I had to look away. Had to focus on my own drills.
Then I saw her.
Reina was in the photographer's area, camera already raised. And she was wearing it. My jersey. The blue and white Frost Kings colors, my number on her back, my name stretched across her shoulders.
Every possessive instinct I had roared to life.
Mine.
She was mine and everyone could see it. She caught my eye, smiled. The bond warmed between us, soft and grounding. Then she turned her camera toward the Steel Wolves end of the ice. My Sweetheart was a fucking professional, and neutral.
But wearing my name.
I glanced at Jaxon, saw him watching her too. Saw the way his jaw tightened, the flash of jealousy before he controlled it.
Good. Let him be jealous. She was wearing my jersey tonight.The thought made me warm and fuzzy inside.
The game started with the drop of the puck, and everything else fell away. This was what I knew. What I was good at. The ice, the speed, the strategy. I was the Ice King here. Controlled. Focused. Unstoppable.
Jaxon and I circled each other like predators.
First period was intense. Both teams feeling each other out, testing defenses. Jaxon and I ended up battling for a loose puck in the corner.
Bodies collided. Hard.
I felt the impact through the bond. Jaxon's flash of pain, quickly suppressed. My own satisfaction at landing the hit.
He shoved back, harder than necessary. Got his stick tangled with mine.
The ref didn't see it but I felt his grin through the bond.
Fucker.
We separated, skated back to our positions. But the charge between us was different now. Not just rivalry. Not just competition.
Something else. Something the bond had created.
Second period, Jaxon scored.
I watched him celebrate, watched him skate past the Frost Kings bench with that feral grin. He made sure to look right at me as he passed.
The bond pulsed with his satisfaction.
It pissed me off.
Next shift, I set up the perfect play. Drew the Steel Wolves' defense out of position, passed to Johnson who buried it in the back of the net.
I made sure to celebrate where Jaxon could see.
Made sure he felt my satisfaction through the bond.
Two could play that game. Third period was brutal. The score was tied 2-2 with five minutes left. Both teams desperate, both playing like it was the playoffs instead of a regular season game.
Jaxon and I went for a loose puck at the same time.
Full body collision.
We went down hard, a tangle of limbs and sticks and pads. For a second, we were pressed together on the ice, chest to chest.
