Oh my. Such a waste.
“You should leave,” Dracoth says, his voice softer now as he releases Sandra, who seems completely lost in her own world. “This is a place for the hard...” He waves a dismissive hand at us like the arrogant prick he is. “Not the soft.”
“Um... sorry—”
“Hard?” I scoff, cutting Sandra off before she fades like my ex-boyfriend’s sex appeal. “You’re playing around in a bath instead of actually training!” I snap, splashing water onto him for good measure.
“Madness!” Dracoth snarls, grabbing my wrist in a grip so tight it makes me gasp. “Did you not listen—”
His words trail off as he turns my hand over for inspection. His once unreadable eyes widen as they flick between my unscathed, wiggling fingers and my defiant grin.
“See? Fine.” I let out a dramatic sigh. “Ah, Dracoth... poor, simple Dracoth. All bluster and no substance, as usual,” I mock, enjoying one of the few expressions I’ve managed to coax out of him.
It’s exciting. Finally, a small victory!
His eyes snap to mine, stern and unyielding. The intensity of his glowing crimson gaze burns away my grin, making me feel like he’s peering straight into my soul. A flutter rises in my chest—half fear, half excitement. What does he want, the big, pervy, prude bore?
“Maybe you could lift those?” Sandra suggests, pointing to the massive jagged boulders scattered around. The words cut through the strange trance between Dracoth and me.
“They are beneath me,” Dracoth scoffs, his voice like a rumbling mountain.
“That’s exactly why you should lift them,” I tease, shaking my head with mock disapproval. “I bet that other guy... what was his name again?” I frown, struggling to recall, probably thanks to that murder gas messing with my brain.
“Jazreal,” Sandra rasps, her voice strained.
“Yeah,thatguy!” I flash her a grateful smile. I should’ve remembered his name—he is super hot, well, if not for that scarred face of his.“I bet he’s lifting all the rocks. Big Mr. Frowny Face ones.”
Dracoth stomps over to the largest boulder, a wardrobe-sized hunk of gleaming black stone. His massive hands wrap around it, and even his grip sends cracks splintering through its surface. With a low grunt, he hoists it overhead, muscles standing taut like cords of coiled metal under his skin.
My breath catches in my throat—oh my.But he’s not done. His red eyes flash as his fingers tighten, grinding the stone together until it shatters, exploding into a cloud of dust and debris that thuds to the steaming ground.
Fucking hell. That guy might be in trouble.
“That was class, Dracoth!” Sandra claps, her eyes wide with admiration. Dracoth, now dusted with powdered stone, looks like someone hit him with a sack of flour.
“What about those guys?” I point to the two aliens who stand exhausted, gulping for air in the arena, their bodies covered in dark bruises and welts. “Why don’t you practice with them?”
“I’ve fought them several times,” Dracoth says dismissively, casting a glance at the exhausted pair. Of course he has. That’s probably why they look like overripe bananas.
“Aren’t you afraid of losing?” Sandra asks, her face flushed and sweaty, a touch of concern creeping into her voice.
“No,” Dracoth growls.
Just as I’m about to roll my eyes at his predictable dullness, he continues. “It is my destiny to be War Chieftain.” He stares off into the distance as if seeing some path laid out before him.
What happened to being the War Chieftain already?I almost blurt out.
“But... what happens to us?” Sandra’s voice falters, her eyes flicking nervously to mine. “If you don’t?”
Dracoth’s red eyes glow ominously, snapping back to Sandra’s. “There is only victory,” he says simply, as reassuring as an eviction notice.
“I mean, confidence is great and all, but let’s be real here. Death Head of the Berserk Crazies might actually win,” I blurt out, kind of regretting it as Dracoth turns his harsh gaze on me.
“What? No need to shoot the messenger.” I throw my hands up in mock surrender. “I’m just saying the guy’s faster and more experienced.”
“You doubt me, female?” Dracoth steps closer, and suddenly the expansive chamber feels a lot smaller.
Always.
