SEVEN
Unspoken rule of the Fringes #7:
There’s no such thing as fighting dirty.
CELINE
My whole body itches.
Anika’s appearance, Ciprian asking Luca about the dead demon. It’s getting to me. If I don’t do something to distract myself, I’m going to stab someone.
“Let’s go to the fight tonight,” I say, unzipping my thigh-high boots and tossing Imani my most winning smile. We’ve been rehearsing a new duet routine, and it’s starting to come together.
She thinks about it, her eyebrows arched, shaking her head when I pout. “Fine,” she groans. “It’s not my first choice for a night off, but why the hell not?”
“That’s the spirit.” I check the mirror and adjust my high ponytail until it sits evenly on the crown of my head, then point at her. “But you can’t use your magic to fuck with the fighters.”
Imani frowns. “But that’s the most fun part. Why else would I want to watch sweaty, shirtless dudes writhe around in a cage?”
“They hit each other. A lot.”
“That’s true,” Imani says. “I guess it has its moments.”
I rub my hands together, getting more excited about a real night out the more I think about it. “I’ll buy you a beer and kidney punch anyone who tries to feel you up in the crowd.”
“Oh baby,” she coos. “Talk dirty to me.”
We both laugh, and I check the time on my phone. If we stop rehearsing and relax awhile, we’ll have plenty of time to get ready and be there in time for the bigger fights.
“Meet me there at nine?” I ask.
Imani nods. “It’s a date.”
“Damn,” I crow, dragging the word out as Imani giggles and spins, then blows me a slow-motion kiss. She’s wearing the hell out of her black mini dress, fishnet tights making her long legs appear endless. With her corkscrew curls blown out into an afro and her lips painted a deep magenta, she’s holding up traffic. I laugh out loud as one guy walks directly into a parked car while staring at her.
“You’re going to end the night satisfied,” I say.
Imani smiles, a hint of her siren nature peeking through. “Yeah, that’s the plan. Especially if you won’t let me play with the fighters.”
“Something tells me you’ll make do.” I chuckle, linking my arm with hers, and pull her down the street in the direction of the warehouse. There’s a slight stiffness in her normally fluid gait that wasn’t there when we rehearsed earlier. It adds another itch to my growing collection. “Imani... You’d tell me if it was getting bad again, wouldn’t you?”
She inhales. The sound is weary. It belongs on someone far older and more jaded than my beautiful best friend. “Thenightmares are back,” she admits. “It’s been hard to handle the soaks, but I’ll manage.”
I tighten my grip on her arm, anger stirring in my bones. It takes a lot to make a siren afraid of water. If I could get my hands on the people who drove Imani to flee to a literal desert climate, I’d be happy to provide them with some payback phobias, free of charge.
“You’ll let me know if I can help,” I say, my tone making it clear this isn’t optional.
Imani rolls her eyes. “Yeah, you can punch the water in my bathtub to your heart’s content.”
“Can I kick it, too?”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” she says. “That would make too big of a splash. I want my deposit back if I decide to move.”
We turn the corner, and the wide, dented door of the Mouth of Hell comes into view. It’s old, battered, and easy to overlook most days. Tonight, though—with a line of supernaturals forming outside—there’s no missing it. Unless you’re a human who wandered onto this street by mistake . . . then all you’d see is a filthy wall before being overcome by an urge to turn around.
My heart rate picks up, but it’s excitement, not fear. The supernatural fight club is rough. The kind of place you don’t step into unless you can handle yourself, which makes it wildly popular in a fringe community like ours, where it’s every creature for themselves. I doubt the enclave would approve, but since they haven’t bothered to shut it down, business is booming.
“It’s packed,” we say in unison. Imani sounds as if someone just told her she has six days left to live, and I sound like I won the lottery. We look at each other and giggle.
