Page 40 of Immortal Throne

We were the last two to step through the portal to the trials. The magic washed over me as I stepped onto uneven ground. I tore my gaze away from Ryker and froze. The portal had taken me to a cliff edge on the side of a mountain. Six smaller portals stood ahead of me on the edge of the cliff, along with open sky and wilderness far, far below. The light breeze played with my red hair, carrying with it a faint blend of pine, ocean, and something slightly charred. I whirled around. The portal we’d stepped through pulsed along the side of the rock face that continued to rise up to the clouds. The only way off this platform was by portal or death.

“Why do you want a throne you know nothing about anyway?” Ryker pressed, distracting me from the sights. “Just because you think it’s something you should do? You don’t have the will. You lack the determination.”

“Trust me, I’ve got the determination. I’ve got more determination in my finger dripping blood than you do in your entire body. You look like you haven’t struggled for a thing in your whole damn life. I might be the daughter of the last Lucifer, but I sure as hell wasn’t brought up with a silver spoon in my mouth.” I kept my attention forward, Chupey gave me silent moral support, knocking into the side of my leg every few steps as though to remind me of his presence. I appreciated it more than he knew.

“And, honestly,” I continued, apparently on a roll. “I don’t have to answer to you.”

“Actually, you should get used to answering my questions. When I’m the next Lucifer—”

Okay, the guy wasn’t going to stop. I whirled on him and flipped him the finger. “Are you trying to piss me off?”

I didn’t expect him to smile. “It looks like I already have.”

And I’d walked right into it.

Like hell I’d give him the satisfaction of playing his little head games. Turning my nose up in the air to show him how much I didn’t care, I strode off toward the others waiting for the first trial to start. They’d grouped together near the first of the portals, the one farthest to the left.

Apparently, Ryker didn’t like being ignored. He reached out and grabbed me by the arm, halting my movement. I had the choice of struggling against his hold or whirling around to face him once again. I chose the latter and jabbed my finger into his chest. “What’s your problem?”

Our gazes met. Fire burned in his eyes, and he pressed his lips together. His stubborn expression probably mirrored mine, right down to the furrowed brow and teeth gnashing.

“You’re infuriating,” he ground out.

“Thank you. I do my best.”

He took a step closer, crowding my space and taking up all the air. The size and breadth of him…damn. They didn’t make men like this in the mortal realm. He was gorgeous. And I hated myself for the thought because he was also an asshole, and out to steal what was rightfully mine.

Not to mention the human table bit.

I wasn’t sure I’d ever forgive him for that.

I glanced between his hand on my elbow and his face. “You want to let go of me now.”

He stared down at me, anger simmering beneath the surface. I might understand his hatred toward me now, but why the hell did he also look…

No, wrong. Desire couldn’t possibly flash in his gaze. I had to be mistaken.

“What is it about you?” Ryker spoke more to himself, probably not intending for me to hear or answer.

I lifted a brow, not wanting him to see the hurt. I already knew I didn’t fit into this new world. I didn’t need the fan-favorite to remind me about it every other question. My confidence could only carry me so far.

“I’m one of a kind,” I replied.

A single tug brought me to his chest, my palms slapping hard pecs that might as well be carved of stone. Heat curled immediately in my core and shot out pleasantly to the rest of my limbs.

“Let go,” I said.

Ryker didn’t listen.

Once again, neither one of us wanted to back down. He refused to let go and I refused to make him. I needed to save the rest of my energy for this trial, especially considering how my last fight at the Underground went.

“Well?” I asked.

The demand, coupled with the searing eye contact, should have done the trick. Instead, Ryker tightened his hold on my elbow while the other hand snaked around my lower back in a vice grip.

“What are you going to do, Sloane?” he asked in a low rumble of sound. “Why don’t you make me let you go? Show me what you’ve got.”

Oh, I’d show him, all right. But not the way he expected.

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