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“Exactly,” Domi grinned, her green eyes roaming over her husband’s bare chest across the sand. He winked at her, then returned his attention to the game.
Artur had been dragged forward, nearing the center mark. His dark eyes were hard and his mouth was set in a firm line, showing more expression than I’d ever seen him display before. Drazen and the others screamed as the mark closed in on him,the competition between Night and Iron reaching a new peak. Ruslan’s raspy voice rose in the distance behind me, as if his whole focus was on this match.
If Kazimir won this, would there be an all-out brawl?
It was no secret at that moment that there was tension between the two realms, and even more so between my two groups of friends. And it was all because of me.
Guilt slammed into me as if I’d dropped one of those heavy stones on my stomach. I was the cause of the tension, and I was only making it worse by not making a choice. But I knew, deep down, that the moment that choice was made, the consequences would be outside of my control, and once the ball was rolling, there would be no stopping it. I was delaying the inevitable, and the longer it continued, the higher the stakes would be – the Goddess had told me as much when she appeared to me in my dreams only a few days before.
The Fates seemed to be toying with me too in this moment, showing me exactly what would happen no matter who I chose. The animosity had only risen since the start of Béke, and without a doubt, there would be a war once it was over. Ruslan and Zuriel had wanted to avoid a war like the one that broke out between the Angels and Demons millennia ago, but with each passing day, it seemed unavoidable.
Whether the Night Realm had brought an army to the Iron Realm’s doorstep wasn’t a question I had yet asked, and I doubted the two females would tell me even if I did. Liliana’s loyalty may lie with me, but she wouldn’t put her brother or Endre in harm’s way either.
A roar snapped me out of my thoughts, and we jumped to our feet as Artur’s arms shook from the effort of holding on to the rope, drops of blood slipping from between his fingers and colliding with the sand. Kazimir took one step back, then another, pulling Artur with an ease that should have beenimpossible given how long their battle had lasted, until finally Kazimir yanked the rope toward him, his biceps flexing with the effort. Artur stumbled over the center line, defeated.
Those emerald orbs flashed to me, seeming to dance with amusement at my shocked expression. His torso shone with sweat, and as he dropped the rope, his back muscles flexed in the most delicious way. I shook my head, trying to rid myself of hungry thoughts.
It’s just the bond and the fact that we fucked earlier.
Artur shot to his feet, not bothering to acknowledge Kazimir’s victory, and stomped to the sidelines, rejoining his unit and binding his raw and bloody palms. Kriath, an Eagle Shifter Félvér who was part of our personal guard, stalked forward and squared up with Endre at the rope. The air was so thick with tension that I could have sliced into it like cake. Heavy footsteps closed in behind me, and I glanced over my shoulder to see Ruslan carving a path straight toward me. His iron-gray eyes swirled with black fire, and his jaw was clenched tight as he snatched me into his chest, snaking his arms around me like a vice. Kazimir’s attention turned from his friend to us, and his lips curled back, baring his teeth at Ruslan in an obvious challenge.
The thread that tied me to Ruslan vibrated with nervous energy, wrapping me in an embrace that set my teeth on edge. Drawing a deep breath, I reached out to Kazimir’s mind with my magic, siphoning away his rage, while my physical connection to Ruslan allowed me to do the same for him.
But I didn’t stop there. I pushed soothing emotions out around me like I was making a ripple in a pond, and one by one, the males crowding the sidelines relaxed, shoulders dropping, arms uncrossing, and breathing evening out. If it weren’t for Ruslan holding me up, I might have collapsed by the time I was finished.
“Sprite, are you alright?” Ruslan bent his head to whisper in my ear. “I felt you take away my anger again.”
“I'm a bit tired now. I’ve been using my magic more than I should be, and I keep forgetting to clear.”
A hand flexed across my stomach. “You have to clear, like Zuriel said. I can’t lose you because you overextended your magic. I came so close,” Ruslan’s voice broke on the last word, “to losing you to burnout. I cannot bear to go through that again, to watch you suffer like that again.”
“Then can you try to ease some of this tension between the Iron and Night Realms? It’s killing me to keep trying to keep the peace through my magic,” I snapped, my exhaustion and stress seeping into my words.
Ruslan glossed over my tone as if it wasn’t there, and for that I was grateful. “I don’t think there can be peace between us, at least not until you’ve chosen,” he murmured, arms tightening slightly before relaxing. His words echoed my earlier thoughts, and I could only nod in response. “But I do have another gift for you.”
“Oh?” I said, my eyes still on Kriath and Endre slipping through the sand.
“Tonight, I will show you. I hope it will help you feel better.” Ruslan planted a kiss on the top of my head, and I sighed, leaning into his embrace and burying myself in the scent of cedarwood and vanilla.
He remained there with me, holding me upright until all the males had finished their matches. The Night Fae had won every match, except for the one where Viktor battled Drazen for control of the rope. No fights broke out, thanks to my earlier intervention, but I was exhausted and unsure if I could push myself through the tug-of-war match against an Iron Fae female. She was much taller than me, her long frame cut with muscle, and from the looks of it she might have been a warrior.
“You’ve got this, Izidora!” Liliana cheered from the sidelines where she stood next to Ruslan. He shot me a knee-weakening smile, and I squared my shoulders and faced my opponent. Kazimir’s attention sent a shiver down my spine, and I tried my hardest not to look at him, only to have my bond force my hand. Those emerald orbs blazed with lust as I hefted the rope, my newly built muscles straining under the tension.
Insidious bloom – don’t show your thorns until it's too late.
The whistle signaled the start of my match, and I pitched forward, my lack of focus causing me to lose ground. I gritted my teeth and dug my heels in, arms screaming in protest as I anchored myself in place. The female across from me was already panting with effort, leaning back so far she was nearly parallel with the ground. After watching five matches in a row, I knew that meant she was nearly immobile, so I switched tactics.
My trick had to be executed perfectly, otherwise I’d land myself straight over the center line. With the rope still gripped tightly in my hands, I straightened quickly, sending the female stumbling back, and before she could regain her balance I dug my feet into the sand and yanked with all my might, sending her veering in another direction. A strangled cry escaped my lips as I held on and backstepped, pulling her and the heavy rope toward me. The tendons in my hands popped around the rope as I readjusted my grip.
I was going to win this.
Liliana screamed at me to keep going, and Ruslan roared his approval as I managed to drag my opponent forward another step. My arms trembled under the strain, and my legs wobbled as I continued to battle for control of the pit. With one last ferocious tug, I pulled the rope toward me with everything I had, and the female stumbled across the line.
The rope hit the ground a moment later, and I collapsed to my hands and knees, chest heaving and my whole body shakingfrom the effort. “Thank fuck,” I panted into the ground. Despite all odds, I had pulled through and won. The victory filled me with a sense of accomplishment that had been absent while I drowned in a sea of self-doubt.
Ruslan captured me in his arms the moment I pushed to my feet. “You were amazing, sprite. I am so proud of you.” His words were a salve, soothing the acute ache that was like a permanent scar on my soul. Ruslan understood that pain, that angst of always having to prove myself to obtain the love and approval I wanted, and his understanding of my need to hear those words despite the obvious evidence of my victory meant more than he knew.
I pulled away from him, reaching up a hand to cup the back of his neck and bring his lips to mine. When they connected, my body lit up like it never had before, and his large hands pulled me flush to his body, tipping me backward and deepening our kiss. Whoops and whistles sounded around us as his tongue danced with mine, and I smiled through our kiss because it felt so right.
