Chapter 27
Chapter
Twenty-Seven
CHAOS
W arm air hung thick in the depths of Max’s—an invite-only gambling and fighting hall—the musky scents of shifters mixed with the coppery tang of blood and heady aroma of dark fae magic. No humans darkened the doorstep of Max’s. Ever. In fact, I had it on good authority Max set a ward on the entrance to repel anyone without supernatural blood.
I cracked my neck as I stood in the back, waiting for the announcer to call my name. I was cutting it close tonight, arriving with mere minutes to spare before my scheduled fight. I was the headliner, and to say the promoter had been practically shitting bricks by the time I finally arrived was not that much of an exaggeration.
I couldn’t blame him. There was no scenario in my mind where Charlie hadn’t banked on my odds of winning being so high I was a sure thing. If I didn’t show, he’d stand to lose more money than God.
He was right. I was a sure thing. Even though tonight felt... different. Off. Exceedingly tense.
From my view in the fighter’s tunnel, I could see the dimly lit crowd crammed into risers like sardines as they waited for the main event. The pit sat empty, a lone spotlight beaming dead center. As soon as my opponent and I took our places, the lights would go up, casting us in sharp relief so the spectators could get what they paid for. Blood, violence, destruction. Maybe death.
There was a reason this place was such a well-kept secret. The things that happened here were not for the light of day. Or for the morally inclined. It was absolutely perfect for the likes of me.
I bounced on the balls of my feet and shook out my arms, attempting to keep my muscles warm and loose. Being amped up before a fight was nothing new to me, but tonight everything just felt... more. I could only assume it was due to the excess tension in the air. Likely a result of the earthquake just a couple of days prior.
The denizens of this underground world weren’t about to let a little something like the looming apocalypse keep them from their revelry. If anything, it only seemed to ignite their craving for dark and dangerous misdeeds.
I certainly understood the mindset. What better than a brush with death to remind you that you were still alive? These creatures held to the ideal if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em. I had no doubt when the time came to join Lucifer’s ranks, they’d all jump at the chance. Angels, they were not.
“All right, you fiends. Are you ready for some bloodshed?” the announcer called, his thick accent betraying his Welsh roots.
The roar of the crowd made my ears ring, reminding me of my time spent in the fighting pits in my former life. Except then, I at least had a weapon and shield. Now it was bare skin, fists, and brute force. Which I had in spades.
The audience began chanting my name, stretching it out into three syllables and stomping their feet rhythmically in a way that made the floor shake.
“Air-is-ton! Air-is-ton!”
The announcer introduced my opponent, which was met by a wave of boos. No one was here for him. They wanted me.
The pulse of power within me was strong enough that I couldn’t stand still. If I didn’t release some of it, I’d kill the Minotaur I was set to fight with one punch. Closing my eyes, I unzipped my hoodie and placed the hood over my head to drown out my surroundings. Then I let my power spill from within, just enough to keep from losing control. The crowd’s reaction was immediate. The already frenzied audience’s shouts rose to a fever pitch, their lust for blood unparalleled.
“And though he needs no introduction, let’s welcome our reigning champ back to the pit: Ariston the Destroyer.”
Stalking down the tunnel, I kept my gaze trained on the cement floor in front of me before taking the few steps down into the pit. They didn’t get to see any reaction from me. I never acknowledged them in any of my fights. I was here for one purpose and one purpose only. Expel my rage and continue on my way.
The Minotaur waited for me, all snorts and heavy breathing, slime dripping out of his nostrils and down the piercing through his septum. His horns were stained red, eyes blazing with fury. But it was the scars that decorated his arms that caught my eye. Brands, perhaps? They were strategically placed and reminded me of runes. They also looked fresh and painful.
If it had been some sort of attempt to strengthen him for the match, it wasn’t going to do him any good. All it would serve to do was offer me a prime target as I took his ass out.
Not that I needed one.
I was War.
Period.
He could try all he liked, but he had no chance.
Lowering my hood, I slipped the sweatshirt off and dropped it over the ropes that denoted our fighting ring. Another ripple of power flowed out of me and into the crowd. If they were wild before, they were feral now.
The Minotaur pawed one cloven hoof, huffing in warning as he lowered his head and aimed his horns at me.
A soft feminine gasp pulled my attention away from the beast before me, abject shock hitting me full force as my gaze connected with Merri’s brilliant blue eyes.
Before I could do a damn thing about her being out of the penthouse, alone, fucking unguarded, the bell rang, and the Minotaur charged. As eager as I’d been for this fight, all I wanted now was for it to be over. I had to get her out of here. Merri was a lamb in a den of wolves. There was no way she’d escape it unscathed.
Planting my feet, I met the Minotaur’s charge head-on, arm cocked back and ready to swing. I hit him across the side of his face hard enough that I felt his jaw shatter and heard the snap of his neck before he fell to the ground. With only one hit available to me, I had to pour all of my power into it, sending a shockwave of violence through the room.
The crowd roared, their shock and fury palpable. They’d come for a show and while I’d technically delivered, most only felt disappointment. I’d robbed them of their bloodbath, even as I gifted them a corpse.
“And the winner, in... ten seconds. Ariston the Destroyer!” the announcer said, trying to save some of the energy in the pit.
He failed.
Anger was written on their faces. Arguing broke out amongst them as they jeered and booed. We were trapped in a tinderbox, and I’d just lit the fuse.
Without a second thought, I jumped over the ropes and into the crowd, my focus locked on the woman who hadn’t so much as blinked since she spotted me. I was Moses parting the damn sea as I stalked straight toward her.
“Chao—”
Her utterance of my name cut off as I grabbed her none too gently by the nape and directed her up the stairs and back into the alley outside. What was it about this woman that could get me so heated? She spun me up, sent my blood boiling, and I’d had enough of it.
“What the hell were you thinking?” I bellowed, chest heaving as I crowded her against the brick wall. “Is this all some fucking joke to you? Do you care that little about your life, or are you just seeing how far you can push us before we fucking snap and forget that we’re supposed to be the ones protecting you?”
Challenge flashed in her eyes as an angry flush crept up her cheeks. She opened her mouth to likely tell me to go to hell, but I didn’t give her the opportunity. My palm encircled her delicate throat as I stared daggers at her, anger, fear, frustration, and most confusing of all, desire rushing through my veins.
Before I could stop myself, my lips crashed down onto hers. I couldn’t go another second without feeling her kiss. Now that I’d had it once, the memory lay in wait in the back of my mind every moment of every day. She was an addiction I’d never expected to be vulnerable to. But just one taste of her, and I was hooked.
Instead of shoving me away, Merri pulled me closer, a soft whimper escaping her as she reached up to weave her fingers through my hair and hold me in place. I took the opportunity of her parted lips to slide my tongue inside her mouth, deepening our kiss. Fuck, I wanted her.
No, I needed her.
Bending my knees slightly, I grasped her around the thigh with my free hand and pulled her up. She wrapped her legs around me, locking our bodies together and pressing the rigid length of my cock against her center. The way she moaned into my mouth as she rolled her hips in search of the friction my steel-hard erection provided pulled a groan of pleasure from me in return. If only she was wearing a skirt, I could tug her panties to the side and drive into her.
But I wasn’t so lucky.
A pointed cough to my left had me pulling away from her, though I kept her pressed up against the wall and shielded her with my body so I could assess the threat.
Waiting for us both at the other end of the alley were three very familiar, very pissed-off horsemen.
“Fuck.”