Bjorn falls on his back with a huff and I use the moment he’s disoriented by the unexpected move to roll over to him and lock my forearm around his throat.
Using my body weight, I roll us over so Bjorn is on his belly, still in a chokehold, and I twist one of his arms behind his back.
Our crowd of spectators fall silent.
The big fae under me huffs, testing to see if he can throw me off and wretch himself free.
It’s tempting, oh so tempting, to choke him a little harder.
To twist his arm just a little more until his shoulder dislocates and he has no other choice but to surrender.
But I do neither.
I simply hold him in the chokehold until he stills underneath me. As he lifts his free hand to tap out, I loosen the hold around his neck a little.
Tap, tap.
Immediately, I let go and rise. Panting, I offer my hand for Bjorn.
Slowly, he looks up at me.
For a moment, I think he’ll ignore me. But instead, he clasps his hand around my forearm and allows me to pull him up.
We remain locked in this position for a long heartbeat. Every fiber of my being is tense.
Finally, Bjorn breaks the tension between us with a curt dip of his chin. I return the nod.
And that’s it.
He lets go of my arm and retreats.
Bloom and Fern bark a laugh, and Emil whistles as he claps his hands. But what surprises me the most is Ravenna.
She approaches and takes my chin between her fingers.
Tsking, she swivels my head left, and then right. “You’re lucky he didn’t break the bone.”
I crack a smile. “Agreed. My face is my most precious asset.”
She graces me with a little smile and says, “Go sit down. You need to stop that bleeding.”
I do as she says and follow her to a nearby bench. She sits me down and goes to grab her mender supplies.
Nix remains rooted in place, eyes on me. The relief that floods from her over our bond makes goose bumps rise all over me.
She’s not looking at me like I won.
She’s looking at me like she’s seeing me for the first time.
For a beat, I think she may approach me. But she looks away, shakes her head, and walks back inside the monastery.
I ignore the way my chest stings.
Ravenna comes back with some bandages and a pouch full of mysterious potions. I sit still and grit my teeth while she works her magic to stop the bleeding, clean me up, and bandage the wounds Bjorn inflicted.
Bloom approaches me with a huge smile.
She holds a pouch full of frade for me. “Winner takes the spoils.”
