Page 14 of Reign

I moved around the edge of the ring, mirroring her speed and movements. The crowd grew loud and impatient. “Is that so? Well, I happen to know your imaginary guy. Very well, in fact, so I’ll do you a deal. When you lose this fight, and you will lose, you’ll owe me a huge favour for not killing you. Agree to help me solve a problem, and I’ll even agree to tell you who your fantasy man is.”

She snarled. “Bullshit! He’s not real. And even if he is, what makes you think I want to meet him? Reality is often a bitch of disappointment.”

I grinned. She had a weakness. Her connection to Drake. It didn’t matter that she’d only met him in her dreams; for her, the connection was real. And once a supernatural dream-shared with another, they were connected forever. Had Drake ever dream-shared with this woman? He’d never mentioned it, but then again, it wasn’t as if we ever got to such personal shit like discussing dreams.

“Oh, believe me, he’s very real and definitely not a bitch.” I cocked my head and grinned. “And those dreams you’ve been having about him? Has anyone ever told you what they mean?”

She stopped prowling, her face hard though colour leached from her cheeks. “They mean nothing; none of it means anything.”

So, yes, then.I chuckled and jabbed out, deliberately going slow. The crowd roared and she ducked, slamming her fist into my abs. She winced. Chuckling, I danced a few steps away. “Is your fist alright, there?”

She shook it out and scowled. “Yeah, I’m good. What’re you made of, though? Iron?”

“No, that’s one thing I’m not made of, but part of me thinks that metal is like poison to my beast, so let’s not mention it again, hm?”

She grinned. “Ah, the great new King of Shifters has a weakness. Interesting.”

I shrugged, letting her believe she had one over on me. “We all have weaknesses. Yours is Drake. And dream-sharing is your supernatural soul searching for his.” Light-footed, I darted away from her back kick and caught the punch she threw, drowning her smaller fist with my grasp. "And it will only get worse until finally those thoughts and dreams of him consume you."

She swallowed. Without giving her time to process that piece of information, I swept her front foot out. She was ready, as I suspected she would be, and went with the sweep before landing to snap a punch to my face. I jumped back, blocked her next punch to my ribs and kicked her to the ground. She landed with a thud.

“Having a weakness doesn’t make me weak, same ashewon’t makeyouweak. Say you’ll help me, and I’ll introduce you to Drake.”

Her blue eyes narrowed, but she swallowed hard. “Drake? Is that really his name?”

Got you!

I cocked my head. “Maybe. You haven’t agreed to my deal yet. So unless you agree to help me with my problem, I’m not helping you with yours.”

She flipped to her feet and grinned, unleashing a barrage of kicks. Each one connected with my body and face in some way. She was relentless. I could easily have stopped her, but I didn't want to, not yet. I wanted to learn her moves. I could tell a lot about her by her fighting style. She was confident, calculating, and well trained, but she was arrogant. She believed she'd beat me, no matter who or what I was. She believed herself powerful enough to take me down. Maybe she was, but not until she could use her supernatural power. I allowed her to push me back, but my satisfaction was hard to hide when I turned the tables and pushed back. Not enough to end the fight, just enough to dim that arrogance a little. The crowd wanted a show, after all.

She was good, really good. She held her own against me, catching me a couple of good hits on my jaw and a swift kick in the kidneys that hurt like a bitch.

Too soon, the Count stood and banged his cane on the ground. Immediately, the whole club went silent. Excitement charged the air. He pulled the tattooed woman to her feet. She glared up at him with glittering eyes and a snarl on her lips. His cold gaze lifted from her to me. His eyes flared with ruby, and he tilted his head to whisper in her ear, yanking her collar up tight under her jaw. She rose on her tiptoes, but her mouth moved, her fingers worked as her tattoos swirled over her slim body.

I braced myself. Soon everyone would meet Prime. He roared and paced, ready to be freed. “Time’s up, Velvet. We aren’t playing now. I have a point to prove here. Either submit to me and live, or I will kill you as a warning to the rest of the people in this club, including the Count, who at the moment thinks you are safe. He believes I need you. I don’t. It would make my goal quicker to reach, but don’t for one moment think I won't kill you.”

"Ha, you shifters are always so fucking sure of yourselves. It's sickening. You deserve your arse handed to you,King.Why would I help you?" She slapped Drake's image. "Him? I don't know him except in my nightmares, and I sure as fuck am not submitting to a shifter's rule or agreeing to a deal with some arrogant prick who thinks himself a king. All you fuckers ever do is lie and bully your way through life…."

I cocked my head. Balthazar's witch was kneeling once again at his feet. She had let her spell free, and it had encased the fighting ring. Prime knew it. He snarled and pushed. Even if this female wasn't a full shifter, he wanted her baring her neck to him. I pushed him back, my top lip curling at her continued vitriol. My words had served their purpose. She was angry and off guard. I shifted, letting Prime free. He was no longer just a wolf but a monstrous Hell-beast, one that stood on two clawed hind feet, with the viciousness of my fae side at his beck and call. Or rather, mine. I controlled Prime, not the other way around unless I allowed it.

I leaped across the ring, my jaws wide and ready to clamp down on her neck. Pain blasted through my body, and I flew back. I hit the spell wall at the edge of the ring and bounced, landing flat on my face. The crowd went wild, my brothers snarling and standing as close as they could without touching the spell that encased the ring.

Balthazar’s mouth twitched at one corner. His version of a grin. That snide fucker knew what this woman was capable of and wanted to see what I could do. I fixed my gaze on my quarry. Wings flapped behind her. Not physical. The crowd that bayed for our blood couldn’t see them, but the Hell-beast in me recognised the light of those wings. Her nostrils flared.

"Yeah, that's right,King. I'm not just a shifter, and I'm never submitting to your kind. Just as I said, an arrogant prick."

I slowly uncurled my huge body off the floor and cocked my head, calling forward more of my power. This time when I stalked closer, I felt out where Velvet’s power made a wall between us. I lifted a clawed hand and grinned at her, baring my fangs. With one sharp nail, I drew a line from above my head right down to the floor.

She didn’t take her white, glowing eyes off me, but her throat bobbed.

There was no way she was getting away. She didn’t realise it, but she had just sealed her fate. “Now we play, angel.”

Her eyes widened, colour leaving her flushed skin. “How do you know what I am?”

"I see your true form, just like you see part of mine. As I said, I am the King of Shifters, and in my wolf lives the spirit of the King of Hell-beasts." I stretched my neck forward. "I see the aura of my timeless enemy."

She cocked her head. “I’m not your enemy, but nonetheless, I’m not submitting to you—or anyone else.” And before I could step closer, she snapped those stunning wings together in front of her and sent a wave of light and power my way as she bolted for the far side of the ring.

---