27. Dominic
Istared at Bree’s back. Her magic still pinned me down, gliding through my mind with a salty aftertaste. She was much more powerful than she let on, possibly more than even she knew.
One word, one simple musical note, had taken me to my knees.
But I was unwilling to accept her words as truth. It didn’t make any sense. None of this did. “Why?”
With her hand on the door handle, she glanced over her shoulder. A look of venomous disdain marred her otherwise delicate features. “The Satos will own this gym over my dead body.”
She slid her mask over her face, activating the magic that hid her identity, and entered the gym as an unidentifiable nobody. A roar of applause and excited shouting followed in her wake.
“And here she is, folks,” Frankie’s amplified voice resounded across the gym, “our mystery fighter, the likes of which you’ve never seen before. I present the Sultry Siren!”
It wasn’t until the door clicked shut that Bree’s magic withdrew and my dragon and I could move again. I stood on unsteady legs, Jou roaring with fury and defiance within my mind.
Not once in my entire life had I felt as shaken as I did then.
What the fuck had just happened?
I’d come in to tell her about the deal with Ichiro and expected some pushback. What I hadn’t expected was to have my entire world destroyed in a matter of moments.
Once again, I replayed the conversation in my mind. There was no way what Bree had said was true. I would know if I was being controlled by her magic that way.
Wouldn’t I?
As I remembered her singing at the gym and the entranced sensation that had washed over me hearing her voice, I grew even more confused and uncertain. Jou’s menacing rumbles mirrored my frustration. If she had used her ability to make me forget, I would never know.
And what had she meant about the Satos owning the gym?
As far as I knew, after tonight, the Satos were finished with Subliminal. This was a one-and-done situation. Frankie was a force to be reckoned with, and Ichiro wasn’t willing to go toe-to-toe with her.
Had the old man kept something from me?
If so, why?
Dread seeped into my bones, cold as ice. The only reason I could think of was if my grandfather knew about my plan. My real plan, the one I’d hid for years and the details of which only my closest friends knew.
Except, if Ichiro had somehow found out, then I would be dead already. The old man had no use for games like this.
Had I just made a huge mistake telling Bree about Ichiro and the pyrocrystals?
Would she use that knowledge against me?
The door opened and Frankie stuck her head in, scowling. “Get a move on, dragon. We’re all waitin’ for you.”
That damned fae woman was gone before I could stop her. I clenched my fists in frustration.
There was only one person who could make sense of it all.
I strode up the steps and threw open the door. Immediately, the spotlight found me and followed my approach to the ring.
A hush washed over the gym. Wide-eyed fans stared on either side of me, hands reaching out to brush my skin reverently as I passed.
No one had fought without a mask before. While I had initially intended to wear one, now, I wanted to make a statement. I was done hiding.
“Well, ladies and gents, this is a first,” Frankie’s voice boomed through the speakers. “I give you Dominic Sato, the undefeated Red Dragon and Subliminal champion!”
The audience went wild with thunderous applause as I stepped up onto the ring and ducked beneath the ropes. The only person I concerned myself with was facing me. Her facial features were as unknown to me as anyone else, but I had memorized every inch of her body. I would know her anywhere.
Like our last fight, Bree was soaked from head to foot. Beads of water dripped down her face and body and pooled on the mat beneath her bare feet. An empty bucket rested in the corner.
Ocean-blue eyes gazed back at me behind her mask, not an ounce of regret to be seen. “For a moment there, I thought you were too much of a coward to face me again.”
While Frankie continued to address the crowd, building them up to even higher levels and encouraging bets, I studied the woman I’d fallen for. My chosen mate. “I don’t believe this was all a lie.”
She smirked. “And people call me na?ve.”
Frankie climbed into the center of the ring and glanced at each of us. “You two ready?”
Without hesitation, Bree nodded.
I couldn’t fight her, not like this. Something wasn’t right. Our feelings for each other were real. You couldn’t fake what we had, not even with magic.
But if I didn’t fight and win, Ichiro would kill me. Or try to, at any rate.
Either way, I was fucked.
“Frankie, tell me what’s going on,” I growled.
The fae woman looked me in the eye. “Whatever she told you, I’d believe it because ready or not, this is happenin’. Begin!” she cried out before ducking out of the ring.
Immediately, Bree raised her hands, drawing water from the pool at her feet. With a quick, fluid motion, she shaped the water into dozens of frozen shards and unleashed them. The water bullets flew toward me with deadly accuracy.
As the audience gasped and cheered on this new contender, I dove to the side. One of the razor-sharp shards tore through my arm, bringing a hiss to my lips, and Jou writhed against the tight leash keeping him contained.
I would find out what was happening with Bree, but I couldn’t if she killed me first. I unleashed my dragon.
The beast ripped away from my skin and darted toward Bree faster than a striking snake.
Except she was ready for him.
A torrent of water surged upward, knocking the dragon off course and dousing some of his flames. With a roar of fury, Jou spun to the side and circled over the crowd’s head, stoking his fiery scales back to life.
Bree called the water to her, wrapping the torrent around her body until it clung like a second skin. Its shimmering embrace accentuated her lithe figure as she moved. The water danced with her like a suit of armor, rippling and flowing with an otherworldly grace.
I stood mesmerized as the ever-shifting patterns of light played tricks on my eyes and the sound of tinkling water followed her steps. She was powerful and stunning, a goddess incarnate.
Water streamed down her arms and wrapped around her fists, which she raised in a boxing stance. “Let’s dance, dragon.”
I couldn’t fight her, and it had nothing to do with our contrasting abilities. The fight would be difficult, and she could very well win again. Hell, she deserved to win.
But I couldn’t fight her until I knew the truth. I dropped my fists, ignoring the angry jeers and boos directed at me.
Confusion swept through Bree’s gaze. “You’re giving up?”
“I have to know the truth.”
She narrowed her eyes and took a step toward me. “I told you the truth.”
“I don’t believe it.”
“Said every narcissistic man ever.” Her scathing words cut deep to my core. “You guys never seem to believe a woman may not actually be into you. It’s pathetic.”
Rage flared to life in my chest, and Jou roared behind me, ready to strike. But I held up my hand to stop the beast. “Tell me why you’re fighting.”
“Because I enjoy bringing the mighty Red Dragon to his knees.” She darted in, jabbing at my unprotected middle.
Instead of the softness one might expect from water flowing over her fist, her punch felt like a battering ram that sent shockwaves through my body and might have broken a few ribs. I inhaled sharply as an intense and immediate chill spread.
A deluge of water rapidly engulfed me as if I’d been caught in a relentless downpour, but one that originated from a single, powerful point of impact. I gasped for breath and struggled to maintain my footing.
Whether from Ichiro’s or Bree’s hands, I knew I would likely die that day.