Page 87 of Deceived

Then he hops up there, leaving me reeling. He’s my mate too? How is this even possible and why would he keep this from me for so long? At least he told me himself, unlike Griffyn. That helps me not be furious with him. Why would he tell me now?

Felix, Aksel, and Griffyn share a look above me, clearly hearing what he said. I don’t get any time to dwell on it before I need to focus on the fight.

The previous fighter who was knocked out is removed.

Blaze stands in his corner with us behind him. He’s bouncing on his toes and shadowboxing. His gaze doesn’t leave his opponent who is acting similarly on the other side.

A thin man lifts himself onto the edge, away from both of the fighters.

I can’t focus on the bomb Blaze just dropped, I need to focus on the fight in front of me.

“Creatures! Welcome to the main event! We have a show in store for you so be sure to get a view so you can take in the action. If you’re lucky, you might get into a fight yourself. In one corner we have our violence demon Devil!”

The grizzly man only wearing torn jeans raises his hands and wings erupt from his back. They’re black and webbed as they flare wide behind him.

The crowd cheers and I see other sets of wings break free throughout the crowd.

“Do you have wings?” I lean behind me and whisper to Griffyn who has me encircled in his arms.

“Yes. Why? Are you curious?” He whispers against my ear.

I nod against him.

“And on our other side, we have The Killer, a dragon with a fiery attitude.”

Blaze doesn’t move. He just stands there glaring down at his opponent.

The greasy man next to me shouts up to him, “You know the rules, Blaze!”

Nothing about his posture changes. He doesn’t change the direction of his stare but I can see his chest, neck, and arms ripple with blue and purple scales.

They look incredible before they abruptly stop.

Once again the crowd goes wild and I see exposed claws, shifted canines, and even full-blown animals.

Apparently, these people root for their kind and want to prove their allegiance.

“You know the rules. There are none.” The thin man says from the edge of the ring. He lifts his wrist in the air, shifts his hand into claws, and slashes his vein open. Red blood sprays in an arc onto the floor of the ring.

The fighters spring into action.

My fangs shoot out, nicking the edge of my lip. “What the hell?”

“It’s how they announce the start of the fight. It sets the tone as bloody,” Felix answers. He steps closer to me as the crowd gets somehow rowdier.

The demon rushes forward, throwing a jab at Blaze that he easily sidesteps. He returns with a punch of his own straight to the guy’s temple. Blaze slides left, but doesn’t escape the uppercut to his jaw. It lacks the full heat it would have had if he didn’t move.

“He’s got this Kitten, don’t worry,” Felix says.

“He’s an incredible fighter and he’s just playing with him,” Aksel says.

I take a deep breath and slowly blow it out. I can’t show weakness in a place like this.

Both of them bob and weave, dodging each other. They’re both quick, but Blaze moves like his body was made for this. I would think his bulk would slow him down, but it doesn’t.

The crowd cheers as Blaze lands a hard right hook, makes his head snap back, and sends the demon stumbling backward. Blaze doesn’t let him recover before nailing his kidney with a kick.

“I thought you’d be rusty after all that time off. I was right,” the demon taunts.

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