Page 89 of Cruel Academy (Princes of Ravenlake Academy 2)

He leaves obvious holes in his defense that call out to me like flashing lights. I strike out with a few body shots and when his arms drop to protect his body, a one-two punch to his jaw.

And that’s that.

Lights out. Game over.

“Sleep well, bitch,” I mutter down at him.

The crowd cheers and roars, and for a second, I can forget they are all rooting for me to lose.

Even the people who bet on me week after week want to see me bleeding on the mat. I know that. It’s human nature to want to see the weakness in people, especially when they’ve appeared strong for so long.

But I let myself forget about that reality for a few moments after a fight when everyone—even the Hell Princes—are cheering over my victory.

I forget about it until I see Bumper sauntering slowly past the ropes, heading straight for Haley. She sees him coming and glances at me, and I see her jaw stiffen and her shoulders rise.

She doesn’t want me to see her uncomfortable. Probably because she doesn’t want me to call anyone else out.

At this point, another Hell Prince callout would be as good as throwing down the gauntlet. Plus, despite how easy it was to take Levi down, my energy isn’t where I’d want it to be to fight anyone else.

My knuckles hurt, my legs feel heavy, and I’m ready to shower and sit down.

Still, I watch Bumper closely. If he touches her, I won’t bother calling him out.

I’ll jump the ropes and beat his ass before he even realizes what is happening.

He approaches Haley, moving towards her with purpose.

I hold my breath. Waiting. Watching.

But he doesn’t stop. His shoulder brushes hers, he leans in slightly, but he keeps moving without pause.

Haley turns to watch him go, her brow furrowed.

As soon as I get to the rope, people come up to congratulate me. There are claps on the back and fist bumps, people thanking me for winning them money, and others surprised by my calling out a Hell Prince.

I just nod and smile my way through the crowd, trying to get to Haley.

By the time I make it to her, Bumper is long gone, but she is still looking after him, her lower lip between her teeth.

“What was that?”

She turns to me, brows raised. “What?”

I tip my head in the direction Bumper went. “Did he touch you? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” She looks into my eyes and then, to drive the point home, grabs my forearms, smoothing her thumbs over my skin. “I’m okay. He didn’t touch me.”

“Did he say something?”

She nods and pulls her hands away, tangling them in front of her nervously.

I grab her chin and tip her face up to mine. Her blue eyes are stormy. “What?”

“It was quiet, and it happened so fast that I can’t really be sure what he said. I might have misheard him, or he could have been talking to someone else. It wasn’t a big deal and—”

“Haley.”

Her eyes snap up to mine, and she sighs. “He said, ‘This is war.’”

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