Page 44

CHAPTER 43

I have lots to do, so I’m up before sunrise. Black’s and his team’s heads have been spiked on the wall. A macabre idea, yes, but I hope it reminds them of Tate’s and my promise. I spent my morning reassuring the commanders that as long as they are not doing anything wrong, they have no reason to worry, and they should get back to hunting and training.

It seems Tate has everyone on edge. One woman has the ability to topple this empire, and I couldn’t be prouder, so I seek her out. I checked in on her using the cameras a few times during the night, and what I saw warmed my heart. She was surrounded by her new team. I don’t know if she’s even aware that they took turns keeping watch over her and the area to protect her while she rested. She didn’t order them to, but they did it without asking.

She might have built this team for revenge, but it seems a bond has formed.

I wonder if I’ll fit at all. I don’t plan to let her go either way, but I need to find a way to fit in with them. They are clearly important to her, as she is to them. I need to earn their trust as well as hers because Tate Havelock means everything to me.

Her location shouldn’t surprise me when I find her, but it does. Most would hide after that declaration or be planning or resting, but not my angel. She strides into the gym like she owns it, uncaring about the others training there. The fact that she chose the basement floor gym speaks volumes. She wants to show them she’s not afraid, and the monsters tailing her only add to that.

Leaning into the observation platform above, I can’t help but watch her. She is magnificent. Every eye is on her, but she doesn’t care or even look their way. She wanders through the gym like she owns it as she heads to the machines at the back.

I watch her as she warms up and then jumps on the treadmill. Her eyes remain stoically forward as she runs. Tem runs on the one next to her, keeping pace and grinning at her as he does. The big guy, Addeus, picks up the weightlifting machine and starts pressing it rather than the weights, as hunters stumble away in horror.

Ronan floats around grinning, and the fae lounges on the mats, watching Tate’s ass move with Fang at his side. Jarek does squats near Addeus, all of them ignoring the looks and hatred thrown their way.

It finally boils over, and a brave hunter heads their way, slamming his hand into the emergency stop on Tate’s machine. She slows and stops, turning her gaze to him. I can’t hear what they are saying from here, but she smirks and turns her back on him, heading to the mats in the middle.

Ah, he challenged her.

I knew it would happen, and I settle in to watch Tate Havelock kick his ass. The only reason Black and his team won before is because they took her by surprise. Otherwise, they would have lost as well.

Tate does not give up, and it’s not conceited to say, but she is the best fighter the hunters have. She’s even better than I am . . . well, almost.

I need to get a better look at this, so I head down and blend into the crowd, watching amongst them as they gather around the mats where Tate and the hunter face off. She bows out of respect, but he spits at her feet, and I know he will pay for his disrespect. Some of the crowd cheers him on, booing her. She doesn’t let it show, but I know it hurts her. She has given her life to these hunters, so the disrespect is insane. She has faced more than most due to her gender as it is, but she showed them time and time again that she deserves her status, and now they are back to judging her and tearing her down.

This is necessary to remind them who she is.

She waits for him to move, and he doesn’t disappoint. He’s acting on anger, thinking he’s in the right, but it makes him clumsy and stupid. Oh, don’t get me wrong, he’s trained and could kick most people’s asses, but she is not most people.

She ducks under his punches then dances out of the way, letting him tire himself out.

Her movements are fluid, and she dodges before they can even react, leaving him standing there as she dances circles around him. Tate is playing with him, and he knows it. It infuriates him, his face twisting as he lashes out angrily.

His movements start to slow as the crowd laughs at him, and that’s when she strikes. Slipping under his guard, she sweeps his leg out, knocking him down and into her waiting knee. His head slams into it, and he’s unconscious before he even hits the mat.

She steps over his body and faces the crowd, which is now silent.

“Anyone else?” she calls.

At least six other hunters step forward, and she grins. “Fine, but I don’t have a lot of time, so let’s make this quick and take care of all of you at once.”

She gestures for them to step onto the mat, and they share looks and nods as they circle her, ready to attack.

“Wait, wait . . .” She holds up her hand, and the crowd laughs, thinking she’s scared, but I see amusement in her gaze. “Let’s make this interesting, shall we?” She pulls her shirt up and off, exposing her sports bra and creamy marred skin, then she wraps it around her eyes as a blindfold. “There, now it’s almost even. Let’s begin.”

She waits with her hands at her sides, her gloves off. They hesitate only for a moment before diving at her two at a time. She ducks under a punch and knocks someone else’s leg away. They stumble backwards, but another launches at her back. She spins, and he flies past her.

Mid spin, she catches the leg of a man aiming a brutal kick at her stomach, and she uses it to yank him closer, smashing her forehead into his. He falls backwards, hitting the floor hard, and she pounces on him, slamming her fist into his face twice before knocking him out then rolling away to avoid a boot. Sliding up behind them, she slaps the edge of her hand between one’s shoulder and neck, and when he crumples, she grips another’s neck and knocks him out. There’s a yell as two run at her again, and she chuckles as she ducks under their attacks. They become brutal, trying to kill her, but when she ducks from between them, they hit each other instead and go down in a tangle of limbs, leaving only two left.

They are smarter and more patient. They circle her, and she tilts her head, listening as her body relaxes. Unlike most, she has virtually no telltale signs on when she will act. I only notice the slight twist of her fingers before she leaps, but to others, it would be unnoticeable. She pivots, kicks into the air, and slams her foot across one of their faces. He goes down hard, knocked out before they hit the mat, and she rolls under the second, coming up behind him and swinging her legs around his neck. She flips him into the mat and follows him down, her hands on his cheeks as she smashes his head into it over and over until he stops moving.

