Page 116 of On Wings of Blood

“You know what this is about,” I spat at Blake. My fists rose as I moved towards him, body moving into a fighting stance. “Let’s go. You and me. Right now. No one’s going to stop us. You know you want this as much as I do.”

Blake raised an eyebrow. “Fight you?” he echoed, mockery thick in his voice. “I’m not going to fight you, little drag–”

My fist shot out before he could finish the sentence, but this time he was ready for me.

He was fast. Inhumanly fast. He easily sidestepped my blow.

Before I could recover my balance, his hand shot out, catching me by the wrist and twisting my arm. Not hard enough to hurt but enough to keep me off balance.

I could feel his strength. His grip was like iron and no matter how I struggled, I couldn’t shake him off.

But I was wild now. A frenzy of anger was giving me strength beyond reason. My dragon rider instincts finally triggering again? Maybe. Maybe there was something else to it, too, but I didn’t have the time to stop and question what it was.

I swung again, using my free hand, and while Blake dodged, it was clear he wasn’t used to fighting anyone in quite this state of reckless abandon.

My body collided against his and suddenly we were closer than we’d ever been before. His chest pressed up against mine. Even through the thin fabric of my training tunic, the contact was electric.

I hated how my heart stuttered at the sensation. Like I’d been doused in cold water.

Blake grunted. He was struggling to control me.

I didn’twanthim to control me. I wanted him to fight back.

I twisted in his grip, trying to throw him off, but he was too strong.

He managed to push me down, pinning me to the ground, his body hovering mine. The breath was sucked out of me as my back hit the dirt.

It was like with Visha all over again... but different.

Our faces were inches apart. My breath was coming in ragged gasps. Blake’s lips were parted as he searched my face with a strange intensity.

I felt the weight of him pressing down on me, felt his heat against my skin. My pulse was thrumming in my ears. Not just from the fight, but from the proximity. My body was trying to betray my mind.

I twisted beneath him, lifting my hips to try to throw him off, and I saw him flinch. “You fucking coward. You're a monster, Blake Drakharrow. You thought you could hurt him and just get away with it? Hell no. Not while I’m around. ”

He glared down at me. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about Vaughn Sabino,” I snarled. “I’m talking about what you did to my friend. You don’t know a fucking thing about friendship, do you? About loyalty? If you want to hurt someone I care about, you’ll have to go through me first. You’re going to pay for what you did to him.”

Blake’s eyes flashed with something I couldn’t pinpoint. Anger, guilt, maybe even regret. He wiped at his lips where a small line of blood trickled, his eyes never leaving mine.

I wasn’t bleeding, I realized. Not yet. He’d made sure of that.

But I wanted to. I wanted to hurt. I wanted him to make me bleed. Just like he’d done to Vaughn. I wanted Blake to reveal himself once and for all. To show me the monster I knew lay underneath.

The room felt too small, the air between us charged with tension. His face hovered over mine, his breath hot against my skin.

Gods, I could feel every inch of him.

Blake’s gaze was dark, confused even. For a second, neither of us moved. His eyes flicked down to my lips, then back up, as if he wasn’t sure what he wanted to do next, kiss me or kill me.

The moment stretched. The world around us had faded into silence long ago.

I felt dizzy, my body tingling with rage and a maddening sense of need.

I wrenched my body to the side, breaking free of his hold and jumping to my feet. I swung my fist again just as he rose up beside me.

He dodged, catching my wrist mid-swing.

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