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There’s a glimmer in the blonde woman’s eyes as she assesses her opponent. She sweeps her braid over her shoulder, her hands in fighting position.
“Take notes on Susan’s moves.” Bastian circles her, but his attention is on me.
I sit down on a log, ready to observe.
“You’re up next, so it’s important to study what works and what doesn’t.”
The Council of Avren denounces fighting. It’s a method Undesirables use because they are primitive, lacking our advances in technology and mediation. Our advances. I’m no longer a Citizen of Avren but an Undesirable. It’s as if someone took my worldview and flipped it on its head.
“Are you watching?” Bastian growls. Susan has him in a headlock, his face red as she adjusts her hold on him. He uses the temporary loosening of her grip to snatch her waist and throw her to the ground, sitting on top of her and grinding her wrists into the dirt. “Never let up, Mari. Your opponent will use your weaknesses.”
With his head turned to me, Susan locks her teeth into the sensitive skin of his forearm.
“Shit!” He releases her wrist to shake out his arm.
Using his distraction, Susan shoves him off, jumps to her feet, and dives for his midsection, knocking him to the ground. She climbs onto his chest and uses her knees to pin his arms to the ground. “Give up, Commander.”
“You’re something else.”
When she releases him, he grips the front of her shirt and pulls her in for a kiss.
My stomach flips, so I avert my eyes, focusing on the other fight. Mav has Rafe backed into a tree, keeping the scuffle off the ground. Mav is shorter but has the clear advantage in strength to his wiry opponent, his arm muscles tight within his shirt.
Bastian sits beside me on the log, slightly out of breath. “You think Mav has him beat?”
After seeing Susan kiss Bastian, I can’t look at him. People in Avren never showed affection in front of me—not even my parents. I tug on the hem of my shirt, intent on keeping the conversation professional. “He’s clearly the stronger of the two.”
“Looks can deceive.” He scoots closer, leaning in to point at Rafe. “Don’t underestimate your opponent.”
As he says this, Rafe slips out from Mav’s grasp and ducks below his arms with lightning speed. Suddenly, he’s behind him, his arm wrapped around the shorter man’s neck. After a few intense minutes, Mav stops flailing, and Rafe lowers him to the ground.
“See,” Bastian says, placing his hands on his knees as he stands. “He’ll have quite the headache when he wakes.”
Rafe waltzes forward, his chest puffed out. Laurel shoots him a disgusted look and goes to attend to her boyfriend.
“Are you ready for our scuffle, Mari?” Rafe holds out a hand to help me up, not letting go when I try to drop it. “I promise to let you spend a majority of the time on top.”
“Mari’s off-limits.” Bastian ladles the steaming substance from the cauldron into a bowl and hands it to Susan. “Find another poor urchin to bother.”
“I can handle myself.” Keeping my hand locked in Rafe’s, I’m not sure if I can, but I’m tired of the Commander’s constant mothering. In a move I watched Susan use, I swipe my leg around, trying to knock Rafe’s feet out from under him. It feels as if I hit an iron pole.
He laughs and gathers me into his arms, deep dimples carved into his cheeks. “You’re so cute.” He jostles me as my cheeks burn. This is not how I pictured my first fight.
I want to bury my fist in his dimples as I glare at him.
Rafe finally releases me, his face falling as he walks away. His mood swing gives me whiplash. The vitamins I took yesterday no longer feel as strong. I’m beginning to understand where he’s coming from.
“Don’t mind him.” Bastian nods in Rafe’s direction. “The guy’s used to rejection. Susan, teach Mari how to perform a proper leg sweep while I work with the others.”
Susan’s eyes widen, and she frowns. “Do I have to?” Her intense gaze rakes down the canvas-bag clothes the government issued me. They are hideous. “Why do the rest of you get to have all the fun?”
My heart rate increases as I roll up my sleeves, sweat prickling my neckline. It isn’t like I chose to come here. Grayson delivered me into these circumstances. A new feeling rolls through the pit of my stomach, stretching out until my extremities grow numb. The urge to punch someone has grown tenfold, and Bastian is the closest punching bag. Maybe the meds have officially worn off.
With everything I have, I slam my fist into his chest, which I’m sure was unexpected, because he never would have allowed me to do it. Before I can do it again, his hands are around my wrists. He twists me around and pulls me into his chest. His hot breath is tickling my ear, causing me to shiver. “We are not enemies.”
I struggle to free myself, but he won’t release me. “Let me go. It’s no wonder Avren rejected you. You reject everything we stand for—order, nonviolence, peace. And to fornicate in public in front of everyone?”
“What?” Susan quirks an eyebrow. “You mean our kiss? Seriously?”
