The crowd erupted in cheers and jeers. I thought I heard Rhodes yell my name, but the roaring in my ears drowned it out. My lungs burned as I inhaled dirt.
But I didn’t stay down. I wouldn’t.
I forced myself to my feet, wobbling unsteadily. Fallon stood there, arms crossed, her smirk as infuriating as ever.
“Seems to me you like being knocked down,” she said, her tone almost bored.
I wiped the dirt and blood from my lip, glaring at her. “Shut up.”
The crowd’s noise faded into the background as I charged her again, my anger overriding exhaustion. Fallon blocked every clumsy strike with infuriating ease, countering with precise hits that sent me stumbling back again and again.
She side-kicked my shin, and I staggered, but I refused to fall. Fallon bounced lightly on the balls of her feet, grinning like a toddler waiting for a new toy.
“What do you want from me?” I screamed, my voice thick with anguish. “You’re the one he chose to keep!”
Her bouncing stopped. Surprise flickered across her face before her eyes narrowed into slits. We circled each other in the ring, dancing around the truth between us.
“If you wanted to talk about Daddy,” Fallon said with a shrug, “all you had to do was say so. He was askingabout you earlier.”
Without thinking, I lunged—slamming into her and knocking her to the ground. I poured everything I had into holding her down as she squirmed beneath me. My hands clamped just above her elbows, forcing her still.
Then I felt it. Beneath my right palm, the texture of her skin was different—familiar. My grip loosened as my eyes locked on the scar slashed across her muscle.
The same scar I gave myself.
Fallon took advantage of my distraction. In a flash, she flipped us—slamming me onto my back and pinning me to the dirt. I thrashed beneath her, teeth bared. The pressure of her weight burned into my limbs, hot enough to leave bruises by morning.
She leaned in close, whispering in my ear, “Jealous that he tucked me in at night and read me bedtime stories?”
My fire element roared through my veins, begging to be unleashed, while my air element itched to throw her off me. I fought them back, determined to prove I could fight without relying on my elements. I couldn’t move my arms or legs, but I could tilt my head.
I sank my teeth into her jaw, biting down as hard as I could.
Fallon jerked back, cursing as she pressed a hand to the spot I bit. I ignored the protest of my muscles, springing up instantly and getting back into fighting position.
The crowd’s cheers died.
Everything that came next was a blur. Fallon feinted left, then struck right with a palm to my chest. The force knocked me back a step, but I held my balance.
Before I could react, she swept her foot low, catching me off guard and knocking my legs out from under me. I hit the ground with a thud, gasping as I scrambled back to my feet.
She was already there, faster than I could blink. Her fist slammed into my gut, pain exploding through my core. I folded forward, but she caught my arm, twisting it behind my back and forcing me into the dirt.
“Oh, look—your favorite place. Face down in the dirt,” she said, pushing her knee into my spine to hold me down. Her weight bore down on me, and for a moment, I thought I might lose my breath completely. My muscles screamed in protest, but I didn’t stay there long. I gritted my teeth and rolled, throwing her off of me.
I tried to spring to my feet, but Fallon was already there, twisting my arm behind me with a vicious yank. I gasped, trying to twist away, but it was useless—she pulled me down again, this time slamming me into the dirt with a vicious knee to the chest. My breath was knocked out of me as I hit the ground hard, the impact sending a shockwave of pain up my spine.
I choked, rolling to my side to push myself up. But Fallon was relentless. She grabbed my collar and yanked me back into a headlock, locking my body against her with her arm tight around my throat.
“Am I wrong?” she hissed.
I drove my elbow back with all the force I could muster, catching her ribs. She grunted but didn’t release me. I squirmed, but she wrenched harder, forcing me down again. The crowd’s jeers faded until all I could focus on was the crushing pressure on my throat and the fire burning in my limbs.
“I don’t think you’re capable of being taught,” Fallon whispered, her breath hot in my ear. “You’re a pathetic waste of space.”
“Then why did you rescue me!”
Instead of answering, Fallon released me with a sharp twist, sending me sprawling face-first into the dirt. I didn’t stay down for long. Pushing onto all fours, my scraped hands shook as I tried to catch my breath.
