Page 76 of Ice Cold Rival

“Shut the fuck up,” I growled, at the end of my limited patience. “You cheated on her, repeatedly, fucked her up so she didn’t trust anyone, abandoned her after moving her to a completely new school, and now you’re trying to get her kicked out right before she graduates.”

He smirked. “Oh, did she convince you she’s alone and helpless? That she needs a big, strong man to take care of her? I’m not surprised you fell for it.”

I crossed the room to stand next to Sellers. “She’s not alone anymore, and she’s sure as hell not helpless. I tried to stay out of your vendetta for the good of the team, but I’m done being responsible while you take swings at her. If you fuck with her, you fuck with me.”

Kane leaned forward, enunciating slowly. “She deserves to be in jail, and so do you.”

Mase bulldozed past me before I could move and clocked Kane in the jaw. A full haymaker he usually reserved for his worst nights. Kane fell back and landed on his ass, but Mase wasn’t finished.

“You fucking tampered with her computer, you utter piece of shit. If her name comes anywhere near your mouth again, I’ll help you keep it shut.”

Kane rotated his jaw. “Looks like I wasn’t far off with my assessment. Do you all share her equally or is Tanner here selfish?”

It took four of us to hold Mase back, and we only succeeded because Cole wedged himself between the locker and Mase’s chest. Kenzie was going to be pissed, but not as much as Coach.

He came roaring out of his office, red in the face. “Kane. Mase. You’re not playing tonight. University rules. Fighting results in an immediate one game suspension. Lose the gear. You’re in the stands. Reece, get Rafe moved to Kane’s line. Tremblay, you’re starting in the net. Everyone else, get your asses in the rink.”

The locker room turned into chaos as everyone grabbed the last of their gear and hustled toward the tunnel. Everyone except Kane, who spat blood onto the floor then shuffled off to the bathrooms. Cole hesitated, but I shook my head at him. I needed him to keep the team on track while I handled Mase.

“Next time do it where I can’t see you,” muttered Coach as he passed by me and Mase. “Goddamn assholes.”

He went into his office and shut the door. Suspensions involved paperwork, and Coach hated paperwork. I’d get an earful about this later, but we didn’t have time now. Not when I needed to make sure Mase had calmed down enough not to drown Kane in a toilet when we turned our backs.

Mase eyed the door to the showers, and I stepped in front of him.

“No. You need to go home and shake it off. Kenzie is there alone, and I don’t want Kane getting any ideas.”

Mase nodded and flexed his hand. “Understood. I’m not going to apologize for hitting him.”

“I’m not going to ask you to. If you’d been a second slower, I’d be the one suspended tonight.”

He met my eyes. “Emotions make things dangerous. You need to focus on the team tonight and be a leader. Take control and don’t give Kane a single moment of your thoughts. Let him wallow on his own. I’ll watch out for Kenzie.”

I was stupidly relieved to know I wasn’t alone in protecting her.

Mase changed back into his street clothes, and Kane never came out of the bathroom. The seconds ticked by, but I waited until Mase was on his way back to his truck before I followed Kane.

He stood with his face next to the mirror, dabbing at blood, and he didn’t turn around when he spotted me coming. His mistake. I wrenched his arm up behind his back and shoved his face into the glass, leaving a red smear.

“Get the fuck off me,” he mumbled, struggling against my hold.

I was a little taller than Kane, but I had a solid twenty pounds of muscle on him because I actually attended conditioning and weight training. His arm was enough leverage to keep him in place, but I leaned in anyway until he hissed in pain.

“Let’s get one thing clear. Kenzie asked me to let her handle you, which is the only reason you’re not unconscious right now. You had your chance with her, and you fucked it up. She’s mine now. Mine to support, mine to love… and mine to protect.” I twisted his shoulder higher, and he arched away from me. “Mine.If you keep pushing, I will bring all the power at my disposal to destroy you. Fuck around and find out.”

I backed away and released him, striding out of the bathroom without looking back. The entire encounter took less than a minute, and there were no witnesses. I meant every word I’d said. If I had to sell myself to Gram’s business future, I’d do it in a heartbeat if it meant keeping Kenzie safe from Kane’s bullshit.

When I finally made it to the rink, I ran warm-ups and drills without once looking into the stands. I didn’t want to see Kenzie’s empty seat. At least Kane had finally gotten what he deserved, and he wouldn’t be bothering her tonight since Mase was at the house.

Coach joined us as we filed back onto the bench before our entrance music. He nodded to me, and I nodded back. We were on the same page. Focus on the game, deal with the fallout after.

Without Mase, we struggled. Our backup goalie, Tremblay, was good, but Mase had a sixth sense about where the puck would be. Having a human goalie instead of a damn vampire meant we had to play a more aggressive game, keep the puck away from the paint as much as possible, which meant faster line changes and less fucking around on the bench.

A petty part of me enjoyed watching Kane’s line succeed without him. He’d let his ego get in the way of his skill, and he’d been slipping all season. With Rafe in his spot, his line scored twice in the first two periods.

Every time my attention tried to wander to the seats just down the glass, I viciously clawed it back. When the final buzzer sounded, we’d won the game, but I felt like my shoulder muscles were made of solid steel. I couldn’t relax them at all.

Dread filled me at the thought of going home and finding Kenzie gone. She’d nodded when I asked her to be there after the game, but I wouldn’t blame her if she found a neutral location. Avery’s house, maybe.

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