There was a man once who harassed Kay and me, and he wound up dead. I always wondered whether Ruben was the one who ended him. I never asked, didn’t want it on my conscience, but now, in this moment, I find that I need to know.
‘Tella?’ I ask tentatively.
‘Yes.’ His eyes meet mine, but there’s no regret in them. He did what he had to.
‘Thank you,’ I whisper.
A lopsided smile curls his lips. ‘There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you, Rose. You know that.’
Idoknow that.
My skin heats a little. Ruben and I had an arrangement in the slums – friends with benefits and no feelings allowed. Though if I’m honestwith myself, I knew he’d never stick to that rule. Right from the off he’d wanted more, even though he tried to pretend he didn’t. I ignored it. Ignored the way he looked at me, the way he wanted so much more, because I didn’t feel the same. Part of me wished I had. Wished I could be the partner he so desperately wanted me to be.
What I felt for Ruben was nothing like the fire I felt for Kyor. It wasn’t even a candle to a bonfire. Yet he killed for me.
‘Let’s see what you’ve got, then.’ Kyor’s voice breaks our moment as he swings at Ruben, only for Ruben to duck out of the way and drive his sword at Kyor with more force than I’d expected.
Ruben fights like someone who learned in alleys – fast, dirty, unpredictable. Kyor fights like someone who learned in war – precise, lethal, uncompromising. Their blades clash in jarring rhythms, steel ringing out across the clearing.
‘Your stance is atrocious,’ Kyor snaps.
Ruben snorts. ‘You don’t have time to learn fancy footwork when you spend your days actually trying to stay alive.’
‘The fancy footwork,’ Kyor grinds out, ‘gives your body the stability it needs to do this.’ He lands a blow close to the hilt of Ruben’s sword before switching his feet and thrusting low. Ruben defends against the strikes, just barely.
Undeterred, Kyor goes in for another, his blade ripping through the air and cleaving downwards, only for Ruben to block it in an impressive display of strength.
A grin flickers on Ruben’s lips.
‘Keep your shoulders down,’ Kyor orders. ‘You’re leaving an opening.’
‘You leave openings,’ Ruben fires back. ‘I believe there is currently one in Rose’s bed. I’ll be happy to fill it.’
Kyor stills. ‘You have a death wish, slum rat? You should have just said.’ Kyor’s sword hits the ground and he’s on Ruben before I can blink, snarling worse than Elska. But somehow Ruben is ready. He meets Kyor with a punch that snaps the prince’s head sideways, only for Kyor to return one that sends Ruben staggering.
They crash into each other again, fists hammering, bodies colliding, snarling like the feral wolves of Afaven Forest.
Kyor could obliterate Ruben in a heartbeat, reducing him to ash with a thought. But he doesn’t reach for his magic. He chooses his fists instead, driving them hard and fast, every blow deliberate, controlled, and brutal. But Ruben doesn’t waver, doesn’t give him an inch.
Blood drips from them both as I scream out into the night. ‘STOP! The pair of you, stop it!’
Neither even glances in my direction, let alone do as I ask.
Instead, Kyor slams Ruben into a tree, only for Ruben to knee Kyor in the thigh. Barely allowing himself time to wince, Kyor grabs Ruben by the furs and throws him, hard, into the snow, and yet Ruben isn’t done. From flat on the ground, he sweeps Kyor’s legs out from under him and drags the prince down beside him.
They’re rolling, clawing, punching, completely lost to the fight.
‘We should have snacks.’ Benny sighs mournfully. ‘That’s all this is missing. Snacks.’
‘They’re going to kill each other!’ Caz exclaims.
Benny shakes his head. ‘No, they’ll be fine. They just need to pummel the shit out of each other. Score some points. It’s a man thing.’
‘It’s a pissing contest,’ I snap.
Caz bites at her nails. ‘Is it any wonder I prefer women?’ she mutters.
We continue to watch on as a crack of thunder rolls above us, but rather than lightning, it’s hail that rains down on us.
