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Me?I won mine with every last piece of fucking life I had left in me.

When he met my gaze again, though, something much colder lingered. “Not in the slightest, Huntress.”

I had seen Wolf move, had watched him fight. But being the one on the other side of that undeniable strength was something else entirely. He moved with such precise speed, I barely had time to defend myself as he swung a fist toward my face, making contact with my jaw while he kicked my feet out from under me.

I landed on my back hard, the air rushing from my lungs.Fuck.He really just punched me in the face. This was happening.I scrambled back to my feet and re-adjusted my stance.

“If you want me on my back, you can just ask next time,” I said. My words were barely audible as I fought to catch my breath, but a few fits of laughter confirmed that they were loud enough.

Wolf held my gaze; emotionless, ready. His eyes didn’t leave mine, though, as I moved closer to him. They didn’t wander to the knife in my hand, didn’t observe my approaching feet.

What in the hells was he looking at?

“You don’t know when to quit, Huntress, do you?”

“I know when to quit,” I mumbled, swinging my blade to his side. He blocked it without so much as a grunt. “But I also know that when I quit, I die.”

I could have sworn the corner of his mouth twisted upward, only for a fraction of a second, before he moved again.

This time, he did not hold back.

I attempted to jump over the leg he swung out again, but he was on me in an instant, grabbing me with an arm around the waist and tackling me to the grass. My body rolled over his once before he landed above me, bracing his body above mine while pinning me to the ground.

“Sometimes,” he started, lowering his head until his face lingered just inches from mine, “we have to quit in order to survive.”

Yeah fucking right.

Everyone was watching now, and I could hear even more laughter from the back of the courtyard.

I wasn’t giving up without a damn fight.

I slid my knee up, trying as hard as I could to land a blow between Wolf’s legs, but he realized what I was doing instantly, letting go and dropping the body weight he had been holding earlier. His entire body crashed against mine; he pinned me to the grass easily.

Every single inch of my body touched his. A dark storm brewed behind his eyes, his breath mixed with mine in a rapid wave.

“Try that again, Huntress, and you won’t like what I do next.”

“Get off of me,” I grunted.

“Tell me you’re done with this fight.”

“I’m not done.”

I tried to fight against him, tried to lift my shoulders from under him, but he placed a harsh hand on my chest—right beneath my throat—and pinned me down. A snarl played on his lips, genuine anger this time.

Not playful. Not flirtatious.

“Tell me you’re done.”

No, I wanted to scream. I would never give up, would never surrender. Isn’t that what Lord would have wanted?

Fucking angels.I swallowed a mouth full of bitter, vile blood and choked. I turned my head to the side and spit it out just in time.

“Fight’s over,” Wolf growled, pushing himself off me. I expected him to storm off, to forget I ever existed and go back to ignoring me.

But he grabbed my wrist and hoisted me to my feet. “You’re coming with me,” he insisted.

I tried and failed to yank myself from his grasp. “I’m not going anywhere with you,” I argued.