Chapter 5
FIVE
LANA
I knew this would be where he would come. After my little speech in the library, he didn’t say another word to me, opting to storm from the room in a ball of rage instead.
Poor guy had to listen to some truths, so it’s understandable.
He jogs up the steps that lead to the church and disappears behind the large door, leaving me out here, alone in the cold.
Of course, he doesn’t actually know that he’s left me alone out here, since he has no idea that I trailed after him when he walked out of the library and followed him home while he changed before we came here. Unlike him, I actually am good at the whole stalking thing.
I head to the back of the church, not wanting to make myself stand out more than I already do by just waltzing through the front doors.
The last time I was here, I was the only damn female in the place, and by the looks the men gave me, I’m pretty sure someone like me being there was out of the ordinary.
Not that they were against it. Surprisingly, they were actually kind of… welcoming. And a few of the guys even tried to talk me out of fighting. Not in a ‘we don’t think you’re capable’ way but in more of a ‘we just don’t want to see you get hurt’ kind of way.
It was weird.
And kind of sweet.
I slip in through the back door, sticking to the corners of the room for now while I try to spot Cole. Last time, he was in the black room while I was fighting, and I have a feeling that that’s his usual room rather than the other two more… amateur rooms.
I find him hovering around the ring, waiting for the current fight to be over with so he can take his turn, and my adrenaline starts pumping at the opportunity to watch him fight.
You can learn a lot from a person just from seeing them fight.
You can determine their strengths and familiarize yourself with their weaknesses.
And that’s exactly what I plan to do tonight.
I’ve always found that the best way to fight fire is with fire, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do with him.
It’ll help pass the time, at least.
That, and I have this incessant need to know everything about Cole Aston. This is just the first step in doing that.
It isn’t long before the two guys who were fighting are finished, both of them stumbling away with the help of the same security guys that had pulled me away from Tyger the last time I was here.
They told me that this was the room with no rules, yet they must have some since there are guys on standby waiting to haul the fighters away if they go too far .
Cole steps into the center of the ring, completely in the zone as he stares at one spot on the floor.
He’s focused.
Almost too focused on what he’s doing.
He’s so focused on the fight that’s about to go down that he has no idea what’s going on around him.
That’d get him killed in the real world.
Another guy steps into the space and stands opposite Cole. He’s taller than him by a couple of inches and has more muscle packed onto him too.
From the outside looking in, the new guy would be a sure win for this fight. But I have a feeling Cole is a stealthy little fucker, and judging by the roar of the crowd shouting Cole’s name, he’s proved himself to be a worthy adversary to this guy more than once.
They circle each other, putting on a show for the crowd before Cole gives up all appearances of crowd pleasing and strikes.
He charges towards his opponent, wrapping his arms around the other guy’s torso and dragging them both to the ground.
Cole straddles him, and he appears to say something to him, not that anyone else, or even the guy on the floor, can probably hear.
They grapple on the ground for a few moments before Cole has the guy pinned down beneath him. He throws a punch straight to the guy’s jaw, but the guy manages to throw Cole off before jumping to his feet and launching himself at Cole.
This back and forth lasts for a few minutes, both of them getting hits in, before something snaps in Cole. It’s like a switch has been flipped, and something inside him takes over.
It’s… beautiful, the monster inside of him.
Gone is the control, the strategy. In its place is a feral beast with only one objective—taking the guy down and keeping him there.
He’s almost in a trance as he tackles the guy to the floor again, and much like my fight the other week, he pins him to the floor and rains down hit after hit, not even stopping once the poor man is unconscious beneath him.
Blood sprays the more punches he gets in, and I’m about to charge over there and pull him off of him myself when the other patrons get involved, dragging Cole away from the guy and carrying the mystery man out of the place.
That was… interesting.
I had expected Cole to fight like he was training for MMA or something. I’d never expected him to be so… savage.
I slip back through the crowd and out of the door I came in from before heading back towards the front of the building. There’s a little nook right next to the church that Cole will have to walk past to get himself back to campus, and I lean back against the wall in wait.
It isn’t long before he staggers past me.
“Aston,” I call out, and he sighs before spinning around to face me.
“What now?” he groans.
“Good fight tonight.” I praise him with a respectful nod.
It was good. It could’ve been better, but it was still good.
He stares at me, probably assessing me to see what game I’m playing. He won’t find anything. I’m actually not playing with him right now, and even if I was, I’d never let him see it.
“Thanks,” he mutters.
“Did it work?” I ask innocently.
“Did what work?”
“Did fighting tonight make you want to fuck me less? ”
He’s shaking his head before I can even finish the sentence before following it up with a scoff.
“The very last thing I want to do to you is fuck you, little menace.”
Even as he says the words, his gaze roams over my body from head to toe, lingering on my chest for a moment before his eyes meet mine.
I smirk, but don’t say what I’m thinking.
But I do kick off the wall and approach him. He doesn’t move; he stays stock still until we’re a breath’s width apart, and I lean up to whisper in his ear, “Whatever you say, pretty boy.”
Before pulling back, I notice blood dripping from his temple, and I dart my tongue out, licking up the droplet of blood before stepping back with a grin.
“Goodnight, Aston. Get home safe,” I say before disappearing into the shadows.
Tonight was fun.
Probably the most fun I’ve had since I arrived at this prison.