“Oie,” Brit put her palms in the air, clearly Everly told her as well.
Everly didn’t blink. “It doesn’t matter when they were told. Everyone knows now, and that’s what counts.”
Cayden’s unfocused gaze lingered on my back. He didn’t reach for me as he processed. But he shouldn’t have anything to process. He set our boundaries. Not me.
I smiled at Everly. “I would kill for a fraction of your confidence.”
A pair of sunglasses zoomed toward me. They hit me in the forehead and dropped onto my lap.
Everly clapped excitedly. “You’ll need those and to wear a hood. Everyone knows what you look like, especially with your new hair.”
Hero let out a frustrated groan. “Even if we brought an army with us, I wouldn’t be okay with this.”
I turned to Cayden, our voice of reason, sitting too silently.
The room stilled, waiting on him.
Finally, the focus came back to his eyes. “You shouldn’t be kissing anyone.” He scowled. “And you don’t need to call ‘more guys.’ We’ll be careful.”
Everly whooped while Brit shot to her feet and did a little dance.
“Maybe more excitement will help you focus on what’s important.” Cayden tugged the sunglasses out of my fingers. “We don’t need Rowan oranyone else.” He slid the plastic frame onto my face, darkening my world.
Everly took Brit’s hands, and the two spun. Everly’s beard promptly landed on the floor. “I’ll fix that.” She giggled. “Tonight’s the test run.”
Brit and I laughed. With Hero angrily stirring sauce and the drums beating in the background, we rolled out a map of the venue and made a plan.
Chapter 14
Rowan
Afightingcagedominatedthe center of a repurposed train station in the heart of Edinburgh, on the edge of Westwater territory. The ancient railroad tracks covering the floor disappeared under the sheer number of bodies pressed around the cage. I sat just a step up from them on the bleachers. Above me, boxes either belonging to families or rented to the wealthy loomed.
Although a few bits of the roof leaked on the unsuspecting, the dreary weather of Edinburgh didn’t penetrate the crumbling sheets of metal, stone, and magic. The sounds of yelling, betting, and talking, bounced around the space in a whirlwind of energy and excitement.
Joe jostled me, returning to our seats with another round of beers. I took mine, my face tingling from the alcohol, and adrenaline pumped. A cry rose through the crowd, and the sea of standing room only below me rippled. An image burst above the ring, replaying the KO in a massive 3D picture no one could miss.
“Bloody hell,” Joe said. “If the commander projected that when trainees shit their breeches, we’d have them sorted in no time.”
I laughed. I needed this.
My exit from the Moores contract was a disaster. Despite offering up my brother, Angela refused out of pure spite. My reasons to stay punched me in the gut, making me question everything. I was the third son of a destitute, dying family. Yes, I had a lot of raw power, but I literally brought nothing else to the table... unless tethering someone against both our wills was a skill.
Fuck. I still hadn’t talked to Quinn, and now I’d waited too long. Shame I wasn’t used to feeling strangled me.
But tonight, none of that existed. I’d put Quinn’s heart and the shit show that was my life into a box, drowning it in liquor, excitement, and violence.
An announcement boomed unintelligibly around the room, causing people to cheer and boo. Joe’s eyes actually glowed. “Brit’s up next. They’re taking a break to reset the ring just for her.”
I elbowed my smitten friend, and he grunted, his drink-flushed face mixing with a blush.
The warehouse’s bright lighting changed, swirling with pink and yellow. A ball of sparkling fireworks exploded over the fighting cage. Brit stepped into the ring, and the crowd roared.
My jaw dropped, and Joe reached over and pushed it closed. “All mine.”
Brit, dressed in her trainee uniform, reminded me of a square. Her clothing bulged against hard muscles and wide hips. Brit, in almost nothing, was a walking kink no man knew he had. Her athletic physique popped while the halter barely held her curves. Straps cut across her body, making her look sexy and badass at the same time.
She jumped to the middle and thrust her arms into the air. Her wrapped hands sparkled with pink, and more ribbons dangled off of them. Every ‘boo’ in the room turned into a cry, and I found myself off my feet cheering. Her opponent appeared next, a foot taller with pale skin and a gleaming bald head; only a loose pair of shorts covered his waist. His veins popped down his arms, and a few on his chest protruded unnaturally.
