Fates Defiant

The only way out is death.

In the Arena, appearances are everything, and Cyrus has mastered the art. Trained since his youth to annihilate opponents for the entertainment of the masses, he's become known as a legend who cannot be beaten-but when the dust settles, he's no less a prisoner than the criminals he faces, and his usefulness to his masters only lasts as long as the money keeps coming in.

Bastian Lytos has no interest in fame or fortune. Sentenced to the Arena after disobeying orders on the field of battle, he's determined only to defy his masters for as long as possible before his inevitable demise. When fate throws him into the path of the Arena champion, he's shocked to find that even the most elite fighters are just as trapped as he is.

A new alliance forms when the two combatants unexpectedly come face to face, but in order to survive long enough to see freedom, they'll have to fight.

For honor. For glory. To the death.

C.M. Banschbach is a native Texan and would make an excellent hobbit if she wasn't so tall. She's an overall dork, pizza addict, and fangirl. When not writing fantasy stories packed full of adventure and snark, she works as a pediatric Physical Therapist where she happily embraces the fact that she never actually has to grow up.

Brigitte Cromey can best be described as the cat who lives beneath the stairs-she may take a bit of time to warm up, bites if provoked, and is fiercely loyal to those she loves. She lives with her family in southern Arizona, where she wrangles a horde of small barbarians by day, drinks tea by night, and writes stabby books that feel like home the rest of the time. She loves to feed others, and her door in the desert will always be open to those needing a home-cooked meal and a hug.