Page 25 of Celestial Combat

She stepped out, braids swinging, blood dripping from her knuckles. The people surged closer, hands reaching, shouting her name, but she didn’t even seem to hear them.

Because her focus was already locked onto someone else.

Tony.

She ran straight for him.

And he caught her.

His arms wrapped around her, lifting her off the ground. He spun her, laughing, his hands steady, sure. The gesture was easy. Natural. Intimate.

A sharp, unfamiliar sensation coiled in my gut.

Then she threw a fist in the air, her victorious grin burning bright in the chaos. The crowd exploded again, their energy feeding off hers. And Tony –fucking Tony– just smirked, his hold on her unwavering, like this was his moment too.

Realization slammed into me like a punch to the ribs.

Trevor moved first.

His fingers clamped down on his girl’s wrist again, bulldozing through the crowd. He was rigid, a walking threat, his rage barely contained.

Kali’s grin faltered the second she saw her brother.

Tony, on the other hand, remained perfectly unbothered, his arm dropping from her as he set her back on her feet.

“Relax, man–”

Trevor didn’t let him finish. In one brutal motion, he grabbed Tony by the collar and hauled him up onto his toes.

“You wanna explain to me what the fuck you’re doing here with my little sister?”

Tony’s dark eyes flickered, but his tone stayed even. “She’s a good fighter–”

“Not your fucking problem,dago.”

The slur landed like a gunshot.

Tony didn’t flinch. His hands came up, clamping onto Trevor’s wrists. His arms tensed, veins bulging beneath the inked skin of his forearms.

A silent warning.

“Back. Off.”

My jaw tightened.

The tension crackled, a live wire about to snap. The people around us had started backing away, sensing the inevitable explosion.

Then Tony smirked. A flicker of amusement. “She’s here because she wants to be. No one forced her. Least of all me.”

Trevor’s grip tightened.

Tony’s hands flexed in response.

I stepped between them, pushing them apart. Trevor shoved me off, still seething.

“Whatever,” Kali snapped, rolling her eyes as she tried to brush past us. “I’m getting out of here.”

“No, you’re not.” Trevor cut her off. “You’re coming with me, Natalia, and Zane to the back.You.” He turned to Tony. “Get lost.”

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