Page 86 of The Devils They Are

I should probably feel guilty for deliberately making sure Ry was placed with Turner.

But I don't.

Chapter thirty-one

Bexley

"Ouch.That'sgoingtoleave a pretty, little mark."

The crowd simultaneously groans as one of our fighters smashes into the ground inside of the cage. It seems like Willowbrook brought their A-game tonight. We're down two-to-one, but Millie is up next so I'm confident we'll get a win.

As predicted, the pure white flooring didn't stay untarnished for long. Splatters of blood are already creating stains and decorative victories.

I'm using Steele's head to balance on the barricade. As more fights progress, the crowd becomes restless. Especially on a night like this when tensions are high.

After Mills' match, I'm up. And then the real party begins.

When Arch handed me the list of matchups, I had to do a double take when I saw Steele and Rylan's names together. I shouldn't care, but something tugs at my insides uncomfortably. Of course, I want Steele to win—but I can't move past that small fragment of…unknown emotionI feel about Rylan.

Steele seems awfully confident. I've already warned him to play it smart. This will not be an easy match for him. Despite my advice, he remains cocky, hand running up my bare leg and wrapping around my thigh.

I feel on edge myself. I'm doing my best to not think about tomorrow but my body is filled with nervous energy. Hearing the crowd grow more restless, it almost sends me over the edge. My empathy radar is at max capacity, and I want to blame the humid conditions in the warehouse for making sweat drip down my body. It's probably half true but it doesn't explain why my hands are shaking.

My eyes land on the side of the cage, spotting Mill crash through the door in record time. She's already bouncing like an energized bunny, eyes blown wide.

A tall, green-haired girl enters after her and immediately the two start checking each other out. I can see their mouths moving and judging by the way Millie's eyebrow cocks and a smirk appears, the Willowbrook fighter appears to be taunting her.

The bell rings through the room. I'm not sure why I expected more dancing and dodging, but Millie shoots across the cage, crash tackling the girl with force. Apparently, she wasn't expecting it either, and despite my fun-sized fiend lacking the weight advantage, the two of them smash into the ground.

Millie throws blow after blow into her opponent's face, swinging so fast that it feels like I'm watching a sped-up Tiktok. The crowd of people around the cage are unsure how to react, several of them pressing against the fencing to get a better look and shout jeers.

But it's obvious neither of the girls hear them—mainly because the green-haired girl passes out. I spot Arch rush into the cage bravely, tapping Millie's shoulder to grab her attention. Finally, she realizes and stops, blinking for a moment before jumping to her feet.

My eyebrows spring up high in disbelief. Even after unleashing all that power, she's stillfucking energized. Talk about good stamina. Cardio makes me fight for my life.

"I better head over," I say to Steele, jumping off the barricade.

He nods, grinning at me. "See you on the other side, babe." When he presses his lips to mine, it takes me a few seconds to respond.

Our kissing has never been thesparks flying, feels like I'm floatingkind of thing, but it was always enjoyable. Now, it feels like I'm tasting ash or bland mashed potatoes. The usual tingling is missing, and I pull back, forcing a smile. "Good luck," I offer awkwardly, doing my best to hide my strange reaction.

Pushing through the crowd, I arrive at the cage as Millie finally steps out. She grins at me, slamming her hand into mine with the hardest high-five possible.

"You did great," I smile, shaking my palm to clear some of the sting.

"Oh, my God. That felt so good. I need to find Parker," she gushes, disappearing into the crowd without a backwards glance.

Arch turns to me, fighting to find words. "Well, that was… something."

"At least we're two-all now."

He nods. "Go make it three," he says warmly, hand patting my back as I climb the two steps and head into the cage.

My eyes inspect the floor, amused at the sweat and blood. And then I'm flooded with images of Rylan's naked body pinned under mine.

Well, that's a little alarming at a time like this…

Thankfully, my opponent steps into the ring and distracts me. I'm actually pleasantly surprised to see she's as tall as me—not a very common trait I come across in my matches.

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