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“I completely understand the sentiment, but you don’t have to be an ass about it.” I held out my fists to him to tap to start the fight and he seemed to consider that before bumping my hands.
He came in fast, but even with so much of my power dampened, I was a skilled fighter and knew how to see the signs. I went low and didn’t try to strike, figuring he was ready for that and wanting to study his style instead.
He didn’t have much of one. He might have had some slight boxing training, but he was a brawler, not a “fighter” in that way.
I danced around him and dodged his hits and kicks again and again.
“You’re good,” he admitted. “Patient. That’s shocking in a young one.”
I nodded. “Not for everything, but I don’t get in fights I don’t think I can win. I run. I run and live to fight another day. It’s our fucking tagline here.”
“It’s how you make it to being ancient,” he agreed. “But you don’t know you can win this fight.”
And he didn’t mean between him and me.
“Nothing is for certain, but I think we can. There’s more that you won’t get read in on since you’re not on the demon council or meeting the big boss ever.”
“It’s Ally,” he snickered.
“It’s not,” Natalia and I said together, both of us nodding we weren’t kidding, but I continued. “And don’t ask. Only the seven of us know for security reasons.”
“I don’t want to know anything that would be a reason to torture or kill me,” he said firmly. “I can’t imagine a demon older than Ally, but you’re not lying, so it’s good you’ve got that big of a gun.” He came at me again and I flipped out of the way.
This time I did go for him, kicking him the moment I landed and then throwing a back punch to clip him. I wanted him to think that was all I had or I rushed a lucky chance.
He fell for it and tried to overwhelm me with his strength. He wanted to grab me and crush me instead of fighting.
“Bad move,” Natalia sighed, knowing how I hated when men tried to use their size and strength like that in a fight instead of having good sportsmanship.
I popped him in the face before he could enclose his arms around me. He completely left himself open to do what he thought was his finishing move. Instantly, his brain seemed to disconnect from his body since his nose was probably lodged somewhere bad and he stopped moving.
I jumped out of the way when it had him off balance and he fell forward onto the mat, knocked out before he landed. “That’s not going to feel good on his face.”
“You didn’t hit him full strength, right? Ally has a soft spot for him. She admitted as much.”
“No, I’m always scared I’ll knock someone’s head clean off even in this form,” I replied under my breath. I shot her a worried look. “Is he really the guy for this job?”
“I don’t know,” she sighed, rubbing the back of her neck. “He’s not at all like Ally was telling me. I wonder how long it’s been since they’ve spent any real time together. How much he’s changed even?”
“Ally taught me to doubt everything and test everyone,” Orion groaned from the mat. “Shit, kid, I’m going to be tasting cartilage for weeks. Did you really have to fuck up my pretty face?”
I snorted, Natalia rolling her eyes. Awesome, so he was a snarky shit just like me.
“Who pissed you off, boss?” one of the guys from Kyle’s teams asked as he walked in with a few others. He looked amused but then frowned. “Sorry, didn’t mean to step in anything.”
“You’re good,” I promised. “He was testing this was all legit and my grit just like I tell you guys to.”
“Well, he couldn’t have been too bad or there would be blood all over the mats,” the guy joked.
“I’m trying to watch that since Elijah bitched that the mats have to be replaced every time I work out here.” I snorted when no one said anything, not wanting to get in the middle of that or risk being on Elijah’s bad side.
Fair enough.
“Apparently, I need to thank you for not making me bleed while digesting my humble pie,” Orion groaned as he rolled over. “Shit, everything is spinning. I need a minute and then you can tell me what’s really the deal.”
I snorted. “It’s such a guy thing that you’re dropping the mask because I proved I have a bigger dick than you.” I rolled my eyes when several of the guys snorted. “The proverbial kind. Whatever.”
It took him another ten minutes to heal enough that the world wasn’t spinning on him. I didn’t help him up though, simply putting back on my shoes and muttering to Natalia that he wasn’t a workout and I had to get going soon.
