Page 69 of Act of Brotherhood
Good.
His lips curled as he continued to walk in a slow circle with Auberi mirroring his every move. They continued to watch one another, each prepped for the other to make a move. Already they bore injuries from their “friendly” sparring match.
Garth could taste blood in his mouth from a recent hit Auberi had delivered. And Auberi’s jaw was turning an angry purple from the well-placed punch Garth had landed minutes before. They were evenly matched, which was part of the problem. Both were powerful in their own right. One a shifter. One a vampire.
“Och, this is going nowhere fast,” Striker added from his chair while he ate popcorn again. He tried to give some to James, who in turn wrinkled his nose and shook his head.
Auberi again seized the momentary distraction to punch Garth in the mouth.
Garth’s head snapped back as blood dripped from his lip.
Striker leaned back in the chair and reached for the scorecards on the table. He held up a sign that had the number six on it. The scoring went from one to ten, ten being the best. “I’ve seen better.”
His partners in crime held up their votes as well.
Miles “Boomer” Walsh’s sign had a five. “I’m with Asshole. I’ve seen better too. Put some effort behind it next time, Auberi.”
Rurik lifted a sign with a four on it. “That hit looked weak. No real surprise. The vampire is French after all.”
Garth spun around and elbowed Auberi in the gut. When the vampire bent, Garth struck him in the side of the face. His head whipped up and a challenge lit his eyes.
The men judging them for sport all lifted sevens.
Garth rolled his eyes.
Boomer glanced at Rurik’s vote. “He’s your team captain. You should really give him more points because of that alone.”
The Russian bear-shifter lifted a dark brow. “I did give him more because of that. My first vote was going to be a five.”
Striker rubbed his beard. “Aye. Was my first thought too. I feel the elbow bit was verra showy. Screams ‘insecure with manhood.’”
The others nodded in agreement.
Boomer pushed his long blue-black hair from his face and winked at Garth. “Hit him once for me, okay?”
Auberi gave Boomer the finger.
“Yeah, that screams ‘classy and sophisticated,’” returned Boomer. “They’re going to take your French card away.”
“But will they?” asked Striker. “That would involve confrontation, so I do nae know that they will ask for shite back.”
Rurik grunted. “I hate the French.”
“We don’t care much for you either.” Blaise poked his head up from the back of the training room, where he’d gathered several mats and was resting.
Garth’s attention returned to Auberi. He stepped in his direction, but the vampire quickly changed his stance, clearly anticipating Garth’s next move.
Asshole.
The vampire tried to take Garth by surprise but failed.
The men held up signs with zeroes on them.
“Boring,” stated Boomer with a fake yawn. “We need more blood. The German is right. This is as fun as watching paint dry.”
Striker lifted his arm out and did a dramatic motion while he gave them a thumbs-down. “If this was the arena, I’d have just signed yer death warrants.”
“If this was ancient Rome, you’d be in a whorehouse, nowhere near the fights,” said Boomer.
