Page 143 of Our Sins in Blood (Coven of Sin 1)

It was a safe bet that Eros and Vincent would be getting ready in the locker rooms, but even without the sign, I could feel my mark growing warmer with every step that brought me closer to my claimed mate.

A heavy-set mammoth of a man in a blue polo with “security” stamped across his chest blocked my way to the back. By his scent, he wasn’t a vampire, but he wasn’t entirely human either. Maybe a shifter.

“Where do you think you’re going, girly?” The male puffed out his chest, trying to intimidate me. Instead, I was just annoyed.

“I need to see Feral and Deathwish.”

“Fighters only,” he snorted.

I narrowed my eyes at the audacious fuck who stood in my way. “I’m Deathwish’s girl.” Pulling the mate card felt weird, but I did carry his mark. By all rights, I was his mate. If only this guy was a vampire, then he’d be able to scent as much, and I’d already be inside.

“Right,” he said with a mocking cackle. “And I’m engaged to Lady Gaga.”

Propping my hands on my hips, I shot him a sour glare. “Don’t make me ask twice. Deathwish won’t be happy to hear you refused to let his mate see him before his big fight.”

My threat did not land like I hoped it would. A seedy grin spread across the security guard’s face, his eyes roving down the length of my body. “You wouldn’t be the first chick who’s made up lies to see the fighters. They get down on their knees for me and askrealnicely.” The creep grabbed his crouch and adjusted his hard-on, licking his lips. “So how bad you want in, baby? I’ll take you to the back if you agree to show me your appreciation for breaking the rules. With a mouth like that, I bet you give real good head.”

The naïve human inside me was repulsed, but Thomas Knight’s daughter was in the driver’s seat now. Before I even realized what was happening, I had my hand wrapped around his throat. Slamming him against the wall with all my strength, I felt his lungs empty. His eyes bugged out, but I wasn’t sure if it was because of his lack of airflow or his surprise by my impressive show of strength. Probably both.

The whole place went quiet as, once again, all eyes were on me. Whoops. So much for lying low.

Oh well. Now that everyone knew the princess was in the building, now was the time to let them know I wasn’t to be fucked with. “I want in bad enough to pop off the head of anyone stupid enough to stand in my way.”

I let out a dry laugh at the male’s horrified expression. “Oh, what’s the matter,‘baby?’Not the kind of head you had in mind?”

“Damn, doll. I don’t think I’ve ever been more turned on in my life,” a familiar, guttural voice sounded. I jerked my attention away from the shifter—whose cheeks were turning blue—to see Eros standing in the locker room doorway, lounging against the cement wall with his arms folded over his bare chest.

“Eros!” I dropped the security guard and threw myself into my mate’s arms. He held me close, his nose in my hair, breathing me in.

“Fucking hell, you’re so sexy. Look at you, dressed to slay, wearing my hoodie, your hand wrapped around the windpipe of a lesser being. I could just fuck you right here and now.” His voice was all grated and husky, making me shiver with dark delight in his arms.

“That’s not the kind of show everyone came to see, Eros.” But dang, he made it sound appealing. “Can we talk for a second?”

Holding me back in his arms, his brown eyes burned with concern, and his smile fell away. He probably already knew that I was going to ask him to drop the bet, but he nodded and pulled me into the locker room, out of everyone’s line of sight.

“Nosey fucks,” he grumbled, stalking down the hall and into a room filled with lockers, a shower, and a counter lined with sinks.

It was now that I noticed he was wearing nothing but a towel.

Holy Mother. I’d seen him naked before, but this look of his had to be my favorite. His tattooed skin, taut over his bulging muscles, and that tapered waist with the deep V between his hips, wrapped up in a fluffy white towel.

His body was the pinnacle of female fantasy.

Don’t get distracted, Ruby. You’re here on a mission.

“So what brings my sweet little doll back here? The fight starts in fifteen minutes. That’s not a lot of time. If you came for a taste of the other night…”

He knew that’s not why I’d come. He was trying to distract me, and it was almost working.

He took a step toward me and then another. My mark was almost on fire. He was so close. My whole body flushed, growing hot and sweaty, and his burning gaze wasn’t helping. Those brown eyes bore into me, stripping me bare. I backed up until he had me cornered against the lockers.

With my spine flat against the cool metal, he placed a hand on either side of my head, caging me in.

When he dipped to kiss me, I finally found my words. “You have to call off the bet!”

His lips froze just millimeters away from mine. His brows furrowed. “Why?”

“Because you might lose. The coven can’t afford to lose you, especially not now with all this Dagon Knight and Boston Coven bullshit.”

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