Page 22 of Blood & Throttle

No fear. No thanks.

Just that stubborn, reckless, fight-me-if-you-fucking-dare energy that makes my blood run hot.

I run my tongue over my teeth, my grin slow, and dark—all teeth and bad intentions.

"You got something to say, Little Stray? Or you just gonna stand there looking at me like you wanna bite me?"

Nothing.

Not a damn word.

She just grabs the edge of her helmet and yanks it off, her long, dark waves tumbling free, damp with sweat, a few strands clinging to the curve of her neck. She drags a hand through the mess, fingers raking roughly, shoulders squared like she doesn’t feel the weight of every set of eyes on her.

Like she doesn’t give a single fuck that half the pit wants her dead.

She doesn’t look at me. Doesn’t even acknowledge that I just ripped the entire goddamn pit apart for her. But I see everything.

The sharp cut of her jaw, the stubborn tilt of her chin, the way her lips press together like she’s swallowing something smug. Even covered in dust, blood, and sweat, she still looks like she fucking belongs here.

Then she turns her back on me.

And yeah, I watch her go.

Long strides, lean muscle wrapped in ripped denim and a half-ruined tank top clinging to her like a second skin. She moves like she owns the place, like she didn’t just cheat death, and become the biggest fucking target in this arena.

Like she didn’t just become mine.

And that?

That really pisses me the fuck off.

Because she’s got a mouth that makes my blood heat, an attitude that’s a goddamn fire hazard, and a way of making me want to wreck her and worship her in the same fucking breath.

And the worst part?

She fucking knows it.

Five

Sienna

No Mercy - DeathbyRomy

I should be grateful.I should be kissing the ground for still being alive.

Instead, I want to break something.

Adrenaline is still thrumming through my veins, my heart hammering against my ribs like it doesn’t know the race is over. My knuckles ache from how tight I was gripping Riot’s jacket, my muscles locked up from the fight for survival. I know I should be dead.

But I’m not.

I made it through the first round of The Gauntlet, and surprise, surprise, half the pit wants to see me fucking buried for it.

Jace.

His words slither through my mind like a disease.The first round might be over, but The Gauntlet never sleeps, sweetheart.

That wasn’t just a threat. It was a goddamn promise.