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“I thought this was supposed to be a fight?” The criminal spins, looking up at the balconies above us with his arms outstretched. “I’m not sure how wiping the floor with some young girl’s face is going to rehabilitate me. Isn’t that a step in the wrong direction?”
Abusive parent, child predator, rapist, womanizer… I suppose we can add ‘showboater’ to his list of ungodly titles, too.
The announcer doesn’t answer. The domed barrier between us doesn’t flinch. The same iridescent glow ripples over its glassy surface as I flip over, pushing up on all fours.What the fuck is this guy?He’s certainly not a witch. I doubt he’d abhor his own kind. No… He’s something else. His power is different. Whereas magic tastes sweet, this smells even sweeter. It’s not black magic. He’d have signs if he wielded it–rotting teeth, blackened gums,something.
I climb to my feet, thankful for his ego. It keeps him occupied, and he doesn’t notice. He’s too busy stroking it with imaginary praise, as he spins around the arena, like a crowd is cheering for him. He doesn’t seem the least bit worried about me, and I’m not sure if that’s good or bad. The moment I’m situated on my feet, white eyes lock with mine and his arms flop to his sides with a smack.
“It’s about fucking time you got up,” he taunts.
His teeth slip through his gums, reflecting light off their metallic surface. The points are as sharp as knives and lethal as shit. I’ve only ever seen one person with a cheese like this before… The High King.
What the fuck… How?I’d know if there were creatures like this on Earth. We would’ve learned about them when I attended the Belphegor Academy. The Faction council, the governing body that oversees the paranormal, would know. Yet, I’ve witness undeniable proof that this man once walked and terrorized Earth. Which begs the question, how did he manage to get topside?
The veins around my eyes raise, moving slowly like slithering snakes beneath the surface of my skin. My vision changes, becoming animal-like.Predatory. The world around me seems to slow as I stalk my opponent. He’s gotten lucky, caught me off guard, but now it’s time to play.
“Not a witch, then,” he says. I’d give anything to wipe that damn smirk off his face.
I rush forward, closing the distance between us as fire erupts around me. He whips lightning and I drop, using the momentum to slide beneath the deadly bolt. Well, what would be deadly to a non-witch. If you can siphon it, then it’s useless.
Reaching up, I snag the colored streak, ripping out the magic fueling the current until it’s nothing more than a rope. I jerk it to the ground, sending him off balance and clambering to the stone ground. The wail he makes as he collides with the unforgiving surface, brings a smile to my face.
I bet it’s been a while since he’s felt physical pain… I’ll make sure he never forgets the feeling. Before he can recover, I’m on my feet once more, barreling toward him. Our bodies clash, sending him flying across the arena and into the shimmering barrier. It crackles and zaps, straining under the pressure.
He starts to stand, but my fist is faster. I swing, connecting with the right side of his jaw with a sickeningcrack. On my command, my magic curves around his wrists, shackling him to the ground.
Satisfied, I take a step back, expecting him to admit defeat, but he doesn’t. He thrashes in my hold and it takes every ounce of strength I have to keep him in place. My fingers thread into his hair and I beat the back of his head against the barrier until his body weakens. His attempts grow more pathetic by the minute until they stop all together.
My flames go out and when I let him go, the prisoner slumps forward and the buzzer rattles the air.I won…I can hear someone calling for me, likely Finn, but it’s hard to make out what they’re saying over the sound of my erratic heart. The barrier dissipates and the guards step forward, ready to take him away.
As the sound around me returns, I make out someone hooting and hollering like a crowd going wild for a football team scoring the game-winning touchdown. I spin, chest heaving to find Finn fist pumping the air and prancing around the arena. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think he was the champion of this match.
Finally, he stops, turning to me and running forward with outstretched arms. “You did it!” His body slaps into mine as he wraps me into a hug, pinning my arms awkwardly to my sides.
Ibarelywon. And as much as it is an accomplishment, my first real fight, it was a rude awakening. I’m nowhere close to being ready to fight Michael. Not when a creature like that knocked me on my ass.
My feet connect with the ground once more as Finn sets me down, then takes a single step back, bracing his hands on his hips. “Round two!”
“Round what?” I ask, my voice barely a whisper.
“Round two!” he shouts toward the balcony, slow-clapping his hands as he returns to the side of the arena. Finn snags a wooden chair from the wall and flips it around so he can sit in it backwards and still be inside the barrier. With a wide grin, he shoots me a thumbs up. “Let’s do it again, Princess. This time, let’s try for half the time, though. Yeah? When we go to war–”
I cut him off. “I know. I know.” When we go to war, there won’t be second chances. My enemy isn’t going to parade around and taunt others on a balcony while I recover. I need to do better. No… Iwilldo better. By the time we face Michael on the battlefield, I’ll be something straight out of his worst nightmare.
4
Kai
Letting go of the dagger’s hilt, it flips in the air and I catch the tip on the downfall.
Any moment now…
I’ve never been one to sit still for too long. Still, something is different about coming home this time. It shouldn’t be. I know every inch of the woman, inside and out, so why can’t I shake the nerves coiling in the pit of my stomach?
Things are bound to change over time, right? It’s how we grow, but that’s not what’s eating at me. It’s whether they’ve changed for the better or worse. I know I’m not the same man I was when I left almost two months ago. I’ve got the scars to prove it. And over the last year I’d like to think Alice and I bonded more… That we became closer and fell deeper.
At the end of the day, though, I’m still the man who plucked her from her home. Technically, Allister is, but it was my command. Just as I’m the man who won’t let her leave the castle without an escort and to someone like Alice, the lack of freedom is Hell.
Six weeks is a long time to think. It’s time to process without lust and the drug-like addiction that comes with touching each other getting in the way. It’s easy to push aside all of the mumbo jumbo and focus on the main strings binding us when you don’t have to face the other person. I know there’s something between us that runs deeper than a war, or peer-pressure, and duty. We took lemons and wedding rings, and somehow managed to make lemonade with it. We even developed feelings along the way. I just really fucking hope they’re strong enough to withstand the life that being royalty requires.
