Page 33 of Devour

“I just saw him before he put his mask on.” She nods toward the archway.

“Ah, so you’re watching Priest, huh?” I lean against her, resting my head on her shoulder.

“It’s not what you fucking think.” She casts me an annoyed sideways glance, then shoves me away. “Don’t start, Saylor. And if you want to play matchmaker, do you remember that stalker I told you about? I’m pretty sure I’m not imagining it.”

“What in the fuck are you talking about?” The drugs are kicking in, and I’m wondering if I heard her right.

“I’ve been noticing little things.” She keeps her voice low and her eyes on the arena. “Someone is watching me.”

“Kyns, what if they’re dangerous? Have you told Kase?”

“It doesn’t feel unsafe. It feels . . . kinda hot. Like when Axl was stalking you.” She pulls at a thread on her dress. “Kase doesn’t know. If he did, he’d lose his shit, so don’t fucking say anything.”

“I don’t know, Kyns. Axl didn’t hide that he was there. Why wouldn’t they let you see them if they didn’t have bad intentions?”

“I’m about to be your brother’s Dove.” She shrugs, waving off my concern. “What can my so-called stalker do to me if Justin is there?”

It doesn’t sound like nothing. But the fights are starting again, and the drugs are making it harder for me to focus on what she’s saying.

Three men come through the far door. Two are unbound, and one has his wrists tied in front of him. The unbound men are big. One of them is shirtless with tattoos covering his chest and arms. He’s already bloody, which means someone already worked him over before they brought him out here.

Priest walks into the cage and just stands in the center of it with his hands at his sides and waits. The bell rings, and he doesn’t move. He just tilts his head to the side and watches them.

These masks are far hotter than I ever noticed before. I’ve never seen my father or brother wear theirs, or I might feel differently about it. But I’m already wet thinking about Axl fucking me in his.

The tattooed man comes at Priest first. He sidesteps, catches him by the back of the neck, and drives a knee into his ribs. The crack echoes off the walls. The man folds, and Priest hits him in the jaw, then the temple, and he drops. The second one rushes him from behind, and Priest turns and catches him with an elbow to the face that sends blood spraying across the stone. The man stumbles, and Priest grabs his head with both hands and twists. He drops and doesn’t move.

Kynlee’s hand closes around my wrist. Her rings dig into my skin, and she doesn’t know she’s doing it.

The third one, the bound one, hasn’t moved. He’s standing against the cage wall with his tied hands in front of him. He’s watching Priest walk toward him, and he knows how this ends. Priest doesn’t drag it out. He grabs the man’s head and snaps his neck. He lets the body drop and stands there with three dead men on the floor around him.

He rips his mask off. Dark hair stuck to his forehead, jaw tight, and he doesn’t smile. He doesn’t act like he gives a fuck about the crowd. He scans the stands once. His gaze moves over to where we sit, and then he focuses in front of him, pointing at one of the women. I could comment that she has dark hair like Kynlee, but I keep that to myself, biting back a laugh.

“What?” Kyns asks, gritting her teeth.

“I didn’t say a fucking thing.”

I can’t help but notice that Kynlee looks through her clutch and doesn’t watch Priest fuck the woman’s mouth. It’s not long before he’s finished. He gets his piercing, and then he walks out.

We watch a few more. The Talons win each time, and the pile of bodies must be getting high in the back.

After the current fight is over, Kase rips his mask off and spits blood onto the floor. His knuckles are split open. He holds his arms out and turns for the crowd. His face says he’d kill every man in this building if they let him.

“I’m not going to watch him fuck,” she says focusing on me. “No matter how fucking high I am. And I hope he offers me the same courtesy.”

“Where is Veronica right now?” I ask, distracting her like a good friend.

“I’m going to get her tomorrow. I figured she can deal for a night while we figure out what the fuck our lives are going to look like. At least you and I will be there together.”

I loop my arm in hers. “Thank fuck for that.”

The crowd cheers, signaling that Kase is done. I look up to see him getting his piercing, and then he’s walking out.

I glance to where my parents are sitting and wonder if they actually enjoy this. I wouldn’t know it was them if I hadn’t seen where they sat when we arrived. My father gets up from his seat, and not even a couple seconds later, another man scoots closer to my mother. He’s wearing a mask, so I don’t know who he is, but his build is big enough that he fills the seat next to her. The mask is the same as the Talons with lit-up green neon slashes. I’ll get my own mask once I’m married.

My mother leans closer to him. Her shoulder is pressed against his, and her chin is tipped up toward his ear like she’s speaking to him. I look away because whatever my mother does isn’t my problem.

The noise dies, and the crowd goes quiet as the next Talon appears. Now we’re getting to the fights with the Talons who will hunt tonight. They will face the toughest tests, and if they survive, we’re their reward for proving their strength and devotion to their training.