Page 64 of Aria's Desire

Hearing herself say those words should’ve sounded silly. They were about to fight. Normally, getting hit was par for the course, but for them, it wasn’t. Unless one of the contestants was really, really fucking good, they didn’t stand much of a chance.

Aria remembered, vividly, what effect being hurt once had on her own animalistic side. They’d already discussed toeing that fine line between being impressively good and being too good. Too good, and they took the chance of becoming threats in these people’s eyes. But, if her dragon was concerned about losing control, better he appear too good than snap and demolish these people.

When he still looked nervous, she slid her hand into his and gave it a squeeze until he met her eyes. “If you need me, I’m here. I’ll knock you out if it gets to that.”

Offering to knock him unconscious probably shouldn’t illicit such a tender look from him, but it did. It probably shouldn’t make him sigh with relief and ease the tension in his big body.

Hell, the offer itselfshould’vesounded ridiculous.

That a petite, five-foot-three-inch woman thought herself capable of taking down a hulking, six-foot-eight-inch tall, burly man, armed with deadly claws, who’d been in more fights than they could count,andcould shift into a thirty-foot dragon?

That should’ve been absolutely laughable.

And, yet, Sin didn’t question her offer, didn’t have even a flicker of doubt enter his eyes that she could, and would, follow through on it.

Aria smiled up at him, then tuned back in to what Ishtal was saying when she got to the part about how the tournament worked. This first round would be one-on-one fights with the victor being whomever either pinned or incapicated their opponent first.

The second round would be team against team. The victors from the first round would have a short break to join up in groups numbering anywhere from two to twelve.

The third included an obstacle course and would be a free for all. Winner was the last person standing.Thatwas the one she was looking forward to the most.

Aria felt a predatory smile curl her lips. Oh yeah, her men definitely weren’t the only ones itching to let off some steam.

“As you see, Queen Aria and her mates have agreed to participate in the games! Let us judge if the famed Champion is as skilled as her reputation foretells. Let us witness her legendary combat prowess.” Ishtal paused for effect, giving the crowd, and the gathered combatants, a conspiratorial grin. “And let us show her our own!” Cheers erupted. Ishtal raised her arms, her voice somehow heard over the clamor, and bellowed, “Daughters and sons of Gaia, let the games begin!”

The mob went wild, their collective voices bouncing off the mountains and echoing back to fill the field like the roar of some bloodthirsty beast.

* * *

After Ishtal retreatedfrom the field to take up position in the biggest tent, a flock of teenage boys ran around, painting red stripes on the combatants bodies. The number of stripes on one person corresponded to another’s, designating them as opponents.

Aria kept her reaction hidden when Vekai ran up to her and painted a single stripe on her stomach, bared by the short leather top and low-riding leather shorts she’d been given to wear.

“I tried to pick a good one for you, but Rellik said it wouldn’t matter,” he whispered quickly. He caught her wry smile and narrowed his eyes. “He was right, wasn’t he?”

He looked so disappointed. Aria winked and murmured, “I’m sure you did great, kid.”

He grunted skeptically before running off the field with the rest of the boys.

Searching for the other single stripe, her gaze zeroed in a large female. Aria watched the way she moved as she met her halfway, stopping in the middle of the field. The female walked with a smooth swagger, telegraphing cockiness, but her eyes were calm, assessing.

Another voice called out, “Combatants, greet your opponents!”

Having been schooled on the etiquette, Aria spoke first as the higher ranking individual. Raising her arms, she twisted them forward and back then walked a slow circle to show she didn’t have any weapons before facing the woman.

“I, Queen Aria Taylor, offer you honorable contest. Do you accept?”

The woman could either accept, or decline and be given a different opponent. Since the fighters didn’t pick their own partners, this gave them the opportunity to switch if they felt they were under- or over-classed.

Without hesitation, the female repeated the movements to show she didn’t have a weapon and answered, “I,Urea Li’Aehri, accept your challenge.”

They both took a single step backward, so they were a couple of feet apart, fell into a fighting stance, and waited. The second the horn blew, signaling the start of the round, Urea charged.

She was fast, her movements fluid as she lashed out with strikes and kicks, but she was too focused on attacking and didn’t put any effort into guarding herself. Aria, remembering she was supposed to be putting on a show, ignored the half-a-dozen openings to take her down and, instead, pushed hard off the ground and arched into a double backflip.

It was showy and unnecessary, and she probably wouldn’t have been able to pull it off without the increased strength in her clone body, but people like flippy shit, so she gave them flippy shit.

The moment her feet touched the ground, she pushed off again, twisting her body into a corkscrew flip and landing a vicious kick to Urea’s jaw. The woman’s head wrenched around with such force, her body followed, sending her thudding hard to the ground then skidding across the sand.

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