Page 134 of Untraced Magic
When I collected myself enough not to let my senses control my actions, I headed back inside, scanning the room.
Her gaze burned into mine, gouging an awkward path between us.
I approached Reid in the center of the room. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and, although clearly overheating from his last spar with Ty, he still had his top on. Reid was never without clothing, because beneath his skin of ink was evidence of the weight of his gift he never showed. His carefree exterior hid a multitude of mortification from the world, from some of his closest friends, even. I only knew because it was the art of my hand that had covered such a thing.
As I approached him, I peeled my grey t-shirt from my chest, dropping it to the ground.
A grin curved his lips into a smile. He lifted his cap off his head, throwing it aside. Roughing up his hair, he smirked, and gripped the material on his jeans. “Keen to put your money where your mouth is?”
“I don’t need a bet to flatten your ass,” I chided, even though this would be an even fight.
The two of us were similar in height and build. Reid was slightly bulkier, but not by much, just enough for me to know I had speed on my side, and that speed was the reason I won most of these.
“What if I mess up your hair, pretty boy?” I shot back.
Reid took more pride in his shithouse hairstyle than was necessary, his dark brown hair forever styled in a way that made him look like he didn’t give a shit, but I knew the real Reid. I could knock one out in the time it took him to do his hair.
He flipped me the bird. “You’re on.”
I felt the prickle of Skye’s glare on my back, and I purposely rolled my shoulders, knowing the ripple of movement it would cause. I didn’t dare look at her. What game was she playing? Whatever it was, I would play it if that was how she wanted this to go down. There was no way she could deny the tug of the mate bond that nearly floored me at the mere sight of her, and I looked forward to grating every nerve of her existence until she was writhing beneath me, screaming my name.
I nudged my knuckles against Reid’s.
We put on a good show, a fury of swift movements, fists, blocks, kicks and jabs, until sweat slid over us. Reid’s t-shirt clung to his torso as he circled again.
“Yield. You know you want to,” he bantered, his arms positioned in front of him in defense.
I would never. To yield was not an option.
I smirked. “Filthy words, blood mage,” I retorted.
He lunged at me again, and I ducked as a flash of blue-green met mine from the side of the room. The single moment was all it took for Reid to take advantage of my distraction, landing my neck in the crook of his arm in a chokehold. My fingers sank into his forearms, my biceps straining for release. For air.
“Yield, greens,” he goaded.
Fuck. Fuck.Fuck.
Skye’s gaze gripped mine, silently screaming for me to yield.
I had never yielded in my life. But those eyesbeggedme.
My world blurred. “Yield,” I rasped and was immediately granted a full breath.
I doubled over, gripping my knees, my chest heaving with much-needed oxygen. When I finally stood upright again, I scanned the room, searching for the turquoise depths that had landed me in this situation. When she was nowhere to be found, I searched the house to confirm it, realization hitting me like a blow to my stomach.
Skye had left. Without so much as saying goodbye.
And that thought stung like a bitch.