Climbing to her feet, she waits for a moment before tugging her blindfold off to see them all unconscious or groaning around her.

Not one of them touched her.

The crowd cheers for her now, and none are louder than her monsters who clap and whistle the loudest. She winks at them, and I step onto the mat. “I challenge you.”

Shock ripples around the crowd as she gapes at me. I have never challenged anyone. I don’t even spar with hunters here, since I’m too busy and don’t want to lose face, but they need to see that I won’t go easy on her and that she’s earned my loyalty.

Stepping onto the mat, I tug my shirt off and toss it to the side so I’m in nothing but my trousers and socks. Her eyes narrow on me as I wait.

“Unless you’re scared, angel?”

“Of you? You wish. You’ve gone soft sitting behind a desk. Stalker? More like staller,” she says, stepping back into the middle. I join her, standing opposite, and we bow to each other before her feet slide back and her hands come up. Unlike with the others, she’s serious and more hesitant.

She knows I’m strong, and she’s not about to lose face by underestimating me. Luckily for me, I know how she fights, and I know exactly what to expect—or at least I think I do as I rush her. She dances back, avoiding my punches, before I feint left and bring my right fist up in a brutal jab.

Her head jerks to the side with the blow. I hold nothing back, giving her my full strength, and when she turns back to me, she spits her blood in my face. It blinds me for a moment, then she’s on me, utilising that weakness. It’s dirty fighting, and I can’t help but smile.

That’s my fucking girl.

We hit the mat hard, and she manages to land four good punches before I buck her off, and she gets back to her feet.

She stands before me, panting, and smiles. Narrowing my eyes, I reach up and find my cheek split and bleeding.

She’s the first person to ever land a hit on me.

Climbing to my feet, I suck my fingers clean of the blood, not allowing a drop to fall. You can never be too careful. Blood is a life force, and in the wrong hands, it can be used for anything. She doesn’t care as she eyes me.

“Come on!” someone yells.

She glances to the right, a rookie mistake, and I sweep her legs out. She goes down hard, but she flips to her front, gripping the mat. Holding her hips, I yank her back, and she rolls and kicks me in the face. I fall back, and she snarls at me as she climbs to her feet. She’s panting and mad as I dive at her, knocking her back. Her fists hammer into my back before she wraps her body around me and flips us, throwing me across the mat. I recover as fast as I can to see her standing once more. She knows she’s losing, and she can’t have that. Her eyes dart away for a second, and I see it the moment she does—her shirt.

I rush her, but she manages to kick it up, catching it midair, and duck under my punch before coming up behind me. She kicks me down, and I hit the mats again.

She uses her shirt as a weapon, winding it around my neck and yanking me up onto my knees. Most would lift their hands to grab it, but instead, I reach back, clutch her thighs, and flip us forward. It loosens her hold as she hits the mat, and I let the shirt drop as I slam her hands above her.

“Give up, angel?” I pant into her face.

Her eyes are narrowed, her lips thin. “Never.” Her head jerks up and slams into mine. The force makes me see stars, and I don’t let go, but she manages to flip us, and I lift my hands at the last minute to protect my face as she rains brutal punches to my arms until they ache.

Kicking up, I wrap my legs around her waist and roll us again. “Not the face, angel.” I lean down so only she hears me. “How will you ride it later if you hurt it?”

That pisses her off just like I wanted.

Her elbow comes up, hitting my chin, and I actually fall back from the force. She’s on me then, her hands on my cheeks, and my eyes widen as memories assault me—no, not memories. These are thoughts.

She throws them at me like a physical block, blinding me.

I see her on top of me, our bodies writhing together in ecstasy.

I am not sure if they are her wants or mine, but it does the trick, and when I manage to shake off the stupor, my face aches and she’s hammering into it.

Rolling away with a groan, I kick her, and she hits the mat, breathing heavily. She holds her side as she climbs to her feet and faces off with me again. “I see you’re getting stronger.” I’m careful about what I say, but I mean her abilities.

Her lips tighten, and I don’t know if she meant to control it or if it just happened. Either way, it worked in her favour. I’m dripping blood, my face hurts, and exhaustion is setting in, but she’s leaning to the side and bleeding too. She won’t give in, and neither will I. If we continue this way, one of us will end up dead.

“Draw?” I ask.

“Fuck that.” She flies at me again, and I catch her fist and spin her so her back is to my front. “Draw, angel, before one of us kills the other.”

“Then kill me.” She elbows back and spins, kneeing me in the groin. I go down with a groan, clutching my prized possessions. Agony races through me as she smirks, and she uses my weakness. Her knee comes up, and I feel my nose burst, but I manage to block her next blow. She hits the mat hard as I wrap my hands around her throat. She narrows her eyes as her legs come up and circle my neck.

Both of us clench hard, choking the other.

It’s now a game of who has the most courage.

Dots dance in my vision, and she’s breathing heavily from the earlier hit. She’ll let me kill her before she gives in, but I don’t want that. I don’t care about looking weak, but I care about hurting her, so I loosen my hands and she takes it, thinking I’m losing. She flips me, looping her arm around my neck. “Give up?”

“I give up.” I tap out, and she leaps to her feet, raising her hands in victory.

I watch her with a smile on my face as Ronan grins at me, floating upside down. “You let her win.”

“She deserved it,” I mutter as I climb to my feet, touching my battered face, knowing she did a number on it. When she glances back at me, though, I know it was all worth it.