Page 31 of Unleash Hades
“Your woman is in the audience, as I’m sure you know,” Rose said beside me, quietly, as if anyone was close to ear shot. “Fight like you’re doing it for her.”
Rose began to turn away, then stopped.
“Stop just short of winning, though,” Rose reminded me, looking over into the other corner. “I think I was right when I said she had a concrete reason to win. And I…”
She didn’t want me to win because she thought that the She-Bear, or the girl in her entourage, would bear the price of loss. She didn’t want to cause them harm. Neither did I. Rose didn’t want it because she had a good heart. I, on the other hand, knew it wouldn’t help me make contact.
“I’ll do my best to not die, while also not winning,” I grumbled.
And a small part of me did not want to embarrass myself in front of the object of my desire.
I’ll have to thread this delicate-as-fuck needle.
Rose placed a hand on my shoulder and tilted her head with a look of complete sympathy before she exited the octagon.
The She-Bear turned around, her silver bikini shining in the lights. Her arched, long brows knotted down over her nose in a ferocious scowl, her lips curled back, baring her teeth.
Blood coated her front teeth from when I had decked her in the mouth - it was practically a lucky shot since I had spent most of the time just trying to survive.
The wholenot winningthing might be easier than I thought.
Chapter 9
Calissandra
Hugo was far moresubdued in the second round. I hated it. I wanted to scream for him to hit her harder, to beat her, and break her! I wanted him to win, yes, but more than anything, I wanted him to not get hurt!
“He’s holding back,” Bellamy gave words to my thoughts, and I wanted to beat him for it. Not because he was wrong, but because I didn’t want him to be right. “The Legionnaire has a bit of a conscience.”
I couldn’t take my eyes off of my Hugo. His beautiful, thick, muscular body that brought back memories so crystal clear, I could almost touch them: his skin in the summer heat, the coarseness of his chest hair, and the roughness of his hands.
“What do you mean?” I was getting frustrated with Bellamy’s speech. Why couldn’t he just say what he meant for once?
“He and his coach are looking over at the girl. I think they know, as we do, that there’s a hostage crisis there. I don’t think your man is going to try to win.”
I opened my mouth, and let the words spill out, even though I didn’t believe it. “He’s not my man. I’m just… a fan. Of the… sport.”
“An MMA fan that didn’t know who the first female champion of the Underground was?” Bellamy said, inspecting his fingernails with faux casualness. “Tsk, tsk, you really need to work on your cover story.”
“You’re insufferable.”
“Well, at least that wasn’t a lie,” he chuckled as he stared down at his painted, orange nails.
It’s not unusual for a man to paint his nails… at least not in New York City. But bright orange?
The She-Bear lunged, and Hugo dipped to the side. The blow glanced off his shoulder.
He landed an uppercut to her sternum. She grunted, and he heaved another blow that looked heavy, like his fist was full of lead. He was growing tired. They both were. And still, I could see their mouths move around their mouthguards, as if they were having a conversation.
The two parted again, and the She-Bear dipped her head in a nod.
“They’re probably discussing where to get drinks after,” Bellamy said, still inspecting his pristine nails. Did he get regular manicures? His cuticles were smooth, and paper thin. Not like mine, which were cracked. “It’s customary for many of them. Especially if they’re not acquainted.”
“After they beat the hell out of each other?” I turned and immediately regretted looking at Bellamy’s face.
He wasn’t watching the fight. He was watching me. But there was something about him that made me feel like I was a voyeur. His mannerisms, his clothes. I instinctively told myself that it was rude to stare, because he invited staring, while also making me feel ashamed of the impulse.
Like he was a car wreck on the side of the road, and I was a spectator to carnage.
