Page 35 of Brutal Birthright

Unlikely.

The vampire was young in bloodsucker terms—around a century old—but he was still incredibly strong. Lean and muscular and with plenty of height on her short stature.

She already didn’t like her odds of succeeding in the arena today.

As she turned to face down Etienne, a shadow loomed up beside her.

“I’ll take over here.” The all too familiar scent of sandalwood mixed with that deep gravel voice made her core clench.

What in the Spirits and the Stars was this?

Etienne did his best to school his features, but there was no hiding the slight lift to his eyebrows—a hint of a smirk danced on his lips. The vampire nodded and followed the line of Rowan’s blade where he pointed in the direction of Finn. Dutifully obliging as he headed over to where the fae stood waiting.

Ri didn’t know where to look. Her entire vision suddenly consumed by the obscenely solid presence of Rowan’s torso. The sight of his shirt, slightly damp and hugging his muscles, was mouthwatering. Rolled sleeves hit his elbows to showcase the artwork lined all over his forearms, only further accentuating the network of veins she wanted to reach out and slide her fingers along.

For the love of the Goddesses, this was torture.

She hated him.

Despised him.

Maybe if she repeated it enough times, she might actually believe it. There was a fine line between hate and… well… infatuation. And Ri honestly didn’t know which side of that line she fell face-first on.

Whatever. She couldn’t stop thinking about falling on his cock, so that gave her every answer she needed really.

“Are you just going to stand there, little faerie?” The low rumble in his chest forced her eyes up to meet his own.

Standing only inches from her, she had to crane back just to look at him and it immediately put her off balance. His whole entity shook her foundations. And taking in the cool blue of his eyes from this proximity was utterly hypnotic.

Eyes that had seen so much bloodshed.

Ri couldn’t even begin to fathom what his life had been like until now. All she knew was that the witch possessed magic given by the Goddesses themselves, pertaining to war and weaponry. For what purpose was anyone’s guess. But there was a startling depth to this man behind his calculating, asshole exterior. Of that, she was certain. But she pitied anyone who dared venture into that shitstorm unprepared to wage a battle of a different kind in order to survive.

Either way, he’d been a dick to her on the solstice.

And he’d been hard.

She wasn’t drunk enough to mistake the evidence of that in his trousers right before he’d called her a whore.

Ri’s nostrils flared as she recalled just how turned on she’d been by his crude words. Why did that do something to her?

“Just sizing you up.” She muttered. Rearranging her posture and jutting out her chin.

What the fuck was she supposed to do with all that? He was the equivalent of wrestling a godsdamned mountain, when she was just a flea.

Maybe she could bite his ankles?

“Take that long to make a decision in battle, and you’d be dead.”

Dick. Perhaps she’d bite his nose off.

“I wasn’t aware of a time limit.” Her fists clenched. Her core ached. Her pussy… well, that needy little bitch had all sorts of wayward intentions that she did her best to ignore.

“Are you incapable of completing this task? Shall I dismiss you from my arena?” Just when she thought he couldn’t be more of an irredeemable ass, he went and sneered at her like that.

That pushed her into the red mist. Calling her a whore was one thing. As fucked up as it was, she liked that. But threatening her position here at the academy? No fucking way would she tolerate anything of the sort. In an instant, she flung herself at him, somehow launching to try and tackle him around the waist. His hard body didn’t give an inch, and her palms wrapped around the planes of his back. Feeling the heat of him beneath her fingertips and scalding her cheek as she crashed against his figure.

Only for her to bounce off and land in a crumpled heap. Dirt kicking up around her in a small cloud.

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