Desiree screamed.

The sound tore through the arena like a blade through flesh.

“Roman!” she cried, clawing at the guards restraining her. “Let me go! Let me go!”

Her nails scraped against steel and leather as she struggled, the taste of panic sharp and bitter on her tongue. The world beyond the guards blurred, the torches flickering wildly, and the faces twisted into indistinct shapes.

The roaring of the crowd suddenly turned to silence.

Everything stopped.

Even the breeze that ...