He strikes so fast I barely register the motion. The sound that follows is sickening–bone crunching under the impact.
My stomach churns, but no one else even flinches. This is…normal here.
The blood-slicked vampire stumbles back, slamming into the ropes before falling to his knees. Blood splashes the mat in long, wet drips. I wince, my stomach tightening further, but everyone else cheers.
I glance up at Riven, who watches the ring with cool detachment.
“What purpose does this serve?” I ask, voice low.
“Hierarchy,” he answers without looking at me. “In the Crimson Nest, you earn your place through force. You want status? You fight for it. If someone challenges you, you accept. Always.”
Another brutal hit lands–this one an elbow across the cheek. The smaller male crumples completely. Blood pools beneath him and he tries torise, fingers digging into the mat, slipping once and then again. My lips thin as I try to imagine the pain he’s in. He lifts a trembling hand then taps the floor twice.
I frown at the way his opponent suddenly halts with his fist drawn back. “That means…?”
“Surrender,” Riven says. “He loses his shot at advancement, but he keeps his life.”
My head jerks back as I eye him, suddenly realizing I might have just entered the most vicious faction lands yet. Is that a consolation prize here? Aren’t they all on the same side here? Why would they ever sacrifice their lives for this?
The victorious male straightens in the center of the ring as I glance back. He’s shirtless, his lean frame slick with sweat and a splatter of blood that I don’t think is his own. His jaw is set, but his eyes gleam with a darkness that turns my stomach and fascinates me all at once.
He turns and locks eyes with me before a slow grin pulls across his face, fangs gleaming under the overhead lights.
My body tightens instantly and my heart rate shoots up.
He jumps from the ring with a grace I’ll never have, landing soundlessly before he starts walking straight toward us. Riven doesn’t move, but I feel the tension that floods his body, sharp and absolute as his arm settled against my own tightens.
The other vampire closes the space between us slowly, the crowd parting and tracking his movements, like they know this will be a moment worth witnessing.
“Well,” the vampire drawls, his voice lazy as his gaze trails over me. “You must be the new scent that has everyone in a tizzy.”
Everything in me is screaming to not respond, to not show any sign that he bothers me. I keep my face carefully schooled. Riven steps forward slowly, yet he doesn’t move to block me from view, which surprises me.
“Cease your approach, Waylen,” he says evenly. “Unless you’re ready to challenge me for the crown, that is.”
The grin on Waylen’s face spreads wider, but it seems performative now as he carefully glances around, ensuring everyone is locked in on him.
“Oh, I’ve thought about it,” he replies smoothly, finally setting his gaze back on Riven. “It’s been a while since this nest saw a fight worth watching. Maybe now is the perfect time for a new king. One that doesn’t limit us to petulant laws even through a war with the humans on our doorstep.”
His eyes flick back to me, and this time, they linger over every inch of my body.
Still, Riven doesn’t react.
“Though honestly, I’m not sure what will be betterwhen I win,” Waylen’s nostrils flare subtly as he inhales, savoring whatever scent he finds in the air. “Getting to taste what’s in her veins or taking the throne once I’ve killed you.”
Every inch of me stiffens.
There’s a sudden swarm of motion I can’t track until suddenly they’re in new positions. I count ten vampires appear around Riven, attempting to block him in with a wall of bodies.
Riven surges forward anyway, and the entire group retreats a step with him.
A woman breaks through the crowd in front of us, her black, velvet gown trailing on the floor as she shouts, “Don’t be stupid, Waylen!”
I see a dozen sets of eyes shift.
She steps forward, eyes trained on him with exasperation and fury. “You thinkyou’rethe one who can beat our king? You thinkyou'rethe exception?”
Waylen doesn’t answer, but his cocky smile falters slightly.
