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“Stop stressing,” he said by my ear, never taking his eyes off the match. “Try to enjoy it.”
Enjoy worrying that someone would accidentally knock some of his teeth out? Sure. No problem. Easy.
He was fucking insane.
A couple more hits and one of the fighters went down, to the disappointment of half the crowd and the thrill of the other. The host, the same guy as last time, jumped up on the boulder to announce the winner, then his gaze traveled across the crowd and stopped on Daire.
The way his whole face lit up when he saw him was wild, and then he pointed at Daire and called out to the crowd, “Looks like there’s a Reaper in the house.”
As all eyes turned in our direction, I was suddenly grateful for the hat sitting low on my brow. The attention was brutal, but Daire only straightened, throwing his shoulders back and kicking up his chin in acknowledgment.
The response from the crowd was instantaneous. A thunderous roar of excitement filled the cavernous space, as though a superstar had just stepped into their mix—and in a way, I guess he had. From his own account, Daire never lost a match, he was just that good, and to those in the audience who’d placed bets he’d show up tonight, that meant a good payday was on the way.
“Okay, okay, you wanna keep making noise or get back to fightin’?” the host shouted, his eyes remaining on the two of us as the crowd quieted. “That’s what I thought. So, who out there thinks he’s tough enough to take down the Reaper?”
My gut clenched at the idea that someone was about to pulverize Daire, and at the same time I was trying to remember if our first-aid kit was stocked.
“Thisis the Reaper?” A big, burly guy with a neck as thick as a tree trunk stepped forward.
“That a challenger I hear?” the host called out from behind the big ox’s back.
“Let’sgo,” he shouted, then balled his fists together in front of himself with a grunt that made the veins in his neck pulse—very reminiscent of the Hulk.
I snuck a peak at Daire, who wore a look that said,Are you kidding with this lame-ass?and his lack of fear made mine dissipate…a little bit.
“Gather ’round, gather ’round. Fighters, move into position.”
My heart raced as Daire gestured for me to come with him, and I followed him around the back of the group and to where the host stood. He stopped beside a tall, tatted-up guy with piercings all over his face.
“You,” he said, and then gestured to me. “Watch him. Anyone touches him, I’ll rip your piercings out one by one and make you swallow ’em.”
My eyes widened at the threat, but the guy seemed to take it in stride as Daire turned back to me and said, “Don’t move from this fucking spot. You hear me?”
I nodded, perfectly happy to stay by Mr. Tall, Tatted, and Pierced. Especially since he now had an incentive to keep me safe.
Daire was about to turn away when I grabbed his arm. “Uh…good luck?”
I had no idea if that was the right thing to say to someone who was about to beat a man to a pulp. But Daire’s dangerous smirk told me I was spot-on.
“Thanks.” He winked, then turned back to the eager crowd, approaching the fight circle like a predator on the hunt. He was slow and methodical, analyzing his surroundings and sizing up his opponent. Then he stopped by the host and gave a clipped nod.
“Right. If you haven’t already, it’s time to place those bets. Reaper or…” He looked to Daire’s opponent, who barked, “Gunner.”
Whispers rolled through the hyped-up onlookers as everyone argued why their guy would win, but really, would anyone be dumb enough to bet against someone called the Reaper?
With the bets placed, the crowd gathered in a little tighter, the air thickening with tension as Daire moved to one side of the makeshift ring and Gunner the other.
I shuffled forward, but my guard dog put a hand on my shoulder and shook his head—and okay, fair enough, I didn’t really want to see him get his piercings ripped out either.
Then he cocked his head to a spot beside him where there were a couple of broken slabs of concrete. I climbed up on themand immediately had a better view. Something I was thankful for when Daire pulled his shirt off over his head.
Damn, but he was sexy. With the spotlight shining over the circle, Daire’s ripped body and sharply cut muscles beckoned me closer, making me want to run my tongue all over him.
I could see the veins in his strong arms, and remembered kissing my way across his built chest—and despite the fact I was standing in some underground tunnel, about to watch that beautiful body potentially get damaged, my dick stood up tall like it wanted to wish him luck too.
“Okay, everyone, you know the rules. There aren’t any. Just no weapons, and don’t fucking kill each other. First one to knock out or get the other to concede wins.”
Oh God.I wasn’t sure if I wanted to watch this or cover my eyes, but as Daire began to move into the circle, I found myself unable to look away.
