Page 65 of Anatomy of the Immortal Species

He waited another moment before saying, “You hit like a girl.” Diana’s next attacks on the punching bag were definitely not girlish. “That crooked jab will make some of the more serious players in the Al-Hatib laugh.”

Her jab wasn’t crooked. It was perfect, executed with an ideal position of the elbow, body, and chin. But the immaculate fighting technique alone wouldn’t save her from decapitation – if the rumours about the identities of some competitors in the tournament were true.

She backed away from the bag with a sigh. “What do you want,Constantine?”

He shrugged. “Just to chat.”

“We neverjustchat. We’re not friends.”

“Maybe it’s time we changed that, Diana.” Constantine gave her a slow smile. He couldn’t help but recall how vulnerable she had been in his arms when he’d consoled her after her brother’s death.

Diana placed her palm on the punching bag. “Maybe it’s time you left.”

His gaze drifted down her body. “Can’t I just watch?”

She lifted her upper lip, revealing a glimpse of small, sharp incisors. “What’s there to see?”

“You.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Do you think I’d let you fuck me?”

His lips twisted into a smirk. The way she said “fuck me” tempted him even more. Especially given he’d been thinking about it for a while now.

“Fuck you?” He raised an eyebrow. “I think I’ll spank you first, for that filthy mouth of yours.”

“Perv…” Diana shook her head and resumed her training.

Constantine stepped closer. “Come on. Show me what all that sparring with a sandbag has taught you.”

She shot him a sideways glance. “What?”

“Attack me, dove.”

“You want me tofightyou?”

“I want you to kick my ass and prove you belong in the Al-Hatib Tournament.”

Diana sized him up, her eyes running from his head to his toes. She smirked. “You’re not afraid to get your suit dirty, necromancer?”

“Generally,yes, but I’m more afraid I’ll die of boredom watching your pathetic attempts to scratch me.”

Her eyes flared – his words had gotten to her, as he’d hoped.She took a deep breath, and her outline blurred in front of his eyes. Her figure retained its elegance, but the muscles on her bare arms, abdomen, and thighs became more defined, shifting into a state of readiness for battle. The complexion of her face grew paler, while the pink of her lips deepened into a darker, burgundy hue. Her vampire fangs were small and sharp, barely noticeable.

“Interesting,” Constantine said, attempting to keep his tone level. But he couldn’t stop his eyes from roaming her form, impressed with her ease of transforming. “You’ve been tapping into your secondary form?”

“Of course. Everyone else at this tournament will, and I’d be dead meat if I’m not able to. Luka’s vial helped me tremendously, and I don’t intend to let my secondary form go to waste. I have to be able to train without itandwith it.”

She charged at him with a right cross aimed at his chin, but Constantine parried it with ease. Diana followed up with a quick jab from her left fist, only to be repelled again. She repeated the attacks, each one failing to land. Frustrated, she lifted her leg, aiming to drive her foot into his stomach, but Constantine stepped back, dodging her kick.

“Are you just going to defend yourself?” she snapped, launching another jab.

Constantine blocked it with his forearm, then countered with a powerful sidekick that took her legs out from under her, sending her sprawling to the floor. “No.”

Diana blinked. Scrambling back to her feet, she charged at him with everything she had. A shower of fists and kicks rained down on him. He avoided attacking, allowing her to think he wasn’t fighting back because he believed her too weak. It would enrage her further and bring her to the state he wanted her in.

When she began to pant, he made a gesture for her to stop and feigned a yawn. “That was satisfying. Now that our warm-up isdone, how about we move on to something more interesting?”

Constantine took off his jacket and tossed it to the ground, while Diana assumed a fighting stance. Instead of attacking her, he unbuckled his belt, laying it down beside the jacket, followed by his shoes and watch. Then his clothes and skin began to dissolve into an invisible void. For a moment, his bare organs and muscles remained, until they, too, vanished, leaving nothing but bones and two black wings protruding from his spine.