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The large room we’re in looks like an underground gym meant for stealthy training. It’s massive with concrete walls and no windows. Only a few dim lights try to cast a glow in the room as Slade stares at me.
“What… What’re you doing?”
He cuts his eyes toward me, and he cracks his neck to the side. “I can’t use magic,” he says, picking up a knife and twirling it between his fingers with practiced perfection, “so we’re going to fight. Obviously to the death.”
I swallow down the bile in my throat, and reach down to grab the knife from my boot. He watches me carefully with a guarded, composed expression, and I never take my eyes off him.
“Why make me fight? Why not just kill me and get it over with?”
“I’m more of the type to give you a fair fight than slit your throat in your sleep.”
“You’d use magic on me if you could, and that’s not fair.”
Yeah, I’m stalling. I hope Zee and his people bust in any second now, because I’ve heard them talk like Slade is indestructible.
His lips twitch, and his tongue toys with a faint scar on one side of his lower lip before he speaks.
“Magic isn’t an unfair advantage. As of right now, you have the advantage. Hand-to-hand is an anointed’s specialty.”
He twirls the knife again, and I narrow my eyes. “I’ve never been trained. Not even a little bit.”
He spins suddenly, and I duck and roll like a boss before launching myself up and onto my feet. When I whip around, Slade is smirking at me.
“You’re born with the instinct of a seasoned warrior. When you resonate and own your calling, it’s supposed to give you a thousand battles worth of experience. At least that’s the theory. Time to test that.”
Something inside me snaps, and nature takes over as I race right at him. Slade slides on the ground, and I flip over him. Our knives clank together like swords in battle, even though they’re far from swords.
My blade pushes down, while his thrusts up, and I flick my wrist just right to catch his hand and draw blood.
I hit the ground in a tuck-and-roll motion, feeling like I just stepped out of the freaking Matrix. I’m back on my feet in less than a second, and I glare across the room at him when we both hold our ground.
“Why do you really want me dead?”
“Your family is here to kill everyone in this town until they find you… Your anointed fam
ily. They want to cleanse your blood,” he says idly. “I knew they’d come. I knew you’d lead them all right to us. Just like I knew the Aquarius bloodline had to end before it could continue with one of our kind. There’s no telling what the hell will happen if that hex is carried out.”
He launches himself at me, and my instincts take over. My fist flies out, and connects with his throat, leaving him gasping and doubling over. My knee slams up and connects with his face, knocking him back until he’s staggering.
Lunging, I aim for his side, not his heart, but the knife doesn’t connect because he grabs my wrist. His other elbow comes up and slams into my face.
I see stars and taste blood when I fall on my ass, and I roll up to my hands and knees to cough and choke for air.
“This is personal,” he snarls.
I don’t know what that means, and I don’t get the chance to ask before a foot connects with my side. My stomach feels like it’s attacking my throat when I become airborne and crash into the far wall, before dropping to the ground.
I clutch my side, feeling the cracked ribs under my fingertips as more blood pools in my mouth. My eyes cut to him, and I spit.
“Why?” I manage to ask, but he attacks again.
Even though the pain is excruciating, I leap to my feet and throw my fist into his face. He barely staggers this time before his knee connects with my wounded side, and he punches me again.
It’s like fighting a brick wall every time one of my hits connects. He’s nothing but muscle and fury, and the volatile mixture is geared solely at me. With one hand, he slaps me to the ground, and he steps on my chest.
Suddenly, there’s a red streak of power bursting through the room, and it nails Slade in the chest hard enough to sling him into the wall. The concrete cracks on impact, and the click of high heels resounds like an echo.
Through blurry eyes, I look up to see Kya’s eyes blazing red and her hands bright red with power on the ready.
