least.”
    “It’s a nighnor . Are you really so ignorant of our ways?”
    “I’m sure circumstances have taught us very different things. Can you read?”
    “Yes.” His mouth pinched tightly. “My mother taught me. She taught me many things.”
    “And when was the last time you were aboveground? The last time you saw the sun?”
    His subtle glare intensified, but his tension was more evident in his shoulders. “How
     is that important?”
    “I’m just curious what you barbarians learn down here, other than ripping out spines.
     And besides, a nighnor is the ceremonial weapon of the Sath.” She felt pleased at having taken him by surprise.
     Again. “You forget. I was raised among the Tigony. That meant years of learning our
     lore and rituals. I don’t know how to use it, but I know what it is.”
    He hefted the nighnor . “Your turn to tell me. Prove it.”
    “Each one is ancient, from the time when the Sath ruled as Pharaohs. They’re said
     to be the heads of men who denied the superiority of the first Dragon Kings. The fearful
     made the Sath into gods rather than suffer the same fate.” Her stomach knotted for
     reasons other than hunger. “Coated in iron. Lacquered and polished over the years
     to add luster. But beneath the metal is bone. Some ancient peasant’s skull.”
    Leto shrugged. “So they say.”
    “Let me touch it. Sir.”
    “That’s not a question.”
    “Forget the mind games, remember? You need me to learn.” Their gazes met. “More than
     that, I think you want me to.”
    The set of his jaw became as ruthless as the skull heheld. Metal over bone. “Do not assume anything about me, neophyte.”
    “How can I not? We know the stakes. Give me the damn thing and teach me how to use
     it.”
    “No lunch either.”
    Audrey huffed a breath. “You are dense.