I tore my gaze away before I did something stupid like go up and hug him or something.
Slater let out a soft whine. “Tell me you’re not in love already. I wanted to be your first love.”
“I’m not in love,” I snapped, feeling venom seep from my fangs before I pressed them against my bottom lip. “Never been in love.”
“Aw, venom baby, I’ll fix that,” he cooed, his red eyes filling with excitement. “I’ll make you falldeeplyin love.”
I was going to humor him with a reply, but Pops called Zuko up first, and my words caught in my throat.
At 6’7”, the basilisk was a brutal figure with that sunset-colored hair that flamed from yellow into blood-orange. His hair was untamed and sticking out messily. His skeletal hand tattoos drew my eye as his venom slicked his palms. His dark orange eyes were locked on Pops with the intensity of a predator.
He moved fast, too. He was a blur of toned muscle and orange splashes of venom. He feinted low and drove his entire body forward for a punch to Pops’s chest.
But Pops didn’t even blink.
He simply side-stepped and snatched Zuko’s wrist mid-air, twisting and slamming him to the ground.
The impact cracked through the training field like thunder.
Zuko groaned, blinking up from the dirt. “Respectfully…fuck.”
“Observe, then strike. Don’t plow in without a plan,” Pops told him as Dad called out Slater’s name next.
“Wish me luck, venom baby.” He winked at me, gently brushing his arm over mine before he switched spots with Zuko.
My arm tingled from the contact.
Slater’s red eyes sparkled with mischief, and his daisies and jasmine scent curled on the wind as if to mock my attraction to him.
“Go easy on me,” he pleaded. “You will become my father-in-law by mating.”
Pops raised an eyebrow. “You honestly think commenting about your crush on my daughter will do you any favors?”
“It’s not a crush. It’s the Fates.” Slater spun low with a flicker of chaos magic between his fingers as his black snake with red eyes came into existence, warping the very air as it did.
His snake struck, but the bite missed as Pops’s phoenix wings burst behind him, and he took flight. Slater had no time to react to the kick from above. Pops’s foot cracked against his skull.
Slater dropped face-first into the ground, and his snake faded back into him.
“I promise to never hurt her…” he mumbled, eyes rolling back.
I stifled a laugh as Dad called out Koa’s name, and Jesper had to drag Slater off the arena and plop him on the glowing perimeter.
Slater jumped up a few seconds later, scratching the back of his head as he strolled back over. “I’m usually a lot more capable, but your dad is really fucking scary.”
I giggled. “He taught me to fight. I know.”
“Damn. You just keep getting even more attractive.” He waved his hand over his face, trying to cool off.
I rolled my eyes.
Koa stood in front of Pops, his wavy dark hair curling slightly with the heat he was exuding. His gold chain glinted on his collarbone, almost taunting the sunlight. Those warm brown eyes, flecked with embers, flared with barely-contained power.
“I intend to learn from this,” he said, lighting his fists with a casual ignition of red flames.
“Your move first.”
Koa nodded once before throwing a massive fiery punch.
