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Fire lit her palm, and Reese jerked away.
I couldn’t tell who the crowd was cheering for as Reese ducked, weaved, and attempted to get Rose on her back. At the first blow to her face, however, a hush fell over them.
All eyes turned in our direction. Neo had locked his limbs where he stood, but the way his eyes glowed was telling enough.
Reese shook off the hit, then dodged the other two, which were followed by several small fireballs being pelted at her in rapid succession. Her hair and clothes were singed, and she was breathing hard by the time Lucia announced the five-minute mark.
The crowd became rowdy once more, up until Reese was backed into a corner with Rose advancing on her like she was prey.
Reese was bleeding from a blow to the head, blood dripping down into her left eye and rendering it almost useless. She took a shaky breath; terror gripped me as Rose took another step, and then Reese dropped to her knees.
“Get up!” I snapped at her from outside the ring. “Get up, Reese!”
“I’m tired,” she said weakly. “I’m so—”
“You just have to last one more minute, and then you can tap Marilyn in,” I urged hurriedly. “You’re not weak, Reese. You’re the strongest person I know! Now, get up!”
Rose advanced, lightning quick, and Reese—exhausted from the constant onslaught of attacks, only one eye working—stood and took the full force of Rose’s blow.
Silence fell around us again as Reese staggered toward the floor, but she caught herself. Her head snapped up, leaned back, then slammed into Rose’s face hard.
The satisfying crunch of bone breaking was enough to make me shout in glee.
With Rose temporarily stunned, Reese let out a war cry as she rushed the fae, attempting to tackle her to the floor. However, Rose merely stumbled a step back before she regained her balance.
Are you fighting someone tonight?Sariel’s voice suddenly filtered through my thoughts, and I froze.
Yes?
Are you asking me or telling me, Aria?
Yes, I have to fight someone. It’s for an assessment.
I’m coming.
That might not be a good idea.
I’ve never had a good idea in my life. I’m already at the entrance. Is that Reese in the ring?
I hadn’t even thought that Sariel would come to see me fight. Now that he was here, my shoulders lost a little of their tension, my heart rate slowed, and I let out a breath I hadn’t even realized I was keeping trapped in my lungs.
Another silence fell over the crowd. I didn’t have to look to know that they’d spotted Sariel as soon as he entered.
“Heads up,” Marilyn said. “Johnny and Sariel incoming.”
“Finally,” Mikey muttered. “The staring was getting uncomfortable.”
His words made me pause. “You don’t think those two are being threatened with fae vagina too, do you?” I asked Marilyn.
She considered my question. “If Johnny is, he’s not telling me,” she frowned.
I watched Sariel approach, and my lips pulled into a frown. “Yeah. Sariel, neither.”
“Ten minutes!” Lucia announced. Marilyn hopped up along the ring, and Reese’s hand slapped wetly into hers. Neo scooped her up out of the ring just as she teetered. I could hear him whispering soothingly to her as he healed her.
“Reese has tapped in Marilyn Ansen,” Lucia announced. “Marilyn, you have three minutes before Reese needs to get back in the ring.”
Marilyn tilted her neck until the bones cracked as Rose smirked at her from the other side of the ring. “That’s fine,” she smirked back. “I only need one.”
