Page 32 of Dance of the Phoenix
Neisha gave me a big smile as we took to the floor. “I have a feeling we’re going to nail it,” she whispered to me. “So don’t hold back. Oberon is one scary motherfucker.”
I studied the Commander in the opposing pair. Oberon, with his massive tanklike body, indeed seemed like a force to be reckoned with. It was his first battle of the day, like mine, so I was curious to see what Gift he had.
Soon enough, I found two things.
Once Margarita called “Start!” Neisha and I moved together toward Oberon, both of us seeing him as the primary target. Unfortunately,that made it easier for CJ to flank our backs and attack Neisha with powerful blows that made her stagger back.
I focused on Oberon, who didn’t move from his spot. He gave me a slow grin when I shot a fist to his head, and while my punch connected with his cheekbone flawlessly, I knew a moment later I’d made a mistake.
Because by then, vines were wrapped around my ankles, and with a simple flick of his wrist, Oberon had me hanging upside down from vines that sprouted out of the pockets of his training pants. I was utterly immobilized.
“First mistake, little Common,” he told me, pulling out seeds from his pockets. “When fighting a Gifted, always focus on the surrounding area rather than the vampire himself.”
I gritted my teeth because he was right. I was so focused on his intimidating muscle mass that I forgot Gifteds had all kinds of powers, and those powers didn’t have to necessarily be connected to their actual limbs, like Logan’s and Neisha’s, or other parts, like Cassidy’s vocal Gift. In fact, I should’ve realized it from the last battle, when Haneul utilized his hawk to attack unsuspecting Cassidy.
With a bitter feeling, I grated out, “Fine. I yield.”
Oberon slowly let me down and even offered to help me up. With a glance at Ragnor that told me his eyes were on Neisha and CJ, who were still battling it out, I took Oberon’s hand and rose to my feet. “Do you take vine seeds everywhere with you?” I grumbled.
The Commander gave me a big belly laugh that made him look like a heavy-lifting Santa. “I have all kinds of seeds with me,” he said, wriggling his brows.
I couldn’t help but laugh at that.
The fight concluded moments later, when Neisha had CJ in a choke hold, and I returned to the bench, sitting next to Zoey, who gave me a suspicious look. “What did you and him talk about?”
“Nothing, really,” I replied, shrugging. “Why?”
“Because our Lord has been looking at you two as if he was ready to go on a killing spree,” she murmured back, and I stiffened.
Slowly, I turned to look at Ragnor, but he seemed to be talking with his Lieutenants, his face as impassive as before. “Are you sure you saw right?”
“Don’t be daft,” she scoffed. “If the entire League didn’t already know about you two, then the way actual smoke came out of his ears would’ve let them all know.”
I couldn’t even begin to comprehend her words when the next round was up—with Zoey and Cassidy against Yelene and Logan.
The next few battles proceeded as before. I found myself paired with Oberon next, and while we made a good team, Yelene and Haneul were far more compatible than we were, and they managed to overpower us with overwhelming ease.
Same went for my pairing with Haneul. He was a quiet man, and he seemed to rely mostly on himself, which had been great before when he supported the much weaker Yelene, but with me, it turned out to be a hindrance. I was more the long-enduring-battle type, while he was the kind to quickly finish off his foe. That made the battle very strenuous.
When it was my time to pair up with Cassidy, I was pretty tired. Cassidy didn’t give me so much as a nod, and I barely managed to nod at her; I was barely standing on my two feet. And with our opponents being Oberon and Sulien, I was already feeling tired.
The battle was short-lived. Cassidy and I, much like in our relationship, were not compatible whatsoever. She was the stand-in-place-and-rely-on-her-Gift type. That made both Oberon and Sulien focus their attacks on her, and when I tried to intervene and attack them back, they were so much in sync, they managed to fend me off while still overpowering Cassidy at the same time.
After that fight, I was able to rest for a few more battles. Until Margarita said, “Final battle will be Neisha and Zoey against Logan and Aileen!”
Chapter 14
Aileen
Logan’s face was quite expressionless when I rose from my seat and headed toward him. But I knew him well enough to know he was giving me a mental scowl.
It was the twitch in his right eye. It was always that twitch whenever he was displeased about something.
I was not happy about it either. In fact, I felt as much displeasure as he did, only I had a feeling I hid it better.
But our personal feelings shouldn’t matter. The Hecatomb was a week away. If we wanted to survive that damn thing, we had to put our differences aside.
“Hey,” I murmured, feeling the energy seeping out of me as I came to a stop beside him, looking at Neisha and Zoey chatting animatedly with one another.
