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“Let’s get started.” Like a bell, Karn tapped his talons against the silver chalice to signal the beginning of the fight.
Adrenaline spiked through my veins as Oliver and Arisa attacked simultaneously, one on the left and one on the right. They hadn’t devised any strategy and were already sloppy, especially Oliver. His fist darted forward, but I ducked his punch. Arisa tried a lazy kick that I blocked.
I expected her to attempt another hit, but she backed away as Oliver advanced.
“I don’t want to do this,” I hissed, deterring his strike. “Do you really think Karn will let you go?”
“I’m sure as hell going to try.” Oliver charged and wrapped his arm around my waist to tackle me.
As we crashed to the ground, I twisted so that he took the brunt of the hit. He cursed as I wrapped my legs around him and flipped him so his cheek crushed into the hard tiles. I punched his shoulder and then his right side before rolling over and climbing back to my feet.
Arisa danced around the circle, pretending to wait for an opening while studying my moves. As Oliver softened me up, she’d learn my fighting style. It was smart and cunning, much better than the guy’s brute attack that would only earn him a swift knockout.
She was the real danger out of the two.
Oliver scrambled up and charged again like a linebacker. If he managed to hit me with that much force, he’d probably break one of my ribs, but he didn’t know how to use the supernatural speed to his advantage, and I easily evaded his attempt.
He slammed into the crowd of demons on the lower level who shoved him back so hard he crashed to his ass and slid several feet away. As the spectators laughed, hot embarrassment flushed his cheeks.
“Stop playing with me,” he snarled and struggled to his feet. “You’re barely fighting back.”
Because I’d kill him despite The Calling spell.
“He’s like a bull. A dumb one too.” Arisa danced toward me and gave a sloppy punch to my arm. “You should stop avoiding him and just end it.”
I scoffed. “You want to talk about avoiding shit? I know what you’re doing. It won’t help you, though. I’ll win.”
The air stirred behind me as Oliver approached. I let him curl his arm around my neck to give him a false sense of security, and then I slammed my heel into his leg, broke his grip, grabbed his arm, and twisted until a snap echoed.
He screamed as his shoulder dislocated, and the crowd of demons cheered. Sickness churned my stomach as memories of my last fight for Remy clouded my thoughts.
Oliver recovered and gritted his teeth, attacking me again. I planted my legs, angled to the side, and dropped my shoulder, ramming into his sternum.
His eyes widened as the air flew from his lungs. I didn’t give him a chance to retaliate before I crushed my fist into his face. His head snapped around, and he hit the ground with a thud.
I wiped sweat off my forehead and shook my hand out. He wasn’t dead. Just unconscious.
Applause rippled through the room, and Karn tipped his cup toward me. “One down. One to go.”
My teeth mashed together so hard my jaw bones rattled. He knew I wouldn’t stand by and let these two knock me out. It wasn’t in my nature, no matter how much sympathy I had. Karn’s gaze lifted to something behind me, and I didn’t need to look to know Arisa had finally joined the game. What choice did she have, though? I’d already taken out Oliver.
I blocked her fist and then punched her torso, her ribs straining beneath my knuckles. She gasped and staggered back, holding her side as black curls swayed around her shoulders.
“You won’t win this.” I unfurled my fingers to stretch them. “I’m trained.”
“Just because I didn’t have some fancy coaching doesn’t mean I can’t take you, especially with this spell.” She shook her arms out. “I’ve been fighting to survive all my life.”
“Me too.” A pang resonated through my chest as I recognized the same angry look I used to see in the mirror every day. We had similar backgrounds and had been through the same bullshit growing up. Karn probably chose her because of that.
The demon lord cleared his throat. “Did I forget to mention that this is a fight to the death?”
Two guards approached and dropped a few daggers in varying shapes and sizes into the circle, the blades scattering across the tiles.
I whipped toward the demon lord who gave a devilish grin. “Fuck no. I’m not killing anyone.”
“You sure about that?” He nodded to another guard who stood at the same door Arisa and Oliver had entered.
The guard banged on the glossy wooden surface, and when it opened, my world came crashing down as if an atomic bomb had erupted, demolishing everything in one fell swoop. My worst nightmare materialized, drowning out Karn’s garish grand room and the spectators craving violence.
