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Six fucking centuries.
Though he knew what she wanted, his entire being rebelled against it. If only he could make her see reason, see it from his perspective.
The thought of her dead. Dying. Her blood pooling around him…
A blinding pain in his center snapped him back to the present. He looked down, shocked at the sight of a sword sticking out of his stomach.
Damn it. He’d gotten distracted.
He leaped away with a grimace.
“Is that all there is to the great Lord Felix?” Stephen spit, his expression one of disgust. “You don’t deserve Gabby.”
Red hazed the edges of Felix’s vision. He grabbed the hilt of the sword and yanked it out.Fuck. That hurt!The wound was already healing, but it was taking longer than the other minor cuts.
He rushed forward with all the speed at his disposal. Twisting the guisarme, Felix jabbed left and right, his senses and brain processing and anticipating Stephen’s moves at the smallest hint of reaction. He refused to fall into the trap of the rhythm again. He channeled his swirling emotions toward defeating Stephen, as though the other vampire was the reason Gabby refused to return to his side. He gave Stephen his full attention. This was what he’d come here for.
To stop thinking about Gabby.
Felix had to give it to the other male, who held his own under Felix’s onslaught despite his younger age. They danced back and forth across the arena, each taking turns inflicting wounds on the other.
His strength waned as the sparring continued. It became harder to draw breath. The polearm grew heavy. Stephen wasn’t doing much better. His sides heaved for air, his hair clung to his face from sweat, and his sword swipes slowed.
Neither one of them would be the first to stop.
Stephen seemed hell bent on defeating him. Felix’s next swing was a fraction of a second slower. Stephen dashed past the polearm. Felix gripped the sword tip before it stabbed into his stomach, blocked out the burning pain in his hand, and swept his feet under Stephen’s.
He released his sword to jump out of the way.
Smart man. But not fast enough.
Felix dropped his weapon, flipped the sword, caught the handle, and swung. A line of red crossed Stephen’s chest. Snarling like a savage, Stephen leaned forward into the sword and shredded Felix’s shoulder with his claws. Felix grunted. Fire burned his right side and his vision wavered.
But he wasn’t about to lose. Not to someone who thought he wasn’t worthy of his mate.
He bared his teeth in a hiss and kicked Stephen in the knee. Bone crunched. Stephen dropped to the ground, then rolled away before Felix could stake him with the sword.
A pause as they caught their breath. Blood roared in Felix’s ears. The world had narrowed to only this fight. Blood dripped from their wounds to the ground. Both of them had spent so much energy their wounds had stopped healing instantly.
“Let’s finish this.” Felix dropped the sword and extended his claws.
The weapon hitting the ground was their signal. They lunged, teeth bared, the full power of their vampire unleashed.
Right before they collided, a column of water erupted between them. Shock froze Felix in place. Then the water column split in the middle and slammed into him. He flew into the air for a second before he landed hard on his back, the air rushing from his lungs.
When he sat up, Stephen was far away on the other side. Melli, Stephen’s mate, stood between them with her hands on her hips and exasperation over her features.
“Are you two done?”
“No,” they shouted, jumped to their feet, and rushed at one another again.
The same thing happened. Though Felix was prepared, he was no match for the force of the water that lifted him off his feet and tossed him back.
When he sat up again, brushing water out of his eyes, Melli had her arms crossed. “I can do this all day.” To make her point, three columns of water, each about a foot wide and eight feet tall, surrounded her. “Or I can freeze you until you cool off.” The water turned to solid ice in another heartbeat.
“Stay out of it,” Felix growled.
An answering growl from Stephen. “Watch your tone.”
