“And what? Have you keep playing mind games?” I twisted slightly, glaring up at him.
“Don’t you get it? Mind games are a strategy. A strong mind is your most valuable weapon.”
A flash of silver hurtled in the air toward him.
A dagger. The sharp blade flying with precise aim right at his head. He had me too firmly in his grip to do anything, and I watched as time slowed as it drew closer.
Then Rykr’s other free hand shot out, at lightning speed, and he caught the blade inches before it reached him.
My heart slammed into my ribs.
How had he caught that?
And who had thrown a dagger at him?
Rykr dropped the dagger, only the faintest of scratches on his fingertips, and a hush fell over the crowd.
Seth stepped into the ring. “This match is over. I challenge the champion.”
Chapter 23
Rykr
My head still reeled at the fact that I’d only seen that dagger flying at me because of Seren. The blade had been seconds away from impaling itself on my face, but I’d seen it through her mind.
I shouldn’t have been able to catch it. But somehow, I had.
And I knew who had thrown it.
Seren tensed in my arms, her back rigid as Seth stalked toward us, his black trousers without blemish, unlike my thoroughly stained and torn ones.
“Swords,” Seth said, pulling my blade from his side.
I doubted Seth had used it before now and I didn’t know if it would work for him—but I wasn’t fool enough to find out the hard way. The sword had an ancient curse on it and using it always resulted in a lethal blow. Always.
If Seth used it against me, I was dead.
“No.” I released Seren, shifting to put myself between them. “I’m not fighting you.”
Seth appeared unimpressed at my words, then gestured to Jabari. “You don’t get to decide.”
The fuck I don’t.
I set my lips to a line. He’d been waiting for this opportunity and I wasn’t about to play into his hands. “No.”
An ugly shadow came over Seth’s expression. “You’re in our territory, Lirien. You don’t get to rewrite the rules of our games.” He peeled off his shirt, revealing a body hardened by years of training—and Zhi tattoos that proved his deadliness.
A shiver of hatred rolled through me. The thought of his hands ever being on Seren ignited rage in my blood.
If I gave into that, I’d kill him where he stood.
Jabari came to my side and raised my hand, declaring my fight with Seren over. I barely registered the crowd’s reaction.
She was already gone.
I’d been at it for hours, yet I wasn’t tired. My body had moved with speed and power I’d never known before, and I’d barely tested its limits. I’d been holding back—especially with Seren.
The stark truth was that I barely felt as though I’d unleashed my power. Everything that Lucia had told me about the vuk’s blood made sense now … and it had given me a freedom and level of skill that even the Seal hadn’t done.
