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It scared the fuck out of me, even as it thrilled me a little too.
All three of them. Willing to share me.
Gods, I really do want that.
Rolling my eyes, I tossed my now empty bag into a corner of the room. I’d promised myself I wouldn’t obsess over what the coming semester might bring, and here I was doing exactly that.
I needed to blow off some steam. To get out of my head for a while. Even standing here in my rental, outside of the academy, I felt antsy and unsettled. Fidgety.
Luckily, I knew a cure for that.
Wonder who the Ringmaster has fighting tonight.
That was my nickname for the guy who ran the underground ring I’d fought in before I developed magic. The shitty thing was, I wouldn’t be allowed to fight there anymore. Vincent, my mentor, had made that perfectly clear.
But that didn’t mean I couldn’t go watch. It wouldn’t be the same as stepping into the ring myself, but it would still be enough to get my adrenaline pumping, to scratch that itch for a good fight.
I grabbed my coat, throwing it on and shoving my keys and wallet into my back pocket. Then I headed out to my old stomping grounds, taking the long walk to the underground fight ring with my hood up and my hands shoved in my pockets.
The warehouse looked just the same as always—covered in graffiti and grime, so ancient and worn-down it appeared practically abandoned. It was just past nine o’clock, and the few streetlamps that still worked cast the large building in shadow.
“Hey. Hold up,” the door guy said as I stepped up to the entrance, putting his hand on my shoulder.
I dropped my head to stare at his hand, then lifted my head, pulling my hood back. When he saw who I was, he pulled his hand back immediately. “Oh, hey, Aria. Sorry. I didn’t realize it was you. We didn’t know you were back in town.”
“Was I supposed to send out engraved announcements?” I shot back sarcastically.
He chuckled and opened the door for me. “It’s good to have you back.”
“Thanks.”
Unfortunately, they wouldn’t be able to get used to it.
When I stepped through the door, I closed my eyes for a second and took in a long deep breath of the stale, sweaty air. It smelled like beer and people. When I opened my eyes, I grinned. It was damn good to be home.
The place seemed busier than it had been before I’d left, with several of the regulars nodding at me as I passed. I wasn’t sure if most of them knew about my magic, but it didn’t really matter. I wasn’t there to fight. I just needed to be somewhere comfortable, somewhere familiar. Pushing through the roaring crowd, I walked down to the ring and inched along until I met with Vincent.
“What’s up?” I said with a nod.
He was wrapping his guy’s knuckles, and he glanced over at me. I saw surprise register in his expression before he dipped his head in a half-nod. “Ari. I didn’t know you were coming into town. It’s good to see you.”
I gave a small smile, something none of the guys from the training gym were used to. “It’s good to see you too. You need any help tonight?”
Vin finished up taping the guy’s hands and fist bumped him, sending him up to the ring. “Nah. It’ll be an interesting fight. These two are pretty well matched, although Nathan”—he jerked his chin toward the guy he’d just sent into the ring—“has a tendency to go out at night, get hungover as fuck, and end up late to practice.”
“I’m sure you’re thrilled about that.”
Vincent huffed out a laugh, gazing up at the ring. He’d pulled his gaze away from me quickly after greeting me, and I noticed he hadn’t looked my way again since. In fact, it seemed like he was avoiding looking at me.
That suspicion was confirmed when he glanced down at the floor, scrubbing a hand over his chin. He was an older man, and had sort of become a father-figure to me after my own dad had died, but something had definitely changed between us after my magic manifested.
“Wish I could stay and watch the fight, but I gotta get some other stuff done. I’ll see you around, kid.”
His gaze flicked up to me once more, and I could see both the warmth and the distrust in his eyes. Part of him was glad to see me, I thought, but that didn’t negate the part of him who could only see me as different now.
I stepped out of the way, surprised at how obvious it was that he was treating me differently than he had before. I wished there was some way to show him, make him realize that I was the same person I had been all along. That was impossible though; he would always think about my magic when he looked at me.
Flipping my hood back up, I faded into the crowd, keeping a low profile as I climbed through the stands and found a seat a few rows up. There were a few other magic users scattered throughout the crowd, but I purposefully avoided them.
