Page 68 of Immortal Throne

The ground was rushing toward me too fast.

Fuuuccckkk!

More blood rained down on me, and I squeezed my eyes shut, knowing I was about to break every bone in my body—if I somehow survived this.

At the last second, I opened them again to see a blur of movement racing toward me.

Then, instead of death, something slammed into me, and suddenly I was tumbling across the dirt again—this time with a stranger on top of me.

My blurry vision adjusted just enough to see Ryker’s handsome face staring down at me, full of worry, but as I opened my mouth to tell him to get off, I saw the Broca swaying, about to topple over.

Right on top of us.

Ryker must have seen the terror in my eyes because his gaze whipped over his shoulder. Without hesitation, he wrenched me against him and rolled us. Borca’s body crashed to the ground, too close for comfort. Aftershocks rippled across the dirt and raised a mushroom cloud of dust.

I coughed and waved at the dirt in the air.

“Are you out of your fucking mind?” Ryker gasped, chest heaving as he climbed off me.

He’d saved me. My biggest competition. My sworn enemy. My most hated adversary.

“I’m starting to think I am,” I wheezed. Everything hurt.Everything.And the amount of dirt in the air wasn’t helping me catch my breath.

Ryker didn’t offer a hand. Instead, he squinted at the giant’s unmoving body. “So much for sticking to the plan.”

I scramble to my feet. “Is he dead?”

“Very.” He glanced over at me and smirked. “Not too bad, princess.”

Some of the other competitors swarmed around Borca’s head, stabbing deeply. Others still cowered around the edges of the arena, clutching their familiars to their chests.

My heart pounded from both the adrenaline of the fight and from Ryker’s intervention and what it could mean. I didn’t understand why he’d saved me when letting me die would give him a clear line to the throne he wanted.

I continued to stare at him, my body buzzing, my mind spinning in two opposite directions.

He was competition. I was supposed to despise him.

But…

He eyed me suspiciously. “What?”

I closed the distance between us, gripped a handful of his shirt, and hauled him close. My mouth crashed onto his, my need to taste him overcoming every other thought. I half expected him to rip himself away from me, but instead, he kissed me back with just as much intensity. Groaning, his tongue wrestled with mine, demanding dominance.

And though part of my brain screamed at me, the rest had me plastering my body to his. His fingers raked through my hair and tugged hard enough to have me gasping, but the pain only ignited the desire already swirling inside me.

This felt good.Hefelt good.

I didn’t know how or when I’d become so drawn to Ryker, but damn… I couldn’t seem to stay away from him or keep my hands to myself when he was near.

I clung to him, closing my arms around his strong torso and hiking my leg over his hip. Apparently, I wanted to climb him.

And that wasn’t all I wanted.

I wanted to taste him, tease him, and claim him. Heat danced along my skin with need. My scar burned. My core ached. If I didn’t have him right now, I might die.

Ryker yanked his head back.

I looked into his emerald-green eyes and my breath caught. His gaze held the same need and hunger thrumming in my veins.

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