Our bonded is watching, you traitorous creature.
It huffed.You say that as if our kind doesn’t share.
I chewed the inside of my lip, unable to respond. It wasn’t wrong, but still, I couldn’t shake the feeling of guilt at the way the beast responded to Barrett. It was reminiscent of the way it felt around Micah. It had taken a liking to him from the beginning, but this… There was something different about it.
“You sure like to stare,” Barrett whispered, and I stiffened at the coy smile spreading across his face. “Don’t think I didn’t see you watching us train the last week.”
Had I been so obvious?
The beast nuzzled against my consciousness.You weren’t exactly secretive in your observation.
Shut up!
“Shall I have my likeness painted for you to admire whenever you like?” Barrett whispered, and I ground my teeth.
“I shall have your likeness ground into the dirt beneath my boot,” I growled, running forward.
Barrett huffed a laugh, seeming triumphant as I charged for him. What he didn’t realize, though, was that while others might become flustered when angered...
I thrived.
Barrett narrowly evaded my first strike, and I smiled at the grunt that burst from his lips as my other fist connected with his kidney a second later.
Micah broke into laughter as Barrett stumbled back. “Just remember, you asked for this!”
I didn’t give Barrett the chance to respond, swinging my leg through the air. His arms shot up, blocking my kick before he reached out to grasp my leg. He wasn’t fast enough as I snatched it out of his reach and paced back, flexing my fingers as the beast prowled within me, just as eager to fight as I was. Shouts broke out, and I realized the recruits had stopped their training to encircle us, watching our match.
This was freedom. This was where I belonged: feeling the rush of the fight, the energy of those watching, feeling the blood race through my veins as I put everything I had into bringing my opponent down.
Barrett stepped forward, and I met him in the middle. I punched, he blocked. He kicked, I evaded. We fell into step, our bodies moving in a rhythm that flowed like the rivers and streams, like the birdsong through the maple leaves.
The beast relished in the feel of our bodies colliding.I told you he had bite.
Air rushed from my lungs as his fist connected with my gut. Our movements paused a moment as we stared at each other, panting.
He cracked a cocky smile. “Not tapping out on me, are you?”
I met his smile with one of my own, and he blinked, as if surprised. “Don’t get full of yourself.”
I slammed my face forward, our foreheads connecting, and he cursed as he stumbled back.
A collected groan echoed from the crowd surrounding us, and I stalked around Barrett as he clutched his face, blood already rolling down his chin from his busted nose.
“Not tapping out on me, are you?” I mused, taunting him with his own words.
His steel eyes lifted to me, lit with something I couldn’t place, and my heart danced in my chest. Was he…enjoying this? Who exactly was this male?
He cracked his neck and balled his hands into fists. “Not at all.”
My thoughts scattered at the sight of the smile still lingering on his face. He seemed to relish in the fight when I had expected him to lose his temper. I shouldn’t have liked that as much as I did. I bit back the irrational anger, the irritation bristling through my bond with the beast. I shouldn’t feel this, shouldn’t find delight in sparring with this strange male.
The beast prowled within me, bristling at the display of confidence.Show him we are better. Make him submit.
I launched forward, and Barrett took a step as well, but when he reached for me, I ducked out of his grasp, slipping past him around to his back. He tried to turn to me, but I kicked his knee out from under him. He went down and I leaped up, winding my arm around his throat, my other over his head to trap him in a headlock. We hit the dirt, and he fought against my hold.
The recruits went silent as we struggled, Barrett’s movements kicking up dust. He grunted, body wound tightly as he failed to break free.
“She’s got you!” Micah called. “Tap out!”
