Page 6 of Dance of the Phoenix
Isora, who sat to my left, was talking with Zoey, who sat next to her, about what the show was going to include. According to the pamphlet, at the end of the Troop’s show, there would be a chance for non-Troop members who wanted to participate in the Hecatomb to show what they could do. That part was bound to be interesting, if nothing else.
When the show started, a vaguely familiar man with brown skin and heavy makeup took to the stage, a cordless mic in his hands. “Hello, my friends and comrades of the Rayne League!” he called, causing the crowd to clap, shout, and whistle in almost bloodthirsty excitement.
Everyone was far too happy and excited about the upcoming Hecatomb, in my opinion.
“God, it feels like just yesterday Kaylon called my name in the Auction,” Zoey murmured.
“Without further ado, show your love to the four Commanders!” Kaylon now said, and to a deafening cheer, four figures joined him onstage.
My eyes widened, shock thrumming through my veins, when Kaylon said, “Please welcome Haneul Kang, Oberon Grimes, Neisha Barnes, and Logan Kazar, our four formidable Troop Commanders!”
I knew Neisha. A beautiful woman with a toned, muscular body covered by unblemished brown skin, with extremely curly dark hair reaching her waist and almond-shaped chestnut brown eyes, she had quite the presence—especially since she was at least six feet tall. Wearing sweatpants and a sports bra, along with an anticipatory grin on her face, she looked ready to go.
Back at the Jinn headquarters, she had beheaded a Jinni with her bare hands. If I had to choose anyone to fight in the Hecatomb, she would be the obvious choice.
Haneul Kang, too, I vaguely remembered. More so, I remembered the pretty hawk resting on his slim shoulder. That hawk had gotten hurt back at the fight with the Jinn, and I remembered Haneul giving it a direct blood transfusion. I didn’t know his name back then, but the sight of him caring for his hawk wasn’t something I could easily forget.
However, Haneul didn’t look like a fighter. Standing next to Neisha, he was evidently short and slimmer, with hardly any muscle on his stick-thin arms. With thick dark hair almost covering his eyes, he didn’t seem very reliable in terms of physical strength. But his pretty hawk gave off the feeling there was more to Haneul than met the eye.
The biggest shock was Logan. He was my ex-boyfriend from when we were both human, over three years ago. With jet-black hair, turquoise eyes, and a tall and athletic body, he was an extremely handsome and capable man. Once upon a time, he’d been a soccer prodigy, and when he became a vampire, that talent of his became magical, making him a Gifted vampire.
What I didn’t know was that he was a Troop Commander. Back in the Comprehensive Newcomer Course I took when I first became a vampire, he was our PE teacher. There had been no mention of him being a Commander. And since a Commander was the highest-rankingofficer in the Troop, I realized his standing in the League was even better than I’d assumed.
The fourth and last Troop Commander, Oberon Grimes, I didn’t know at all. He was the tallest of all the Commanders, at least six-five—taller than even Ragnor, I assumed—and he was built like a fucking tank, with tree-trunk arms and long, thick legs. As if to add to his intimidating aura, his face was covered in scars, some of which disappeared under his dark-blond beard. His hair, dirty blond and long, was half braided, half down, and reminded me of the haircuts the Vikings in TV shows sported. That, along with his cold silver eyes, made him seem like he belonged to the faraway fjords.
“Wow,” Zoey murmured now, “this man is just ... wow.”
“Which one are you talking about?” Isora asked, amused.
Zoey scoffed incredulously. “Oberon Grimes. Who else?”
Out of the four, Oberon was definitely the most eye catching. It wasn’t just his towering height and intimidating build. The entire air he emitted was extremely dangerous—that of a man one wouldn’t want to meet in a dark alley.
“The show will go as follows,” Kaylon now said, drawing everyone’s attention back to him. “The four Brigades will fight one another two versus two, like the participants of the Hecatomb will. Each fight will take one minute. On the screen behind me, the names of the fighters will appear for your convenience, and each Brigade will wear different colors. Don’t worry, though; the colors and which Brigade they belong to will appear on the screen at all times.”
Said screen now blinked on, showing the colors along with the Commanders’ names and the four Brigades they commanded respectively.
“After the Brigade members fight each other, it will be time for the Commanders to steal the show,” Kaylon continued, smiling. “But for now, let’s start with the first round!”
The Commanders and Kaylon emptied the stage, and four Brigade members took their place in front of the crowd instead, preparing for the mock battle.
“Good thing I’m right on time.”
I jumped, heart booming in my chest, and whipped my head to my right. The formerly vacant seat next to me was now occupied by a cloaked figure with a very familiar voice. Midnight blue eyes peered at me from under the hood, and I gaped at him. “What are you doing here?” I asked in a whisper.
Ragnor gave me a tired grin and clasped my hand in his. “Watching the show, obviously,” he murmured. “This counts as a couple activity, does it not?”
I couldn’t help but chuckle. “That’s ... one way to put it, I guess,” I muttered, then looked around me. Isora and Zoey, along with the rest of the audience, were transfixed by the mock battle. No one seemed to know their Lord was sitting right here, in the crowd, as if he were a mere League member.
Seemingly reading my mind, Ragnor squeezed my hand, and my gaze returned to him. “Don’t worry,” he said quietly. “Nobody is going to notice me.”
He sounded so confident, it made me suddenly intrigued. “Are you using your powers?”
He grinned and pulled me closer to him. “Indeed I am,” he said, his eyes now on the show. “All I want is to freely enjoy an activity with my girlfriend. If it takes magic to make it happen, so be it.”
I grunted, huddling closer to his side. “Not you, too, with this boyfriend-girlfriend thing.”
His rumbling laughter made my insides twist and turn in the best way possible. “What do you want me to call you, then?” he asked in a soft murmur, his lips at my ear causing me to shiver. “My lover?”
