“Uh, beating some rookie’s ass?” I answered as I looked back over the fight, the sand spraying everywhere as Bryce wrestled the guy to the ground.
“It should have been over already.Youwould have finished it already.”
“You know Bryce likes to make it into a show. Relax, he’s winning, then we gotta deal with him gloating afterwards,” I groaned. Somehow, the only thing more insufferable than Bryce losing was when he won.
“He’s wasting time.”
“So grumpy,” I chuckled. “You’d think a guy who just had his dick sucked would be a little more relaxed.”
He shot me a warning glare before he looked around us to see if anyone was listening. Of course I was going to poke at that. “What? I didn’t say I was the one who’d sucked it.” I spoke louderand laughed as I barely dodged the fist aimed for my jaw. “Now, now, you still need me to beat that Deltran guy’s ass, right? No damaging the goods until after the fight.”
“You’re infuriating,” Archer gritted out between clenched teeth as he tried to compose himself again.
Finally, the fight was called with Bryce as the winner. That meant it was me up next.
“You want me to shut up? You know exactly what to do with my mouth to make that happen.” I leaned in to lick the shell of Archer’s ear.
I ran off before he had the chance to respond in whatever sort of violent manner he decided that statement called for. I’d still get it from him later—I was counting on it—but I had someone’s face to beat into the ground right now.
I recognized this particular motherfucker right away. Didn’t remember his name because I rarely bothered to try, but I’d crossed paths with him before. He was big—bigger than me, just a little. More muscular too. Didn’t matter.
Yanking my shirt over my head, I tossed it somewhere to the side, not caring if it landed on anyone in the crowd. The “ring” was made of spectators. A wall of bodies that formed a circle around the two fighters.
He looked pissed as he eyed me up, so I winked at him, and the sweet, sweet fury that flared in his eyes was more rewarding than throwing the first punch.
But I threw that too.
Adrenaline surged through my blood, more potent than any drug. And I was a fucking addict. The high I got while fighting was unparalleled. I came alive. Ilivedfor this. The pain was inconsequential.No, it was everything. It was fuel. Every hit I took only made the fire inside me burn brighter.
I was burning, blazing, raging, scorching.
Euphoric.
Bloody-knuckled and split-lipped, we circled each other again. Predator circling predator. Seeking opportunity. Seeking weakness.
I was zoned in. I wasalwayszoned in. Nothing that happened around me could ever take me out of a fight until it was over.
Or so I had thought.
Because then I sawhim.
A honey-eyed inferno in the crowd.
My eyes refused to look away from him.
The light from the barrel fires reflected in the depths of Jonah’s eyes, and his own fire burned bright and brilliant inside him to meet it in a fiery tornado.
He was scowling, and I’d never seen the emotion look so beautiful.
Then a fist connected with my jaw, and my brain shook within my skull as my head whipped backwards from the force of it.
And I went down.
nine
Jonah - Past
A BLOODIED ANGEL.
