Page 192 of Rise of the Queen

Andrei and Ilya got in the ring together, after Viktor and Aleksei were done, as well as Eduard and Stephen. Sephie was right. They both wanted to prove themselves. It was an even better match than Ilya and Misha had been. Training Sephie had made Andrei pay attention to his own technique. He was also faster now, as he had to stay ahead of her at all times. Aleksei was quite impressed with both of them.

“We should do this more regularly. I think it’s good for all of them,” he said as he stood and watched.

“You guys are always welcome. Sephie talked Ivan into sparring with her once a week for the foreseeable future. Show up when you want in,” I said.

He looked surprised. “She asked to spar with him more?” I nodded my head. “She’s not scared to do so?”

I laughed. “Those two have a special relationship. She couldn’t be scared of him if she tried. She knows he’s the biggest challenge. She’s determined to get good enough that he doesn’t have to hold back with her.”

Aleksei’s sly smile stretched across his face. “I remember someone else who was much the same when he was younger,” he said, putting his hand on my shoulder. “It’s why you’re the only one that doesn’t need to get in the ring very often.”

“I do see some of the same determination in her that I’ve always had. For her, though, it’s so no one can ever hurt her again. She has survival as added motivation.”

“Heaven help the next person that tries to hurt her. We’ll all go after them,” he said seriously, before he walked back to talk to Vitaliy.

I watched the rest of Andrei and Ilya’s match, looking forward to seeing Sephie and Ivan. I never thought I would be waiting to watch my fiancée fight one of my guys, but I couldn’t imagine it any other way. She was perfect for me. Other women no longer existed in my world.

Andrei and Ilya were both pleased with themselves when their match was over. They both stepped out of the ring near me, as Sephie and Ivan were now standing with me waiting their turn. Sephie’s gorgeous smile was making the entire gym brighter. “Ilya! Your training is much better! Bubba is deceptively fast now too. He’s so close to teaching me how to kill people with just my thumbs. So. Close,” she said emphatically, as she hugged Andrei’s neck.

Ilya was all smiles. “My goal is to be able to keep up with Ivan at some point,” he said. Ivan raised an eyebrow at him. Sephie grinned at him.

“Keep sparring with Bubba then. He’s an amazing trainer,” she said, following Ivan into the ring.

I put my hand on Andrei’s shoulder. “Training Sephie has made you better than ever. You’re much faster now,” I said.

He chuckled. “I have to be to stay ahead of her. It’s the only advantage to being so much smaller than the rest of us.”

Ivan and Sephie had a quick conversation in the middle of the ring before starting. They were both clearly happy about being in the ring together. We all saw Sephie flip her switch. She wasn’t angry. She’d long ago figured out how to keep the power withoutthe anger, but she switched to serious in a second. Ivan’s smile faded quickly as he soon realized that my level-up was giving her an unexpected advantage.

Andrei looked at me, his eyes wide. I looked at Misha, Stephen, and Viktor across the ring, all looking just as shocked as they watched her. Not only was she just as fast as Ivan now, but she was perfectly countering every single one of his moves. I’d sparred with Ivan plenty of times. He was not holding back. She was making him work, even more than she did last time.

Vitaliy and his men were just as shocked as all of us. Vitaliy walked to me, asking, “How?”

“When I leveled up, she got a significant upgrade through me because we’re so connected. Ivan got some through her, but not as much.”

I just heard Vitaliy cursing as he watched them. Both of them were having fun, but it really looked like they were trying to kill each other. More than ever before, I could feel Sephie’s power. She had figured out how to let her demon help her, without stepping forward. Her eyes were normal, but her demon was definitely helping her. And enjoying every second of it.

Their match went on much longer this time than the last time they’d sparred. Sephie’s endurance was definitely no longer an issue. She felt incredible. She looked incredible. She was incredible.

When they finally agreed to end the match, with no clear winner this time, everyone else in the gym applauded. Every single one of them was impressed with how well she’d done against Ivan.

Ilya was still standing close enough that I could hear him when he told Andrei, “I think I should make her my goal, not Ivan. I think she could kick my ass.”

Andrei laughed. “I know she could,” he said, a very obvious look of pride on his face.

Sephie hugged Ivan when they were done. He wrapped his massive arms around her, picking her up and holding her in the air for a few moments. He was proud of her as well. When he set her down, she turned to Andrei, running to the edge of the ring straight to him. He wrapped his arms around her, picking her up as well. He swung her around a few times, as she thanked him and he told her how proud he was of her. It was a very sweet moment, as both of them were elated with her performance.

Andrei finally set her down and she walked to me. Her beautiful smile was still spread wide across her face. “I think I might’ve gotten a bigger boost from you than we first thought,” she said, tucking herself in my side.

“I think you figured out how to let your demon help you too,” I said, kissing her temple.

“You felt that?” she asked. “Of course you felt that. I don’t know why that surprises me. Did my eyes switch?”

I shook my head no. “Not that I saw. They looked normal the whole time, but she was definitely helping you. And very happy about it.”

She giggled. “She was very happy about it. She might’ve enjoyed that more than I did, even.”

Ivan walked up to us. “Princess, I don’t think anyone but your goddamn prince has ever made me work that hard.”

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