“I’m not going to let Theon kill Oliver,” I snapped, trying to shake off her tightening grip.
But she held onto me, even when Oliver lost the struggle.
It all happened so fast. Oliver’s right arm dropped as he shifted his head. Theon’s axe veered off-center, sinking into his shoulder. Water muffled his cry, just as the cheering crowd drowned out Theon’s laughter when he yanked the weapon free. It was over. The next swing would drive through Oliver’s head, and I’d lose him.
I wrenched out of Ichi’s hold, about to pull at my Infernus, when Theon stumbled back and dropped his axe. He clutched at a dagger protruding from his stomach.
“How’s that feel?” Oliver rasped, standing, no longer suffocating on water. But his brows were drawn, and he covered his wound while his right arm dangled uselessly at his side. “It took me a few seconds to figure out where I wanted to stab you. The stomach seemed the best place for putting on my show.”
His show? Did Oliver plan this, or was he making it up as he went?
Theon’s nostrils flared as he shot out a blast of water, but it faltered, losing momentum. Oliver jerked out of the way and winced.Thatsmall movement hurt, and he thought he could put on a show?
“See, I could’ve slammed it through your ribs, hoping to nick your heart. But then you’d miss out on my favorite part.” Oliver laughed. “Heart, part. I like that.”
Theon didn’t. He ripped the dagger from his stomach and charged Oliver. A second later, Oliver used a maneuver we learned from Alexei to dodge the knife, then slid up behind Theon and fisted his orange hair. Water instantly encased Oliver’s head. But with each passing second, it thinned, revealing his nose, his smug smile, and blazing green eyes.
“Enjoy,” Oliver taunted.
Theon collapsed. I sagged in relief.Finally.He jerked in the wet sand, soft whimpers escaping his mouth. Looking absolutely green, Oliver sank to his knees next to Theon’s head. For a moment, I thought he was about to puke on him. But instead, he unsheathed a dagger at his hip and held it to carrot-top’s throat, signaling he could take Theon’s life if he wanted.
Heshouldkill him. He should rid the world of Theon’s stain. But I knew in my gut he wouldn’t. And after seconds of tense silence, everyone else knew it too. Which meant Theon would wake up and come back for revenge. Maybe not today or tomorrow, but someday.
“The victory is Oliver’s!” the announcer yelled, riling up the spectators.
The stunned crowd roared to their feet, shouting and applauding. The warriors, on the other hand, had a mixture of emotions. Some seemed apprehensive, others skeptical, and very few regarded him with begrudging respect.
But I was proud.
Oliver stood on shaking legs and walked over to our group on the sidelines. The dagger dangled from the fingertips of his good arm while blood dripped down the other. He still looked ready to spill his breakfast.
I refrained from hugging him and smiled instead. “You were brave, Oli.”
He smiled back with tight lips.
Alexei pounded his back, and Oliver winced. “Nice job taking that calculated wound! Showed your mettle and strategic intelligence.”
Oliver only nodded.
I quirked a brow. “Did you puke in your mouth?”
He nodded again.
Ronen stepped up beside him. “I’ll take you to Sam and find a bucket along the way.”
We still had a weird tension between us and barely spoke. But I gave him a grateful smile nonetheless.
Oliver hesitated.
“Go. There’s one match before mine. You won’t miss much, and thinking about you holding your puke in your mouth is making me nauseous.”
He gave a pointed look to Alexei.
“MJ, Ichi, and I got our beautiful girl, don’t you worry. Go do what you gotta do.”
That pleased Oliver enough to follow Ronen out of the arena. Someone eventually dragged Theon out of the ring, and the next match started. During it, Alexei, MJ, and Ichi drilled me with reminders.
“You either kill her or severely wound her so she won’t get back up. Got it?” MJ didn’t blink, didn’t even flinch. Her voice was cold with expectation.
